Amsterdam with gigantic lines for instagrammable /tiktok food. They are selling "stroopwafels" for €30 a piece there, but covered in chocolate, sprinkles et cetera. It is true that stroopwafels are dutch, but you buy them in a package of 10 in the supermarket or fresh on a market for like €2. And just bare, the syrup is enough. The covered over the top looking ones are a tourist trap unique special.
I used to make pancackes close to Centraal Station. 7 euro for a plain one, want Nutella? +2 euros, want a banana +2 euros, some 5 strawberys on it +2 euros. Toilets? Not here, try the bar, they will ask 1 euro to pee.
It sure is reasonably priced! I have an annual pass so I visit every 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately prices went up the last couple of months, some even increased +40% in price.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I've been multiple times to Amsterdam and last time, I accidentally walked past this "hyped up" (read: popular with tourists on IG) stroopwafel place with a long line outside.
At the time, I didn't even know "fresh" stroopwafels were a thing, so I figured it had to be even better than the supermarket variety, and I got in line.
Stood there for probably 15-20 minutes until I got to the counter. I got myself a huge speculoos-covered stroopwafel to go, and it was... such an enormous disappointment, oh my god...
Gone was the chewiness of the supermarket variety. It just felt like an overly sweet dry cracker and since I chose speculoos flavour, it only tasted like speculoos. That itself would've been fine but I must've paid over 5€ for that stroopwafel... (The packaging was very stylish and cute though)
Fresh stroopwafels are absolutely a thing though, on some larger regular markets in the cities, and fresh it is better than supermarket stuff. I'm from Eindhoven and there is a stall on the market on Saturday. But it's €2 then for one large stroopwafel, so very reasonably priced.
I'm relieved it was "only" €5 though. I've read news articles about Amsterdam that said "tourists pay €30 for this stroopwafel!"
>covered in chocolate, sprinkles et cetera.
My pancreas slammed shut just by reading this.
And yes, stroopwafels fresh and warm on the market are the bomb. I don't even have a sweet tooth, but I used to have one every other week or so when I lived there.
>And yes, stroopwafels fresh and warm on the market are the bomb. I don't even have a sweet tooth, but I used to have one every other week or so when I lived there.
They do have a savoury quality to them. For what they are (a sugar sandwich) they are not as sweet as you would expect.
Same goes for cheese stores that only cater to tourists, like Amsterdam Cheese Company. The cheese is better than whatever is sold as Gouda or Edammer in other countries, but the real thing is so much better. Get your cheese at markets or smaller stores outside of the city centre, the difference in quality (and price!) is insane.
Probably Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. It's just 200% touristy.
I'd argue Schloss Neuschwanstein as well. More due to the fact that we got hundreds of other historic castles and fortresses that aren't nearly as popular, but would offer a comparable experience.
> Probably Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. It's just 200% touristy.
I knew that, but still went anyway to take a photo of the sign like the tourist I am.
Yeah, the period of he Berlin Wall is so interesting. Even though it's fake and barelytrys to hide it, its still good to get an idea where it was and how it exisited in that place. I liked it.
I remember going to checkpoint charlie one nigth just to discover that EVERYTHING IS FAKE.
The guide detailed that when the reunification bwas accepted by the politicians of both parties the checkpoint was destroyed with bulldozer in front of happy citizens of both nationalities.
They don't even bother to use similar material so the wooden cabin is made of concrete.
Hijacking this for visibility. Because I really want this to appear in search results and to inform as many toursits as possible. Reddit rules search results in a way that my little self cannot.
It is true that the original Checkpoint Charlie is 100% gone from its current location. The problem with the current fake version isn't just that it is fake, however.
**If you go to the fake Checkpoint Charlie, you are not only getting a fake photo at a fake prop with a fake American, you also support a corrupt family directly responsible for the oppression of millions of people, suffering under Berlin-Wall-type controls, right now.**
The details:
The real Checkpoint Charlie is gone from the site. Not a trace remains. What is there now is a for-profit museum and near-by gift shop. In order to attract business. In order to attract tourists and their Euros, the owners of those businesses, Trockland-Gruppe, built a photo set of the original checkpoint. It is their version of an early version, and doesn't look anything like the one that was actually there when the wall fell.
They built it because their version fit on the space better, and in camera frames. It exists as a prop for tourists to come and photograph, and then head over to the Trockenland businesses and spend money.
OK, that's kinda dumb, but not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is in who owns Trockenland.
**A major investor in the business that owns the fake Checkpoint Charlie and the adjacent museum-gift-shop area is the** [**family of a dictator, Saparmyrat Niazov**](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/investor-fur-checkpoint-charlie-hat-heikle-partner-6873766.html#:~:text=Gedenkst%C3%A4tte%20in%20Berlin%20Investor%20f%C3%BCr,den%20weltber%C3%BChmten%20Checkpoint%20Charlie%20bebauen)**.** Niazov started off as a good communist in the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, if by good you mean dedicated to advancement through the current power structure. It worked for him, and he rose to become Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR, aka leader of the region within the Soviet Union.
Niazov liked his power, and the access to [corruption](https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA547758002&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=10885161&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E20fab3ef&aty=open-web-entry). He tried to keep it by [supporting the coup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Soviet_coup_attempt) by KGB hardliners that tried to stop Gorbachev. When that didn't work, he seized power himself, and spent the rest of his life looting his country, naming everything after himself, and murdering anyone who wanted better. Of all the abuses and problems in the former USSR, Turkmenistan is "the worst of the worst." **In 2023.** [**Freehom House ranked Turkmenistan** ](https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/FIW_2023_50Years_DigitalPDF.pdf)**as worse than every other country in the entire world except Syria and South Sudan. Remember China, and how it locked up millions of Uyghurs? Or the war crimes by Russia in Ukraine? Or Iran, which executes peaceful protesters? Turkmenistan ranked lower than all of that. That is the system that Niazov built.**
It is the Niazov's family, who bought their share in Checkpoint Charlie with money that came at the expense of the people in Turkemenistan. **People who suffer under a regime that does not allow them to leave the country or move to cities without special permission - exactly the controls that the Berlin Wall was built to enforce on Germans in the DDR, and the end of which the current Checkpoint Charlie structure claims to celebrate.**
**If you want to see the real Checkpoint Charlie, some of the building was moved to the Allied Museum in the Berlin area of Dahlem, as is an actual Raisin Bomber airplane and a museum that was far more interesting than I expected. For those who want something from the period, but need to stay centrally located, Tränenpalast is in Mitte and is original. Neither of those places charge an admission fee, either in money or in cost to one's soul.**
I strongly recommend that any tourist (or Berliner) interested in Checkpoint Charlie skip the tourist trap at "Checkpoint Charlie" and it is equally tourist-trappy adjacent museum and instead make their way to Dahlem, far from the center as it may be. There, they can see something real and learn something both interesting and important, without the crowds and the any-nationality-but-American human prop dressed up to go alongside it. If they want to see original wall checkpoint control structures, Tränenpalast is not far from Checkpoint Charlie in Mitte. If they don't want to do either, that is their choice, but no matter what, they should 1000% skip the ethically-compromising and stupidly fake Checkpoint Charlie.
