These tourist attractions are world famous, but aren't always fun to visit. Can you guess the attraction based on a negative review from Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Google?
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Hint
Answer
So many tourists inside that there's basically no room to move. The Mona Lisa is completely over rated!
Musée du Louvre
The Crown Jewels have a people mover so you cannot spend any time looking at them.
The Tower of London
Surrounded by tourists all trying to take their picture whether it's holding up the tower with their feet, arms or bottom.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
You are a giant hole in the ground. You were caused by erosion. Can you say "overrated?"
Grand Canyon
Watch Gladiator instead....
The Colosseum
If you enjoy waiting in line for 3 hours, getting on a boat, looking at a statue, and then waiting another 3 hours to get on a boat you would give it 5 stars.
The Statue of Liberty
The number of "abandoned" dogs at this site is a travesty and should be an embarrassment to the Greek people.
The Parthenon
If you really want to stand looking at wax figures and pay over-inflated prices while missing the real parts of London, this is the place.
Madame Tussauds
My hostel organised a driver to take me to Giza and back. My driver took me to a place where I could get a camel. I foolishly hadn't read reviews about the animal cruelty.
Pyramids of Giza
Not in a tower. Cannot be rung, AND it's broken.
Liberty Bell
The lake is wonderful but when you come for the monster, don’t travel there since it will not show up.
Loch Ness
New fast pass system is horrible!!! Unless you have money prepare to wait in long lines.
Disney World
£21 per person is excessive to see a pile of rocks from a distance.
Stonehenge
Could not fathom the rabid bunch frantically trying to get their picture taken in front of this very nice but underwhelming statue. Copenhagen has so much more to offer.
The Little Mermaid
Basically a cash grab. Unless you absolutely need to see where Elvis slept, forget about it. Neighbourhood is sketchy.
Graceland
Swiss prices with Peruvian services.
Machu Picchu
Shrouded in pollution; 750 rupees entry fee for foreigners and almost nothing for locals.
Most of these places actually do seem pretty terrible to visit. The amount of global travel (as measured in plane trips per year) has increased by about 5% per year for the last 50 years or so. Places that are overrun with tourists just keep charging more and more because they can. This is how you get a situation where people pay $41 to wait in line for hours to visit a house where Elvis used to live.
Speaking from experience the Louvre is great. Sure the Mona Lisa room is crowded, but there are many many other famous artworks that you can view easily. Having a decent tour guide for the Tower of London and Colosseum made them pretty interesting.
I haven't been to the Louvre, but it does tend to be a thing in art galleries that the crowds thin out exponentially the further you get from the most famous exhibit. When I visited the National Gallery in London, the entire population of the museum was in front of Van Gogh's sunflowers, and I had the rest of the place to myself.
Yep, Madame Tussauds review is spot on. I mean, it's fine, and the behind the scenes tour was interesting enough, but it's crowded, overpriced and would never recommend it to someone visiting London for a short time. Machu Picchu is stunning though. At least it was 15 years ago. Yep, expensive, but the Peruvian service I had was amazing, and walking for a few days across the Inca Trail and arriving with the rising sun before the crowds was unforgettable.
Machu Picchu was alright. But I don't think it's possible to arrive "before the crowds" anymore. We queued for the bus at 3am and did not beat the crowds. Going later in the day might actually work better. That said, we visited some other Incan ruins and we had the entire place to ourselves.
That's a shame. Interested to know what time you actually arrived. I imagine the queue for the first bus is where the crowd starts. We camped above it, made a short walk in the dark and were there just before first light to see it almost empty. The buses started turning up fairly soon, but there was a decent while at the beginning where it was pretty peaceful. Maybe the buses arrive earlier these days though.
Even if it has changed, I'd recommend to anyone going there to walk it if they have the time and money. It was at least half the experience for me - walking this beautifully crafted winding path for days, past little outposts, to finally arrive at a (previously) hidden city. The view of the stars/milky way was breathtaking up there too.
True about the other, less busy, Incan ruins. Definitely worth visiting, especially the ones half buried in the undergrowth if you like that Indiana Jones vibe. If they still are, that is... :/
Quizmaster, I don't agree. I've visited 11/17 and the only one which I did find disappointing was Stonehenge as visitors are kept at too great a distance. The Pyramids and the Parthenon are particularly worthwhile.
