11 cool passport stamps in the world

11 cool passport stamps in the world

Some unusual passport stamps to collect on your travels, including microstates, geographical landmarks, inaccessible countries and a range of historical landmarks

It may not be fashionable, but I'm a bit of a box-ticker when it comes to travel. I have a list of the countries I've visited and I keep track of memorable places like the highest, lowest and driest I've visited. I'm also pretty proud of my passports (past and present) filled with the stamps I've collected.

The standard entry and exit stamps from most countries are pretty mundane. Aside from the typical destinations, however, there are some unusual (and boastful) passport stamps you can collect on your travels, including microstates, geographical landmarks, inaccessible lands, and a number of historical landmarks.

1. Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany

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Als Symbol für den Kalten Krieg und ein geteiltes Europa war der Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin während seiner 28-jährigen aktiven Lebensdauer der bekannteste Grenzübergang zwischen Ost- und West-Berlin. The checkpoint has not been used since the official reunification of Germany in October 1990. Tourists can today visit the Museum Haus at Checkpoint Charlie and have a choice of unofficial passport stamps for a price between €1 and €3.

2. El Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia, Argentina

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It's not called the end of the world for nothing. We visited the southernmost part of Argentina at the beginning of winter, just as Tierra del Fuego received its first snow of the season. Ushuaia isn't quite the southernmost population on the continent (that would be Puerto Williams on the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego), but it is the most dramatic.

The windswept city sits picturesquely between the Martial Mountains and the choppy seas of the Beagle Channel. Visit the waterfront tourist information center to choose between two passport stamps.

3. Republic of San Marino

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Aside from the Vatican (where you can't get your passport stamped), San Marino is the smallest state in Europe and the fifth smallest in the world. The Republic of San Marino is an enclave microstate measuring just over 60 km2.

Surrounded on all sides by Italy and with a population of 32,000, San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world. EU citizens have to pay €2.50 to have their passport stamped at the tourist information center. Visitors from outside the EU automatically receive a stamp upon entry.

4. Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, Quito, Ecuador

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From the end to the middle of the world, the South American continent has some claims to fame. 26 km north of Quito is Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (City of the Middle of the World), where the equator runs through Ecuador.

There is some confusion about where exactly the equator is. Apparently, the Ethnographic Museum monument is actually located at the equator, about 240 meters north of the marked line and the pyramid monument at the official location. Both sites have the option to stamp your passport, the cost is included in the entrance fees.

5. North Korea

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Only about 1,500 Western tourists visit North Korea each year, making it one of the least visited countries in the world. Furthermore, it is the political and social resistance to entering such a closed and undemocratic country that makes this crossing such a price for travelers.

Tourists must book a pre-planned tour with two North Korean tour guides accompanying them. The tour guides must be specially appointed by the country's Ministry of Tourism and the organization can take around 6-8 weeks. Passport stamps are issued upon entry.

6. The Polar Bear Capital of the World, Churchill, Canada

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The small town of Churchill in northern Manitoba lies on the western shore of Hudson Bay. Every fall, the large polar bear population migrates from the interior to the coast, inspiring the name “Polar Bear Capital of the World.”

The polar bears are the spearhead of the region's growing ecotourism industry, where tourists can visit a "polar bear prison" where bears that are constantly roaming in or near the city are held until they are released back into the wild in the winter. You can have your passport unofficially stamped with a polar bear at the Churchill post office.

7. Machu Picchu, Peru

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Most Peru tourists will want to visit Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. In the 15th century, the Inca Emperor Pachacutec built a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu (“Old Mountain”).

As you enter the UNESCO World Heritage Site via the world-famous Inca Trail, there is the option to have your passport stamped (included with park admission). If you miss this opportunity or don't feel like doing the trek, there is also a small office just inside the entrance to the actual Inca ruins where you can also get your stamp.

8. Llanfairpwllgwyngyll-gogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysilio-gogogoch, Wales, United Kingdom

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This large village in Wales has the longest place name in Europe at 58 characters and the second longest official one-word place name in the world.

The James Pringle Weavers shop is one of Llanfairpwll's main tourist attractions (short name) and can stamp your passport with the full name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. (We had to separate the title to fit on the page!) You can also buy a novelty train ticket that bears the platform name and is record-breakingly long.

9. Antarctica

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Not the easiest place in the world, and for good reason: it's the southernmost continent on Earth and contains the South Pole. Most tourists come from either Chilean or Argentinian Tierra del Fuego, but some make the epic journey from New Zealand or South Africa.

Antarctica is administered by more than 50 nations through the Antarctic Treaty System, so there are no official passport stamps. However, tour operators can visit scientific stations where visitors can receive souvenir stamps. There is also a historic British post office in Port Lockroy that offers souvenir stamps.

10. Greenland

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Greenland is an autonomous country within Denmark and is geographically part of North America but politically part of Europe, although it is not part of the EU. Greenland is described as a country within the Kingdom of Denmark, although it is 50 times the size of the “mother country”. Its rather idiosyncratic political and geographical status makes this passport stamp unusual - not to mention its remoteness, pristine glaciers and invigorating clean air.

11. Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic

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Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic is 2,434 km (1,512 miles) from St. Helena, 2,816 km (1,750 miles) from South Africa and 3,360 km (2,090 miles) from South America. With around 270 inhabitants, the main island of Tristan da Cunha is also the most remote inhabited island in the world.

It has no airport, so all travel must be by boat, making it the most remote inhabited location even by transportation time. The boat trip to the nearest scheduled airport in South Africa takes five days. Upon arrival, visitors must obtain a country stamp, one of the hardest passport stamps in the world to obtain. If you make it here, you're either very committed or very lost.

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