Not everywhere the guidebook suggests to go is a winner. Here are eight of the most disappointing tourist attractions out there.
1.Four Corners Monument – USA
Borders are effectively just made-up lines someone drew on a map once upon a time, so a monument recognising the point where four states of the US (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado) meet, really isn’t that enthralling.
It becomes all the more underwhelming when you actually get a glimpse of the spot. Quite frankly, there’s nothing there. One stone slab in the ground marks the point, with a carpark and a toilet the only other constructs visible. Thrilling.
2.Carnival – Rio
The bright lights and buzzing atmosphere might seem like endless fun at first, but after four days of the same few songs blasting out across the city you feel more akin to a psyche ward patient than a party goer.
There’s only so much partying most people can do, so unless you have a bizarre limitless store of energy – and don’t mind repetitive and ungodly loud samba music – you might want to give this a miss.
3.Mona Lisa – Paris
The Mona Lisa itself is as well-crafted as you’ve heard, but the real issue here is trying to get a glimpse of it among the thralls of tourists inside the Louvre.
If you don’t mind spending quite literally hours to get a 10-20 second shot of the world’s most famous painting, then you’ll be fine. However, if you’re like most people and don’t want sweaty people rubbing up against you, then it might be worth avoiding.
4.Prague – the Czech Republic
Prague is slowly becoming something of a Mecca for hipsters, with any creative person who considers themselves an artist or a writer flocking to the Czech capital over the past few years.
That means the city has become woefully overcrowded, with the pretty, but not breath-taking or particularly unique, architecture of the area unable to justify such a cram.
5.The Leaning Tower of Pisa – Italy
“Hey, look; I’m pretending to hold up this massive tower by brute strength alone! Get a photo!” It was all fun and games at first, but now we’re bordering on unbearable levels of cringe.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a perfectly nice building that happens to rest slightly askew, because the foundations were placed in soft ground. That’s about it. The insane numbers of tourists that crowd the place on a daily basis do not justify the hype.
6.Stonehenge – UK
It’s a similar story for Stonehenge. While these Neolithic rocks are interesting from a wider perspective (how did they get there? Why did people carve them? etc.), the actual site isn’t all that fascinating.
With restrictions placed on approaching the rocks themselves, you’re literally just walking in a circle roughly 100 metres away from them at all times. Why not just hop down the local park and climb on some equally interesting (albeit newer) stones?
7.The Red Light District – Amsterdam
I’m not really sure why some people feel this should be a popular tourist destination in the first place, yet, bizarrely, they do.
Perhaps unsurprisingly this haven of debauchery possesses no end of smut, with drunken stag parties, the stench of urine and unsavoury sights through bedroom windows (you know what I’m talking about) the norm. Fun, fun, fun.
8.London Eye – UK
In principle the London Eye is a great concept. A bird’s eye view of one of the grandest cities in the world is certainly not something to criticise.
However, the problem lies in the fact that the process takes quite a long time and doesn’t offer you that much of a different view from the midpoint through to the end. That and the fact it is for all intents and purposes just a giant Ferris wheel.
Those are eight of the most overrated destinations in the world. Have you been to any?