Been at Stonehenge last year. It's really just a pile of rocks on a plain field in the middle of nowhere. Thats ok and may be interesting for history fans - But I didn't really get the point, why this has become such a global phenomenon...
I agree @ihavethepower but it truly is a phenomenon because when it was built (around 5, 000 B.C.!) there weren't the same means of transport for stone like that, just like the mo'ai on Easter Island.
I'm glad I got to see Stonehenge as a child, when you were still allowed to touch it (but also glad that it is now protected). It is an impressive henge, but if you want that mystical ancient temple feeling, there are loads of other stone circles all over Britain. I think Castlerigg in the Lake District is the best one I've been to -- the setting is incredible.
we found a wee path that got us pretty much as close as the paying tourists , and never cost us a penny..... Can't see why it would be more impressive standing the 10 feet closer than we were.......
I don't think this is an agree/disagree issue. I'm guessing that Quizmaster wittily paraphrased the gist of the negative reviews from each of these attractions as opposed to using his opinion. Well done and fun to answer. And now I know which ones to add/remove from my bucket list!
I drove past it on the way to Devon from East Sussex. It’s just as good as the traffic is so bad that your basically stationary but sitting down. So in a way it’s better just driving past it
I was able to see a stone circle on the Orkney Islands a few years back. A beautiful calm place, walking the stone circle (no touching of curse), learning about their history and having the time to take it all in. It is always a good idea, to take a step sideways, when it comes to travelling.
The Louvre is amazing, the building itself and the collection within are incomparable- the French were the best thieves in history. The Tower of London was fun... as far as overrated tourist attractions in London go it was leagues ahead of the stupid changing of the guard. The Grand Canyon is absolutely awe-inspiring and does not come through in photographs at all. The Colosseum is awesome. The Statue of Liberty is cool but I wouldn't take time out of my day just to visit the island. The Parthenon was awesome. The Pyramids are incredible and like the Grand Canyon pictures do not do them justice. Disney World is great and unlike anywhere else in the world but definitely go during the off-season. The Taj Mahal was beautiful; all of India is shrouded in pollution so not sure what that guy was expecting.
The Liberty Bell, Little Mermaid statue - nothing much to write home about. Madame Tussauds - kitschy, not really my thing, but I can see how some would enjoy it.
In conclusion, have to say I disagree with almost all of these. Though it does pay to be wary of the guys with camels around the Pyramids. The ones I didn't mention I haven't been to and I have no desire to visit Graceland. Whenever I've posted a negative review on TripAdvisor it always gets censored or taken down so I don't trust the site much anymore. I was trying to post about the stupid "torture museums" in San Marino.
Seen the mermaid this year - It's a nice little statue and reminds of Hans Christian Anderson. But if I remember correctly it's not even the original anymore. // At least it's completely free and it's a piece of art to touch (wich most tourists do, so maybe this is the reason they had to renew it... ;) )
I never understood what's so great at staring at any of those famous pictures - you can see them in the net in much better detail and without the crowd around them.
most pictures are not that impressive that I have to see them in real live.
Great buildings, huge machines and wonders of nature on the other hand are much more compelling in real live than on a picture.
Standing under the Eiffel Tower or having the oportunity to climb around on an old steam train is a lot more worth the effort.
In terms of places that are overpriced for what you get I'd list Petra in Jordan - worth a visit but the price-gouging is ridiculous. Jerash up north is way more impressive and tickets are 1/10th as much because it's not as famous. And also pretty much every museum in Western Europe. Not like visiting the Smithsonian where all the museums are free. A trip to the observation deck at the Burj Khalifa, and pretty much everything else in Dubai, is also a contender.
Most of the major museums, and many lesser known ones, in UK are free (Try the National Museum & the National Art Gallery (one of my most favourite buildings in the world) in Edinburgh) DC only place in USA with the same quality of museums for free. V&A, Science Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Imperial War Museum ... and that's just the big names in London. We knock USA out the park on quality museums & galleries for free.
Smithsonian is totally awesome though. Julia Child's kitchen and THE red shoes, Native Americans, Space and Kermit ... Always love the Art Galleries and the Monuments too. One of my favourite places in USA.
