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We Thought We Knew the Seven Wonders of the World. In 2026 the Story Looks Completely Different

Everyone knows the photographs. Far fewer people know where to sleep, which airport to fly into, when to arrive to avoid the crowds and what to do in an emergency

By Sherry AIPublished: Updated: 16 min read

A full guide to the Seven Wonders of the World: Petra, Machu Picchu, Chichén Itzá, the Colosseum, Christ the Redeemer, the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal. Airports, how to get there, hotels worth checking, entry requirements according to your passport and local emergency numbers.

A view over the Machu Picchu complex from above: stone stairways and roofless buildings spread across a green ridge, pale grass terraces in the middle, and behind them a steep peak covered in vegetation with low clouds around the surrounding ridges.
Photo: Eddie Kiszka / Unsplash

In short

The New Seven Wonders of the World were announced in Lisbon on 7 July 2007, after more than 100 million votes.

The list includes the Great Wall of China, Petra, Chichén Itzá, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal.

Machu Picchu sits at roughly 2,430 metres above sea level, above the Sacred Valley in the Cusco region.

The Great Wall is not one site: for a traveller arriving in Beijing, the two names that keep coming up are Badaling and Mutianyu.

Visa and entry requirements are always set by the traveller's passport and citizenship, not by the country the flight departs from.

Every wonder in this guide comes with the local emergency numbers worth saving in your phone before you travel.

There are places in the world we have already seen hundreds of times before ever visiting them.

The Taj Mahal at sunrise. Machu Picchu inside the clouds. The Colosseum at night. The Great Wall winding over the mountains.

And then one day you stop saving the photograph and start planning the trip. And that is where the genuinely interesting questions begin.

Where do you sleep in order to reach Petra before the groups arrive? Do you have to sleep in Cusco to see Machu Picchu? Which section of the Great Wall should you even choose? Is it worth going to Chichén Itzá from Cancún for a single day? And what is the local emergency number worth keeping in your phone?

The New Seven Wonders of the World were announced in Lisbon on 7 July 2007, after more than 100 million votes. The official list includes the Great Wall of China, Petra, Chichén Itzá, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal.

In 2026 they are still the same seven. But the smart way to see them has changed.

Petra, Jordan

Don't come only for the photograph of the Treasury

A view from above into a pink sandstone canyon, with a temple façade carved into the rock wall — columns, a pediment and a decorated upper storey. In the sandy square at its foot are dozens of tiny figures, and high, furrowed rock walls rise all around.
Photo: Alex Vasey / Unsplash

Petra's big moment actually begins while you still can't see it.

You walk inside the Siq, the narrow passage between the rock walls, a few more metres and one more turn, and then, through a crack between the rocks, the façade of Al-Khazneh — the Treasury — starts to appear.

It is one of those rare moments where reality still manages to beat the photographs.

But the common mistake is to think Petra is the Treasury. It is far bigger.

Anyone who carries on inside finds tombs, temples, viewpoints and Ad Deir, the Monastery, which you reach after a climb that is anything but short.

Give Petra at least a full day.

How do you get there?

Your base is Wadi Musa (opens in a new tab), the town next to the site.

Jordan's main international airport is Queen Alia International Airport near Amman. From there you can continue by car, private driver or bus.

For anyone combining Petra with southern Jordan, Aqaba is another gateway and geographically more convenient.

Where do you sleep?

Mövenpick Resort Petra (opens in a new tab) is one of the obvious choices thanks to a location very close to the entrance.

Petra Guest House is excellent for anyone for whom location is the single most important thing.

Petra Moon Hotel (opens in a new tab) is another option in the nearby area.

Visa and entry

Requirements for Jordan vary by passport, citizenship, how you arrive and which border crossing you use. Don't copy the visa requirements of a friend who travelled on a different passport. Check Jordan's official interior ministry or tourism website before you travel.

Keep in your phone

Police: 911

Ambulance: 193

Fire: 199

Tourist Police: +962 79 550 5755

If you need consular assistance, contact the embassy or consulate of your country of citizenship in Jordan.

Sherry’s Take

In Petra, I would choose location over luxury. After hours of walking, a hotel close to the entrance is worth far more than another star at a hotel that is far away.