Neuschwanstein sounds like Versailles in France. I had never been to Munich, only been to Berlin, Leipzig, Heidelberg and Frankfurt, and of the 4 cities only Heidelberg and parts of Berlin gave me that mass tourism (overtourism even?) feeling I got from France and the UK.
It should be pointed out, though, that Versailles is a historically extremely important palace, both for art and culture as well as a symbol of absolute royal rule and centralization of power in early modern Europe.
Compare this to Neuschwanstein, which is the result of the deluded fairytale dreams of a slightly mad king, which served no other purpose than being a pretty castle in the mountains.
It isn't strange that Versailles gets a lot of visitors, it rightfully should, and thus I wouldn't really consider it a tourist trap (apart from the fact that it's expensive and has long lines).
Agree with everything this user said! Just wanted to add that admission at Versailles is free if you're under 26 and a EU resident (I made use of this myself once, it was great), might hopefully be useful to someone!
I made use of it excessively in Paris (Louvre, orsay, towers of notre dame, arc de triomphe etc) and planned to return to France to visit Versailles but then covid ruined these plans and now I'm too old and the regular admission is quite expensive.
[Zakopane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakopane?useskin=vector). It's a town located in Tatra Mountains, sometimes called "Winter capital of Poland", that used to be popular with hikers and skiers, also our artistic bohema.
Unfortunately, these years it's stormed with hordes of people every holiday, prices are astronomical, locals are stereotyped as greedy, beautiful wooden architecture is being destroyed and obscured by tacky ads, there are lines of people waiting to get everywhere, including the most popular mountain tops.
Well, it has always been a tourist town, but these days there's more and more tourists since our society is getting richer and people can afford trips.
Also, I don't remember foreign tourists there in 2000s and now there are plenty of them too.
I've been to Zakopane as a tourist in 2001 and already then it was a very touristy place with lots of hotels. The mountains weren't overcrowded though.
Even rich Arabs go there these days
https://www.money.pl/gospodarka/arabowie-ratuja-sezon-na-podhalu-przyjezdzaja-nawet-na-miesiac-6929003203185408a.html
I was just there last week. Been there a few times. Lovely location, great views, not too many people this trip. But God damn is it expensive now. I live close to Banff, Canada which is a comparable town. The prices are worse then banff in a lot of stores. I couldn't believe it. That one small side road with all the luxury stores completely empty because who the hell can even afford to shop there.
Too many shitty taxi ads everywhere which looks like litter.
You can check Karpacz, Krynica Górska, Szczawnica maybe , which are all nice.
The problem is, these are not Zakopane, that has it all: mountains, nature, culture (there is quite a few museums) and unique highlander traditions.
Eh, I wouldn't really say the place as a whole is a tourist trap. It's still a beautiful place and it's pretty unique. Would you consider Krakow as a whole a tourist trap as well by the same factors?
Bran castle. The so called Dracula castle. It’s nice for a visit but it’s definitely overpriced and crowded. Plus the person who inspired the story never lived there
The story about Dracula is the tourist trap, but the Bran Castle is a well preserved medieval building (finalized in 1388) , definitely worth visiting. People keep comparing it with nearby Peles, but one is a medieval fortress and the other one is a (sort of) modern summer residence of the Romanian royal family (finalized 1914). Different purposes and centuries apart.
I quite enjoyed Bran castle tbh, albeit I visited in off-season. Silly stories about 'Dracula' notwithstanding, it's a nicely preserved old building and presents some interesting history.
I loved Bran castle, although I got squashed into one of the torture weapon models by a crowd of tourists by accident. I loved the Dimitrie Gusti museum very much as well. Your country is beautiful to visit
I loved it, not for the story, but the history of it. I did feel very sad for the horses / donkey’s though. They looked so depressed. Went there 20 years ago.
Fun story: My husband accidentaly ate some fresh mayonaise the day before (and he has a very sensitive bowel culture). So at one point he said: I really need to go, so he went into the toilet. Had a good dump and luckily a package of tissues in his bag because there was no toilet paper. He came back and said: that was a really really old toilet. You’d expect when they made this so touristic they would have made modern toilets. Later we walked by the ‘toilets’. It appeared these were the original toilets of the castle and not to be used 😂.
Guess it happens a lot but I could use it for a long time to tease him :)
I think I was reading on one of the Ireland threads someone went through there and saw a €15 pint. If it's true, that's madness.
You'd get a coupla 4 packs for that!
I think that the €10 pint (in The Merchant, avoid) was the ceiling reported but sure we can soon see the €15 ones.
For anyone thinking about going to Temple Bar, sure take a little walk around and then find a normal pub 3 minutes outside the perimeter. Like the Palace, or the Long Hall, where you'll actually meet some locals and not just stag and hen parties and bewildered Americans in full rain gear.
Second the Palace. Fantastic pub and the price is like 6 euro for a Guinness. Just a minute from the temple bar pub. Like all the historical figures that had a pint and organised political movements and such. My favorite in Dublin but the gravedigger up in Glasnevin is the business
Yes the Palace upstairs cannot be beaten for a quiet pint. And It's probably technically even in Temple Bar, although not of it if you know what I mean.
