The world’s most overhyped and undervalued places ranked
Discover where to go – and where to avoid – this summer! Travellers might want to think again about heading to Stonehenge. According to one underwhelmed Rough Guides reader, the famous prehistoric monument is “just a pile of stones”.
Indeed, when Rough Guides readers were asked to name the places that left them feeling flat (as well as the world’s most underrated places), they weren’t shy about voicing their opinions. Whether you agree or not, these ratings make for fascinating reading for any travel lover.
Four of the world’s top 10 underrated places are in South America whilst the world’s most undervalued country is (shh!) incredible Indonesia. Three of the world’s 10 most overhyped tourist spots, on the other hand, are in Paris (ouch!) and the world’s most disappointing tourist attraction is right here in the UK, criticised by one reader for being “soooo small!”
Rough Guides CEO René Frey says: “I love hearing from our readers about their travel experiences – and they certainly don’t hold back! The results of our latest poll make for fascinating reading, and I’m sure everyone who loves travel will have an opinion on the rankings. The list of underrated places is the perfect source of travel inspiration for this summer’s trips. On the other hand, it’s interesting that Stonehenge left so many readers feeling unimpressed. This goes to show that Rough Guides readers are looking for authentic, immersive travel experiences, away from tourist traps – and that’s exactly what we strive to provide for them.”
Here’s the lowdown according to Rough Guides readers:
The world’s most overhyped tourist attractions
10. The Louvre
9. The Grand Canyon
8. Château de Versailles
7. The Colosseum
6. Sydney Opera House
5. Statue of Liberty
4. Niagara Falls
3. Central Park
2. Eiffel Tower
1. Stonehenge — the world’s most overrated tourist attraction
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The world’s most underrated holiday destinations
10. Montenegro
9. Vietnam
8. Namibia
7. Guatemala
6. Argentina
5. Chile
4. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
3. Jordan
2. Peru
1. Indonesia — the world’s most underrated holiday destination
Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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You have to feel sorry for the Grand Canyon! It is truly awesome.
The problem is that for most of us, by the time we get to see it in real life, we’ve seen so many images and so many film reels that there aren’t any surprises left.
Case proven! I haven’t been to any of the 10 most underrated destinations.
This is one of those posts that should never have been published!!!!’
Vietnam is great.
We go there a lot, the coast is such good value.
We don’t want too many other people getting in on the secret do we???
Much depends on how you perceive Sydney Opera House. As a piece of architecture it is neither as innovative or exciting as it once was.
If you visit in the evening for a top notch performance with world class acoustics and views across the harbour it’s well worth it.
Friends who’ve been to Indonesia rave about it. The thing is that it really is a long, long way from the UK no matter how great it is.
As well as being way overrated and overhyped as a local resident I can tell you that Stone Henge causes problems. There are traffic jams and pollution on the A303 – aka The Highway to Hell. For years there have been plans for diverting the traffic and so far nothing has ever come of any of them.
That 4 of the most underrated places are in South America raises a lot of questions.
Why aren’t we travelling to South America? Yes, it’s a long way from the UK but we’re willing to go to Australia and New Zealand.
For Americans it’s not that far at all. Does South America have an image problem?