"Despite Being A Tourist Trap, It's The Most Beautiful Place I've Seen": Travelers Are Sharing Mega-Popular Destinations That Are Anything But Overrated
"The first time I visited, I thought, 'This can't be real. It looks like a stock image...'"
Some tourist attractions get tons of hype but fail to live up to the expectations. But occasionally, one of these world-famous "traps" might leave you feeling totally stunned. So redditor u/ottyoshi7 asked, "What tourist attractions are NOT overrated?" Here are the sites that are entirely worth visiting, according to redditors and members of the BuzzFeed Community.
1."Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. It looks like it should be the home of a particularly prosperous wizard."
2."The Terracotta Warriors in Xian, China. You approach a very unimpressive and low-key entrance, but then you turn a corner, and it’s just jaw-dropping."
3."The Smithsonian Museums in DC by The Capitol building. They're all free and range from pretty good to world-class amazing."
4."The Path of the Gods hiking trail on the Amalfi coast. It's absolutely incredible, and the views you get from there are some of the best in the world."
5."The Alhambra in Granada, Spain is incredible...particularly if you can see it at night."
6."Machu Picchu. It's especially impressive if you have the nerve to climb up the deathtrap staircase to the top of Huayna Picchu. The landscape and ruins are absolutely stunning."
7."Angkor Wat is amazing in itself, but it is basically a whole city of ruins, walls, and man-made lakes. It's wild. It's the best place I've ever visited, and I've been to a few places."
8."The Louvre in Paris has a well-deserved reputation. There is SO MUCH art in there that nobody ever talks about. When I visited, I spent hours just looking at sculptures and barely even got to spend time seeing any of the paintings."
9."Redwood National Park. You can't truly appreciate the size of these trees until you're standing next to them, seeing wrinkles in the bark that are wider than your body and hearing the sap popping and creaking as it works its way up the tree. It just hits you all at once, and you feel tiny."
10."As a Floridian, visiting New York's Rockefeller Center during Christmastime made me feel like I was in a movie. It was amazing."
11."The Leaning Tower of Pisa. It's actually really incredible to see, and if you go late in the day, it's not super crowded (at least not when I was there)."
12."Jemaa el-Fnaa, the main square in Marrakesh. I loved the energy and music here, and the food stalls are amazing!"
13."Times Square. I hate when people say to avoid this attraction. If you’ve never been to NYC, go to Times Square. Just walk through it on your way to a Broadway show. Or go at midnight to watch the screens change into an art piece by a local artist! Sit on the steps and people-watch. Do not go eat at Friday’s or Chili’s. Don’t spend all day there, but it is worth a stroll."
14."Moraine Lake, which is located in Banff National Park. Despite being a tourist trap, it is the most beautiful place I've ever visited."
15."Checkpoint Charlie Museum is utterly fascinating if you are interested in Cold War history. It's huge, and every millimeter is covered with information. It's expensive because it's a private museum and clearly a labor of love. It's not a fancy museum with a few curated displays; it's full-on information overload. But it's quite extraordinary if you don't mind reading and really want to learn."
16."Milford Sound. In fact, the whole drive to it from Queenstown, New Zealand, is really something."
17."The Cliffs of Moher. The first time I visited, I was stunned. I thought, 'This can't be real. It looks like a stock image.' I just couldn't grasp the magnificence."
18."The Duomo in Florence is freaking amazing. I went right before sunset when the crowd was basically gone, and it was incredible."
19."The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I was so sick of seeing cathedrals on my Eurotrip, and I wasn’t excited at all to visit. But WOW. I could have stared at the outside for hours, and the interior was one of the most ethereal experiences I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to go back."
20."The Architecture Boat Tour in Chicago is such a great time, and it offers something a little different from your typical tourist activities."
21."Santorini. You see the pictures and think there's no way an island can actually look like that...but it really does."
22."Niagara Falls. As a Brit, I've never seen a body of water that huge. I wore a giant blue poncho to keep me dry and went in the boat next to the falls. I did not stay dry, but I was amazed."
23."Going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower is pretty impressive, especially at night. There are no skyscrapers nearby, so the height of the tower is really accentuated."
24."The Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica are all definitely worth it. The art is incredible, plus the scale of St. Peter’s is unreal."
What's a popular tourist attraction that is totally worth visiting? Or what's one that left you feeling underwhelmed? Tell us in the comments or add it to this anonymous form.
