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The Egyptian 100-pound banknote features an image of the Sphinx of Giza. Many other great travel destinations appear on money, from Mount Fuji to the Taj Mahal. Photo: Shutterstock

Post Magazine Travel

The best travel destinations on banknotes, from Mount Fuji to the Sphinx to Ha Long Bay – they’re right on the money

If a tourist spot is on the money, chances are it’s worth a visit, be it a wonder of nature or a feat of human engineering and source of national pride
We look at places on banknotes from Nepal to New Zealand and the Philippines to Peru for a different kind of travel checklist you can bet your bottom dollar on

Asia travel

Tim Pile

Published: 4:15am, 6 May 2023

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You can be sure a tourist attraction has hit the big time when it appears on a banknote. Alpha destinations such as the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, Petra and the Eiffel Tower have all co-starred on currencies that also feature royalty and revolutionaries, scientists and suffragettes, poets and painters.

Here are some other natural wonders and man-made marvels that are right on the money.

The Chinese 20-yuan note depicts a fisherman on a bamboo raft floating down the Li River amid the otherworldly karst scenery near Xingping, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The scene means that now, river cruises from Guilin that putter past the beauty spot pause while passengers photograph a handheld banknote against the familiar backdrop.

Don’t fancy a busy tourist boat? Take a bus to Xingping from nearby Yangshuo, rent your own bamboo raft, plus fisherman, and punt right up to the pinnacles.

Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks, in Banff National Park, appeared on Canadian 20-dollar bills from 1969 to 1979.

During the summer, glacial melt turns the lake a stunning shade of turquoise and on calm days the mirror-like reflection ensures that photos almost take themselves. Be warned, the car park fills up before sunrise – Parks Canada recommends visitors use the shuttle bus service.

Mount Everest soars skywards on Nepal’s 1,000-rupee banknote (in fact, the world’s highest mountain has appeared on every Nepalese note issued since 2007). But when the elephant overleaf was rather embarrassingly identified as being of the African variety, an update was ordered.

The 2020 version of the 1,000-rupee note shows twin Asian tuskers Ram and Lakshman, who were born in Chitwan National Park.

A newly issued 1,000-rupee note (above) and a previously used note of the same value, which featured what was identified to be an African elephant.

Mount Fuji has appeared on Japanese banknotes since 1950 and can currently be found on the reverse side of the 1,000 yen note.

Staying with snow-capped peaks, the New Zealand five-dollar bill features Kiwi adventurer Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, squinting towards Aoraki/Mount Cook, the highest peak in his country of birth.

Mount Fuji, meanwhile, has appeared on Japanese banknotes since 1950 and can currently be found on the reverse side of the 1,000-yen note.

The Philippine 20-peso note depicts the Banaue Rice Terraces, which were carved into the mountains of Ifugao province some 2,000 years ago.

The Banaue Rice Terraces on the Philippines 20 Peso banknote from 2010.

The engineering masterpiece is a Unesco World Heritage site and although it was temporarily added to the list of “world heritage in danger” due to neglect and unregulated development, restoration and conservation efforts have seen the terraces back in Unesco’s good books.

Flick through the brick of banknotes you receive from a Vietnamese money-changer and you’ll notice the lowest denomination notes celebrate industrial progress in the form of oil, gas and hydroelectric production.

Moving up in value (ever so slightly), the 17th century Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An enlivens the 20,000-dong note, while the 200,000-dong version pairs revolutionary “Uncle” Ho Chi Minh with an image of the forested limestone islands of Ha Long Bay, another of Vietnam’s eight World Heritage sites.

Vietnam’s 20,000-dong banknotes are adorned with an image of Hoi An’s Japanese Covered Bridge.

Rock formations of Ha Long Bay appear on Vietnam’s 200,000-dong notes.

Malaysia’s 100 ringgit banknotes bear an image of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia

Bank Negara Malaysia has also managed to include two World Heritage sites on the reverse side of its 100-ringgit note.

Both are in Borneo: Kinabalu Park, in Sabah, is home to the Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, while the razor-sharp Mulu Pinnacles on Mount Api can be reached after a challenging four-day flight/longboat ride/trek/climb to and in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak.

Incorporating Braille dots to help the visually challenged identify denominations, the Indian 500-rupee note displays an image of lawyer and anti-colonial nationalist Mahatma Gandhi on one side and the Red Fort overleaf.

The Red Fort appears on Indian 500 rupee notes.

Located in the capital, New Delhi, the sandstone monument was commissioned in 1639 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was busy overseeing the construction of the Taj Mahal at the same time.

Every year on India’s Independence Day (August 15), the prime minister hoists the national flag and addresses the nation from the fort’s ramparts. The speech is followed by a military parade.

If you ever find yourself in possession of a Scottish banknote, your first concern will probably be whether you can convince a shopkeeper to accept it. The plastic cash is legal currency but not legal tender, which means it can be rejected as payment for debt.

A Scottish £20 note bears an image of the Forth Bridge, the world’s first major steel structure.

The £20 bill shows the Forth Bridge, the world’s first major steel structure and a source of national pride. The landmark and World Heritage site is held together by 6.5 million rivets, a similar number to that used to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and twice as many as were needed for the Eiffel Tower.

One side of the Peruvian 10-soles note features Machu Picchu, the 15th century Inca city that appears on as many bucket lists as banknotes.

Despite being exceptionally well preserved, Machu Picchu’s purpose is still not understood – archaeologists debate whether it was a religious site, a royal retreat or an astronomical observatory.

Consider a reconnaissance trip before booking the real thing: a number of travel companies offer virtual tours conducted by local guides who will show you around the ruins without you having to leave the comfort of your sofa.

An image of Machu Picchu appears on Peru’s 10 soles banknote.

Egypt isn’t short of options when it comes to decorating its pounds and piastres. Banknotes have an Arabic face and an English face. The former includes images of Islamic buildings while the latter is devoted to ancient Egyptian statues, temples and engravings of figures.

The Pyramids Of Giza and the Sphinx have appeared, as have the huge carved rock temples at Abu Simbel.

Also in Africa, the Chiremba Balancing Rocks have shown up on every Zimbabwean bill minted by the central bank, from independence in 1980, until the issue of a 100 trillion dollar note at the peak of hyperinflation in 2008.

The Chiremba Balancing Rocks have shown up on every Zimbabwean bill minted by the central bank since the country’s independence in 1980.

The battered currency was ditched a year later in favour of the US greenback, only to return as legal tender in 2019.

The balancing rocks, which have proved to be far more stable than the economy, are located in Epworth, a suburb of the capital, Harare. And those multitrillion-dollar notes? They’re long gone – unless you’re lucky on eBay.

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