I haven’t done a poll in a long time, so I thought it’d make a pretty good one.
So, which of the following 25 “best” tourist traps have you been to, and do you have any interesting story about any of them? After looking at the list, they should have only done the top 20.
So… I’ve been to six of them. There’s probably more than six that I didn’t know was a ‘thing’.
My interesting story is that Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro is on my list because I was able to finish my Masters degree with a study abroad program in Rio. It was a pretty cool place.
Only 11 (Eiffel Tower, Colosseum, Acropolis, Cafe du Monde, Capitol. Statue of Liberty, Space Needle, Tower of London, Pyramids, Checkpoint Charlie, Polynesian Cultural Center). We did the Gaudi tour in Barcelona from our guidebook, but not the double decker buses, so that might be 12. The scary thing is that four (or 5) of them were on one trip to Europe.
And we went to Cafe du Monde when we lived in Louisiana, so I reject that it is a tourist trap. Yummy though.
Where did this list come from? I wouldn’t call many of them tourist traps because they are really cool and some don’t even cost very much (Cafe Du Monde, U.S. Capitol etc). Maybe that is why they are the best ones?
I’ve been to 14. I have no idea why I’ve never been to the Tower of London as I love tourist traps and I’ve been to London 3 times. I’ll definitely hit it it I ever make it back. I’ve been to a Luau in Maui, does that count?
Only the Capitol building and the Statue of Liberty. Both long ago. Aside from the statue being on an Island I’m not sure why these, or most of the others are categorized as traps.
1–Statue of Liberty when I was really young. Of the rest, I really only have interest in Versailles, and even then only if I found myself in the Paris region for some reason anyway. I’d rather go to Angkor Thom than Wat.
14, but similar to Skara_Brae a couple were kind of yes. I’ve been to Checkpoint Charlie and to the store but not the museum and I’ve ridden a traghetto (but not a “gondola ride” technically). And I went to Blarney Castle but actual entrance was prohibited due to an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease. And I’ve been to a Hawaiian luau but on Maui. So definitely 10 +4 for yes, but technically not exactly what was asked.
I’ve been to Barcelona three times and never noticed any double decker bus tours. Are they different to the double decker bus tours lots of other cities have? Barcelona’s tourist trap is La Sagrada Familia. That’s not intended to disparage it, as, like most of the ones on your poll, it really is worth visiting.
Hm. The Space Needle in Seattle is pretty cool to look at, but going up to the observation deck is expensive and underwhelming, IMHO. If you want to tower climb in Seattle, go up the Smith Tower (historic!) or the Columbia tower (tallest!) instead. I think Pike Place Market is a much better example of something that’s pretty much a tourist trap, but really worth the look anyway.
Oh, if you’re in the neighborhood of London - Hampton Court Palace is jaw dropping and has some of the most interesting and informative tours I’ve ever been on. Same for the historic baths in Bath.
Only just made it into double figures - exactly 10. Funnily enough I haven’t been to the only one listed for my country (Ayers Rock/Uluru), since it’s over 1000 miles from, well, anything really.
Only seven, but I’ve been to one of the most unvisited ones, Uluru. And I climbed it back in 1975, something I think tourists aren’t allowed to do anymore.
It’s a pretty weird list. Eleven of 25 are in Europe. Strange for the US attractions to include the Space Needle and Graceland, but not the Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building, or Disneyland. Having Angor Wat and Chichen Itza but not Macchu Pichu, Tikal, or the Taj Majal is also odd.
Eiffel Tower
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Palace of Versailles
Blarney Castle
Venice Gondola Ride
Roman Colosseum
Trevi Fountain in Rome
Stonehenge
Tower of London