Bucket List: Visiting the 7 Wonders of the World

With his wide open arms, he symbolizes the very welcoming character of Brazilians. He also dominates and watches over his city from the top of Corcovado Mountain.

The statue is very impressive at 83 meters high, but what inspired me the most was the panoramic view of the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro.

Personally, I spent less than an hour at the top… only to take my pictures of the statue and the landscape. This time was more than enough, unlike the other wonders that need to be visited in more depth.

The price of an entrance ticket to the site is R$71-88 for an adult depending on the season (about 17-22 CAD). Children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be charged R$54.

For more details on the must-see places in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, here is Valerie’s beautiful article and Caroline’s one on Sao Paulo.

Unlike Machu Picchu which requires a little more planning, public transport or a simple inexpensive Uber will get you to the top.

From Montreal, we fly direct to Sao Paulo, then there’s a partner flight between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with GOL. If you want to fly direct to Rio de Janeiro on Star Alliance with your Aeroplan points, you can do so with United via Houston.

The JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro is located on Atlantica Avenue, directly on Copacabana Beach. This is a category 5 hotel, so you can use your free night certificate!

• There is a much greater chance of fog in the summer (between November and March), so you may not be able to see the Christ statue.
• Do not walk up the mountain for safety reasons.

This vast Roman amphitheatre could accommodate up to 50,000 spectators who came to watch the gladiatorial fights and shows.

Built during the 1st century, this great building is still considered the symbol of the Roman Empire at its peak.

There are three sections that can be visited

• the arena: the main attraction and the stage for fights and shows
• the basement: where the equipment and animals were kept and where the gladiators waited for their turn
• the upper level: a panoramic view of the amphitheatre and a view of the adjacent Forum.

I particularly enjoyed visiting the underground tunnels and trying to understand the logistics behind the battles and shows.

In my opinion, this is the most interesting part of the visit.

The price of an entrance ticket to the site, as well as to the Roman Forum, is €16 for an adult (about $24 CAD) and €22 to access all three sections.

This Wonder is located in the heart of Rome, just get to the Colosseo station on the B metro line. The entrance is a few minutes walk from the station.

Air Canada and Air Transat offer direct flights from Montreal. The value of a ticket paid in cash must always be calculated in relation to a ticket paid in Aeroplan points, but especially for flights to Europe.

Depending on the season and the specials, it may be much better to pay for your flight in cash and then apply reward points to the purchase.

• Buy your tickets in advance on the following official websites.
• Choose your ticket carefully according to what you want to visit.
• If you want to take an organized tour to get more explanations or not to have to queue, the best value for money is sold by the official Coopculture website.

The city of Petra is a city with hundreds of buildings carved into the rock, whose layers vary from pink to dark brown to red.

From the entrance to the site, you will have to walk about 1.5 km through a rather narrow gorge to reach the Treasury (the Khazneh) which seems to appear suddenly after the last bend.

What an experience worthy of Indiana Jones! Indeed, the Treasure was used as a backdrop for the final scene of the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Treasury is the best preserved monument in Petra as it is sheltered from the sandy winds.

There are many views and nooks and crannies to discover, I advise you to spend at least 3 days to visit it.

Jordan, being a small country, has only two airports: Amman and Aqaba. Petra is about 3 hours drive from both airports.

As Petra is the main destination for travelers in Jordan, there are several ways to get there easily, whether by public or private transport.

We took a private taxi because we wanted to make a stop at the Dead Sea. It was on the way and we wanted to stop there for a few hours.

I had taken advantage of the option to add a stopover to my Aeroplan trip to combine Jordan and Egypt on one ticket. You can add a stopover for only 5,000 points: YUL-CAI (stop)-AMM.

The Marriott Hotel in Petra (category 4) is another great place to use your Marriott points or a certificate.

Another popular itinerary is to combine a visit to Petra and the Dead Sea with a trip to Israel. Indeed, there are many 2 or 3 day trips that are organized from Jerusalem. However, this will be much more expensive.

• Don’t forget to take off your sunglasses, the magic of Petra lies in the colours of the rock that change according to the light that shines on them.
• Canadians require a visa to enter Jordan. It can be obtained on arrival by air or at a land border crossing. The cost of the visa is $65 USD.

Emperor Jahan’s love for his wife really had no limits. He contracted twenty thousand men over two decades to build this monument.

The Taj Mahal is a veritable mausoleum that was erected in honor of his wife, who died giving birth to their 14th child.

It is the most famous building in India and one of the most photographed monuments in the world. Some of the rooftop hotels and restaurants have great views for panoramic photos.

The best times for photos are at sunrise and sunset and when it is illuminated by the full moon.

It is possible to book full moon tours of the Taj Mahal from 2 days before to 2 days after the full moon. I haven’t done it, but I hear it’s spectacular.

The entrance fee to the site is 1100Rs(20$CAD) and it is free for children under 14 years old.

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, a city about 200 km from New Delhi. The train is very convenient for the New Delhi-Agra connection; the journey can be made in just 2 hours.

The cost of this trip is only Rs 465 ($9 CAD) in the air-conditioned car of the fast train! There are many different trains (local, fast, etc.) and classes (standing, seat, air-conditioned, deluxe with meals, etc.), but the prices are very affordable, no matter which ticket you buy.

Once you arrive at the Agra train station, a simple taxi or rickshaw can take you to the gates of the Taj Mahal.

It is also possible to go there by taxi; it takes 3h30-4h to get there from New Delhi.

For accommodation, I highly recommendITC Mughal, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Agra, a luxurious 5-star hotel that will cost you 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or less (category 3). It is a 20-minute walk from the Taj Mahal.

See our previously published reports on India:

A symbol of Imperial China, most sections of the Great Wall were built during the Ming Dynasty. Initially built as a defence system, the wall also served as a border post to collect taxes on the Silk Road trade.

Several sections are open to tourists. I suggest you visit the Mutianyu section or the Badaling section.

The Mutianyu Wall is beautiful, but there are fewer means of transportation to get there and less traffic. I found the experience much more authentic.

The Badaling section is much more popular as it is easily accessible by public transport from Beijing (by bus or train).

Badaling is also well preserved and larger, but the crowds can be very dense, especially since most organized tours choose this section.

The interesting thing about Badaling is that you can really see the grandeur of the Great Wall; at the top, there is enough space to accommodate up to 10 soldiers in width.

You will need private transportation or a taxi to get to Mutianyu. It is also possible to make part of the journey by public transport, but you will have to change buses or taxis.

Badaling is much more accessible from Beijing:

• by bus (1h30) with bus #877 from Deshengmen or tourist bus #1 from Qianmen
• by fast train (25-35 mins), from Beijing North Railway Station to New Badaling Railway Station.

If you have a long layover in Beijing (which happened to me often with Air China), the Airport Express goes to Dongzhimen station where you can take the #2 subway line to Jishuitan station to catch bus #877.

It takes at least 10 hours if you want to visit the Great Wall by yourself or 5 hours if you go with an organized tour.

Many tour agencies are waiting patiently for tourists to leave the secure area of Beijing airport.

Both sections have a cable car to go up. In Mutianyu, you can even go down the slide!

In Beijing, all Marriott hotels are hotels in category 5 or lower. So you can treat yourself to high-end hotels like the St. Regis, JW Marriott or Ritz-Carlton at 35,000 points or with your free night certificate!

• Canadians need a visa to visit China
• It is possible to have a transit visa on arrival to visit Beijing (between 24 hours and 7 days) under certain conditions.
• Avoid Badaling during public holidays, especially during the Chinese New Year period.