The route
West to east, from the Bering Strait to the Himalayas. Tap a number to jump to its border.
The signs are drawn for this page. Facts and crossing rules were checked in October 2026; borders change, so check before you travel.
Borders crossed
0 / 15Press “Cross” under a sign to drive over the line.
01 · Bering Strait
The Diomede Islands: yesterday and tomorrow
Two islands 3.9 km apart, on either side of the date line: one American, one Russian, and a day apart.
Bering StraitClosed
- Distance apart
- about 3.9 km
- Time difference
- 21 hours (20 in summer)
- People on Little Diomede
- 83 (2020)
The story
In the middle of the Bering Strait, Little Diomede belongs to the United States and Big Diomede to Russia. The line drawn when the US bought Alaska in 1867 runs between them, and so does the international date line.
From Yesterday Island you can see Tomorrow.
That puts them about 3.9 km apart in distance and a day apart in time: in winter Big Diomede's clocks are 21 hours ahead. They are known as Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Island. Big Diomede has no civilians, only a Russian military post; Little Diomede's village had 83 people in 2020.
Why it's strange
- You can see tomorrow from today, across 3.9 km of sea.
- In winter the strait freezes, but nobody is allowed to walk across.
- Two superpowers' nearest point, between two tiny islands.
Crossing it today
There is no crossing. Little Diomede is reached by helicopter or charter from Nome, Alaska; visitors from abroad need what the US requires of them (an ESTA or a visa).
Check the entry rules for your passport02 · Point Roberts, Washington
Point Roberts: America through Canada
A US town you can only drive to by crossing Canada twice.
Point Roberts, WashingtonOpen, with checks
- People
- 1,191 (2020)
- Area
- about 12.6 km²
- Border crossings to reach it by car
- 2
The story
When Britain and the United States drew the border along the 49th parallel in 1846, they did not notice that the line cut off the tip of a peninsula south of Vancouver. That tip, Point Roberts, is American, but by land you can only reach it through Canada.
A US school trip to the mainland means two international border crossings.
Its petrol stations, parcel lockers and holiday homes live on Canadian visitors. When Canadians stayed away from the US in 2025, its grocery store went from five or six thousand customers a week to around two and a half thousand.
Why it's strange
- American children cross Canada to get to high school.
- The 49th parallel was drawn before anyone checked the map.
- The town's economy rises and falls with the Canadian dollar.
Crossing it today
Open, with passport checks on both sides. You need what Canada asks of your nationality (an eTA or a visa) to drive through, and what the US asks to come back in.
Check the entry rules for your passport03 · Derby Line, Vermont / Stanstead, Quebec
The library with the border on the floor
A black line across the reading room: books in Canada, the door in the United States.
Derby Line, Vermont / Stanstead, QuebecOpen, with checks
- Built
- early 1900s
- Canadian entrance opened
- June 2026
- Raised for it
- about 140,000 dollars
The story
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House was built on purpose across the border, so both towns could share it. A black line runs across the floor of the reading room; the books are mostly in Canada, and the opera house stage is in Canada while most of its seats are in the US.
You leave by the door you came in: the library is not a border crossing.
For a century, Canadians walked in through the front door on the American side. From October 2025 the US required them to go through a port of entry first, citing illegal crossings, so the library raised money and opened a separate Canadian entrance in June 2026.
Why it's strange
- A library where you can stand in two countries at once.
- An opera stage in one country and its audience in another.
- In 2026 it needed a second front door.
Crossing it today
Visitors can enter from either side through their own country's entrance and must leave the same way. Carry ID: border officers may ask for it.
Check the entry rules for your passport04 · Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
The triple frontier at Iguazu
Three countries meet where two rivers do, a few kilometres from the world's widest waterfalls.
Foz do Iguaçu, BrazilOpen, with checks
- Waterfalls
- 275, along 2.7 km
- Tallest drop
- 82 m
- Visitors to the Brazilian marker in 2025
- over 500,000
The story
Where the Iguazu river flows into the Paraná, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet, and each has its own landmark on its own bank, painted in its national colours. From the Brazilian one you can see the other two across the water.
Three countries, three markers, one look across the water.
Upstream, the Iguazu Falls tumble over 275 drops along a 2.7 km edge, shared between Brazil and Argentina. The Friendship Bridge links Brazil with Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, and a second bridge to Paraguay was opened in December 2025.
Why it's strange
- You can see three countries at once from one viewpoint.
- The falls themselves are shared by two countries, with a national park on each side.
