52 of the World's Best Tourist Attractions That Actually Live Up to the Hype

29. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC, USA)

The National Museum of Natural History is open 364 days a year and is free to the public. Its collection contains over 126 million specimens and artifacts.

30. Santorini (Greece)

Though surrounded by water, Santorini contains no rivers and water is scarce. This island in the Aegean Sea is most famous for its cliff towns of white buildings and blue roofs.

31. Giant’s Causeway (Country Antrim, Northern Ireland)

The most popular tourist attraction in Northern Island, the Giant’s Causeway is the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The tallest columns of the formation are 12 meters high.

32. Plaza Mayor (Madrid, Spain)

Plaza Mayor is the central plaza of Madrid. In the past, it has been used for public executions, bullfights, markets, and soccer games.

33. Machu Picchu (Cusco Region, Peru)

A 15th-century Inca site, Machu Picchu was unknown by locals until Hiram Bingham rediscovered the archaelogical site in 1911.

34. Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba (Cordoba, Spain)

Originally a mosque, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba was later converted into a Roman Catholic cathedral. It’s one of the most famous examples of Moorish architecture in the world.

35. Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)

The Sydney Opera House hosts over 1,500 events yearly, which are attended by roughly 1.2 million people. Over 7 million people visit the site each year.

36. Great Barrier Reef (Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia)

Located off the east coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system. Easily visible from above, it helps related businesses generate over $3 billion of revenue yearly.

37. Milford Sound (South Island, New Zealand)

Considered New Zealand’s most famous tourist attraction, Milford Sound is a fjord that Rudyard Kipling named the “eighth wonder of the world.”

38. Uluru (Northern Territory, Australia)

Uluru, also known as Ayer’s Rock, is a sandstone formation with a total circumference of 9.4km. The formation appears to change colors at different times of the day and year.

39. Vatican City (Rome, Italy)

Vatican City is a sovereign state within Rome, which is home to several tourist attractions including St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums.

40. Hitachi Seaside Park (Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan)

Spanning 190 hectares, this public park in Japan has 4.5 million baby blue-eyes flowers, 1 million daffodils, 170 tulip varieties, and a Ferris wheel.

41. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA)

Yellowstone delivers it all — grand landscapes, abundant wildlife viewing, and awesome geothermal activity. And it’s probably the only place where free-range buffalo cause traffic jams.

42. Park Güell (Barcelona, Spain)

A failed housing development, Park Güell is now a public garden showcasing Gaudi’s, um, interesting architectural taste (the man was not afraid of color and, apparently, hated right angles). Fun fact: A whole bunch of wild parrots live in the park.

43. The Louvre (Paris, France)

Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s overwhelming. No, you can’t go to Paris and not visit the Louvre. You can’t help but feel you’re experiencing the pinnacle of Western civilization here.

44. Avenue du Baobab (Menabe Region, Madagascar)

Nowhere on Madagascar is there such a striking concentration of the magnificent and deeply endangered Baobab tree than on the road from Morondava to Belon’i Tsiribihina.

45. Sagano Bamboo Forest (Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan)

In the touristy yet charming Arashiyama district of Kyoto, several well-known and tidy bamboo groves make for great walking tours or rickshaw rides.

46. Table Mountain (Cape Town, South Africa)

Always looming, Table Mountain is Cape Town’s signature attraction. Do whatever it takes to get to the summit — cable car, hike, jet pack — to snap an iconic photo of Cape Town.

47. Tsukiji Fish Market (Tokyo, Japan)

Ever seen a 300lb bluefin tuna quartered on an industrial bandsaw? All that and then some at the world’s largest fish market, where a chaotic scene of buyers, sellers, and brokers haggle over a whole bunch of dead fish.

48. Canals of Venice (Venice, Italy)

You’ll put up with the sometimes unpleasant smell, occasional flooding, inconsistent garbage collection, rude gondoliers, hordes of tourists, and overpriced everything because the canals of Venice simply cannot be beat. Someday you’ll be able to tell your great-grandkids about the mythical city of Venice and its wondrous canals that long ago slipped back into the sea.

49. Koyasan (Japan)

The spiritual home of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, Koyasan is a perfectly preserved town located on a mountaintop outside Osaka that somehow manages to keep out modern Japan. Visitors can stay at Buddhist temples that double as guesthouses.

50. French Quarter (New Orleans, USA)

Get up early to stroll the streets at daybreak before a fresh beignet at Cafe Du Monde, or stay out late drinking Abitas at Lafitte’s — the French Quarter is an amazing experience 24 hours a day. Just remember: Bourbon Street is one of many, so explore them all.

51. Okavango Delta (Botswana)

Every year, 11 cubic kilometers (which is to say a lot) of water floods the inland delta, bringing sweet relief to migratory herds across this arid region…and to predators looking for well-hydrated prey.

52. Blue Lagoon (Grindavík, Iceland)

Less than an hour outside Reykjavík, the Blue Lagoon’s mineral-rich geothermal waters delight bathers and cure psoriasis. Water temperature averages about 100 degrees Fahrenheit after leaving the nearby geothermal plant where it generates clean energy.