Worth it
for whom?

Sagrada Família is the rare headline sight that survives its crowds. The nave, shaped like a stone forest and washed with coloured light, is the reason to pay for entry rather than circle the façades outside.

Park Güell works best as a compact Gaudí visit rather than a half-day park outing. The mosaic terrace, market hall and gatehouses are the substance, with a broad city view as the reward for the climb.

Casa Batlló turns a townhouse into a complete visual argument: bone-like windows, a marine-blue light well and a roof shaped around the legend of Sant Jordi. It is compact, polished and unapologetically theatrical.

La Pedrera is a slower Gaudí visit built around structure, an apartment restored to its period and a roof of sculptural chimneys. The undulating stone façade is only the opening move.

The official ferry joins two different visits: Liberty Island for the monument and Ellis Island for the human history behind arrival in New York. Ellis Island is usually the deeper experience.

A free commuter ferry that glides right past the Statue of Liberty and the harbour skyline.

The Empire State Building turns an observation deck into a visit through New York's most recognizable skyscraper. Its 86th-floor terrace is exposed to the city rather than sealed behind glass.

The Rockefeller Center deck — the connoisseur's pick because the Empire State is IN the view.

The 2,000-year-old amphitheatre that is Rome's defining icon.

The ruined civic heart of ancient Rome, beside the Colosseum.

Miles of papal art collections ending at Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.

The vast free basilica at the heart of the Vatican, plus a climbable dome.