- Shoppers cross to Paraguay and back in a day.
Crossing it today
All three crossings are open, with passport checks. Brazil now asks some nationalities, including US, Canadian and Australian citizens, for an e-Visa; check all three countries' rules if you plan to cross.
Check the entry rules for your passport05 · Gibraltar
Gibraltar: a road across the runway
For decades cars stopped for planes at the edge of Britain's Rock. In 2026 the border fence came down.
GibraltarOpen
- Tunnel under the runway
- opened 2023
- People crossing daily for work
- about 15,000
- UK–EU treaty in effect
- 15 July 2026
The story
Gibraltar's airport runway is squeezed onto the narrow isthmus that joins the Rock to Spain, so the main road crossed it: barriers came down and traffic waited whenever a plane landed. Since a tunnel opened in 2023 cars go underneath, though walkers and cyclists still cross the tarmac.
You can still walk across a working airport runway.
In July 2026 a UK–EU treaty took effect: the fence at the land frontier came down and routine checks ended. Spanish officers now carry out Schengen-style checks at Gibraltar's airport and port instead, while sovereignty stays exactly as it was.
Why it's strange
- Pedestrians cross an international runway between flights.
- A British territory where Spain checks passports at the airport.
- One of the newest open borders in Europe.
Crossing it today
The land frontier is open without routine checks, but carry a passport: occasional checks are allowed, and Schengen's 90-days-in-180 rule applies.
Check the entry rules for your passport06 · Bidasoa river, Irun / Hendaye
Pheasant Island: six months French, six months Spanish
The world's smallest shared territory changes country twice a year.
Bidasoa river, Irun / HendayeClosed
- Spanish
- February – July
- French
- August – January
- Treaty signed here
- 1659
The story
In the middle of the Bidasoa river, between Irun in Spain and Hendaye in France, is an island of a few thousand square metres. The Treaty of the Pyrenees, ending decades of war between the two kingdoms, was negotiated here in 1659, and Louis XIV's marriage to the Spanish princess Maria Theresa was arranged on it.
Every six months, an island changes country without moving.
Ever since, the island has been shared: Spain runs it from February to July and France from August to January, with the mayors of Irun and Hendaye taking turns. In October it is French.
Why it's strange
- It changes country twice a year.
- Its 'government' is two town halls taking turns.
- A peace treaty and a royal marriage were made on a sandbank.
Crossing it today
The island is closed to the public apart from rare heritage-day boat visits; you can see it from the riverbank in Hendaye. France and Spain are both in the Schengen area.
Check the entry rules for your passport07 · Llívia, Catalonia
Llívia: a Spanish town inside France
It stayed Spanish because a treaty gave away villages, and Llívia was a town.
Llívia, CataloniaOpen
- Area
- about 12.9 km²
- People
- about 1,500
- Pharmacy museum
- from the 1400s
The story
When Spain handed 33 villages of Cerdanya to France after the Treaty of the Pyrenees, Llívia argued that it was a town, not a village, and so stayed Spanish. Today it is completely surrounded by France, joined to Spain only by a neutral road.
A town that stayed in Spain on a technicality.
Its museum keeps the Esteve Pharmacy, founded in the early fifteenth century and one of the oldest in Europe, with its jars and recipe books.
Why it's strange
- A piece of Spain completely surrounded by France.
- Its link to Spain is a road neither country fully controls.
- Saved by the difference between a town and a village.
Crossing it today
Open, with no checks: France and Spain are both in the Schengen area. Carry a passport or ID.
Check the entry rules for your passport08 · Baarle-Hertog / Baarle-Nassau
Baarle: the border goes through the living room
Belgian enclaves inside the Netherlands, with Dutch enclaves inside those.
Baarle-Hertog / Baarle-NassauOpen
- Belgian enclaves
- 22
- Dutch counter-enclaves
- 7
- Border fixed
- 1843
The story
Medieval land deals left the village of Baarle cut into pieces: 22 bits of Belgium inside the Netherlands, and inside some of those, seven bits of the Netherlands. The border, fixed in 1843, runs through streets, shops, cafés and houses.
Your country depends on where your front door is.
White crosses with NL and B are set in the pavement to show where it goes. A house belongs to the country its front door is in, and some owners have moved their doors to change nationality.
Why it's strange
- Enclaves inside enclaves.
- Moving your front door can change your country.
- Two town halls, two police forces, one village.
Crossing it today
Open, with no checks: both countries are in the Schengen area. Carry a passport or ID.
