Intact Ancient Cities You Can Still Visit Around the World

Step inside the Karnak temple complex in Luxor, Egypt, or the adobe cliff dwellings of the American Southwest and imagine what life was like for the people who called these ancient cities home. Here are some of the world's most well-preserved ancient cities that are still open to visitors .

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Perdida City // Colombia

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Not for the faint-hearted, Ciudad Perdida ('The Lost City') is a gruelling, four-day hike through the dense, humid jungle of northern Colombia that requires a local guide. (Seriously: do not attempt this on your own.) The final stretch involves climbing 1,200 stone steps. But when you reach the top, the reward is well worth it. Believed to date back to the early 8th century AD but largely built several centuries later, Teyuna (as the locals call it) is a series of 169 steps, paved streets and small circular plazas. Up to 8,000 people once lived here.

Hampi // India

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The last capital of the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, Hampi is a beautifully preserved city built by wealthy princes between the 14th and 16th centuries AD. Located in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka, the city was attacked by the Muslim Deccan confederation in 1565, plundered for the next six months, and then abandoned. However, some 1,600 structures remain, including royal complexes, temples, houses, gateways, pillared halls, and most notably, stone chariots that were actually temples.

Aryan // Türkiye

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Built on a mountainside near Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, Arykanda is largely overlooked in the region because there are dozens of stunning ancient cities dotting this coastline, including Perge, Side, and Xanthos. Arykanda is special because of its breathtaking setting over a river valley. You can't even see it from the ancient road. The earliest ruins date back to the 5th century BC. The city was built in levels up the mountain, so as you climb, you'll find new ruins. In ancient literature, the Arykandans were rumored to be drunkards—and archaeologists have found thousands of bottles of wine at the site.

Shi Cheng // China

In 1959, the Chinese government flooded Shi Cheng ('Lion City'), a 600-year-old city in southeastern China, when they dammed the Xin'an River to build a hydroelectric power plant. The city has since lain deep beneath the surface of Qiandao Lake. The first dives to visit what some call the 'Atlantis of the East' took place in 2001. The water has preserved the city remarkably well, and you can still see the large building complexes and wide streets lined with hundreds of stone arches shaped like lions, dragons and phoenixes.

Herculaneum // Italy

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You know Pompeii. It's one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. But do you know the neighboring city of Herculaneum, which was also devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD? Most visitors skip this small seaside town, once a summer resort for wealthy Romans. But Herculaneum has plenty of ruins to see, including columned buildings, Roman baths, wide streets, and villas with beautiful mosaics and frescoes.

Lesley Montoya

Update 30 December 2024