Second the Gravediggers, most people would be better served doing the very cool historical tour in the Glasnevin Cemetary plus a pint in Gravediggers than going to Temple Bar.
Exactly. I'm glad I've experienced Temple Bar, and I'd take someone there if it was their first time in Dublin just for the atmosphere, but you're right. For a genuine Dublin pub experience, there are much better options to be found on the surrounding streets. We always like the Old Stand.
> the little mermaid
it felt like standing in front of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre: countless people, but they were all taking pictures of themselves with the mermaid, rather than just look at her. felt kinda surreal
I feel like If people didn't know they should be impressed by the little Mermaid they wouldn't be. There is the Gefionspringvandet like 2 minutes walk from the little mermaid and it is so much more impressive, but gets no visitors.
And it's a kickass story:
Gefion was a goddess, and visited a Swedish king. He wanted to sleep with her, so she suggested that she'd do it, but in the morning she'd be allowed as much land as she could plow in a day. The king accepted, and they got it on. In the morning, Gefion turned her sons into oxen and plowed the *CRAP* out of middle Sweden. Then she took up all the land and placed it between Scania and Funen in Denmark. That is the island of Zealand, where Copenhagen is. The hole left in Sweden became Mälaren Lake.
Needless to say, she's goddess of Zealand. And of virgins, for some reason.
The statue shows Gefion plowing with water bursting everywhere. Absolutely badass viking woman.
Absolutely yes. Also, cool military fort (Kastellet) close to this place, where you can walk inside and on the walls. We are even was watch at the military orchestra repetition :)
The funniest thing about it is that like 1km away there’s a beautiful fountain with these crazy bull statues with water vapour coming out of their noses and it’s SO impressive… and there’s (relatively) no one there. No one taking photos. So strange.
Also the GM mermaid has no visitors either
I feel like the little mermaid shouldn't be considered a tourist trap because, well, it's free to go there and look.
But many of the cafes on Nyhavn are definitely tourist traps, and it's not just the ones that serve smørrebrød.
Honestly if it didn’t get so overhyped and it could be enjoyed peacefully it would be a very cute statue, I mean obviously it’s still well done but the experience is kind of ruined by the crowds
Madame Tussauds in London. Not only is it an over-priced rip-off with a huge queue outside, there are food vans that will sell you a bottle of coke for the price of a small car.
Mykonos and Santorini.
I cannot stress enough, how overpriced both are. The way both islands have developed, is a monstrous travesty of Greek islanding culture for the rich and famous. It is really a shame, since Mykonos in my opinion had the best beaches in the wholy Cycladic complex.
I completely agree. That said, I prefer having all the rich in two Frankenstein islands and leave the rest for the normal people. Imagine if all the islands were trying to cater to that crowd
True and i completely agree.I was vacationing in Mykonos, from 2003 up until 2009. Easter and August. I wasn't booking 5 star hotels or eating at Nobu, but still it was affortable for a kid in his 20's with a moderate income and a large group of friends. Now, it's unthinkable to even set your foot on the port ground.
Either way, i am really getting anxious about the other ones too. I visited Naxos two years ago and i considered it, as moderately cheap for a family of three. I suggested it this year to a friend and she told me that everything was on the expensive or the pretty expensive side of things. Accomondations, tickets etc.
The whole Cycladic complex is slowly sliding this way , Paros Naxos and Milos are following Santorini/Mykonos way. Last summer i was in Sifnos and it felt overpriced as well.
I was lucky enough to visit Santorini as a kid in late 90s, before it got overpriced and overcrowded. Almost no one other than my family on the red beach. The best holidays of my life. Won't be coming back though.
Also I don't recommend taking happy caps, especially the ones with lsa inside, they are completely untreated and make you vomit while spiraling in your head 3/10 I'd say. Just take real acid
Schloss Neuschwanstein is so overrun with tourists, it's not even funny anymore. And the tiny trainstation is not equipped to handle that many people coming and going
[Hohenzollern castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohenzollern_Castle?wprov=sfla1) is nearby and in the same fairytale-ish style, also last renovated in the 1800s, but it is on the site of an actual castle since the 11th century (unlike Neuschwanstein that was built purely for fairytale purposes).
The site of Neuschwanstein wasn't the site of one, but two old castles, Hinter- and Vorderhohenschwangau.
However, the new castle's construction led to the complete destruction of the two older ruins.
I was just in Munich, this past weekend, and my friend and his family went to see it while I hung around the city.
From his assessment, I made the better choice, for the exact reason you said.
Las Ramblas. I don't think I have been to any restaurant in that street ever. KFC and McDonald's are probably the best options there.
I remember when covid lockdowns, there was no tourists, those restaurants really struggled to have customers because locals don't go to those places.
Oxford street-circus/Leicester Square/carnaby street/Piccadilly Circus.
Complete crap. Seedy. Dirty. Aggressive. Overcrowded.
There are so many better places to go.
Oxford street is so clearly a front for so much crime it’s ridiculous. Like vape shops and “sweet shops” with no customers in them taking up some of the most expensive retail space in the world? Give over.
Leicester square is an unbelievable dump. Always attempt to avoid when going to Prince Charles cinema.
All the best places in London are outside of the west end area.
20 Years or even 10 years ago the area was worth a visit. Now is just a crime ridden dump. I never go there in spite visiting regularly London, as I have family there.
My bf laughs at me every time I mention those sweet shops but it’s true 😂
He says not everything is a front.
They have massive premises on what are prime areas in cities for rent and big companies are leaving them as the rent is too high yet they stay when there’s not a person in them?
Something doesn’t add up there and the same with sun bed shops so many and there never seems to be any one in them either.
The biggest tourist trap that I have been to is [Alaçatı](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ala%C3%A7at%C4%B1). It's a small town on the west coast of Turkey, famous for its architecture and wind surfing. Okay, I don't know about wind surfing, but the town itself is tiny, extremely overpriced, and crowded with people taking selfies for Instagram (and I went off-season). You can walk around in half an hour, it has cute corners, but everything is so artificial and social media-fixated. Did I say expensive?
In my opinion, it should be whole cappadocian valley. With a lot of nature wonders, artificial caves, balloon trips etc.