Check the entry rules for your passport09 · Lake Constance (Bodensee)
Lake Constance: the lake with no border
Germany, Austria and Switzerland share a lake and have never agreed where the line runs.
Lake Constance (Bodensee)Open
- Area
- about 536 km²
- Countries on its shores
- 3
- Agreed border on the main lake
- none
The story
Lake Constance sits where Germany, Austria and Switzerland meet, and on its main basin, the Obersee, there is no agreed border. Switzerland favours a line down the middle, Austria treats the water as shared by all three, and Germany has never taken an official position.
Three countries, one lake, no line.
It works anyway: shipping, fishing and police are run by agreements between the three, and ferries cross from country to country all day.
Why it's strange
- One of the few places in Europe without an agreed border.
- You can sail between three countries without ever crossing a line.
- Run by treaties on everything except where it ends.
Crossing it today
Ferries run between all three countries. Germany and Austria are in the EU and Schengen; Switzerland is in Schengen but not the EU customs union, so customs checks can happen. Carry a passport or ID.
Check the entry rules for your passport10 · Victoria Falls, Zambia / Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls Bridge: a bungee jump between two countries
Jump 111 m from a bridge between the border posts of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Victoria Falls, Zambia / ZimbabweOpen, with checks
- Opened
- 12 September 1905
- Height above the river
- 128 m
- Bungee jump
- 111 m
The story
Cecil Rhodes wanted a railway from the Cape to Cairo and a bridge where travellers would feel the spray of Victoria Falls. He died before work began, but the bridge opened in 1905, spanning the gorge 128 m above the Zambezi.
A bungee jump between two border posts.
It sits between the Zambian and Zimbabwean border posts, and from the middle of it you can bungee jump 111 m towards the river, in neither country's passport queue.
Why it's strange
- You can walk onto the bridge with a bridge pass, without fully entering the other country.
- One of the world's most famous bungee jumps hangs over an international border.
- A single visa covers both sides.
Crossing it today
Open, with checks on both sides. The KAZA UniVisa (50 US dollars) covers Zambia and Zimbabwe for up to 30 days, and day trips into Botswana.
Check the entry rules for your passport11 · Between Egypt and Sudan
Bir Tawil: the land nobody wants
About 2,060 km² of desert that neither Egypt nor Sudan claims.
Between Egypt and SudanOff-limits
- Area
- about 2,060 km²
- The prize next door: the Halaib Triangle
- about 20,580 km²
- Countries claiming it
- 0
The story
Two British-drawn lines run between Egypt and Sudan: the political border of 1899 and an administrative one of 1902. Under the 1899 line the much larger, coastal Halaib Triangle belongs to Egypt; under the 1902 line it goes to Sudan, and Bir Tawil goes the other way.
The one piece of land on Earth that two countries are trying not to own.
Each country backs the line that gives it Halaib, and claiming Bir Tawil would mean giving that up. So about 2,060 km² of desert belongs, by anyone's reckoning, to nobody.
Why it's strange
- One of the last pieces of land no country claims.
- Claiming it would cost each country something it wants more.
- Several people have 'founded kingdoms' there online; none is recognised.
Crossing it today
Not a place to visit: it is a remote military area, and governments advise against travel to the region and to Sudan. Egypt itself is open to visitors, with an e-Visa for many nationalities.
Egypt visa guide →12 · Saudi Arabia / Bahrain
The King Fahd Causeway: a border on an island in the sea
A 25 km road across the Gulf, with passport control on a man-made island in the middle.
Saudi Arabia / BahrainOpen, with checks
- Length
- about 25 km
- Opened
- 26 November 1986
- Passengers in 2024
- over 33 million
The story
Opened in 1986, the King Fahd Causeway links Saudi Arabia's eastern coast to the island kingdom of Bahrain with a chain of bridges and embankments about 25 km long. Halfway across is a man-made island where both countries have their passport and customs posts.
Passport control on an island built for the purpose.
The border island has mosques, coastguard towers and two tall tower restaurants. More than 33 million people crossed in 2024, and a second link, the King Hamad Causeway with road and rail, has been planned.
Why it's strange
- The border is on an island built in the middle of the sea.
- Both countries' border posts share one artificial island.
- Weekend traffic from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain is one of the region's busiest crossings.
Crossing it today
Open to cars and buses, with checks on the island. You need entry permission for Saudi Arabia and for Bahrain; both offer e-Visas to many nationalities.
