As of this month, visitors to Cologne Cathedral in Germany must pay an entry fee.
asserted
visitors → pay → fee
The colossal Gothic masterpiece has been free to visit for centuries, but that privilege ended on July 1, with tourists wanting to admire its cavernous interior now required to cough up €12 ($19.50).
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tourists → visit → 12
It is the latest in a string of attractions around the world that have introduced admission charges in recent times.
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that → introduce → times
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, for example, went from being free to costing €25 ($40) in 2024, while Rome brought in charges for both the Pantheon (in 2023) and the Trevi Fountain (in 2025).
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Rome → go → 2025
Even the great outdoors is not immune to the trend, with hikers tackling Japan’s Mount Fuji now subject to a fee.
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hikers → tackle → fee
So, which of the world’s great landmarks are, for now, still completely free to visit?
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which → visit → landmarks
East Side Gallery, Berlin
This surviving section of the Berlin Wall now stands as the world’s longest open-air gallery, featuring more than 100 paintings across almost two kilometres.
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section → survive → kilometres
The East Side Gallery has official “Denkmal” (heritage-protected) status and is open 24 hours a day, attracting more than three million visitors annually.
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Gallery → have → visitors
Keep an eye out for one of its most well-known murals: the “Fraternal Kiss” depicts Erich Honecker, the East German chairman, and Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, locking lips.
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Honecker → keep → lips
According to science, Northern Ireland’s first World Heritage Site owes its existence to volcanic activity and continental drift.
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Site → accord → activity
According to legend, it owes it to a rivalry between giants.
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it → accord → giants
Book a paid visitor experience through the National Trust if you’d like to be accompanied by a storyteller, but otherwise, simply walk down to the stones on the Atlantic shore at no cost.
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you → book → cost
With its azulejo-adorned benches and a charming canal dotted with rowing boats, the semicircle-shaped Plaza de Espana is one of Seville’s numerous architectural delights.
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Espana → adorn → delights
It is also one of the few that remain free; the Royal Alcazar, the cathedral and the Giralda, as well as the Setas de Sevilla, all charge.
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all → remain → few
This might change.
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This → change → ?
Jose Luis Sanz, the mayor of the city, announced plans to introduce an entry fee in 2024, and it would appear that the project is still in motion despite delays.
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project → announce → delays
The plaza could therefore follow in the footsteps of other ticketed open-air spaces in Spain, such as Barcelona’s Park Guell, which is priced at €18 ($29).
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which → follow → 18
As it stands, however, the Plaza de Espana is free, even if not for much longer.
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Espana → stand → ?
Notre-Dame, Paris
The Parisian cathedral of Notre-Dame, overlooking the Seine, charges a fee to climb the 424 steps of one of its towers, but tourists are still able to visit the rest of the building free of charge.
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tourists → overlook → charge
As with the British Museum, reserving an entry time is advised, but this is also free.
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this → reserve → time
The cathedral is older than Cologne’s and underwent extensive restoration following the 2019 fire that forced it to close for five years.
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that → undergo → years
Now, visitors can once again see its 13th-century rose windows and the Crown of Thorns relic in all their glory.
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visitors → see → glory
The British Museum, London
More than 6.4 million people visited the British Museum last year, many of them probably eager to catch a glimpse of the Rosetta Stone, the treasures of Sutton Hoo or the Elgin Marbles.
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many → visit → Hoo
And if that wasn’t enough of a reason to go, viewing its impressive collection costs precisely nothing.
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viewing → go → nothing
Some temporary exhibitions do charge an entry fee; for example, standard tickets for the forthcoming loan of the Bayeux Tapestry carry a hefty price tag of £33 ($62).
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tickets → charge → 33
But fees do not apply to standard admission.
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fees → apply → admission
That said, it is advised to book a timed slot to avoid the queues.
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it → say → queues
The Natural History Museum overtook the British Museum as the UK’s premier visitor attraction last year, while the Tate Modern, the V&A and the National Gallery are home to world-class artistic collections.
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Modern → overtake → collections
Although you’ll pay to see some parts of St Peter’s Basilica, such as the dome above or necropolis beneath, a general visit is free providing you’re willing to take your chances in often long queues.
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you → pay → queues
If you want to book a time slot, a €7 ($11) fee will apply – though you get a digital audio guide with it.
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you → want → it
The basilica is crammed with artworks; Michelangelo’s great masterpiece, Pieta, is alone worth the visit.
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masterpiece → cram → artworks
Everywhere you look there’s something remarkable: gilded cherubs, mosaics, statues of saints, popes’ tombs, memorial tablets.
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you → look → saints
Be aware that dress codes are strictly enforced, so avoid shorts, bare shoulders and skirts above the knee.
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codes → enforce → knee
Papal audiences in the square outside, held every Wednesday morning whenever the pope is in Rome, are also free.
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pope → hold → Rome
The beating heart of Marrakesh’s medina has been drawing the city’s visitors since the 11th century, and today the square is an unmissable entry on any traveller’s itinerary.
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square → beat → itinerary
Mornings are filled with the sound of snake charmers’ pungi flutes and the smell of freshly squeezed orange juice, while evenings see it transform into a labyrinthine, lantern-lit set-up filled with food stands and fortune tellers.
The Golden Temple, Amritsar
The Sri Harmandir Sahib complex, which houses the Golden Temple, feeds 150,000 people daily, free of charge, as a manifestation of the Sikh belief that its places of worship are open to all.
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places → fill → all
Head coverings are mandatory for all visitors, but these are provided, as are foot-washing stations and shoe storage.
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stations → provide → visitors
A fee of any sort would jar with its entire ethos.
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fee → jar → ethos
The temple seems to float on the waters of the Amrit Sarovar pool and is surrounded by marble walkways where gurus read scripture and visitors rest in the shade.
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visitors → seem → shade
Dawn is often said to be the best time to visit, when the building reflects in the tranquil waters while the morning light catches on its gilded domes.
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light → say → domes
…and 65 more, not listed.
The Aporia
