Secrets of the icons
As impressive as our world’s most iconic attractions are, the sites they stand on often have much more to offer the more curious visitor, writes Brian Johnston.
The predictability of tourists is perplexing. They nearly all follow the same online guidebooks to the same viewpoints and buildings, barrel down the same streets, crowd around the same museum canvasses and pursue the same activities, all the while ignoring what lies nearby – sometimes only a room away.
Crowds might surge through Venice but, with scant effort, you can veer off into side alleys with much of the same fine architecture, where you’ll encounter scarcely another person. As for the Louvre, it may get more than 10 million visitors a year, but it has many empty rooms.
Even the greatest icons of travel have their little-known crannies and nearby sights that go almost unnoticed. Different ways to explore are ignored by visitors in a rush. Take more time, get more active and consider alternatives, though, and you’re amply rewarded with more nuanced, peaceful experiences even in the world’s mostvisited places.
Alhambra, Spain
The icon:
A sprawling hilltop complex of palaces, pavilions and gardens in Granada that forms one of the world’s great ensembles of Islamic design. What everyone does:
So many people troop through the Nasrid Palace’s sumptuous courtyards that tour guides must move on or face fines. The Generalife summer palace is also deservedly popular.
What everyone misses:
The Palace of Charles V is a Renaissance-era intrusion ignored by tour groups, yet displays surprisingly beautiful architecture, and houses a museum containing Islamic artefacts from the Alhambra’s glory days.
Tell me more:
The oldest part of the Alhambra is the 9th century Alcazaba fortress with its three towers. The Jardines del Partal also sees few visitors, even though these gardens are rich in flowerbeds, fountains and fine views.
Essentials:
Open daily except December 25 and January 1. Entry €14 (NZ$24), strictly timed. Book online, well in advance. See alhambra.org.
Machu Picchu, Peru
The icon:
The mountain-clinging, 15th-century ruined citadel of the Incas above the Sacred Valley, probably built as a royal estate.
What everyone does:
The hordes take the train from Cusco to see the main complex on a very long day trip. The sprightly clamber up Huayna Picchu for views. What everyone misses:
The sunrise is eerily quiet and spectacular, but requires an overnight stay nearby. A relatively easy two-hour return walk to the Sun Gate provides glorious, uncrowded views over the entire site. Mandor Valley below the ruins has lovely greenery and bird life.
Tell me more:
A two-day hike is the only way into Choquequirao, a miniature version of Machu
Picchu. You’ll be almost alone – at least for now, as a cable car is mooted.
Essentials:
Open daily. Entry PEN152 (NZ$71).
See machupicchu.gob.pe.
Supertrees, Singapore
The icon:
A collection of artificial steel trees between 25 and 50 metres tall, draped in vines, ferns, bromeliads and orchids.
What everyone does:
Walk the elevated walkway that links several Supertrees and has city views. Otherwise, visit only in the evening for the sound and light show. What everyone misses:
Fewer people visit the Flower Dome, the world’s largest glass greenhouse, home to Mediterranean and semi-arid plants. Even better is the magnificent Cloud Forest Dome, which showcases highmountain flora.
Tell me more:
Sprawling gardens around the Supertrees are virtually visitor-free, and scattered with sculptures, including a gigantic floating baby and traditional Chinese lions. You’ll find a Japaneseinspired minimalist Serene Garden, and lakes carpeted in waterlilies.
Essentials:
Open daily. Entry to the two domes SG$28 (NZ$31). See gardensbythebay.com.sg.
The Hermitage, Russia
The icon:
Former Winter Palace of the Russian imperial family in St Petersburg, housing one of the most comprehensive collections of Western art.
What everyone does:
Brace yourself for the jostle in the galleries devoted to Rembrandt, Da Vinci and (now in the nearby General Staff Building) the Impressionists. Few stray beyond the first floor, devoted to painting and sculpture.
What everyone misses:
Fantastic Egyptian, Roman and Greek exhibits go unvisited and few realise there are also collections of imperial court dresses, armour, antique glass and silverware – and Russian folk costumes and furniture.
Tell me more:
Menshikov Palace houses a branch of The Hermitage. It was one of St Petersburg’s first grand buildings, and provides a glimpse into life here during Peter the Great’s reign.
Essentials:
Open daily except Mondays, January 1, and May 9. Entry RUB 700 (NZ$17).
See hermitagemuseum.org.
