Popular attractions don’t always live up to high expectations. Paradise is in the picture, but in reality there are crowds of tourists, mediocre views and sky—high prices. We have collected 10 tourist locations that will surely disappoint you.
Content
- Lempuyang Temple, Bali, Indonesia
- Burj Khalifa, Dubai
- Chichen Itza, Mexico
- “Pissing Boy”, Brussels, Belgium
- Bamboo Forest, Arashiyama, Japan
- Berlin TV Tower, Berlin, Germany
- Great Wall of China, China
- Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy
- St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy
- Times Square, New York, USA
Disclaimer: don’t take everything at face value
The rating is subjective and does not pretend to be the truth written on the tablets. After all, what’s good for one person will seem like a waste of time and money to the other. Someone is not averse to standing in line for the perfect photo, while another recognizes only deserted beaches and wants to stand alone on top of a conquered mountain. We’re all different, and it’s wonderful!
Lempuyang Temple, Bali, Indonesia
But the frustrations don’t end there. To take such a photo, you will have to stand in a long queue, and during the tourist season they will even give you a number. You can wait an hour or two. And the weather in the mountains of Bali is unpredictable, the volcano can be obscured by clouds, and then it will not be visible. No one will let you wait for the weather to clear up — they will start to get indignant in the queue.
Bottom line: if you’re a photo hunter and you don’t mind queues, we won’t dissuade you from going here, but otherwise the place is overrated.
Lempuyang Temple is called the “stairway to heaven”, and it is one of the most photographed places in Bali. Photo: LudzoN/Shutterstock.com
What else not to do in Bali
Wasting time in line for a photo at the stairway to heaven is not the best idea for a vacation. Traveler Alena Murkes has been living in Bali for a long time and she has a lot to tell you about things to avoid on Indonesia’s most popular island.
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
The world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, is the pride of Dubai and a tourist attraction. There are several viewing platforms offering magnificent views of the city. However, it will not be cheap. It costs 5,000 rubles to climb to the 124th and 125th floors, and 15,000 rubles to climb to the 148th floor. We don’t talk about prices in local restaurants at all.
The second disadvantage is the crowds who want to climb the famous skyscraper. Put an hour and a half in line for the ticket office and the elevator. And there are sandstorms in Dubai that cover the city, so it may not even be possible to see it. And if you have a fear of heights, then definitely forget about this idea, because it will be very high. In this case, it is better to admire the building from the outside, at the Dubai Fountain, where the singing fountain show takes place — from 19:00 to 23:00, every half hour.
The world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, is the pride of Dubai and a tourist attraction. Photo: Ilona Ignatova/Shutterstock.com
Maria, an integration specialist in Ostrovka: “I don’t understand the sights where you stand in a long queue to look at the city from a height. The Burj Khalifa makes a bigger impression on the outside than on the inside.”
Chichen Itza, Mexico
This ancient Mayan city, built around 600-900 AD, is recognized as the cultural heritage of Mexico and one of the wonders of the world. The complex includes a pyramid, a temple, an observatory and a playground. Chichen Itza is the most visited place in Mexico, which means that you can’t take a normal photo because of the crowds of people who want to, and you can’t avoid jostling in queues. In addition, the Yucatan region, where the attraction is located, is very hot, there is not a single corner around where to hide from the scorching sun. Now the main disappointment is that climbing the Kukulkan Pyramid has been banned since 2006. It was from there that one could see all the grandeur of the architecture of the Maya civilization.
This ancient Mayan city, built around 600-900 AD, is recognized as the cultural heritage of Mexico and one of the wonders of the world. Photo: alects/Shutterstock.com
Kirill, project manager at Ostrovka: “Chichen Itza in Mexico is one pyramid with millions of merchants and tour buses around it. A little further away there is Uxmal, the same ancient city, only there are ten times more pyramids and other buildings, and everything is more beautiful, greener, and there is something to talk about with a guide.”
“Pissing Boy”, Brussels, Belgium
In fact, the statue is so small that you can easily pass by without noticing. But this will not work, because a crowd of tourists always gathers around the boy, hidden in a narrow street. Souvenir shops also completely destroy the whole atmosphere.
The boy is regularly dressed in various costumes on the occasion of the holidays. The collection of dresses has about a thousand copies and is kept in the museum “Wardrobe of a pissing boy”. So you can go there and see hundreds of statues at once. Another recommendation: if you want to see something truly historical and grandiose, then the Royal Palace, where the Museum of the history of Belgium is located, is at your service.
The Pissing Boy is one of the most famous landmarks in Brussels and a symbol of Belgium. Photo: Andrey Antipov & Sergii Figurnyi/Shutterstock.com
Rest without worries
The main disappointment in foreign travel today is the rapidly dwindling supply of money. To save on accommodation (one of the main expenses), look for hotels that participate in the loyalty program of the GURU Island. There is a special “GURU Discounts” filter for this. Just don’t forget to log in to see the best rates!
