The Most Disappointing Tourist Attractions In The World, According To Reviews

The world's a shockingly big place. There are so many tourist destinations out there that it's impossible for any one person to see them all. Yet, for some strange reason, travelers tend to congregate disproportionately around a small number of "must-see" spots. Sometimes, their fame is warranted, and most people would agree they're absolutely worth carving out precious time for a visit. But some places fail to live up to the hype, leaving visitors feeling underwhelmed.

We've assembled some of the tourist hotspots that many travelers have been less than thrilled by, whether as a result of crowds, expense, or just a certain something that doesn't quite impress. Between reviews on travel sites, blogs, Reddit threads, and even a study conducted by USA Today on tourism experiences, we've got the skinny on several of the most world-famous destinations that have ultimately left visitors with an unshakable sense of disappointment.

During the Cold War, the city of Berlin was separated into four parts, one governed by the Soviet Union and three by the American and Allied authorities. To get into West Berlin, intrepid travelers had to pass through Checkpoint Charlie, sometimes surrounded by Soviet and American tanks, especially during periods of high tension. But nowadays, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it's a slightly less fraught experience. Still, that doesn't mean it's a worthwhile one: Many tourists have complained about Checkpoint Charlie being a tourist trap.

"It was a total waste of time going here. It's nothing more than a hut in the middle of the street, a sandbag wall to pose for photos and the famous 'You are leaving the American sector' sign. The shops around were selling cheap souvenirs and pseudo- American food such as hot dogs, etc," complained a Tripadvisor user. Another added, "Certainly not worth going out of your way to visit unless you're simply after a tick in the box." If you still decide to stop by, make sure you skip getting the souvenir stamp for your passport offered at Checkpoint Charlie, as it could make your travel document unusable.

Built in Agra, India, all the way back in 1631, the Taj Mahal is a testament to the love the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan bore for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. He commissioned the temple of marble and shining reflecting pools to serve as her mausoleum. Tourists have visited the Taj Mahal for ages, and in 1983 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

But according to some reviewers, the fact that so many visitors flood the Taj Mahal brings its own set of issues. "The problem is the people who visit such epic places and treat it as dirt. Empty bottles lying inside the monument, Spit stains, People sleeping, trying to write things on the marble," wrote one person on Tripadvisor. Another complained: "Visiting the Taj used to be easy. They have made it as hard a humanly possible. Hated the experience." With these thoughts from visitors in mind, it might be worth tempering your expectations accordingly.

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16th century, and it's currently housed in the Louvre in Paris, France, where art lovers can swing by for a glimpse at her whenever they like. That is, if they're willing to brave the crowds. A Redditor described their experience viewing this famous piece of art: "The Mona Lisa is probably the worst painting there. There is a massive crowd around it, and when you get past it, there is a massive glass cage and the painting is this tiny rectangle that's 7 feet away in yet another glass cage ... Last time I bothered to go in that room, there wasn't even a line, just a blob of people fighting to take a picture."

There's also the perception that the Mona Lisa is overrated, especially in comparison to other art in Paris. Another user on the same Reddit thread wrote, "To me, art museums are suppose to be intimate but there is just too many people doing selfies and screeching around the Mona Lisa. I much enjoyed the impressionist paintings in Paris. Monet, Renoir, van Gogh, Manet, Degas, Cezanne. Much prefer Musee d'Orsay."

A short ride from the Keflavík International Airport, the Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa often billed as a destination you shouldn't miss in Iceland. However, Megan of Traverse blog broke down why it might ultimately be a disappointment for those who make the trek in the hopes of a little Icelandic magic. She pointed to the large crowds that gather there, thanks, in part, to the easy journey from the airport. "You are never floating more than a few feet from the nearest person," she shared. "Those clean photos of an idyllic scene? Photoshopped. You'll have people in the background of practically every photo you take. You should expect lines and wait times too."

Megan also addressed the nearby location of a major power plant, which she claimed takes away from the picturesque nature of the site, as well as the steep prices to visit and the inflexibility with the ticketed time slots. Ultimately, she felt that the experience was far from soothing, saying, "Soaking in warm water is inherently relaxing, but not much else about the Blue Lagoon experience is relaxing, because it is so streamlined and depersonalized. I felt like I was just a product."

Thousands of years ago, Stonehenge, one of the world's most mysterious places, was built as a ring of giant stones in the English countryside. Its purpose is unknown, although the most widely accepted belief is that they were constructed for pagan religious purposes, possibly by the Druids. A visit to Stonehenge can give tourists a glimpse of England's wild, untamed past — at least under the right conditions.

