The world’s most loved and most underrated landmarks
France is also a highly favoured country with three notable Paris landmarks making the list.
As the pandemic restrictions ease and countries re-open their borders to welcome international tourists, the tourism industry sees improvement economically. But with so many options to choose from (again), it may be difficult to decide your next travel destination.
To get you started, here are some of the most loved and most underrated landmarks in the world. The lists are based on a report by tailor-made holiday maker Travelbag, which tabulated the results using TripAdvisor reviews. Spoiler: Singapore has a landmark that is popular among tourists too!
MOST LOVED LANDMARKS
Travelbag ranked famous sights around the world according to their total number of TripAdvisor reviews, and the percentage of those reviews that received five stars. The country with the most number of well-loved landmarks is Italy, conquering half the list with destinations like Rome, Vatican City, Venice and Milan. France is also a highly favoured country with three notable Paris landmarks making the list.
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10. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Gardens by the Bay is a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry that presents the plant kingdom in a whole new way. It entertains and educates visitors with plants seldom seen in this part of the world, ranging from species in cool, temperate climates to tropical forests and habitats.
Gardens by the Bay Ticket in Singapore
9. Notre Dame Cathedral, France
The Notre Dame Cathedral with its sculptures and stained glass windows show the heavy influence of naturalism, unlike that of earlier Romanesque architecture. It was one of the very first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction took place throughout the Gothic period. The reconstruction of the cathedral is on track for completion by the end of 2024, after a fire broke out in April 2019.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
8. Milan Cathedral, Italy
Duomo di Milano, or Milan Cathedral, tells a story of faith and art spanning over six centuries. Construction work on the Duomo of Milan probably began in 1386 when the style of Gothic cathedrals had reached its peak.
Small Group Guided Tour with Fast Track Entry to Duomo di Milano
7. St. Mark’s Square, Italy
Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark’s Square, is Venice’s largest and most important piazza, and one of the most famous piazzas in Italy. St. Mark’s Square is surrounded by various sights like St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace.
St Mark's Basilica Self-Guided Audio Tour in Venice
6. Trevi Fountain, Italy
One of the most famous fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain was built against the back of the Palazzo Poli building. The almost 30-metre-high baroque fountain’s fame is partly due to several films that featured the Trevi Fountain, such as Angels and Demons, and The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Trevi District Underground Ticket in Rome
5. Louvre Museum, France
The world's most-visited museum and a historic landmark in Paris, France, the Louvre Museum is home to some of the best-known works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
The Louvre Museum Priority Entrance Ticket and Tours
4. Great Wall of China, China
The Great Wall of China is the world's largest military structure, built over centuries by China’s emperors to protect their territory.
Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour by Bus
3. Eiffel Tower, France
As France’s symbol in the world, and the showcase of Paris, the Eiffel Tower welcomes almost seven million visitors a year (around 75 per cent of whom are foreigners), making it the most visited monument that you have to pay for in the world.
Eiffel Tower Skip-the-Line Ticket with Optional Cruise
2. St. Peter’s Basilica, Italy
St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the holiest temples for Christendom and one of the largest churches in the world. The basilica was called St Peter’s after one of Jesus’s twelve disciples known as Saint Peter, who became one of the founders of the Catholic Church and was executed in Rome and buried where the Basilica now stands.
Rome Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica Tour with Optional Hotel Pickup
1. Colosseum, Italy
One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, The Colosseum is the main symbol of Rome with over six million people visiting it every year.
Colosseum Ticket in Rome with Access to Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
MOST UNDERRATED LANDMARKS
To identify the most underrated landmarks, Travelbag scored landmarks with a minimum of 70% five-star reviews on TripAdvisor, as well as those with the fewest reviews overall. Australia dominates the list with five landmarks from Queensland, Great Ocean Road, Northern Territory and Sydney.
8. Sydney Opera House, Australia
One of the world's most distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture, the Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney.
Sydney Opera House Guided Walking Tour
7. The Terracotta Army Museum, China
The Terracotta Army Museum houses an impressive collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor to protect him in his afterlife.
Mini Group Xian Day Tour to Terracotta Army, City Wall, Pagoda and Muslim Bazaar
6. Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel-arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district to the North Shore.
5. Uluru, Australia
Formerly known as Ayers Rock, Uluru is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia, part of the Northern Territory.
4. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack at the end of World War II.
3. Twelve Apostles, Australia
The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.
12 Apostles, Otways and Great Ocean Road Hiking Adventure from Melbourne
2. Malham Cove, England
Malham Cove is a large curved limestone formation formed by a waterfall carrying meltwater from glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. The cove was featured in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as one of the places Hermione and Harry visited when searching for Horcruxes.
1. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is a site of remarkable variety and beauty on the northeast coast of Australia. It contains the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc.
Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Cruise and Underwater Observatory from Cairns
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General info here: Tripadvisor
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And while you are at it, be sure to get your travel insurance!
