39 famous buildings you should visit before you die

An image of one of the world's most famous buildings, the Chengdu Science Fiction Museum
(Image credit: Lan Dongjie)

The world's most famous buildings can be great places to find creative inspiration. From historic marvels like the Forbidden City in Beijing to modern landmarks such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the world is full of iconic structures that can provide ideas for all manner of design projects.

The year 2024 will see the completion of several major new architectural landmarks which are sure to join the ranks of the most famous buildings, and in the list below, we've included some of these newcomers too. Visiting or just studying these buildings, we can learn about a country's culture, history and design. If you're drawing up a travel wish list, you might also want one of the best cameras or to take on some sketching tips to capture what you see.

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Georgia Coggan

Georgia is lucky enough to be Creative Bloq's Editor. She has been working for Creative Bloq since 2018, starting out as a freelancer writing about all things branding, design, art, tech and creativity – as well as sniffing out genuinely good deals on creative technology. Since becoming Editor, she has been managing the site on a day-to-day basis, helping to shape the diverse content streams CB is known for and leading the team in their own creativity.