Top 50 Most Overrated Tourist Landmarks In The World (4 of 5)

The Red Light District, Amsterdam

With colorful tulips, narrow canals, and numerous flower stalls, Amsterdam is one of the most iconic cities in the world, not just in Europe. However, the Red Light District is completely different from the rest of the city. It is stinky, dirty, and is devoid of any charm. While you may want to visit the place if it is on your bucket list, do not plan on spending a lot of time there.

Instead, you can head over to the Van Gogh Museum, the Jordaan district, or enjoy a picnic in Vondelpark.

Niagara Falls, New York

Located at the border of the United States and Canada, Niagara Falls is probably on the list of top ten landmarks in the world in terms of tourist visits. While the waterfall is absolutely stunning, the casinos and fancy tourist spots around it don’t really increase the scenic beauty, to say the least. If you want to see Niagara Falls, try to visit it from the Canadian side, which offers stunning views with a lot less chaos and casinos.

Golden Gai, Tokyo

Including narrow passageways along with the hordes of small bars near the Shinjuku skyscrapers, the Golden Gai is visited by thousands of tourists every week. While the landmark is quite amazing to see and quite different from other bar-hops, it is nothing but a tourist trap.

The bartenders often try to overcharge tourists, and some even charge for an entry. You can avoid this place and instead visit other amazing places in Tokyo.

Caminito, Buenos Aires

Caminito literally means “a little path” in the Spanish language, is a walkway in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. Located in the La Boca neighborhood, the street is sort of an outdoor museum dedicated to all the immigrants and has cobblestone pathways and bright colored houses on the way. Those who have been there, though, suggest that you spend as little time as possible there, or even skip it altogether. It looks less like an outdoor museum and more like a movie set from the bygone era. The place is a tourist trap with vendors constantly bothering tourists to buy the overpriced artworks, and the restaurants haggling you to have food at their place that is often not worth the price they charge.

The Liberty Bell, Philadelphia

While the Liberty Bell is a nice representation of the pillars upon which the great U.S was built, let’s be real here – it is a cracked bell! And to make matters worse, it doesn’t even ring now!

While Philadelphia is a vibrant city with lots of exploring and visiting, the Liberty Bell isn’t one of them and you can skip this tour entirely.

Moulin Rouge, Paris

Situated in the 18th arrondissement near Montmartre, Moulin Rouge is a popular cabaret that attracts tourists from across the world who visit here for the dance shows and the red façade.

Even the most basic ticket costs well over a hundred dollars, while a ticket with show and dinner included costs over $200. If you want to enjoy a beautiful evening in Paris, there are dozens of other things to do or go to, such as theater, jazz, or performances. Instead of Moulin Rouge, you can go to the Aux Trois Mailletz, for instance, which is quite affordable and much more authentic.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Tokyo

Tokyo postcards often have the picture of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove upon them, and it is quite a popular site amongst tourists. This bamboo garden is thickly settled and looks great – at 5 A.M, probably. Because soon it is flocked by tourist crowds that make the experience quite poor.

That said, if you can visit the place early in the morning, you will truly enjoy the breathtaking views and the fresh air. If you are a big fan of bamboo pathways, you can visit Kodaiji Temple, instead.

Lombard Street, San Francisco

Lombard Street is an iconic landmark in the city of San Francisco, so it isn’t really surprising that most people would urge you to visit the street. A long stretch of road with eight turns, the place makes for a great location to shoot photos, and no wonder it finds itself represented in pop culture all the time. However, spending more than a few minutes will make your experience underwhelming. Instead, you can go to dozens of other popular places in San Francisco such as landscaped gardens, inclined streets, mansions, etc. You can also enjoy visiting the Russian Hill or Pacific Heights.

Mount Rushmore, Keystone

Before you visit Mount Rushmore, think twice. While the iconic sculptures of Abe Lincoln, George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson are great pieces of art, there are other more prominent places such as Zion, Arches, and Grand Teton that deserve your time and attention. In fact, even the Badlands – just a 90 minutes drive from Mount Rushmore – are more exciting.

The Space Needle, Seattle

As a rule of thumb, if any prominent city prides itself on having an observatory, you can be sure you will be overcharged and the experience is going to be underwhelming. The Space Needle in Seattle is exactly that. With an entry fee of $32.50, you can better spend that money buying the Starbucks Reserve Roastery coffee, or a chowder cup at Pike Place Market, or enjoying a ferry ride to Whidbey Island. In a city where you can enjoy hundreds of other places and experiences, an observatory shouldn’t really be on your agenda.