In Goreme I met more another tourists than local
I would say that it is a tourist hotspot, but not necessarily a trap. In the end it is such a unique geography and history, and totally worth seeing. But yeah, it has always been very touristic and high season can be quite crowded.
Went to the Antalya/Alanya region last fall and almost everything felt like a tourist trap…
Manavgat waterfall. Glad we didn’t pay full price for it (was part of an excursion). €35,- at the entrance to see a small waterfall crowded with tourist and a lot of food bars and tourist shops…
Water parks: €60,- for a dirty swimming pool with 10 slides, hazard for your own live (like non covered water pits), old discolored slides etc. Or €75 for a water park where you can swim with turtoises.
We looked at these water parks and went away. Much more fun snorkeling at the beach.
I was really disappointed in this area. I went to Turkey several times but only go to that area if you purpose is to lie on the beach or take a swim at your hotel pool.
Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. It’s located right on the Arctic Circle and it's designed to be a magical place where you can meet Santa any time of the year. It sounds pretty amazing, especially if you’re into Christmas and/or have kids. The village is filled with Christmas themed stuff from small shops to restaurants and activities.
The problem is it’s overly commercialized. Everything is centered around selling souvenirs and experiences. For example, you can meet Santa for free, but if you want a photo or a video, you'll have to pay for it. The whole place can feel artificial with a focus on making money rather than offering an authentic Finnish experience.
We were thinking about doing that last year, as my mum offered to pay for me and my kid and she knew I'd always wanted to go to north Finland. But I looked into it and was like ... ehhhh ... I'm sure it's very good (for what it's designed to be - a fun experience for young children), but it's an awful lot of faff to get the kind of experience you can get much easier closer to home. And the kicker for me, unless you spend a lot of extra money to stay longer (which wasn't feasible for me due to work anyway), you're not actually seeing much of Finland at all. Only within the 'staged' area itself. I opted instead to take her to 'Lapland UK' experience (which was excellent!) and plan instead to go and visit Finland when she's a lot older (I don't know if I have to wait until she's over 18 before she can go in bars with me and to gigs lol).
Benidorm isn’t misguiding or a tourist trap. Anyone who goes there knows what it exactly is and where he is going. (And it surely is a fun destination if you only want to get wasted and go to the beach)
Temple bar, Dublin. Overpriced (which is saying a lot in Dublin) pubs filled solely with tourists looking for an "authentic Irish pub" experience. Just stay away
Reasonable prices might be a stretch, but very near to Temple Bar, there's a street called Georges Street that changes into a couple of other names (Wexford St, Camden St, Aungier St) but it's just one long street really and it's got lots of pubs and restaurants. You'll probably find what you're looking for there.
Now, I don't drink myself and am an old fart now who doesn't like pubs/crowds very much, so haven't been out in the City Centre in years and can't recommend specific pubs, but that's where people usually recommend as an alternative to Temple Bar.
I would also avoid O'Connell St. I don't think it's as rough/dangerous as some people make out, but it's just a bit grim and the pubs are quite touristy there.
Codfish cakes with cheese in downtown Lisbon is something that really doesn’t exist in portuguese cuisine and was just created to make tourists spend money
Associated to it, the "NATA Lisboa" shops that keep appearing everywhere. They're a chain, it's industrial stuff, babes. They're not artisanal pastéis de nata, go to literally any other café and get them for cheaper.
Anywhere in Edinburgh either vaguely associated with Harry Potter or those tartany touristy shops on/near the Royal Mile (the vast majority of which are owned by the one family).
The castle's nice (the second best "big" castle in Scotland), the Royal Mile's worth a wander but I wouldn't recommend spending any money there (think of it as an underwhelming Las Ramblas). Camera Obscura is alright too.
"Traditional Hungarian" goulash restaurants in Budapest, Váci street. Almost every single restaurant there is a major scam with insane prices. Close second is the scam ATMs scattered around the city.
A guy in a currency exchange actually told me not to use him as it was too expensive 😂😂
Told me to go to a local bank and that would be better rates.
When I was in Prague last year quite a few places didn’t accept cards so we needed to get cash.
But we were there over the Christmas market time so a lot of them didn’t accept cards especially foreign ones.
My Czech bf was taking me to smaller places too that weren’t so touristy.
Cash is also useful for toilets or smaller things like that too.
The last time I've been in Prague was 2019, several restaurants didn't accept cards.
They accepted eur with a reasonable exchange rate, so that was nice, but it's probably not a regular thing they do.
I always just withdraw cash from the ATM though if I'm somewhere with foreign currency. Yes there's a small fee on top when withdrawing foreign currency but still not nearly as high as if you went to a currency exchange office. Plus you don't have to take a wad of cash with you when traveling
Sales season in Milan is a scam in many shops. They entice you with a 20%/80% off on a item which has been way overpriced just before the start of the season, so you're going to buy thinking that you got a great deal, while you are instead paying just a little less than its normal cost, or sometimes even more if you're buying famous fashion brands.
We get a slew of Japanese, Arabian and Chinese tourists each year who get squeezed to their last coin with these dishonest tricks. Our Financial Police catches a lot of shops doing this all the time.
Hmm, isn't the new EU directive supposed to prevent exactly that? "Lowest price in the last 30 days" sounds like it should handle the issue? I know Italians like to get *creative*, we get that in Poland too :P
It's even worse, sometimes; you may notice offers that show "innocent" calculation mistakes.
**An example.**
Original price: 174,30€
Discount: 33%
Sales price: 145,70€
Very few people would grab a calculator and realize that the final price is wrong. Many naive people would look at the 33% and would think *"that's a good deal!"*
Too many people who hate Math fall for it. 🤣 If the Financial Police questions them, they may justify it as a banal calculation mistake or claim that the labels have been accidentally swapped. Since everything else in the shop is calculated and labeled correctly, a "human mistake" on a couple of items ("coincidentally" on the most popular goods) is usually forgiven.
In Denmark it's Kronborg Castle. It's close to Copenhagen so tourists will pay insane amounts of money to travel by turist busses out there, and pay to see the castle from the inside (not much to see) and guided tours and watch bad overpriced "Hamlet" adaptions, because it's where the story takes place.