Grand Canyon, USA
The icon:
An impressive gash in the Arizona desert landscape, 445 kilometres long and up to 29km wide. The Colorado River flows 1600 metres below. What everyone does:
Each year 6.4 million visitors cram the South Rim carparks and viewpoints around Grand
Canyon Village and Desert View.
What everyone misses:
Crowds quickly fall away on rim walks such as the rugged, 13km West Rim Trail. Hardly anybody camps overnight in the canyon floor, reached on an exceedingly challenging hike or mule ride.
Tell me more:
North Rim is a 320km detour via stunning Painted Desert. You get the Canyon almost to yourself, hiking the North Kaibab Trail, or cycling the Rainbow Rim Trail to remote viewpoints. Essentials:
South Rim is open year-round, North Rim is closed in winter. Private vehicle entry $US35 (NZ$55). See nps.gov/grca.
Petra, Jordan
The icon:
A ruined 6th-century desert city dotted with monumental buildings, temples and tombs, once the Nabataean kingdom’s capital and trading hub.
What everyone does:
The established route leads through the winding, narrow Siq canyon to the Treasury
and further into Petra’s monumental core. Many clamber on to the Monastery.
What everyone misses:
Although some tours visit Siq Al Barid – dubbed ‘‘Little Petra’’ and a 10-minute drive from the main site – these impressive ruins, tombs and caves retain a brooding, undisturbed atmosphere.
Tell me more:
If you’re fit, there are good hiking trails around Petra. The four-hour Ad Deir back route to the Monastery leads through beautiful landscapes and agricultural fields. The steep three-hour hike to the High Place offers ruins and fabulous panoramas. Essentials:
Open daily. Entry JOD50 (NZ$110).
See visitpetra.jo.
Table Mountain South Africa
The icon:
A flat-topped outcrop looming over Cape Town, part of World Heritage-listed Cape Floristic Region, which has the world’s richest flora.
What everyone does:
Millions annually ascend on the Cableway and most walk the three, easy hiking trails from Upper Cable Station. There are hourly free guided walks. What everyone misses:
Only the fit tackle the short, spectacular, but demanding, routes to the summit. Locals take longer hikes from Cape Town’s southern suburbs, with trails up Nursery Ravine and Skeleton Gorge, starting at Kirstenbosch botanical garden.
Tell me more:
Table Mountain National Park stretches across Cape Peninsula. Its Silvermine region has terrific hiking and mountain-biking trails.
Essentials:
Cableway ZAR360 (NZ$37) return. Varying national park fees apply to some areas, but not Table Mountain. See sanparks.org.
Versailles, France
The icon:
A vast palace 20km southwest of Paris,
powerbase of the French monarchy from 1682 until the 1789 revolution.
What everyone does:
The main walk-through takes in the Grand Apartments, Queen’s Apartments, King’s Apartments, famous Hall of Mirrors, and chapel. What everyone misses:
Not off the beaten track, but you can escape tour groups at the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon palaces in the grounds. The latter is associated with Marie Antoinette and has an exquisite theatre and pavilions and a rustic model farm.
Tell me more:
Versailles town is very attractive, but entirely overlooked. Check out the Louis XV market stalls converted to boutique homes, the baroque-style cathedral, gracious architecture, covered food market, and upmarket shops and antique stores. Essentials:
Entry €20 (NZ$34). Park open daily, palace open daily except Mondays, December 25, and January 1. See chateauversailles.fr.
Iguazu Falls, Argentina
The icon:
The 300-odd waterfalls strung out over several kilometres at Iguazu (or Iguacu in Portuguese), where two rivers plunge off a plateau on the Argentine-Brazilian border.
What everyone does:
The vast majority visit from Puerto Iguazu in Argentina, walking the Upper Circuit and Lower Circuit paths and taking a boat ride below the falls. What everyone misses:
The falls sit within a subtropical national park, where you can spot monkeys, toucans, coatis, and extraordinary butterflies. An easy hike along Macuco Trail takes you to Arrechea Waterfall. Tell me more:
Less-visited Foz do Iguacu on the Brazilian side is cheaper, livelier, and has various tourist attractions, such as a bird park. You don’t get as close to the waterfalls, but you’re rewarded with wider, more panoramic views.
Essentials:
Open daily. Entry ARS800 (NZ$21) and BRL59 (NZ$21). See iguazuargentina.com and cataratasdoiguacu.com.br.