I have not spent as much time exploring London as Washington, but I'm sure they don't "knock them out of the park" (not really a correct use of that phrase, by the way. To knock IT out of the park just means you did something really well or flawlessly. Like getting a home run. The thing being knocked out of the park doesn't represent something you have bested). I went to the Science Museum. It was fun... but the exhibits on display did not really compare to the Air & Space Museum in Washington or Herndon. The British Museum was cool, I don't recall if it was free or not I don't think it was?, but didn't hold a candle to the Louvre or the Hermitage both of which were not free. It's quite possible I have missed going to some of the good free museums in London, though, so I'll take your word for it that I might be underselling what's there.
btw you're right most of the museums in other cities in the US are not free, but all of the national parks are free and they're great.
Mind you I would not call the Louvre overpriced. Not at all; it's the most incredible museum in the world. But many of the other smaller museums I visited in Sweden, the Netherlands, France, and so on... for what you got the price tag seemed much too high. London might be different. The last time I paid to visit a museum in London I think it was 1999.
Have you been to the Vassa museum in Stockholm? I don't remember what I paid, but I am especially likely to feel ripped off by museums, and I think the Vassa is the single most impressive thing I have ever beheld at a museum. It's worth every penny, whatever the cost (which I don't think was high).
Agree with you about the Louvre, even just the building is amazing without taking into account what is inside. It amazes me that many people seem to think that the only point in visiting the Louvre is the Mona Lisa. Crazy.
And the Colosseum is great if you have an interesting guide.
I'm not lucky enough to have seen most of these sites though :-(
MOST of the US National Parks are free, but some have a charge - Shenandoah/Skyline Drive is up to $30. I'm fortunate that I bought the lifetime Senior pass when it was still $10 - it's $80 now.
If there's not a charge for Acadia, you at least have to check in & get a hang-tag pass for your car - there again, my lifetime pass came in really handy. And Acadia is truly, in the truest sense of the word, awesome.
I've only been to the Grand Canyon and Disney World but I thought the Grand Canyon was the most awe-inspiring thing I've ever seen. We went to the south rim which I think is much better than the north rim. I walked up to the edge, looked over, and learned what the true meaning of "breathtaking" is. My breath actually left my body and my husband heard me gasp. We stayed until sundown and a crescent moon rose over the tower on the east side while the brilliant colors played across the western sky above the sunset. I'll never forget that day. Disney World was fun. We were there during a freeze in 1977 and had the whole park nearly to ourselves. I've driven past Graceland a few times but never stopped. We took the Circle Line boat tour around Manhattan and rode past the Statue of Liberty in the boat - that was a great tour and the guide told us all kinds of trivia about the city. I've been to the Smithsonian and I can't imagine any museum that could be any better for anything except art.
I agree that the national park system in the US is great - about a fourth of the parks have entrance fees, but we have the old geezer pass so no problem for us. I wasn't a fan of the "facilities"at one of them, though. After using the outhouse, we discovered the handwashing area consisted of an attendant squirting Germ-X on our hands. They were in the midst of renovations so at least the situation was temporary. There were lines at some of the better-known parks, but we found the less crowded ones were just as memorable. Our grandkids loved surfing the sand at Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, and camping in the CA redwoods was one of our best experiences. A store clerk recommended a great county campground with facilities near Crescent City to pitch our tent for $10/night.
ander: US museums have the best collections of modern art, recent science & technology (as seen in the Air & Space Museum, etc), natural history pieces, and things from contemporary popular culture.
But in terms of classical art and sculpture, historical anthropological artifacts, and ancient ruins... the museums and points of interest in Paris, London, Rome, Athens, Cairo, Hong Kong, Madrid, Venice, Jerusalem, Istanbul, et cetera have significantly more to offer.
British museum is free for general entrance. Big exhibitions (Terracotta Warriors for example) are not free (partly to make sure they can cover the extra on insurance and control numbers)
https://www.britishmuseum.org/visit
Science is not just Air and Space, where of course Smithsonian certainly excels all since USA has the originals for so much of the history of flight and space exploration.
It's a ski resort, which is not quite the same as a tourist attraction, but Snowbird had a notable ad campaign where they embraced their one-star reviews. See https://www.snowbird.com/one-star/ and scroll to the bottom.