Adventure Brits detailed a visit to Stonehenge, summarizing the biggest complaints that tourists frequently have about the Neolithic site. First, the fact that you're not actually allowed to walk among the stones anymore. "Recent years have seen an increase in restrictions around the stones. Gone are the days when you could freely wander among them at your own pace and to touch them, to feel a connection with the past through your fingertips ... Instead, visitors are kept at a considerable distance, herded along a prescribed path that offers little intimacy or connection with the monument." It also mentioned high prices, massive crowds, and the less-than-magical effect of the noisy nearby A303 highway.

Salem is a coastal town north of Boston, Massachusetts, now known primarily for its position at the center of the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s, in which paranoia about witchcraft swept through the city resulting in the execution of 19 people. It's not a pretty legacy, but Salem has embraced it, and every year during the fall it goes all out for Halloween, transforming its picturesque streets into a town-wide celebration of all things spooky. If you choose to visit Salem around this holiday, however, you should be prepared for the hundreds of thousands of tourists that pour in every fall (via Boston.com).

Within the Witch City, as it's sometimes known, the Salem Witch Museum was listed as the second biggest tourist trap in the United States in a study conducted by USA Today. Additionally, a Reddit user noted how the commercialism around Halloween has hurt Salem, writing, "Downtown is largely tourist trap shops. The cool shops are closing one by one to make room for shops that will make almost all of their money exclusively during Halloween season which leaves the city feeling hollow during the rest of the year."

Construction on what is now referred to as the Leaning Tower of Pisa was completed in 1372, long after the building had begun tilting as a result of a poorly-laid foundation and unsuitable topsoil. In the years since, efforts have been made to preserve the structural integrity of the tower — but not straighten it completely, considering its role in the tourism industry of the region. After all, people are hardly going to flock to the Completely Stable and Structurally Sound Tower of Pisa, are they? Despite the interesting tilt, however, many travelers in Italy find the Leaning Tower of Pisa overrated.

"Many tourist attractions fill you with awe when you see them, make you amazed when you witness them in person," a Redditor wrote. "The leaning tower of Pisa is not one of these. It's an overrated stack of stone leaning at a slight acute angle." A Tripadvisor reviewer expressed similar disappointment, saying, "Visited this site in an absolute madness of people. Hundreds queuing for hours to climb the tower (just 55 meters) which is indeed leaning but for the rest very overrated."

In 1927, sculptors embarked on a 14-year journey to carve out the faces of four presidents –George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt — into the side of Mount Rushmore, known to the Lakota people of the area as "Six Grandfathers." After its completion in 1941, Mount Rushmore became one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Dakota. But is it actually worth the detour? Some visitors say no.

"A perfectly good mountain was ruined to create this. The Barbie version my niece showed me was miles better and did not ruin the environment by creating the absolute eye sore that is the real mount rushmore," wrote a Tripadvisor user. A second shared similar concerns, saying, "This has always been a bucket list experience and I couldn't be much more underwhelmed. When you get the history of the place, you realize it was built specifically as a tourist draw ... It did not give me a feeling of patriotism ... and by the way, it was forced down the throat of the native Americans .. so there's that."

Mitad del Mundo, or Middle of the World, is what it says on the tin: Visitors to Ecuador can stand on the exact line of the equator that splits the Earth into its northern and southern hemispheres. But there's not much else to do once you've snapped the obligatory picture, said a Tripadvisor user. To add insult to injury, Mitad del Mundo may not actually be directly on the equator, claimed another: "Modern science and GPS found that this is not the equator — the true Equator is some hundreds of meters away. In other words, like it or not, coming here is a waste of time."

Eric Goldschein on Medium offered a helpful hint on how to visit Mitad del Mundo: don't. "The gaudy 'city' constructed around the main monument (an admittedly impressive block of stone with a stone globe on top, which people can climb — provided they pay extra — and look out in all directions) is full of either unrelated exhibits or laughably obvious tourist traps such as overpriced craft stands and restaurants that charge exorbitant prices for meals you can buy cheap across the street," they stated.

In the center of Midtown Manhattan is Times Square, a place stuffed to the gills with tourists traps, flashing advertisements and flagship locations of popular chain stores and restaurants. It's a hard area of New York City to avoid, especially if you plan on attending any Broadway shows, but it's also long been considered a tourist destination in and of itself — albeit one that may not always live up to the hype, according to visitors.

This not-so-humble NYC attraction earned the top spot on a Preply survey (via New York Post) designed to determine the world's biggest tourist traps. A Tripadvisor user summed it up in their review, writing, "It's full of bright lights? Yes. It's got big energy? Yes. Nice to see? Yes. But it's also very crowded to a point that if you are in the middle of it all is hard to move." A second individual agreed, saying, "Go, see what you want to see in the area and get out! ... It is convenient for Broadway shows, but that's offset by the touts, scammers, poor food and density of tourists."