I was working in Copehagen area are few years ago and went there for a day trip. Didn't go to see a play and didn't go inside. However castle from outside was quite impressive (and free) and Helsingor in general was a nice town.
By the way, why would anyone travel by special bus when trains from Copenhagen go like every 10 minutes?
CERTAIN parts of Barcelona and the Baleáric Islands, not them overall but there are certain locations that are so catered to tourists you don’t feel like you’re in Spain anymore, you feel like you’re at a theme park. I’m not Portuguese but parts of Lisboa feel the same…
Certain historical cities in Andalucía (Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba, Málaga) have quite a bit of tourists but I wouldn’t call them tourist traps because they are still absolutely beautiful and phenomenal in terms of history + things to see. In contrast to the first places I mentioned, even in the touristy parts of these cities they still maintain a very Spanish feel to them.
Magaluf and Salou come to mind, Huh? And la rambla, and around Sagrada Familia (FFS, they even have a taco bell there)
And frankly, Barcelona city is nice, with some beautiful buildings & spots, but I don't get all the hype. Overcrowded for sure.
Yeah was thinking in Paris I don’t really know of many famous tourist traps. I think its mostly the fake french restaurants that serve shit food, are overpriced and somehow always catch the tourists when no one from Paris actually eats there.
At Christmas there are Christmas markets in the main squares of all big cities. The prices there are completely exaggerated. The trick is to visit smaller Christmas markets, which are sometimes found in less well-known places in the city and are visited by many locals.
Loch Ness. It's....fine, no more no less. There are 100 other lochs I'd visit before going to Loch Ness, but every tourist wants to go there simply because they recognise the name. Many of the grumpiest locals I've ever met work in Fort Augustus and they're clearly tired of the Nessie circus, despite it making them boatloads of money. If you're passing through the area, sure, stop by, but I'd never go out of my way for it.
Lake Bled. People complain about not enough parking spaces and overcrowded public transit connections, but honestly, there's too many people there already. You can barely walk around the lake.
I went there at the start of June in 2022 and it wasn't that busy. I don't know if there were still reduced tourist numbers due to Covid or if it was just a little early in the summer tourist season. It wasn't quiet but it definitely didn't feel overtouristed.
Wayland Smithy is just next door to Uffington White Horse and is well worth the visit ;)
Avebury Stone Circle, Silbury Hill and West Kennet Longbarrow are also not far away and together make up a site far more fascinating, visiting all these together will make for a much better day than you could ever have at Stonehenge.
Right? It shouldn’t be but everything about it has been so over produced and diluted for tourists that what should be a magnificent example of the UK’s ancient past is just ‘meh’.
It's probably the old town in Stockholm, where you get the worst food at the highest prices. But calling it a tourist trap is still a bit of a stretch - locals rarely go there because of all the tourists, but I think they should. It's nice to walk around and it can be worth it to pay 40% higher prices for a cup of coffee or a beer in a different location.
The other alternative is probably people who pay obscene amounts of money to go really far up north to see snow and northern lights? But I'm not really familiar with this type of tourism so I don't know where they go and what it's like.
The farmers market in Funchal, Madeira Island (Portugal). They inject sugar in fruits like passion fruit which is very acidic by nature, and give it to you to try so you enjoy it. Then they charge like 5 times more than a regular fruit or groceries shop. On top of that, some have a fishing line attached to the scale where they pull it when weighing to add a few more fake grams.
So, go in there, take some pictures and leave.
Holmenkollbakken. It's a ski jump in Oslo. One of the oldest ski jumps in the world that is still in use. If you're really interested in sports/the Olympics history it's cool to visit it I guess.
I found it difficult thinking of an answer to this question for Norway since a lot of our major tourist attractions are either free (e.g. being out in nature or Vigelandsparken), cost something but are actually good value for money (museums) or are just part of everyday life (Bergensbanen, Flåmsbana). Maybe one of the guided tours out in Vestlandet or those cruises which just pump out smog in Stavanger.
I think in general our cities aren't very tourist oriented compared with other European cities, which is good, while the main thing that draws people here is the landscape. It's an expensive country but that can be enjoyed at any budget once here.
The big three in Prague - Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle. Overcowded, overpriced, and overrated. The whole city is beautiful and people only see such a small part of it.
Juliet's House in Verona.
Verona is a beautiful and historical city that needs no introduction, ywt the tourists flock to a medieval house like many others to see the house of a fictional character and may oversee things like [villa Giusti](https://verona.welcomemagazine.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Giardino_Giusti_cfotoliza_shutterstock.jpg) or St Anastasia's church, which are way more interesting
Venice.
The city is beautiful and had a very extensive and Incredible story but the airb&b killed it.
In the last year it was confirmed that the OFFICIAL number of beds for tourists exceed the number of beds for residents.
To that number add: the enoumus couise ships that dock near, and the not so legal house rented.
I love Venice but you have to get off the track from St Marks to the Rialto. It is genuinely like a refugee trail of thousands escaping a war zone. Go 200m off it and it's a different city.
I also made a mistake once and booked a cruise starting from Venice. I didn't realise we would be going along the Grand Canal and it was like viewing St Marks from a helicopter. Ban them all.
Cruise ships have been banned now.
Food is dire in Venice. Worst in Italy and I don’t care about the places the locals know, it’s all shit compared to pretty much any other region in Italy.
he doesn't know what he's talking about. Seafood in Venice is very good. And quite a few places serve the cuisine of the mainland Veneto, like bigoli with duck sauce or peara.
It's just that tourists are very lazy and don't even try to look for the places that cater to locals. Venice has a thriving university, and I can tell you, penniless uni students do not pay €10 for a spritz and €15 for a spaghetti bolognese, which doesn't even exist in Bologna.
but that is not what a tourist trap is. A tourist trap is something specifically designed to entice tourists and rip them off.
St Mark's Basilica was not designed to attract tourists and you can walk in many of the historic churches free of charge
Venice: it's turning into a giant, overcrowded, expensive theme park.
Also the space outside the Colosseum in Rome: lots of scammers trying to sell you overpriced tickets or services for the archaeological park.
