Travelers Ranked This Popular European Amusement Park As The World's Most Disappointing Tourist Trap

Nobody likes to fall into a tourist trap. The kind of place that feels overpriced, overcrowded, and underwhelming. An attraction designed to fleece you of your money. A study by Radical Storage, luggage storage specialists, has ranked the world's most disappointing tourist attractions. The study analyzed 95,352 visitor reviews of the 200 most frequented tourist spots globally. 

Alton Towers, the U.K.'s biggest theme park, earned the dubious distinction of being the world's most negatively reviewed attraction. Nearly 50% of the online reviews were negative (compared to an average of 10% for other attractions). Not far behind, more than a third of the reviews of Széchenyi Baths and Pool in Budapest, the largest in Hungary, were negative. The Thai-themed and owned Siam Water Park in Tenerife also has a similar percentage of bad reviews. The list is rounded out by the Time Out Market in Lisbon and Rome's famously beautiful Trevi Fountain. So, what can visitors learn about avoiding tourist traps from this list?

Alton Towers is a historic site that was once the private estate of the Talbot family, Earls of Shrewsbury. The grounds were opened in 1860 as an attraction to earn income to maintain the grounds. Thousands came to watch acrobats and animal performers, fireworks displays, and concerts. During World War II, the government requisitioned it for use as a military training camp. It wasn't until the 1980s that it became a theme park with the arrival of its iconic Corkscrew rollercoaster. 

Today, more than 2 million visitors a year come to Alton Towers. It's undeniably popular and plenty of visitors have a great day riding the roller coasters. So, what makes it disappointing? Negative reviews say too many people and too much money. Long queues for rides, pricey food, and parking all contributed to the feeling of being ripped off according to Tripadvisor reviewers.  

"Brilliant rides as always, shame about the prices and availability," said one reviewer. Another visitor wrote: "Half of the rides were closed due to technical difficulties which meant queues for other rides were nearly 2 hours each. Only got on 4 rides all day. Take your own food too as prices are very high and food isn't nice." Yet another critic griped: "Very disappointing day out, the main rides kept breaking down, only managed to get on 4 rides in the day. Food and drinks were overpriced. Total waste of time and money, will not be returning in a hurry."

All the top five worst attractions have one thing in common: overcrowding. For many visitors, what would have been a brilliant day out becomes exhausting and expensive because of the sheer number of people. Even unique historic sites like the Széchenyi Baths and Pool or the Trevi Fountain get negative reviews because there are simply too many people, leading unhappy visitors to label them as "overrated" or "tourist traps". So, how do you visit these places without disappointment? There are some tell-tale signs when an attraction becomes a tourist trap.

First, avoid visiting at peak hours. The Trevi Fountain is best visited in the early morning or late at night when the crowds thin out. Also, do your research before visiting. One thing you might want to look out for is repair work. Disruptive building works might be a reason to skip an attraction. Finally, manage your expectations and find alternatives that suit the experience you want to have. Not sure what to do? See what the locals are doing and you might find a hidden gem, like the underground site that's beneath the Trevi Fountain. If you simply must ride the newest roller coaster or see the most popular exhibit, be prepared to wait in line and pay for the privilege.