A lot of time, money and energy go into planning a trip abroad, so it’s always good to work out which places you really want to see versus which are worth skipping. In an attempt to save tourists from disappointment, Stasher recently analysed a list of 99 tourist attractions around the world to determine the best and worst sites to visit.
Results were determined based on the following factors: Google review scores, TikTok engagement, the host country’s tourist safety score and the quality of local accommodation based on Booking.com reviews. The survey also factored in the distance between each attraction and the nearest airport (heaven forbid that in order to see the world, you actually need to travel…). Here’s what the survey found.
World’s best ten attractions:
- The Hungarian Parliament Building (Budapest, Hungary)
- Disneyland Paris (Paris, France)
- Blue Lagoon (Grindavík, Iceland)
- Plaza de Espana (Seville, Spain)
- Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
- St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City)
- El Ateneo Grand Splendid (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Acropolis of Athens (Athens, Greece)
- Museum of New Zealand (Wellington, New Zealand)
- Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
World’s worst ten attractions:
- Hollywood Walk of Fame (Los Angeles, USA)
- Grand Bazaar (Istanbul, Turkey)
- Taj Mahal (Agra, India)
- Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay, USA)
- Lotte World (Seoul, South Korea)
- Victoria Harbour (Hong Kong)
- Ocean Park (Hong Kong)
- Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (Kyoto, Japan)
- Great Wall of China (China)
- Everland (Yongin, South Korea)
Bizarrely, this methodology saw historical world wonders such as India’s Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China scoring significantly lower than Disneyland Paris. Other historical sites deemed as lacklustre tourist traps included Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha, famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates.
The outcomes of these types of surveys can often be controversial because everyone’s experiences and opinions are unique, especially when it comes to travel. Even so, the methodology of any survey dismissing Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha as a disappointment is questionable at best.
Our takeaway? Don’t visit distant corners of the world for the sake of aesthetic travel snaps. If you want to get the best out of a famous attraction or historical site, aim to get there early to avoid the heaviest crowds and know that things won’t always feel and look as you thought they would in the photos – that’s half the fun of travelling.
Time Out insider tip
Fushimi Inari Taisha is accessible 24 hours a day, with peak visiting hours falling between 9am and 5pm, when the kiosks and shrine buildings are staffed. A quick search on social media will reveal that visitors’ biggest gripe with the site is how crowded it can get (admission is free, after all), so if you’re looking for peace and quiet, plan to get there before 8am or closer to sundown.
The trail loop to the main shrine building is much longer than you might expect and takes about two hours to complete. The farther you walk, the fewer people you’ll come across, so it’s worth packing a good pair of walking shoes and committing to the whole trek.
More from Time Out Tokyo
Everything we know about Tokyo’s new Harry Potter attraction opening in June 2023
7 Tokyo restaurants named in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list
This Omotesando café is serving Pikachu afternoon tea for a limited time
Sunshine 60 Observatory in Ikebukuro is reopening as an indoor park in April
Blue Bottle Coffee opens a café and tasting room in a 100-year-old Kyoto townhouse
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.