Just an opinion, but the disney clue, kind of vague, something where you have to stand in line... ok.. that narrows it down ( im sure the fast thing means something if you have been there, but all the other are guessable without having been there)
Rather agree with this. Nowadays there are a lot of attractions where you can buy more expensive tickets and bypass the line. I thought of trying to list every major attraction that wasn't already on the list but didn't even know where to start. Wouldn't have thought of Disney either (never been there).
The fast pass bit being new is the tip off, stuff like priority boarding has been there for years, also it isn't called FastPass (which is a trademark held by Disney).
When I went 12 years ago the fast pass was free, you just walked to the ride, pressed a button and then you got a ticket with a time to come back at. Nowadays you spend hundreds of dollars a week to skip the line.
To me, that sounded like the immigration lines at any US airport... One line for rich Global Entry folks and two lines with sleepy officers for 400+ regular passengers. That makes two hours layover almost not enough to catch a connecting flight.
I guess if you are paying more, they would like to get you in and settled down quickly as opposed standing in long queues. At least that’s the way they advertise it, it’s all about comfort.
Sitting in an aeroplane seat for too long gets quite painful so I probably prefer the extra minutes of standing. Plus it's very boring waiting for everyone else to board when you're already seated.
But if idiots want to spend the extra money to do that then I'm not going to stop them
I missed the Statue of Liberty and Machu Picchu, probably because I've never been to either - not that I've been to ALL the others, but they have all been on my radar at one time or another.
The way to see the Statue of Liberty is to ride the free Staten Island Ferry. On the way from Manhattan to Staten Island stand on the starboard side way up front and you'll get great pictures. Actually going is overrated.
I was in Philadelphia a few years ago. It was about 100 degrees outside. There was a big line of people waiting in the heat to go take a look at the bell. A little kid comes out and says "I don't get what the big deal is - it's just a bell." We decided to take a pass.
I saw it in 1973 and I don't remember any lines or anything. It was just there. It reminded me of another, bigger bell in the Kremlin that we saw in 1971. It is also cracked and standing on a plinth, just something to look at. My little brother got lost in the Kremlin and the bell is what he remembers most.
LOL, I only missed Disneyland. Totally loved the quiz, which could also be titled: tourist attractions by STUPID tourist reviews. The mass tourist wants food, no waiting line, free entry and being the only human being in the place. Expecially food. The attraction itself is marginal. He could well be looking at an empty parking lot, for what he's concerned. The important is that there's food and you don't have to pay for it (both the food and the empty parking lot).
Haha, that's very true. But for me, there is one thing that ruins a tourist attraction: too many tourists. (I am aware that I am part of the problem). One solution that some places have is to ban photography. The Musée d'Orsay in Paris does this and it makes everything so much better.
Agree, Orsay is one beautiful place. Big art museums in general are overcrowded, but the great majority of people packs up in front of the three-four most famous pieces just for the time they need to snap a selfie, leaving you the space to enjoy the other million things that are there.
The only one I've been to is the Grand Canyon. It is really cool though, I arrived during a lightning storm and could see lightning striking the other side of the canyon while standing on the edge of a mile high cliff. I don't recommend staying there for long though, it is definitely worth doing a road trip from Las Vegas, to the national parks in Utah, to the canyon, then to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Amazing southwestern food and scenery.
In Australia, we have a term for unsophisticated tourists who post reviews like these - bogan. We try to encourage most of our bogan tourists to spend their time in Bali, but I guess sometimes they make it to other destinations too.
I also only missed Disney World. I've never been there, so it wasn't even in my mind as an option. I haven't traveled that much yet, but alone from the cities I've already been, I can write similar reviews about London Eye (wasn't even interested to get on it), Tower Bridge (thanks to the London Pass I didn't have to wait at all, everybody else however did), La Sagrada Familia (it may be not possible to get in without reserving an entry time in advance).
could you accept another description of the pyramids ? like the great pyramids of Egypt ? I tried about everything, except Gizah, since it is in the question !
From my experience, Taj Mahal is indeed overrated, overrated as hell. It was made by a King for his 2nd wife. That also a lot of historical evidences have found that Taj Mahal was actually a Hindu temple called Tejo Mahalaya and that Shah Jahan just converted and modified to make it look more Islamic.
Next time when you visit India, avoid Taj Mahal if possible. Taj Mahal is in Agra surrounded by cities bleaching smokes. It's turning greenish blue nowadays.
