8 Ancient Ruins You Can Have Entirely to Yourself

Ruins that reward the traveler with space to wander. Visitor numbers vary by season, so go early or off-peak. 

Sagalassos, Turkey. Photo: AdobeStock

Sagalassos, Turkey. A Roman city on a mountainside above the Ağlasun valley, with a restored fountain complex and big views. It gets a tiny fraction of the traffic that Ephesus does. 

Ancient Messene, Greece. Photo: AdobeStock

Ancient Messene, Greece. This is one of the best-preserved Hellenistic sites in Greece, with a stadium, theater, and city walls with towers. Many days you'll share it with a few locals and the cicadas. 

Selinunte, Sicily. Photo: AdobeStock

Selinunte, Sicily. Huge Greek temple ruins sit on a windswept headland above the sea. Most tourists head to Agrigento, so you can often wander here in near silence. 

Caral, Peru. Photo: AdobeStock

Caral, Peru. This is one of the oldest known cities in the Americas, roughly 5,000 years old, with pyramids and sunken plazas in the desert. Machu Picchu gets crowds, and Caral gets a handful of people. 

Calakmul, Mexico. Photo: AdobeStock

Calakmul, Mexico. A Maya city deep in the jungle of Campeche, with towering pyramids you can still climb. Howler monkeys and toucans are the main company. 

Koh Ker, Cambodia. Photo: AdobeStock

Koh Ker, Cambodia. Angkor's remote cousin, with a seven-tiered pyramid and temples scattered through forest. It sees a sliver of Angkor's visitors, and Beng Mealea, a collapsed, root-choked temple nearby, is also far quieter. 

Khami Ruins, Zimbabwe. Photo: AdobeStock

Khami Ruins, Zimbabwe. Stone-walled terraces from the 15th to 17th centuries, near Bulawayo. It's less visited than Great Zimbabwe, and you can often explore it alone. 

Loughcrew Cairns, Ireland. Photo: AdobeStock

Loughcrew Cairns, Ireland. Neolithic passage tombs on a hilltop in County Meath that are older than Newgrange and far less crowded. The views across the midlands are a bonus.

Access, road conditions, and safety can change, especially in remote areas, so check current travel advisories and opening hours before you go.