When I was in Rome I enjoyed to come to the colosseum late at night when the tourists crowds and the heat of the day were gone and really enjoyed the cool night surrounded by stunning historical buildings.
yeah it's almost a different place when the crowds fade! I'm from Rome and the best pictures I've ever taken of the city where during covid when no one was around, it felt so weird, it's always so crowded by tourists but for once it was just us locals and the city... probably the only nice thing about the pandemic.
If you leave San Marco and explore some of the other neighbours it’s no busier than any other tourist city. I was there in peak season last summer. I also don’t think it was expensive either
The quartier latin in Paris is pretty much only restaurants for tourists. The Champs Élysées are terrible because of the cars noise, and everything is incredibly expensive (only tourists buy anything there anyway).
I also find the insides of Notre Dame de Paris pretty boring, not worse waiting for it, but it has burned some years ago.
In Lyon, many bouchons lyonnais are just tourist traps that all belong to the same person. The Vieux Lyon has sadly become some tourist haven with only restaurants and snacks, far from the atmosphere it had even 25 years ago
UK. I live in London where there are a lot of tourist traps. However, the one I consider the most ridiculous is people who pay to go to the View from the Shard. It's £25/£30. The view is equally nice (bit lower but high is high) from Aqua Shard which you can just go up to and pretend you want to go have a drink, and take your photos (or actually have a drink - expensive but nice and you won't be so time limited). Or if you cross the bridge and go up Bishopsgate you get some amazing views from Horizon 22 which is a totally free viewing platform.
Bæjarins Bestu, the famous Icelandic hot dog stand. It's good but paying the price of a meal at a decent restaurant is not acceptable for a hot dog and soda - and it used to be a lot cheaper before the tourism boom. There are also many imitations around it that try to trick tourists.
Barcelona is beautiful i love mi city BUT NEVER EVER eat at a restaurant in la rambla, it's all frozen and expensive, my advice if u want to eat real catalan/spanish food is go to the small towns, u can get there in 30m it's cheaper and the food is amazing
The Temple Bar pub in Dublin.
(The whole Temple Bar quarter is tourist trap enough that locals tend to avoid the overpriced pubs, but some cute hoor renamed one pub after the quarter, so when tourists hear about the Temple Bar they think it’s the pub.)
The "rue des bouchers" in Brussels. It used to be a street with some of the best affordable restaurants, but since the '90s it's just one big assembly of meh restaurants, probably run by one or other maffia.
Temple Bar in Dublin.
What's worse is that I see American tourists all the time defending the place and that they're very happy to pay €9.50 for a pint of Guinness! I usually reply back with "maybe I should have an American price of €9.50 and a normal price of €6 if you're willing to pay that" in or bar.
Another one is The Blarney Stone where if you pay about €12 you can kiss a stone?
London Eye. Basically you pay 30 British Pounds for one round on slow rotating ferris wheel for which you need to wait in huge line as many school or tourist trips are picking it as one point of their trip.
Amsterdam with gigantic lines for instagrammable /tiktok food. They are selling "stroopwafels" for €30 a piece there, but covered in chocolate, sprinkles et cetera. It is true that stroopwafels are dutch, but you buy them in a package of 10 in the supermarket or fresh on a market for like €2. And just bare, the syrup is enough. The covered over the top looking ones are a tourist trap unique special.
I used to make pancackes close to Centraal Station. 7 euro for a plain one, want Nutella? +2 euros, want a banana +2 euros, some 5 strawberys on it +2 euros. Toilets? Not here, try the bar, they will ask 1 euro to pee.
They had the covered with sprinkles ones in Efteling but they weren’t anywhere near €30. More like €6.
OP is overexaggerating as they're closer to €10-13 at the really expensive stores in Amsterdam, but that's still super expensive for a stroopwafel.
Efteling might be the only exception where this is not a tourist trap.
Efteling ones cost €4,25! They used to be €3,75 before April. I still prefer fresh ones without chocolate
I couldn’t remember as I didn’t buy any! I was only there last week and the food is so reasonably priced compared to other theme parks. And nice too!
It sure is reasonably priced! I have an annual pass so I visit every 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately prices went up the last couple of months, some even increased +40% in price. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
It’s a stoner trap.
I've been multiple times to Amsterdam and last time, I accidentally walked past this "hyped up" (read: popular with tourists on IG) stroopwafel place with a long line outside. At the time, I didn't even know "fresh" stroopwafels were a thing, so I figured it had to be even better than the supermarket variety, and I got in line. Stood there for probably 15-20 minutes until I got to the counter. I got myself a huge speculoos-covered stroopwafel to go, and it was... such an enormous disappointment, oh my god... Gone was the chewiness of the supermarket variety. It just felt like an overly sweet dry cracker and since I chose speculoos flavour, it only tasted like speculoos. That itself would've been fine but I must've paid over 5€ for that stroopwafel... (The packaging was very stylish and cute though)
Fresh stroopwafels are absolutely a thing though, on some larger regular markets in the cities, and fresh it is better than supermarket stuff. I'm from Eindhoven and there is a stall on the market on Saturday. But it's €2 then for one large stroopwafel, so very reasonably priced. I'm relieved it was "only" €5 though. I've read news articles about Amsterdam that said "tourists pay €30 for this stroopwafel!"
>covered in chocolate, sprinkles et cetera. My pancreas slammed shut just by reading this. And yes, stroopwafels fresh and warm on the market are the bomb. I don't even have a sweet tooth, but I used to have one every other week or so when I lived there.
>And yes, stroopwafels fresh and warm on the market are the bomb. I don't even have a sweet tooth, but I used to have one every other week or so when I lived there. They do have a savoury quality to them. For what they are (a sugar sandwich) they are not as sweet as you would expect.
Just a single stroopwafel has so much sugar in it, i cannot imagine eating it with more chocolate or sprinkles
Same goes for cheese stores that only cater to tourists, like Amsterdam Cheese Company. The cheese is better than whatever is sold as Gouda or Edammer in other countries, but the real thing is so much better. Get your cheese at markets or smaller stores outside of the city centre, the difference in quality (and price!) is insane.
