Best megalithic sites to visit worldwide

Most take one to three hours. These sites are exposed, so bring a waterproof and warm layers in Britain and Ireland, and sun protection in Malta and Turkey. The rules differ: at Avebury you may walk among the stones and touch them, at Stonehenge a normal ticket keeps you on a path outside the circle, and Newgrange and Maeshowe are entered only on small guided tours through low, narrow passages that sell out in summer. Solstice dawns draw crowds and often need separate booking.

The best examples are Stonehenge in England; Newgrange in Ireland, with carved stones older than the pyramids; Skara Brae on Orkney in Scotland; Ħaġar Qim on its clifftop in Malta; the Antequera Dolmens in Spain; and Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, whose carved pillars were raised by hunter-gatherers before farming took hold.