Machu Picchu, Peru

The secret isn't only getting there. The secret is where you sleep the night before

An Inca stone complex spread along a ridge: rows of roofless buildings, stairways and bright green grass terraces, and behind them a sharp, steep peak covered in vegetation. More green mountains and low clouds surround the ridge.
Photo: Eddie Kiszka / Unsplash

Machu Picchu sits at roughly 2,430 metres above sea level, above the Sacred Valley in the Cusco region.

But one of the things that confuses travellers most is the distance between Cusco and the wonder itself.

Cusco is the great gateway to the journey.

It is not the place where you wake up, open a window and see Machu Picchu.

For that you have to get closer.

How do you get there?

Most travellers fly to Cusco and continue from there towards the Sacred Valley and by train to Aguas Calientes (opens in a new tab) / Machu Picchu Pueblo.

From the town you climb up towards the site according to the ticket and route you booked.

In 2026 this is definitely one of those places I would not leave to the last minute. Visitor numbers and routes are managed, so entry has to be booked in advance.

Where do you sleep?

If you want to go all the way:

Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu (opens in a new tab) is right beside the site.

Down in the town:

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (opens in a new tab) is one of the special hotels in the area.

Visa and entry

Peru grants visa-free entry to citizens of certain countries and requires a visa from others. The requirement is set by your passport.

Check with the relevant foreign ministry or Peruvian consulate before buying tickets.

Keep in your phone

Peruvian police: 105

Fire: 116

Highway police: 110

Sherry’s Take

Sleep in Aguas Calientes the night before the visit. The difference between starting your morning in the town below the mountain and trying to get there the same day from Cusco can change the whole experience.

Chichén Itzá, Mexico

The trick is to arrive before the buses

A stepped grey stone pyramid with a wide stairway up its centre and a small temple at the top, on green lawn under a blue sky with white clouds. In the foreground, partly out of focus, a weathered carved stone serpent head.
Photo: Marv Watson / Unsplash

El Castillo, the pyramid of Kukulcán, is one of those buildings you recognise in a split second.

But your experience at Chichén Itzá can be completely different depending on the hour you arrive.

Huge numbers of travellers come on day trips from the Cancún and Riviera Maya area.

And that creates a simple opportunity: instead of driving for hours in the morning with everyone else, sleep next to the wonder.

How do you get there?

You can come from the Cancún or Mérida area by car, by bus or as part of an organised transfer.

Anyone doing a wider trip around the Yucatán can combine the site with Valladolid (opens in a new tab) and the cenotes in the area.

Where do you sleep?

Hacienda Chichen (opens in a new tab) is a wonderful choice for anyone who wants to make the visit part of a holiday rather than just a photo stop.

Hotel Chichen Itza (opens in a new tab) in the Pisté area is a simpler, more convenient solution.

Visa and entry

Entry requirements for Mexico depend on your citizenship and your travel documents. Some nationalities are visa-exempt, while others have to obtain a visa in advance.

Check the immigration website or the Mexican consulate relevant to your passport.

Keep in your phone

National emergency: 911

Tourist assistance: 078. The 078 line also provides guidance on transport and contact with embassies and consulates.

Sherry’s Take

One night near Chichén Itzá. Arrive in the morning and leave as the big buses start filling the place.

The Colosseum, Rome

The only wonder on the list you can almost stumble into on the way to dinner

The elliptical amphitheatre of the Colosseum photographed from outside in soft morning light: three storeys of sand-coloured stone arches, some lit from within, and a stretch of façade whose upper walls are missing. The sky is bright and the plaza in front is almost empty.
Photo: Matteo del Piano / Unsplash

Petra sits among rocks. Machu Picchu among mountains.

And the Colosseum? It simply stands in the middle of one of the most alive cities in the world.

A metro line runs beneath it. Scooters go past it. People on their way to work walk beside a building put up almost two thousand years ago.

That is part of the magic.

How do you get there?

You fly into one of the airports of Rome (opens in a new tab), with Rome Fiumicino as the main international gateway.

Inside the city there is no need at all for a car to reach the Colosseum. The metro, buses and walking will do the job.

Where do you sleep?

Mercure Roma Centro Colosseo (opens in a new tab) for anyone who wants to be really close.

Hotel Colosseum (opens in a new tab) in the Monti area is another option.

But as far as I'm concerned the real choice is the neighbourhood:

Monti is close to the Colosseum, but in the evening it is also a place that is a pleasure to be in for its own sake.

