10 Most Overrated Attractions in the World
Travel is a matter of personal taste. Where you go depends on what you like to do when you’re away from home. You might choose locations based on the nightlife, or the swimming and athletics, or the hiking trails. No matter how you choose, there are some locations that everyone brings up when they talk about travel. Among the many tourist destinations around the world, some are simply way over-hyped. Avoid these ten destinations when planning a trip, unless you want to be disappointed.
10. Las Vegas Strip
Unless you’re really into gambling, Las Vegas will be an impressive half hour and a weekend of remorse. The strip is more theme park than city, but if you stray too far in the wrong direction, you end up in a bad neighborhood. Really, the average visit is more likely to end up like The Hangover than Casino Royale.
9. The London Eye
The London Eye is one of the top tourist locations in London, which is a damn shame. The city is full of fabulous attractions, from historic sites to museums to monuments. There’s no reason to visit a glitzy Ferris wheel just because it dominates the skyline. There are better monuments and better amusement parks.
8. Dublin’s Temple Bar
Dublin is known for its pubs, and it seems like visiting one billed as the cultural center of the city would be a great idea. Unfortunately, the culture you’ll experience in the Temple Bar is the tourist culture. There are far better pubs within walking distance with a better atmosphere and better prices.
7. The Hollywood Walk of Fame
Are you excited by handprints and sidewalks? Unless you are, the walk of fame isn’t going to excite you. It’s not exactly impressive to say you’ve walked on concrete that a celebrity had their hands in. At the same time, you’ll face crowds of tourists, the constant noise of tourist trap vendors and glimpses of the homeless just around the corner.
6. Capri’s Blue Grotto
A natural wonder filled with shockingly blue water is amazing to see. Unfortunately, you have to skip across to Capri on overpriced boats, and that’s assuming you can even access it. Chances are good that the weather will turn foul and your chances to see the grotto are ruined.
5. Stonehenge
Stonehenge is one of those ancient wonders of the world that crop up in bad sci-fi movies and pseudo-science babble. Regardless of the actual purpose of this mysterious collection of standing rocks, it’s not very interesting to visit. You can’t access the stones themselves due to a protective fence, and nearby highways thoroughly kill the mystical ambiance.
4. Loch Ness
Located in a dreary, out of the way corner of Scotland, Loch Ness has been the center of rumors about prehistoric monsters and dinosaurs for ages. Today, all you’ll see are gray skies, dull water and a load of vendors selling stuffed Nessie dolls. There are far better places to visit in Scotland than this dull narrow lake.
3. Prague
Prague is known as something of a cultural center for writers, hipsters and those indie artists who can’t seem to actually reach fame. It has beautiful architecture, but so do a thousand other European cities. You don’t need to waste your time with thieves and tourists in this particular corner of the world.
2. Egyptian Pyramids
The great pyramids are massive feats of ancient engineering and construction. They’re also incredibly old and falling apart. Not only are they hardly visually impressive after their media saturation, they’re also off-limits to the public. You won’t be fighting off a mummy’s curse, but you might be caught in a political uprising.
1. The Leaning Tower of Pisa
If you drive for a few hours, you’ll probably find a local university near your home. Chances are this university has some kind of bell tower. Does that bell tower sound like an amazing tourist attraction? If not, you probably won’t enjoy it any more if it’s tilted a few degrees and crowds of people are taking pictures pretending to push it back.
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VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Overrated (adj.) ~ have a higher opinion of (someone or something) than is deserved
2. Remorse (n.) ~ deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed
3. Glitzy (adj./ informal) ~ ostentatiously attractive (often used to suggest superficial glamour)
4. Babble (n.) ~ the sound of people talking quickly and in a way that is difficult or impossible to understand
5. Mystical (adj.) ~ relating to mystics or religious mysticism
6. Dreary (adj.) ~ dull, bleak, and lifeless depressing
7. Saturation (n.) ~ a condition in which a quantity no longer responds to some external influence
8. Tilted (adj.) ~ to slope, as by raising one end
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What do you think are the common qualities of various popular tourist destinations?
2. What popular attraction have you visited that you think was a waste of time? Describe the experience.
3. Have you ever been to any of the places above? Do you agree with the opinion of the writer? Explain your answer.
4. What are the popular tourist spots in Korea that you think are not worth the hype? Why?
5. What place have you visited which is not really popular but you truely enjoyed? Describe the experience.
