5 Amazing Places You Can't Visit

What is it about a secret place or a closed door that arouses curiosity? The very fact that it is inaccessible or entry is forbidden makes it all the more attractive, with your mind conjuring up fantasies about what lies behind it. There are several such closed places, even inside a very touristy spot, where access is limited or outright denied.

Vatican Secret Archives

Ever since Dan Brown’s protagonist Robert Langdon made his way into the Vatican Secret Archives in the bestselling book ‘Angels and Demons’, the place has caught the imagination of travellers to this tiny country. While St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum are open to the public, the Secret Archives remain resolutely closed. Containing documents, manuscripts and publications accumulated over 800 years and held in 85 kilometres of shelves, this library is out of bounds to most people, except some research scholars.

 Doge’s Palace, Venice

The enigmatic Italian city of Venice is quite touristy, yet if you step off the San Marco-Rialto route, you can discover hidden treasures. But one of Venice’s secret treasures lies in San Marco itself, or rather in the Doge’s Palace next to the Basilica. While some parts of the palace are open to visitors, others such as the Chamber of the Chancellor and the prisons remain out of bounds. Some tours offer secret itineraries that include the above as well as the prison cells in which Casanova was lodged and the attic areas of the palace.

 Metro 2

A secret underground subway designed to evacuate leaders in the event of a nuclear war. Sounds straight out of a spy novel, doesn’t it? That’s exactly what Metro 2 (or D-6 as it was labelled by the Russian KGB) is supposed to be. While there is no official confirmation of the existence of this network, plenty of legends and stories abound that lend it an air of possibility. Purportedly built during Stalin’s time, this underground system is said to parallel the Moscow Metro and go beyond the limits of the city as well. It supposedly connects the Kremlin and other important buildings.

 Area 51

Another location that was for years a favourite of conspiracy theorists is Area 51 – the existence of which has only recently been acknowledged by the CIA. The top-secret military base in Nevada, United States is most likely used for testing experimental aircrafts and weapons. Though in popular culture, Area 51 has always been associated with UFOs and extra-terrestrial activity, including carrying out joint operations with ET! It is out of bounds for everyone except the research staff at location.

 Taj Mahal

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At the centre of the tragic love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, is her tomb – the gleaming, marble mausoleum Taj Mahal in Agra. It’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the finest example of Mughal architecture. However, there are some who claim that the structure pre-dates Shah Jahan and is in fact a Vedic temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said to have several secret rooms that have been sealed since Shah Jahan’s time. Also many of the motifs painted or etched on the Taj are said to have Hindu connotations, which gave rise to a controversial theory that the building was in fact a temple before being converted into a tomb.

These are but some of the secret places that are closed. Let's not even get close to secrets that governments and secret agencies of the world have up their sleeves!