Visa and entry

Italy is part of the Schengen area. Entry requirements vary by nationality, length of stay and purpose of travel.

Check the Schengen rules that apply to your passport, and where relevant also any electronic travel authorisation requirements in force at the time you travel.

Keep in your phone

General emergency: 112

Police: 113

Fire: 115

Medical emergency: 118

Sherry’s Take

Go back to the Colosseum at night as well. It is the same building. It is not the same experience.

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro

In this case, the view is half the wonder

A stone statue of a figure with outstretched arms stands on the summit of a steep, forested mountain, photographed from a distance and slightly above. Behind it, forested ridges fade into hazy light, and at the foot of the mountain dense city buildings can be seen.
Photo: gustavo nacht / Unsplash

Cristo Redentor does not stand in the middle of a square.

It stands on Corcovado mountain, above Rio (opens in a new tab), surrounded by one of the most extraordinary urban settings in the world.

On a clear day you see a city, a sea, mountains and forest almost in the same frame.

On a very cloudy day you can get to the top and mostly see… cloud.

Which is why here the weather is part of planning the visit.

How do you get there?

One of the iconic ways is the Corcovado Train, which climbs through the green to the statue.

Licensed shuttle services also operate.

Where do you sleep?

Santa Teresa Hotel RJ – MGallery (opens in a new tab) for anyone who wants a more distinctive city experience.

JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro (opens in a new tab) for anyone who prefers a base in Copacabana.

Visa and entry

Brazil changes visa and eVisa arrangements for different countries from time to time. Check according to your citizenship on the official Brazilian government website before you travel.

Keep in your phone

Police: 190

SAMU, medical emergency: 192

Fire: 193

Sherry’s Take

Don't choose your hotel in Rio by its distance from the statue. Choose it by the Rio you want to experience after you come back down from the mountain.

The Great Wall of China

The wrong question is "how do I get to the Wall?" The right question is: to which section?

A wide stone wall with crenellations winds along a mountain ridge and climbs to a square watchtower. The photograph is taken close along the wall's side, which runs away into the distance. Trees in autumn shades of green, yellow and brown surround the ridge.
Photo: Vincent Guth / Unsplash

The Great Wall is not one site with one ticket office and one gate.

For a traveller arriving in Beijing, two names come up again and again: Badaling and Mutianyu (opens in a new tab).

Badaling is accessible and extremely popular.

We would go for Mutianyu.

How do you get there?

Beijing is the main international gateway.

From the city centre you continue to Mutianyu by private driver, shuttle or a combination of public transport.

And anyone who doesn't want to do what almost everyone does can stay overnight in the area.

Where do you sleep?

Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel (opens in a new tab) is one option in the area.

For anyone looking for a simpler, more local experience there are also guesthouses around Mutianyu.

Visa and entry

China operates different visa, transit and exemption rules depending on passport, itinerary, length of stay and point of entry.

Don't assume that what was true on your last trip is still true in 2026. Check the official website of the Chinese embassy or consulate that covers your citizenship and country of residence.

Keep in your phone

Police: 110

Fire: 119

Ambulance: 120

Road accidents: 122

Sherry’s Take

If the itinerary allows it, sleep a night near the Wall. Once the day trips head back to Beijing, the area feels completely different.

The Taj Mahal, Agra

Don't treat it as a photo stop on the way back to Delhi

A symmetrical white marble mausoleum with a large central dome, smaller domes and four slender minarets at its corners, standing on a reddish stone base. The sky behind it is a golden-orange of the golden hour, and dark trees appear on the left.
Photo: Rowan Heuvel / Unsplash

Perhaps more than any other wonder on the list, we feel we already know what the Taj Mahal looks like.

And then you arrive.

From a distance it is almost too perfect.

Close up you start to see the stonework, the inlays, the calligraphy and the details that vanish completely in a photograph.

But there is one more variable: the light.

The morning Taj and the afternoon Taj feel almost like two different places.

How do you get there?

Most international visitors fit Agra (opens in a new tab) into an itinerary via Delhi.

You can come by train or by road. Agra also fits neatly into a Golden Triangle route together with Delhi and Jaipur.

But if you have come this far, don't turn it into a two-hour stop.

Where do you sleep?

The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra (opens in a new tab) is the iconic choice for anyone who wants to make the Taj part of the entire stay.