There are millions of better places to visit in India which worth's millions more than Taj Mahal. If you love nature, you can visit Gir National Park to see lions or Sundarban to see Tigers. You can also visit, Bandipur, Kaziranga (famous for Tigers and Rhinoceros), Jim Corbett, Rathambore, Silent Valley, Neora Valley (famous for Red Pandas) and there are so many more forests in India.But if you love monuments and architecture, visit Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, or Dilwara in Rajasthan.
There a select few tourist attractions that cannot be missed, but I think most of them aren't worth it when you consider the time and money that could be spent on other, truly interesting things while you're traveling. I cannot fathom why anyone would want to see Madame Tussauds when in a place like London. Even the Eiffel Tower or Statue of Liberty, which are both objectively pretty cool, are just not worth the time investment when you're in cities like the ones in which they sit. You'll likely create a better experience and memory by just going to a cool neighborhood and observing locals in the park.
Very fun quiz, only missed the Elvis one. Thankfully not all of them are that negative about the place itself (Loch Ness, Acropolis, Great Pyramid, Machu Picchu).
Gotta say, having lived in Memphis, that review about Graceland is 100%. The neighborhood around it is quite sketch. My "favorite" story is the St. Jude patient and their family getting carjacked in front of Graceland...
Statue of Liberty -> Totally right. I felt at home during the long and ridiculously disorganized queue. And I live in a country where the word organized is not something you hear often.
Mermaid -> I was there in the summer and there were, what, 10 people? Clearly not crowded.
How is Loch Ness got such negative reviews? the monster is just an ancient tale, it wasn't designed for tourists, us Scots have many old tales of monsters and fairies etc.
There are negative reviews left by generally unpleasant, cynical, ignorant, and/or anti-social people left for virtually every top tourist attraction around the world, even if they're in the minority. I took that to be the point of the quiz at first, as a joke, though QM then said he agreed with their perspective so I don't know. :D
Agree about the Statue of Liberty. However, take the boat to Ellis Island: the museum there is unforgettable, especially if at some point your ancestors came through there.
Ok, I will add my travel tips! The Grand Canyon left me speechless for quite some time; but that's from the rim - doing the helicopter thing into it is fun, but you don't get the same sense of perspective. Its scale just cannot be conveyed in photos.
And the Taj Mahal comes close behind for the same reason - it is huge, so much bigger than I had thought, especially as it's 17th century, and genuinely beautiful.
As for the pile of rocks, I live an hour from Stonehenge, but don't really get it. And the price to get on a bus and then stand a long way from the stones is jawdropping in a bad way!
There is at least one other quite well-known bell fully fitting within the description here: the Czar Bell in Moscow. Giant broken bell that never was working standing on the ground.
There's even a joke in Russia that all Czar things never worked: Czar Bell haven't rung, Czar Cannon never shot (btw, recently proven false), Czar Tank never rode to battle and Czar-Rag never cleaned a state (a cheap shot towards, admittedly, awful at ruling a state last Russian monarch).
I'd add to the list the Empire State Building observation deck. The amount of people they let in is insane and it's impossible to take a good picture of your family.
Ahhh the times of Covid-19. No travel now. I been to/close to 8 attractions here. The key is to go OFF season and early. Crowds and queues are a drag always.
One of the few advantages of being OLD: There were 20 tourists who went to Machu Picchu on my first visit and only 4 of us stayed overnight. (And it was cheap.) Magnificent place but can't imagine sharing the space with 4999 other folks.
Top of Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building? Had the space to ourselves. (I was 12.)
Louvre? Yeah, crowds in front of you-know-who, but plenty of room to see so many treasures. When I finally found the Delacroix painting of Chopin I longed to see, I was the only one in the room.
This. Is. The. Worst. Quiz. On. JetPunk. I mean seriously, who would want to waste four minutes of their life filling their life with pessimism? Come on people, you can do better than this.
Here's how you do The Mona Lisa...you go to the Louvre, you go in the room with the Mona Lisa, then you turn around and look at The Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese instead on the opposite wall. Problem solved.
That's exactly what I told my daughter. Look at the Mona Lisa and then look at the opposite wall for an amazing piece of art. She thanked me when she came back -- very rarely did my teenage daughter say I was right.