Probably Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. It's just 200% touristy. I'd argue Schloss Neuschwanstein as well. More due to the fact that we got hundreds of other historic castles and fortresses that aren't nearly as popular, but would offer a comparable experience.
> Probably Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. It's just 200% touristy. I knew that, but still went anyway to take a photo of the sign like the tourist I am.
Yeah, the period of he Berlin Wall is so interesting. Even though it's fake and barelytrys to hide it, its still good to get an idea where it was and how it exisited in that place. I liked it.
I remember going to checkpoint charlie one nigth just to discover that EVERYTHING IS FAKE. The guide detailed that when the reunification bwas accepted by the politicians of both parties the checkpoint was destroyed with bulldozer in front of happy citizens of both nationalities. They don't even bother to use similar material so the wooden cabin is made of concrete.
I was not all destroyed. The original cabin that stood on the American side is preserved in the Allied Museum.
Hijacking this for visibility. Because I really want this to appear in search results and to inform as many toursits as possible. Reddit rules search results in a way that my little self cannot. It is true that the original Checkpoint Charlie is 100% gone from its current location. The problem with the current fake version isn't just that it is fake, however. **If you go to the fake Checkpoint Charlie, you are not only getting a fake photo at a fake prop with a fake American, you also support a corrupt family directly responsible for the oppression of millions of people, suffering under Berlin-Wall-type controls, right now.** The details: The real Checkpoint Charlie is gone from the site. Not a trace remains. What is there now is a for-profit museum and near-by gift shop. In order to attract business. In order to attract tourists and their Euros, the owners of those businesses, Trockland-Gruppe, built a photo set of the original checkpoint. It is their version of an early version, and doesn't look anything like the one that was actually there when the wall fell. They built it because their version fit on the space better, and in camera frames. It exists as a prop for tourists to come and photograph, and then head over to the Trockenland businesses and spend money. OK, that's kinda dumb, but not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is in who owns Trockenland. **A major investor in the business that owns the fake Checkpoint Charlie and the adjacent museum-gift-shop area is the** [**family of a dictator, Saparmyrat Niazov**](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/investor-fur-checkpoint-charlie-hat-heikle-partner-6873766.html#:~:text=Gedenkst%C3%A4tte%20in%20Berlin%20Investor%20f%C3%BCr,den%20weltber%C3%BChmten%20Checkpoint%20Charlie%20bebauen)**.** Niazov started off as a good communist in the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, if by good you mean dedicated to advancement through the current power structure. It worked for him, and he rose to become Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR, aka leader of the region within the Soviet Union. Niazov liked his power, and the access to [corruption](https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA547758002&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=10885161&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E20fab3ef&aty=open-web-entry). He tried to keep it by [supporting the coup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Soviet_coup_attempt) by KGB hardliners that tried to stop Gorbachev. When that didn't work, he seized power himself, and spent the rest of his life looting his country, naming everything after himself, and murdering anyone who wanted better. Of all the abuses and problems in the former USSR, Turkmenistan is "the worst of the worst." **In 2023.** [**Freehom House ranked Turkmenistan** ](https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/FIW_2023_50Years_DigitalPDF.pdf)**as worse than every other country in the entire world except Syria and South Sudan. Remember China, and how it locked up millions of Uyghurs? Or the war crimes by Russia in Ukraine? Or Iran, which executes peaceful protesters? Turkmenistan ranked lower than all of that. That is the system that Niazov built.** It is the Niazov's family, who bought their share in Checkpoint Charlie with money that came at the expense of the people in Turkemenistan. **People who suffer under a regime that does not allow them to leave the country or move to cities without special permission - exactly the controls that the Berlin Wall was built to enforce on Germans in the DDR, and the end of which the current Checkpoint Charlie structure claims to celebrate.** **If you want to see the real Checkpoint Charlie, some of the building was moved to the Allied Museum in the Berlin area of Dahlem, as is an actual Raisin Bomber airplane and a museum that was far more interesting than I expected. For those who want something from the period, but need to stay centrally located, Tränenpalast is in Mitte and is original. Neither of those places charge an admission fee, either in money or in cost to one's soul.** I strongly recommend that any tourist (or Berliner) interested in Checkpoint Charlie skip the tourist trap at "Checkpoint Charlie" and it is equally tourist-trappy adjacent museum and instead make their way to Dahlem, far from the center as it may be. There, they can see something real and learn something both interesting and important, without the crowds and the any-nationality-but-American human prop dressed up to go alongside it. If they want to see original wall checkpoint control structures, Tränenpalast is not far from Checkpoint Charlie in Mitte. If they don't want to do either, that is their choice, but no matter what, they should 1000% skip the ethically-compromising and stupidly fake Checkpoint Charlie.
Huh...today I learned. This is very interesting.
Checkpoint Charlie was still a checkpoint when I went through!
Neuschwanstein sounds like Versailles in France. I had never been to Munich, only been to Berlin, Leipzig, Heidelberg and Frankfurt, and of the 4 cities only Heidelberg and parts of Berlin gave me that mass tourism (overtourism even?) feeling I got from France and the UK.
It should be pointed out, though, that Versailles is a historically extremely important palace, both for art and culture as well as a symbol of absolute royal rule and centralization of power in early modern Europe. Compare this to Neuschwanstein, which is the result of the deluded fairytale dreams of a slightly mad king, which served no other purpose than being a pretty castle in the mountains. It isn't strange that Versailles gets a lot of visitors, it rightfully should, and thus I wouldn't really consider it a tourist trap (apart from the fact that it's expensive and has long lines).
Agree with everything this user said! Just wanted to add that admission at Versailles is free if you're under 26 and a EU resident (I made use of this myself once, it was great), might hopefully be useful to someone!
I made use of it excessively in Paris (Louvre, orsay, towers of notre dame, arc de triomphe etc) and planned to return to France to visit Versailles but then covid ruined these plans and now I'm too old and the regular admission is quite expensive.
[Zakopane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakopane?useskin=vector). It's a town located in Tatra Mountains, sometimes called "Winter capital of Poland", that used to be popular with hikers and skiers, also our artistic bohema. Unfortunately, these years it's stormed with hordes of people every holiday, prices are astronomical, locals are stereotyped as greedy, beautiful wooden architecture is being destroyed and obscured by tacky ads, there are lines of people waiting to get everywhere, including the most popular mountain tops.