Tajview, Agra – IHCL SeleQtions (opens in a new tab) is another name worth checking.

Visa and entry

India operates an eVisa system for citizens of eligible countries, while other travellers may need a different type of visa.

The SherryStay rule is simple: check according to your passport on India's official visa website before booking the trip.

Keep in your phone

National emergency: 112

Police: 100

Fire: 101

Ambulance: 102

Tourist Helpline: 1363

Sherry’s Take

Sleep in Agra. Get up early. And let the Taj Mahal be the first thing you see that day, not the third stop after a long drive.

So which one is really the wonder?

Once you lay all seven on a map, you discover how strange this list is.

A city carved into rock in Jordan. An Inca citadel among the clouds in Peru. A Maya city in Mexico. An amphitheatre in the heart of Rome. A statue above Rio. A system of fortifications crossing mountains in China. And a white marble mausoleum in India.

There is no single style here. No single period. No single religion. Not even a single continent.

And that is perhaps exactly the point.

In a world where you can see almost any place on a screen before buying a plane ticket, the seven wonders still manage something a phone cannot: they give us a sense of scale.

But if there is one thing we would change about the way people plan these trips, it is this:

Don't only ask "how do I see the wonder?" Ask: where do I want to wake up on the morning I go to see it?

Because a night in Aguas Calientes instead of a rushed departure from Cusco, a hotel by the gates of Petra instead of a long morning drive, or a night in Agra instead of a day trip from Delhi can be the difference between ticking a box and remembering that day for the rest of your life.

Before you go: 60 seconds that can save a trip

Photograph your passport and keep a secure copy separately. Save your insurance number and its emergency line. Save the local emergency numbers that appeared in this guide. Check visa requirements according to your passport, not according to the country the flight departs from.

And when travelling to a foreign country, find in advance the details of the embassy or consulate of your country of citizenship at your destination.

These details are far less exciting than a photograph of Machu Picchu.

Right up to the moment you need them.

SherryStay | Not only where. Also how.

We don't want to send you another list of places you "have to see". We want to help you get to them properly.

That is why SherryStay guides combine the story of a place with the airports, the ways to get there, the hotels worth checking, the entry requirements and the emergency numbers worth saving.

Because a good holiday starts long before check-in.

Don't book before you've asked Sherry.

Questions and answers

What are the New Seven Wonders of the World and when were they chosen?
The New Seven Wonders of the World were announced in Lisbon on 7 July 2007, after more than 100 million votes. The official list includes the Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Colosseum in Rome, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Taj Mahal in India.
Do you have to sleep in Cusco to see Machu Picchu?
No. Cusco is the great gateway to the journey, but it is not the place you see Machu Picchu from your window. Most travellers continue from Cusco towards the Sacred Valley and by train to Aguas Calientes, the town below the site, and climb up from there. Sleeping in Aguas Calientes the night before the visit changes the whole experience compared with trying to get there the same day from Cusco.
Which section of the Great Wall should you choose?
The Great Wall is not one site with one ticket office and one gate. For a traveller arriving in Beijing the two names that come up again and again are Badaling and Mutianyu. Badaling is accessible and extremely popular. At SherryStay we would go for Mutianyu, and if the itinerary allows it, stay overnight in the area too.
Is it worth going to Chichén Itzá from Cancún for a single day?
You can, but that is exactly how you arrive together with everyone else. Huge numbers of travellers come on day trips from the Cancún and Riviera Maya area, so one night near the site lets you arrive in the morning and leave as the big buses start to fill the place.
How much time should you give Petra?
At least a full day. The common mistake is to think Petra is the Treasury, but the site is far bigger: anyone who carries on inside finds tombs, temples, viewpoints and Ad Deir, the Monastery, which you reach after a climb that is anything but short.
How do you check visa requirements for the wonders of the world?
Always according to your passport and citizenship, and not according to the country the flight departs from. Requirements vary between nationalities, and sometimes also by how you arrive, which border crossing you use, the length of your stay and the purpose of your trip. Don't copy the visa requirements of a friend who travelled on a different passport, and check the country's official website or the relevant consulate before booking the trip.

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By Sherry AI

Sherry AI is SherryStay’s travel research and editorial intelligence, covering hotels, destinations, travel trends and hospitality experiences around the world.

Source: SherryStay.com

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