Some of the world's most breathtaking travel destinations may be hidden in the ground beneath your feet.
While some are man-made constructions, others are fascinating natural
wonders that have been formed over the course of thousands of years.
We've put together a list of 24 subterranean attractions to visit in
your lifetime, from a 10,000-year-old cave in Playa del Carmen, Mexico,
to a town that built a library, church, bar, and homes underground.
Salina
Turda, located in Turda, Romania, is home to an underground theme park
inside one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Head 400 feet down to
reach an amphitheater, bowling alley, mini golf course, ping pong
courts, Ferris wheel, and an underground lake with row boats.
St.
Michael's Cave is a network of limestone caves situated in the Upper
Rock Nature Reserve of Gibraltar. The cave has been used as a theater
since the early '60s and has a seating capacity of 400.
Flickr/Royal Navy Media Archive
Bounce
Below is a set of three giant trampolines nestled inside the Llechwedd
Slate Caverns — a former Victorian slate mine in Blaenau Ffestiniog,
North Wales. It was created by Zip World, a company specializing in
adventure activities.
The
company also built Zip World Caverns, which is also situated in what
used to be mines near the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd. Guests
are suspended up to 100 feet down into the slate cavern.
Bluegrass
Underground is a monthly concert series inside the Volcano Room of the
Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tennessee. Taking place more than 333
feet underground, the venue offers top-notch natural acoustics in a
breathtaking cave setting.
Take
a boat ride through the Waitomo Glowworm Caves of Waitomo, on the North
Island of New Zealand. A large population of glowworms causes the cave
to glitter.
The
Alux Restaurant Bar & Lounge serves drinks and authentic Mexican
cuisine in a 10,000-year-old cave in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Gorgeous
stalactites and stalagmites surround private vaults, where guests can
enjoy a delicious meal.
The
Postojna Cave in Postojna, Slovenia, is known for its whimsical web of
tunnels, passages, galleries, and halls, all of which have a stunning
diversity of karst formations. The cave also has several entertainment
options, including a concert hall and a train that operates through part
of the cave.
Inside the Formosa Boulevard Station in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is a
4,500-panel glass artwork by Narcissus Quangliata that is said to be the
largest glass-work in the world. Thanks to the stunning kaleidoscope
effects of the piece, the area has actually been used as a wedding
venue.
Shutterstock/Lau Chun Kit
Hang
Son Doong (or the Song Doong Cave) can be found in the Quảng Bình
Province of Vietnam. Classified as the largest cave in the world, it has
a width of about 300 feet, a height of 330 feet, and a length of more
than 6,000 feet. It has huge skylights and caverns that are big enough
to hold entire city streets.
More
than 90 of the subway stations in Stockholm, Sweden, have been
decorated with sculptures, mosaics, and paintings. The Kungsträdgården
metro station houses the relics of the old Stockholm Makalös palace and
has an impressive industrial-looking design.
Shutterstock/Eastfjord Productions
Stretching
nearly 800 feet, the Reed Flute Cave, located near Gulin, China, is
filled with incredible stalactites, stone pillars, and rock formations
that take on a breathtaking look when illuminated with colored lighting.
Thanks
to temperatures that can reach as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit,
almost all of the residents of the South Australian town of Coober Pedy
live underground. The town's residents have created a fascinating
submerged world, where you'll find everything from an underground
bookstore to a subterranean church.
Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
The
Puero Princesa Subterranean River National Park in the Philippines has
an underground river that stretches more than 26,000 feet within a
stunning limestone karst cave system. On underground guided raft trips,
you’ll enter chambers that are as large as 390 feet in size.
Iceland's
Thrihnukagigur Volcano has been dormant for 4,000 years, but it has
left behind breathtakingly colorful minerals that can be viewed on hikes
through lava fields. On tours that take place from May through
September, visitors are taken as far as 400 feet to the bottom of the
crater in an open cable lift.
The
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, Colombia, sits 590 feet below the surface
in the heart of a salt mine. Carved salt sculptures and a 16-foot cross
adorn a cathedral that gets some 3,000 visitors each Sunday.
Hidden
beneath Paris, France, are the Catacombes de Paris — an eerie network
of caves and tunnels housing the remains of nearly 6 million people.
Considered the world's largest grave, the catacombs have attracted
thousands of visitors, including King Charles X and Napoleon III.
The
Batu Caves of Selangor, Malaysia, feature stunning temples and
paintings that depict Hindu gods. Before entering the caves, marvel at
the enormous statue of Lord Morugan in the entrance.
Shutterstock/VenkateshMurthy
The
Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey, was built by Byzantine Emperor
Justinian I. The royal reservoir is said to be able to store up to 24
million gallons of water. Explore its stunning design as you admire its
336 marble columns and its two head of Medusa sculptures.
In
the deep salt mine of Wieliczka, Poland, altarpieces, chandeliers, and
even the ornamented Chapel of St. Kinga were chiseled out of rock salt.
According to Travel + Leisure, tours began in the 14th century and have
included guests like Copernicus, Goethe, and President George H. W.
Bush.
The
mine also hosts an underground sanatorium and curated events, including
concerts, theater performances, galas, and fashion shows.
The
Cango Caves are found near the town of Oudtshoorn, South Africa, at the
head of the picturesque Cango Valley. Dripstone caverns are lined with
vast halls and towering formations. Take the adventure tour, where
you’ll be led trough hanging crystal gardens adorned with helictites, an
active candle-wax column, and incredible cavern chambers.
The
Dambulla Cave Temple (also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla) is
the largest and best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. Inside,
there are Buddhist mural paintings covering entire walls and more than
150 statues dating back centuries.
Shutterstock/Jorg Hackemann
In
Turkey's Cappadocia region, there's an array of fascinating
subterranean safe houses that were carved from rocks of volcanic ash.
Several historic underground cities have been discovered many levels
below the surface, revealing networks of tunnels, inclined corridors,
and stepped pits.
Shutterstock/Pakhnyushchy
Enter
the sub-street basement corridors of London’s Cabinet War Rooms (also
called the Churchill War Rooms) to see what life was like for Prime
Minister Winston Churchill during the tense times of WWII. The rooms
have remained exactly as they were in 1945, when Churchill and his War
Cabinet would meet here to discuss strategy.
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