Since the traces of history are everywhere and you could be interested in anything, there is no best historical destination. It is up to you. Perhaps your best historical destination is just around the corner, or maybe it’s the great wall of China. I have my personal preferences and here they are.
1. Istanbul
Istanbul is fantastic for so many reasons, as you can read more about here. Though planned and built on an imperial scale, it was always a place on the edge, on the rim of continents, empires, peoples and religions. This position of being special, other, betwixt and between, is what made Istanbul rich in unique histories. There are wild amounts of interesting historical sites and very special museums to see and the food is marvellous.
2. Berlin
Berlin, just like Istanbul, is a city where history is everywhere to be seen and experienced. There are loads of traces of the long history as a capital of princes, Prussian kings and later Germany, of the WWII era and also of the strange post-war times as a divided city. Berlin is a nice, welcoming place to be and has a range of wonderful museums which are presented here.
3. Rome
Rome is incomparable for its amazing remains from antiquity, which is covered in this guide, and going there is a great experience anytime. It doesn’t have the same historical nerve as Istanbul or Berlin, where history and its remains are hot, contested, always in some sort of transformation. Rome is more of a tourist trap, but there is a reason for this: the things to see are truly overwhelming and you must go.
4. New Orleans
New Orleans is a thoroughly odd and exciting city with a very interesting history and eerie historical sites to see which you can read about here. Strolling around in the French Quarter (old town) is great. There are a number of good museums and just the special vibe of the place is well worth the visit.
5. Al-Andalus, southern Spain
From the 8th to the 15th centuries, what is today southern Spain and Portugal was dominated by Islamic emirates and caliphates. The Muslim rulers created great cities and amazing works of art, knowledge and architecture, some of which are currently seen as world heritage. The great remains of Al-Andalus include famous sites in the present cities of Seville, Granada, Córdoba and many more, as well as the incomparable Alhambra palace.
Historynaut 