Saudi Arabia visa guide →13 · Attari, India / Wagah, Pakistan
Wagah–Attari: the border with a show every evening
High kicks, flags and a crowd of thousands, at a crossing closed to travellers.
Attari, India / Wagah, PakistanClosed
- Seats in the Indian gallery
- about 25,000
- Ceremony in October 2026
- 5:00 – 5:30 pm
- Closed to travellers since
- May 2025
The story
Every evening on the road between Amritsar and Lahore, Indian and Pakistani border guards lower their flags in a ceremony of high kicks, stamping and glares, cheered on by crowds in grandstands on both sides.
The gates stay closed, and the crowd still comes.
After the fighting between India and Pakistan in May 2025, the crossing closed to travellers. The public ceremony resumed within weeks, but the gates now stay shut and the guards no longer shake hands.
Why it's strange
- A border where the closing ceremony draws tens of thousands of spectators.
- The guards' routine is half military drill, half theatre.
- In 2026 you can watch it, but not cross it.
Crossing it today
Closed to travellers between India and Pakistan. You can watch the ceremony from the Indian side with an Indian visa or e-Visa.
Check the entry rules for your passport14 · Nepal / China (Tibet)
Everest: the border on the roof of the world
The China–Nepal border runs over the summit, 8,848.86 m up.
Nepal / China (Tibet)Permit only
- Height
- 8,848.86 m
- Nepal spring permit
- 15,000 dollars
- Nepal permits in 2026
- a record 492
The story
The border between Nepal and China's Tibet region runs along the Himalayan crest and straight over the summit of Everest, measured jointly by the two countries in 2020 at 8,848.86 m.
The highest border on Earth is a few square metres of snow.
Climbers come up from both sides, but in 2026 the Tibetan north side was closed to foreign climbers, and Nepal raised its spring permit to 15,000 dollars from September 2025. Nepal still issued a record 492 permits in 2026.
Why it's strange
- The world's highest point is on a border.
- Climbers from two countries can meet on the summit without either crossing.
- Its height was set by two governments measuring together.
Crossing it today
Climbers from the Nepal side need a Nepal visa and a climbing permit; trekkers to Everest Base Camp need trekking permits. The Tibet side needs a China visa, a Tibet Travel Permit and a guided group, and was closed to foreign climbers in 2026.
Check the entry rules for your passport15 · Cooch Behar, India / Bangladesh
Cooch Behar: an enclave in an enclave in an enclave
A field that was India, inside Bangladesh, inside India, inside Bangladesh, until 2015.
Cooch Behar, India / BangladeshOpen
- Enclaves exchanged
- 162
- People living in them (2010)
- 51,549
- Exchange began
- 31 July 2015
The story
Centuries-old land holdings left the India–Bangladesh border around Cooch Behar a patchwork: 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside India. Some had enclaves of their own, and one, Dahala Khagrabari, was the world's only third-order enclave: a patch of India inside Bangladesh inside India inside Bangladesh.
India inside Bangladesh inside India inside Bangladesh.
A 1974 agreement to swap them finally took effect in 2015, after India amended its constitution. At midnight on 31 July 2015 the enclaves changed hands, and their residents chose which citizenship to keep.
Why it's strange
- The world's only counter-counter-enclave, a farmer's field.
- Tens of thousands of people lived for decades in places their own country could not reach.
- It was solved by swapping, the same night, everywhere.
Crossing it today
The enclaves are gone, so there is nothing left to cross; the area is normal countryside. Visiting the Indian side needs an Indian visa or e-Visa.
Check the entry rules for your passportQuestions readers ask
Are the signs real?
No. The welcome signs are drawn for this page in each country's style, with its flag or the EU's stars. The facts and crossing rules around them are real and were checked in October 2026.
Can I visit all fifteen?
Not all. Bir Tawil is off-limits, the Diomede crossing does not exist, Pheasant Island is closed to the public, Wagah is closed to travellers and Everest's Tibetan side was closed to foreign climbers in 2026. The other ten can be visited, most of them easily.
What does the counter do?
It counts the borders you have crossed by pressing “Cross” on this page. It is kept in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.
Which of these can Plusvisa help with?
Plusvisa applies for e-Visas to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Cambodia: here that is Egypt, next to Bir Tawil, and Saudi Arabia, for the King Fahd Causeway. For the rest, the visa guides show what your passport needs.
Map: Natural Earth. Flags: flag-icons (MIT). Signs: Plusvisa.