Airports for the New Seven Wonders of the World - How to Get to the 7 Wonders

The new 7 wonders of the world were announced in Portugal on July 7, 2007. Hmmm, 7 wonders announced on 07/07/07, coincidence? I think not. More than 100 million votes from around the globe determined the list. But how does one get to these new 7 wonders of the world? Some are easier than others but to get there by air? These are the newly-christened man-made wonders of the world and the most convenient airports for them.

Great Wall of China
When I traveled to see the Great Wall of China, I followed the advice of the guidebooks for a city bus out of Beijing. It can definitely be done as a day trip if you have time constraints. Well, in the end it turned out that the public transit route no longer existed, and at that point in the morning I had missed the bus in terms of ones organized by the hotel. Instead, although it was cheap, the "public" bus had become a tourist one intended for Chinese visitors. This meant endless stops at tombs, a sad theme park, and finally 2 hours at the Badaling portion of the Great Wall in the late afternoon. Lucky for me a student was kind enough to practice his English with me so he translated the tour guide's explanations. Still, learn from my experience and hire a taxi or take a bus organized by the hotel.

Making your way out of Beijing's airport should give you an idea of how to get to the city center from the Beijing airport.

Beijing International Airport Information

Chichen Itza, Mexico
The remote location of Chichen Itza, means that organizing transportation is key to visiting this wonder. It is located close enough for a day trip from the resort town of Cancun, so securing transportation shouldn't be too difficult. Most resorts in the Yucatan will be able to at least set up your transportation, or a tour of this wonder of the world.

Cancun International Airport - Cancun, Mexico Information

Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro
This statue stands atop Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park. From the city or airport, this popular visitor attraction can be reached by taking public transit or taxi, and then taking the tram up the mountain for a closer look. The nice thing about the location is it's not all that far from the beach!

Galeao - Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport Information

Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu is not located anywhere close to an international airport. The closest town to the site is Aguas Calientes, where a lot of visitors who are not doing the Inca trail will stay in order to get an early start visiting this newly named wonder. Cusco, which is a bumpy train ride away does have an airport with several domestic flights.

However, many travelers choose Lima's international airport as their last airport before embarking on their treks towards the mountainous location of Machu Picchu (myself included). I had planned on flying into Cusco, but Aero Peru went under the week before, rendering my airline tickets useless. I did find bus and train travel to be quite comfortable and very inexpensive throughout Peru, with the exception of the rather bumpy train ride between Cusco and Aguas Calientes. From there you can purchase a round trip minibus ride for a few dollars.

Jorge Chávez International Airport - Lima, Peru Information

Petra, Jordan
Jordan is not a large country, so Petra is a potential day trip from Amman or its surroundings, and it is certainly the easiest of Jordanian airports to fly into in terms of choice. Because of Petra's location, you won't be able to look at public transportation, so hiring a taxi or taking a tourist bus will be the viable options for visiting this wonder of the world.

Queen Alia International Airport - Amman Information

Roman Colosseum, Italy
This is probably the most easily accessible new wonder of the world. Really a subway ride away. And although Rome has several airports, it is Fiumicino that is most known by international visitors. My most recent travels to Rome had me arriving during the dog days of summer, and an airport that was bursting at the seams with passengers (read - complete and utter chaos). It was a confusing enough time that I felt it necessary to write about navigating this not so wonder-ful airport.

Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport Information

Taj Mahal, India
There is no airport in Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, but you can fly to Delhi and then take a train between the two cities. The travel time between the two is approximately three hours, give or take your ability to jockey for a spot on one of the usually crowded trains. The best train station to arrive into in terms of both proximity and frequency of trains is Agra Cantt. There is also bus service from Delhi.

Indira Gandhi International Airport Information