Where are some places you can’t visit anymore?

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Last Updated on 14th February 2023

The Azure Window arch in Gozo, Malta fell into the sea during a storm on 8th March 2017. This made me think of some the other places you can’t visit anymore. Places that friends and I have been to before, and things we’ve done, that for one reason or another you can’t do today either. Whether that be due to:

1. Terrorism (my friend from Hornblower Travels who visited the Arch of Triumph in Syria or my dad who went to the Twin Towers in New York)
2. Accidents (I flew in Concorde back in 1989 but since 2003 she’s been permanently grounded).
3. Repairs (you can’t currently climb up the Elizabeth Tower to see “Big Ben”)

Places you can’t visit anymore – Mother Nature

Back to the Azure Window, I visited it in November 2010 with a friend Al after we’d got a boat over from Malta to view the arch and the lagoon next to it. On the day we visited it was a bit blustery so we couldn’t get any “picture perfect” shots or see any scuba divers below the water surface.

However we did walk across the arch and took photos of each other on the top. Whether people jumping off from the top loosened any stones over the years is another thing but the Azure Window eventually succumbed to the sea, which 1000s of similar arches have done over hundreds of thousands of years.

Places you can’t visit anymore – human beings

My friend Rob visited the Arch of Triumph in the 2,000-year-old city of Palmyra in Syria back in 2000 which was destroyed mindlessly by ISIS back in 2015. He was on a 10 day unplanned journey through Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. And the Twin Towers? We all know what happened back in 2001.

Things you can’t do anymore – regulations and economics

The chances of being able to fly again in Concorde are slim even though many of the planes still exist. Sadly Concorde stopped flying for good it seems back in 2003.

This was due to the Paris airport crash of 2000, the general downturn in the commercial aviation industry as well as increasing maintenance costs. The world suddenly became a bigger place again on 25th October, the day after it stopped flying. I got to fly in Concorde back in 1989 and feel very lucky to have done so.

Places you can’t visit … for now – restoration

That leaves climbing up the Elizabeth Tower to see Big Ben. Now with this one you “can” do this again but not until the restoration works are finally complete, and then only if you’re a UK citizen and get invited by your MP! Simply write to yours and they will hopefully oblige.

Places you can’t visit anymore – with the people you love

That leads finally to those places you can go to still. Just not with the people you used to go with. One of my favourite places is the beach resort of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. Thanks to countless Summer holidays there with my mum and gran over the years. I loved going there at the time and can still go there, but only with my mum now so maybe that’s what I should do this summer 🙂

What places can you think of that you can’t go to anymore? Or ones that might not be around for much longer? The Maldives before they’re under water? Wild rhinos before they go extinct? I certainly hope not for the latter.

And actual countries you can’t visit anymore?

Check out this new (Oct 2019) and highly related post by Kasia Writes on countries you can’t visit anymore either.

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