The Liberty Bell description perfectly fits another bell - the famous Tsar Bell in Moscow, the largest bell ever created. Since I've typed in "Disneyland", and it was accepted for the "Disney World" answer (because, I guess, it could be a review of Disneyland too, although these are two different places), I can't see why Tsar Bell couldn't be accepted as an answer to this question.
We went to see Macchu Pichu while Sendero Luminoso was still active (even though Guzman had been caught). Hardly any other tourists, only a few Japanese tourists and no Germans, which is remarkable. We took the trail to the top of Huaynu Pichu all by ourselves. Apart from nearly falling to my death on the Inca Trail, a wonderful visit.
I remember when you could walk around Stonehenge with no barriers for free - I pass it several times a year but agree that I wouldn't pay £20 a head to basically see it a bit closer. The Louvre was also free when I went there many years ago and I would say it is still worth the admission fee. The Colosseum and The Pyramids of Giza have to be seen if you are the vicinity as you won't forget them (be a bit careful not to accept any gifts around the Pyramids though). Petra was relatively cheap when I went but in my opinion is still worth the fairly steep admission. I wouldn't bother with Madame Tussauds again though
Amazed by some of the clues. Not that I couldn't get them (Liberty Bell was the one I missed as I've done virtually no US sightseeing) but by the sheer 'philistinism' (is that even a word?) of the reviewers. I thought the Colosseum one of the most atmospheric places I have ever visited, Macchu Picchu is awe inspiring and the history surrounding the Parthenon is intrinsic to who we are. Would love to see the Grand Canyon as what nature has created far surpasses even the most brilliant constructions of man. I'm really not sure what people expect when they go to see great art or the remnants of great history.
My only criticism is that the Disney World clue is too generic. I thought it was about Tokyo Sky Tree, and there are probably many more places that fit that clue.
Disney World should just accept Disney, as there is also Disney Land. I'm aware this review may be for a Disney World, but there are also Disney Land theme parks which this could also apply to.
Of the ones I visited, I agree with the review of Little Mermaid the most. I knew it wouldn't be anything special but I was in the area. I arrived just in time to watch three busloads of tourists get out and start taking pictures. In less than 5 minutes they were bored. Monuments and towers tend not to take up much time and are disappointing, however, architecture, art and natural sights are worth the time. And I agree with others - there's often a similar site not as well touristed that could be seen instead. In the last 30 years, tourism has Disnified all the European attractions - line ups, internet reservations a year in advance, tacky souvenir stands, and price gouging. Avoid the obvious and discover something new on your own.
Could this not be more lenient with slight spelling errors of Madam Tussauds? Elsewhere answers with almost all the letters in the wrong order are accepted- capital of Iceland answer, I'm looking at you.
Have been to nine of these (Louvre, Tower of London, Leaning Tower, Grand Canyon, Colosseum, Statue of Liberty, Graceland, Liberty Bell, and Madame Tussaud’s), and the only one I disliked is the last of these — enjoyed seeing the others to varying degrees. Also have been to Disneyland (not Disney World), which was kitschy fun to see once. There’s no pleasing some folks, I guess.
Interesting idea. Some reviews are accurate, some ridiculous. I generally find the "overrated" arguments of the "it's only X" sort, like the Stonehenge one here, to be rather silly. You could minimize anything with that logic. The value is in the meaning of the thing. Aside from that, have you never seen Stonehenge on a picture? What were you expecting?
I’m amazed you don’t accept ‘The Tower of Piza’, as that is its name. It’s the only one I got wrong, because you wouldn’t accept it’s actual name, so I thought I must have the wrong one.
I also have gripes about the Disney clue, and it seems even less appealing now that Disney seems to have done away with the FastPass system in 2021 (or at least changed its name).
Madame Tussauds on the other hand...
Even if it has changed, I'd recommend to anyone going there to walk it if they have the time and money. It was at least half the experience for me - walking this beautifully crafted winding path for days, past little outposts, to finally arrive at a (previously) hidden city. The view of the stars/milky way was breathtaking up there too.
True about the other, less busy, Incan ruins. Definitely worth visiting, especially the ones half buried in the undergrowth if you like that Indiana Jones vibe. If they still are, that is... :/
The Liberty Bell, Little Mermaid statue - nothing much to write home about. Madame Tussauds - kitschy, not really my thing, but I can see how some would enjoy it.
most pictures are not that impressive that I have to see them in real live.
