TOP 10 Wonder walls

Great big walls – whether they’re built to keep people in or out – are an endless source of fascination

1

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Tour from €3,150pp Winding sinuously over the hills like an elongated dragon, punctuated by watch towers, troop barracks and garrison stations, is a breathtaking feat of engineering. Voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, the longest wall on the planet as well as the largest man-made barrier ever built, measures some 13,170 miles. The first bricks were laid in the 7th century BC as a defence from invasion by nomadic tribes, taking more than 2,000 years to build. THE DEAL Wendy Wu Tours Wonder of China itinerary includes a walk on the Great Wall, visits to Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, giant pandas in Guilin, the Terracotta Army in Xian, cruising the Yangtze and exploring Shanghai. The 16-day fullboard tour starts at €3,150pp including flights, all tours with guides and visa. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10

2

HADRIAN’S WALL Two nights from €175 for two This year marks the 30th anniversary of Europe’s longest wall as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It takes its name after the Roman emperor who ordered its construction after visiting Britain in AD122 “to separate the Romans from the barbarians” – the tribes living in present-day Scotland. The wall stretched coast to coast for 73 miles from Bowness-on-solway to Wallsend on the River Tyne, cutting through spectacular landscapes. Learn what life was like for Roman soldiers based here at historic Housesteads Fort. To see the longest and best-preserved stretch of the wall, head to Birdoswald Fort. The Roman Army Museum at Bardon Mill has a family-friendly gallery showing the role of the army in building the wall THE DEAL Family-run Best Western Beaumont Hotel in the picturesque market town of Hexham is a stone’s throw away from Hadrian’s Wall. A two-night break for two in October starts at €175. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10

3

WALLS OF STON, CROATIA Seven nights from €895pp The medieval town of Ston in southern Croatia holds a surprising secret – it’s home to Europe’s second-longest fortified walls (over four miles) known as Europe’s Walls of China. Connecting the two towns of Ston and Mali Ston on the Peljesac peninsula, it was built in the 14th century to protect the important salt pans. The glittering, gently sloping sands of the beautiful Bay of Prapratno – rated one of Croatia’s top 10 beaches, are just two miles away from the little town.

THE DEAL Seven nights’ B&B at the five-star Dubrovnik Sun Gardens in Orasac starts at £819pp. Flights from Luton on October 7 and group B car hire with Prestige Holidays. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10

4

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA Three nights from €348pp Take a walk along the imposing walls encompassing the Old Town. It’s worth scaling the steep steps for the spectacular views of the Adriatic on one side and the terracotta rooftops on the other. It takes around an hour for the mile-long walk, unless you take a break for a drink at one of the stalls along the way. THE DEAL A three-night B&B break at the five-star Grand Villa Argentina on the seafront starts at €348pp including flights from Luton on October 14 with easyjet Holidays. mirror.co.uk/ traveltop10

5

SEATTLE GUM WALL Five nights from €1,036pp In an alleyway close to Seattle’s Pike Market, you’ll find crowds glued to this attraction. It’s not an engineering marvel or stunning architectural work, but it is the world’s most famous place for sticking chewing gum. In 1993, patrons of the nearby Market Theatre started “decorating” the wall. Today over 50 feet of the alley is covered in colourful blobs, earning it a place in the city’s street art – as well as being named the world’s second-germiest tourist attraction in 2009 (the Blarney Stone was top). THE DEAL: The Edgewater Hotel – where The Beatles fished from the window – has a five-night stay from €1,036pp in a cityside deluxe king room. Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow with Virgin Holidays. mirror.co.uk/ traveltop10

6

BERLIN WALL Two nights from €151pp For 28 years from 1961, this 66-mile symbol of the Cold War divided the west from the east. November 9 1989 has come to be the day attributed to its fall, but demolition didn’t start until the following year on June 13, with souvenir hunters chipping away chunks. See a mile of the wall at the Berlin Wall Memorial. (berlinermauer-gedenkstaette.de) THE DEAL In November a two-night break at the fourstar Berlin Mark Hotel starts at €151pp with Heathrow flights with BA Holidays. Book by September 10. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10

7

KREMLIN WALL, MOSCOW Three nights from €435pp This fortified complex of cathedrals, palaces, towers and museums has been the seat of Russian state power since the mid-15th century, when Ivan the Great ruled. The Kremlin is the world’s biggest fortress. Outside, the preserved body of Lenin can be viewed. THE DEAL: BA Holidays has three nights at the three-star+ Holiday Inn Moscow– Sokolniki starting at €435pp, with flights from Heathrow on dates in November. Book by September 26. mirror.co.uk/ traveltop10

8

WASHINGTON VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL WALL Three nights from €2,000pp This sombre wall, built in memory of the American casualties of the Vietnam War, carries the names

of over 58,300 members of the US armed forces chiselled into the black granite monument. THE DEAL: Signature by Thomas Cook has three nights’ roomonly at four-star Hyatt Regency Washington DC from €2,000pp. Gatwick flights on September 17.

mirror.co.uk/traveltop10

9

SACSAYHUAMAN, PERU 14-day tour from €1,637pp Perched high above Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas, is this amazing temple-citadel. Construction began in the mid-16th century, and took nearly 100 years. Just ropes, hammers and chisels were used to create an incredible zig-zag jigsaw of polished stones so ingeniously stacked together that there’s no space to slip even a sheet of paper through – a testimony to the amazing skills of the Inca architects. THE DEAL Explore’s 14-day Sacred Land of The Incas tour from €1,637pp, or from €2,430pp with flights. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10

10

WESTERN WALL JERUSALEM Four nights from €507pp The wall is said to have been part of the Temple Mount built around 19BC by Herod the Great. It’s also known as the Wailing Wall, because for centuries Jews made the pilgrimage here to lament the loss of the Temple. THE DEAL Four nights’ B&B from €507pp at the four-star Prima Royale. Monarch flights from Luton on October 10. mirror.co.uk/traveltop10