Top 50 Most Overrated Tourist Landmarks In The World (3 of 5)

The Mall of America, Minnesota

Hearing the name Mall of America brings a picture of something grand – something like the Taj Mahal of shopping malls. However, the Mall of America is nothing of that sort. Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, this place isn’t worth your time or money. Granted the place is large, but once inside, you will find the same kind of stores you will see at other shopping complexes: American Eagle, Foot Locker, Buffalo Wild Wings, Claire’s, well, you know how it goes.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

With lush palm trees, blue waters, and limestone cliffs, Ko Phi Phi has everything that makes it a great place to visit. The place came into the limelight after the popular Hollywood flick starring Leonardo DiCaprio, The Beach, was shot here. The movie made it a popular tourist spot, and since then, the place has seen nothing but crowds. What once was an idyllic location is now turned into an overdeveloped beach with tons of hotels all around, and water that was once clear is now polluted with trash and boat fuel. Thailand still has a lot to offer, but Ko Phi Phi isn’t one of those places. Instead, you can visit places like Koh Kradan, Koh Phayam, or Koh Mak.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay looks and feels surreal in every way. With jade blue waters and thousands of small islands all around the Gulf of Tonkin, the place is dotted with gorgeous limestone pillars as well.

If you look at the pictures, you will see that the sun is always bright and sunny, with clear blue skies and little to no tourists in sight. In reality, though, the place is dotted with tourists at all times. In fact, it is one of the most visited places in all of Vietnam, so you will probably want to give this place a skip if you want to avoid the pollution, the overcrowded boats, and the chaos.

On most days, you would not be able to spot the limestone formations as the weather is foggy.

The Mona Lisa, Paris

With over ten million tourists flocking to Louvre every year, it is the most popular museum on the planet. So, if you were thinking of going to Paris to have a close look at the coveted Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, you’ll be disappointed. Apart from being quite small in size, the painting is flocked by thousands of tourists at any given time, so you would not get a decent view of it. However, the Louvre does have some other interesting artworks that you can see and appreciate but do keep a realistic expectation in mind when you visit this popular museum.

Tian Tan Buddha, Hong Kong

Popularly known as the Big Buddha, the Tian Tan Buddha is the most visited and photographed site in Hong Kong. While you would love to see the grand Buddha for a minute or two, a few travelers even climb all the way up – 268 steps to be exact – to get a better view of the Po Lin Monastery and Lantau Island. If you take the cable car to Lantau from Hong Kong, you will have to shell out around $40. With dozens of stunning islands and tropical beaches, you can skip the journey to Lantau. Instead, you can visit Peng Chau, Lamma Island, or Stanley.

Harbour Bridge, Sydney

One of the most landmark monuments in Sydney, the Harbour Bridge is right up there with other iconic landmarks like Opera House and Bondi Beach. Even though the bridge looks all fun from far, it is quite expensive to actually climb the bridge (it costs around $260 dollars or even more!). The cost is not worth the experience and you can spend your money in a better way, for sure. You can instead take a ferry ride and enjoy the scenic views.

Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

Dublin is popular for its Guinness beer, and it is not really surprising that the Guinness Storehouse is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the city. You can go on a tasting tour that lasts over three hours for 95 Euros (around $100). However, it isn’t remotely exciting and is just like any other random brewery you have probably visited in your life. Instead of this three-hour tour, you can enjoy a pint of Guinness at any one of those trillions of Dublin pubs. It will not only be cheaper but will also be without the chaos.

La Rambla, Barcelona

The busy boulevard running from the Christopher Columbus statue at Port Vell to Placa Catalunya, known as the La Rambla, is recommended by all the travel guides you will come across in Barcelona. However, you shouldn’t spend your time or money on this tour. The place is lined with overpriced, average restaurants, and is also notorious for pickpockets. So, beware and skip this place. There are countless other places to visit in Barcelona, this isn’t one of them.

Hobbiton, New Zealand

A lot of Tolkien fans flock to this location where The Lord of the Rings was filmed and is named Hobbiton. But, just because you loved the movie and scenery depicted there, you shouldn’t just travel across the world to be there. The hobbit houses that you see are all man-made, and you will find nothing behind those small doors. The tours conducted there are rushed and filled with a lot of people, so you will not even get enough time to take a picture of yourself before the next set of tourists reaches the spot. The ticket for the tour is priced at $84, which can be spent on a lot of other things.

Stonehenge, United Kingdom

Stonehenge is a popular tourist attraction that isn’t really in the middle of the city. If you want to visit this landmark, you will need at least a day to travel to Wiltshire from London. Built during the first stone age, you are supposed to go only on the designated path and cannot go near the rocks. While the visit alone to Stonehenge isn’t recommended, you can pair it up with a visit to Salisbury, Bath, or Cotswolds to make the most of your trip.