Outside of Cork, there's a lovely structure with an admittedly bizarre legacy. Nestled within Blarney Castle is the Blarney Stone, which allegedly gives all those who kiss it (yes, we're talking about an actual rock) the "gift of gab." Naturally, this has attracted tourists from far and wide, who all line up to give a smooch to the Blarney Stone. It was one of the first mentions on a Reddit thread about the most overrated tourist destinations, with a user writing simply, "I will never understand why people would pay money to kiss a stone." 

Another Redditor concurred: "Blarney Castle has been an overpriced tourist trap since the 19th century when it cost 10d to take the tourist railway there from Cork, in today's US dollars the equivalent of at least $20. You'll be stuck in a cramped castle staircase for a good half an hour behind all the other rubes getting their photo taken kissing the stone. There are far better things to do around Cork of an afternoon."

Hollywood is synonymous with the glamour of the film industry, and the Walk of Fame is — at least in theory — a testament to all those cinematic stars who have entranced audiences for generations. But as this area of Hollywood has fallen into disrepair, the stars on the ground don't hold the same appeal for many tourists as they used to. A Tripadvisor reviewer called it "Rundown, dirty, disgusting and depressing," while another claimed "it truly feels post-apocalyptic." 

Some visitors also expressed disappointment at how poorly the stars themselves have been taken care of, with a third Tripadvisor user writing, "Disappointed!!! Disgraceful filth, stench of urine throughout the walk of fame. Stars were littered with crud, litter, cigarette butts, stained spilled drinks. Street vendor carts covering some of the Stars with total disregard for the celebrities made this much anticipated visit so disappointing ... I cannot believe Hollywood would allow their visitors to witness such pathetic disregard for the very purpose of the visit."

The Great Pyramids are on many a traveler's bucket list. After all, they're the last remaining site of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was lost to several earthquakes and its subsequent dismantling between 1494 and 1522). But in many cases, the actual experience of the Pyramids, as majestic and awe-inspiring as they are, doesn't live up to tourist expectations.

"People were trying to sell us things, give us tours or have horse or camel rides. It was relentless. If you even looked at them, they seemed to expect a tip. If you did tip them for something, you were abused for not giving them enough. It was totally out of control," wrote travel blog Where's Sharon. Others mentioned being upset by the animal abuse they witnessed at the site — one user and a second both detailed these experiences in their reviews on Tripadvisor.

Antoni Gaudí is widely considered one the most famous architects and artists of Barcelona, and his opulent, eccentric buildings dot the entire city. Park Güell serves as a testament to his work, a colorful playground of mosaics and intricately designed structures. But despite its imaginative, fanciful approach to urban art, it doesn't win over all visitors. Or rather, the fact that there are so many visitors prevents people from appreciating it fully. 

A Tripadvisor user called it, "Overrated, overpriced, and overcrowded." And they're hardly alone. Another described it as, "Boring. Not as big as you think. Make you walk around some bits in one way, presumably so you spend some more time in there. Couple of good photo spots but not worth the money at all." Many other negative reviews called out how difficult it is to reach Park Güell from the city center of Barcelona, and cited the hefty price as a deterrent.

Located just outside the bustling city of Kyoto, Japan, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is framed as a peaceful oasis of great natural beauty. But some visitors feel that the tourist spot is misrepresented, with massive crowds all vying for the perfect photo and much less impressive foliage than expected. Claire Dhooghe wrote about their experiences visiting the site on Medium, admitting to feeling underwhelmed. "The tranquillity I had come in search for was instead a sparse space of tall bamboo craning above tours of people unwilling to accept the fact that they were not alone here," they shared.

Dhooghe continued, "Cameras beam up at the bamboo for the classic shot, while others take this opportunity to start their modelling career and sequester the crowded path for an impromptu photoshoots, getting annoyed when others don't see the importance of their outdoor studio space." A Tripadvisor reviewer had similar sentiments: "I couldn't believe my eyes when I arrived and found a short 50 metre walk with a few bamboo on either side."

To put together this list, we focused on not only tourist destinations that visitors didn't enjoy, but sites that travelers found underwhelming or disappointing in comparison to their expectations (an important distinction, and why you don't see spots like "Utah's Biggest Ball of Yarn"). We scoured through reviews on Tripadvisor, Reddit travel threads, and independent travel blogs to find the sights that were the biggest let downs. Additionally, we consulted a USA Today travel study, which highlighted the biggest disappointments based on how frequently reviews referred to destinations as "tourist traps," "overrated," or "expensive."