Great buildings, huge machines and wonders of nature on the other hand are much more compelling in real live than on a picture.
Standing under the Eiffel Tower or having the oportunity to climb around on an old steam train is a lot more worth the effort.
Smithsonian is totally awesome though. Julia Child's kitchen and THE red shoes, Native Americans, Space and Kermit ... Always love the Art Galleries and the Monuments too. One of my favourite places in USA.
btw you're right most of the museums in other cities in the US are not free, but all of the national parks are free and they're great.
And the Colosseum is great if you have an interesting guide.
I'm not lucky enough to have seen most of these sites though :-(
If there's not a charge for Acadia, you at least have to check in & get a hang-tag pass for your car - there again, my lifetime pass came in really handy. And Acadia is truly, in the truest sense of the word, awesome.
But in terms of classical art and sculpture, historical anthropological artifacts, and ancient ruins... the museums and points of interest in Paris, London, Rome, Athens, Cairo, Hong Kong, Madrid, Venice, Jerusalem, Istanbul, et cetera have significantly more to offer.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/visit
Science is not just Air and Space, where of course Smithsonian certainly excels all since USA has the originals for so much of the history of flight and space exploration.
Our national parks are free also.
When I went 12 years ago the fast pass was free, you just walked to the ride, pressed a button and then you got a ticket with a time to come back at. Nowadays you spend hundreds of dollars a week to skip the line.
But if idiots want to spend the extra money to do that then I'm not going to stop them
I missed the Statue of Liberty and Machu Picchu, probably because I've never been to either - not that I've been to ALL the others, but they have all been on my radar at one time or another.
IMHO that's a really bad clue, it could be basically anything.
From my experience, Taj Mahal is indeed overrated, overrated as hell. It was made by a King for his 2nd wife. That also a lot of historical evidences have found that Taj Mahal was actually a Hindu temple called Tejo Mahalaya and that Shah Jahan just converted and modified to make it look more Islamic.
Next time when you visit India, avoid Taj Mahal if possible. Taj Mahal is in Agra surrounded by cities bleaching smokes. It's turning greenish blue nowadays.
There are millions of better places to visit in India which worth's millions more than Taj Mahal. If you love nature, you can visit Gir National Park to see lions or Sundarban to see Tigers. You can also visit, Bandipur, Kaziranga (famous for Tigers and Rhinoceros), Jim Corbett, Rathambore, Silent Valley, Neora Valley (famous for Red Pandas) and there are so many more forests in India.But if you love monuments and architecture, visit Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, or Dilwara in Rajasthan.
Mermaid -> I was there in the summer and there were, what, 10 people? Clearly not crowded.
And the Taj Mahal comes close behind for the same reason - it is huge, so much bigger than I had thought, especially as it's 17th century, and genuinely beautiful.
As for the pile of rocks, I live an hour from Stonehenge, but don't really get it. And the price to get on a bus and then stand a long way from the stones is jawdropping in a bad way!
There's even a joke in Russia that all Czar things never worked: Czar Bell haven't rung, Czar Cannon never shot (btw, recently proven false), Czar Tank never rode to battle and Czar-Rag never cleaned a state (a cheap shot towards, admittedly, awful at ruling a state last Russian monarch).
I would however suggest to be more flexible on answers acceptance.
For example, "Pisa" or "Pisa tower" should be accepted, without the need of writing "leaning".
Also, "Pyramids" should be accepted in my opinion.
Still, very nice quiz concept!
Top of Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building? Had the space to ourselves. (I was 12.)
Louvre? Yeah, crowds in front of you-know-who, but plenty of room to see so many treasures. When I finally found the Delacroix painting of Chopin I longed to see, I was the only one in the room.
A fun quiz, novel idea!
Global Terrorism Index
Countries with the Most HIV
Countries with the Highest Carbon Dioxide Emissions
...just saying
Madam Tussaud's is basically kitsch and despite leaving in London I am not inclined to visit it.
Mona Lisa is too small as well and you get to observe it only from a distance...
Stonehenge's size is too a letdown but it is still unique and by far the biggest monument made out of monoliths.
Thanks for pointing out we won't be able to get a single look at Nessie no matter what
I also heartily recommend Defunctland's in-depth, 1h45 Youtube video on the history of Disney's FastPass.