Bamboo Forest, Arashiyama, Japan
Tall bamboo stalks stretching up tens of meters and creating a tunnel effect are a fabulous attraction in Japan. Tourists from all over the world come here to walk among this splendor and fill social networks with photos. But at the bamboo forestThere are disadvantages near the center of Kyoto. It is small, so it takes about ten minutes to walk along it, and there are a lot of tourists and souvenir shops and cafes along this stretch, which turn a place created to communicate with nature into a farce.
If you decide to visit here anyway, come early in the morning before the tourists arrive, and the light for the photos is perfect. It is better not to go to the bamboo forest in rainy weather, as the picture will appear dull.
Tall bamboo stalks stretching up tens of meters and creating a tunnel effect are a fabulous attraction in Japan. Photo: beeboys & Sriya Pixels/Shutterstock.com
Ekaterina, head of the content department at Ostrovka: “I was not impressed by the bamboo forest in Arashiyama at all. I also liked the picturesque promenade with boats, the Tenryuji Temple (a UNESCO site, by the way) with a beautiful Japanese garden and the Fukuda Museum, which is very nice and stylish in architecture!”
Berlin TV Tower, Berlin, Germany
Unfortunately, the visit is not free and costs a decent 2,650 rubles. Then you will join a huge queue of people who want to see Berlin from a bird’s-eye view. And then, after suffering, you will not see the whole city, but only a small part of it, so it will also be inconvenient to look because of the partitions. Bottom line: we recommend taking photos from a distance and looking at the Berlin Wall instead.
The Berlin TV tower, built in 1969 in East Berlin, is considered a symbol of the city. Photo: canadastock/Shutterstock.com
Ekaterina, head of the content department at Ostrovka: “One of the overrated places is the Berlin TV Tower. Although before my trip we published an article on the blog with tips from locals on what not to do in Berlin (including climbing the tower), I naturally climbed, and there was… just no way. The views are ordinary, inconvenient to look at, since the view is closed by partitions, there is no cognitive exposition inside. In general, the pleasure is questionable, and not yet free. It is much better to climb the Reichstag or the Victory Column, or somewhere else.”
Great Wall of China, China
It’s not just about a famous building in China, but about the most famous landmark in the world. The construction of the Great Wall of China began in the 3rd century BC, its length is 21,000 km, on which several tourist areas are located.
Why did we include it in our anti-rating? Firstly, the wall is located far from large tourist cities, it will take 2-3 hours to get to its sections. Secondly, again about money: the most interesting thing is to take a tour, but it will cost about 10 000 – 15 000 rubles and will take the whole day. For independent travelers, the bus and the entrance to the wall will cost 1,500 rubles, but this only includes a walk. Also, local vendors will annoy and offer souvenirs at inflated prices.
Finally, there is practically no ideal weather to visit: it is very stuffy in summer, slippery in winter, and rains and fogs can spoil the experience, in addition to hordes of tourists with selfie sticks.
The construction of the Great Wall of China began in the 3rd century BC. Photo: aphotostory & Javen/Shutterstock.com
Alexandra, supervisor at Ostrovka: “I was not impressed by the Great Wall of China. It’s a tourist destination, especially during the holidays, where there are crowds of locals, and it’s packed, plus some sections of the wall have been restored, so there’s no sense of history here. It’s a long and difficult way to get to the ancient section of the wall.”
You need to see this in China
In Oh!The blog has a selection of 10 places in the Middle Kingdom that you can’t miss — they told you how to visit the movie “Avatar”, become a Shaolin kung fu master, see giant pandas and have fun at Disneyland!
Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy
There have always been a lot of tourists here, but at least you could sit on the stairs and take a break from walking — until a ban on sitting on the steps was introduced in 2019. The penalty for stopping will be from 28,000 rubles! Also, the restaurants next to the stairs are overpriced and the food quality is not very good.
The Spanish steps were built in the early 18th century to connect the Trinita dei Monti church with Piazza di Spagna. Photo: Vlas Telino studio & LMspencer/Shutterstock.com
San Marco Square, Venice, Italy
Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Venice and they all want to be photographed on the famous square/Photo: AlexAnton/Shutterstock.com
Times Square, New York, USA
It seems that the central square of New York, Times Square, is something from movies and TV series. But here’s what it looks like in the real world. When you get off the subway on 4th Street, you immediately get into a traffic jam of people, the stream literally picks you up and carries you to Times Square. It is almost impossible to stand and enjoy the posters and advertising signs on it, the square is teeming with people who come out of cafes and shops. It also houses the main ticket office for theaters, often with discounts. But even here there is nowhere without a long queue of almost an hour.
At the same time, you’re attracted to street caricature artists and entertainers in superhero costumes who offer to take a photo. If you agree to take the picture, they will demand money. The bottom line is this: Times Square undoubtedly deserves attention, but it takes a lot of effort.
It seems that the central square of New York, Times Square, is something from movies and TV series. Photo: KarlosWest/Shutterstock.com
We are not at all calling for putting an end to super—tourist places – it is better to come and make your own impression. Maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll open up from an unexpected angle. At the same time, we believe that visiting popular locations is worth it, armed with knowledge and letting go of illusions.
Wherever you are, whether in Rome or Beijing, you can always find accommodation on the Island.
Cover photo: Guitar photographer/Shutterstock.com