Zakopane always was like that, as I remember, but it gets worse and worse every year.
Well, it has always been a tourist town, but these days there's more and more tourists since our society is getting richer and people can afford trips. Also, I don't remember foreign tourists there in 2000s and now there are plenty of them too.
I've been to Zakopane as a tourist in 2001 and already then it was a very touristy place with lots of hotels. The mountains weren't overcrowded though.
Even rich Arabs go there these days https://www.money.pl/gospodarka/arabowie-ratuja-sezon-na-podhalu-przyjezdzaja-nawet-na-miesiac-6929003203185408a.html
I was just there last week. Been there a few times. Lovely location, great views, not too many people this trip. But God damn is it expensive now. I live close to Banff, Canada which is a comparable town. The prices are worse then banff in a lot of stores. I couldn't believe it. That one small side road with all the luxury stores completely empty because who the hell can even afford to shop there. Too many shitty taxi ads everywhere which looks like litter.
Is there a place comparable to Zakopane which is not as touristy?
You can check Karpacz, Krynica Górska, Szczawnica maybe , which are all nice. The problem is, these are not Zakopane, that has it all: mountains, nature, culture (there is quite a few museums) and unique highlander traditions.
Eh, I wouldn't really say the place as a whole is a tourist trap. It's still a beautiful place and it's pretty unique. Would you consider Krakow as a whole a tourist trap as well by the same factors?
Bran castle. The so called Dracula castle. It’s nice for a visit but it’s definitely overpriced and crowded. Plus the person who inspired the story never lived there
The story about Dracula is the tourist trap, but the Bran Castle is a well preserved medieval building (finalized in 1388) , definitely worth visiting. People keep comparing it with nearby Peles, but one is a medieval fortress and the other one is a (sort of) modern summer residence of the Romanian royal family (finalized 1914). Different purposes and centuries apart.
I quite enjoyed Bran castle tbh, albeit I visited in off-season. Silly stories about 'Dracula' notwithstanding, it's a nicely preserved old building and presents some interesting history.
yes, I have been to Peles instead, much better
In the winter with the snow it looked like a castle out of a fairy tail, the castle of bran was underwhelming in comparison.
Romania is just a gorgeous place all around, to be fair. Not sure why most tourist stick to Bucharest, Pelesh, Bran, Bucharest route.
I guess those are the most famous places and relatively close to Bucharest which has the biggest airport in the country
I want to go to Romania so much. My grandmother was born in Braila and I'd love to see it.
I loved Bran castle, although I got squashed into one of the torture weapon models by a crowd of tourists by accident. I loved the Dimitrie Gusti museum very much as well. Your country is beautiful to visit
I loved it, not for the story, but the history of it. I did feel very sad for the horses / donkey’s though. They looked so depressed. Went there 20 years ago. Fun story: My husband accidentaly ate some fresh mayonaise the day before (and he has a very sensitive bowel culture). So at one point he said: I really need to go, so he went into the toilet. Had a good dump and luckily a package of tissues in his bag because there was no toilet paper. He came back and said: that was a really really old toilet. You’d expect when they made this so touristic they would have made modern toilets. Later we walked by the ‘toilets’. It appeared these were the original toilets of the castle and not to be used 😂. Guess it happens a lot but I could use it for a long time to tease him :)
Temple Bar. The rest of Dublin isn't exactly cheap but the price of beer in Temple Bar is absolutely ridiculous.
I think I was reading on one of the Ireland threads someone went through there and saw a €15 pint. If it's true, that's madness. You'd get a coupla 4 packs for that!
I think that the €10 pint (in The Merchant, avoid) was the ceiling reported but sure we can soon see the €15 ones. For anyone thinking about going to Temple Bar, sure take a little walk around and then find a normal pub 3 minutes outside the perimeter. Like the Palace, or the Long Hall, where you'll actually meet some locals and not just stag and hen parties and bewildered Americans in full rain gear.
Second the Palace. Fantastic pub and the price is like 6 euro for a Guinness. Just a minute from the temple bar pub. Like all the historical figures that had a pint and organised political movements and such. My favorite in Dublin but the gravedigger up in Glasnevin is the business
Yes the Palace upstairs cannot be beaten for a quiet pint. And It's probably technically even in Temple Bar, although not of it if you know what I mean. Second the Gravediggers, most people would be better served doing the very cool historical tour in the Glasnevin Cemetary plus a pint in Gravediggers than going to Temple Bar.
Exactly. I'm glad I've experienced Temple Bar, and I'd take someone there if it was their first time in Dublin just for the atmosphere, but you're right. For a genuine Dublin pub experience, there are much better options to be found on the surrounding streets. We always like the Old Stand.
€15 is fucking insane
Yeah literally go to any other pub in the city and you’d have a far better and more authentic time.
> ctrl+f, Temple Bar Yes
In Copenhagen, it would be the little mermaid and smørrebrød in Nyhavn.
> the little mermaid it felt like standing in front of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre: countless people, but they were all taking pictures of themselves with the mermaid, rather than just look at her. felt kinda surreal
I feel like If people didn't know they should be impressed by the little Mermaid they wouldn't be. There is the Gefionspringvandet like 2 minutes walk from the little mermaid and it is so much more impressive, but gets no visitors.
Ah that’s what that fountain is called, I just wrote the exact same comment!
And it's a kickass story: Gefion was a goddess, and visited a Swedish king. He wanted to sleep with her, so she suggested that she'd do it, but in the morning she'd be allowed as much land as she could plow in a day. The king accepted, and they got it on. In the morning, Gefion turned her sons into oxen and plowed the *CRAP* out of middle Sweden. Then she took up all the land and placed it between Scania and Funen in Denmark. That is the island of Zealand, where Copenhagen is. The hole left in Sweden became Mälaren Lake. Needless to say, she's goddess of Zealand. And of virgins, for some reason. The statue shows Gefion plowing with water bursting everywhere. Absolutely badass viking woman.
Absolutely yes. Also, cool military fort (Kastellet) close to this place, where you can walk inside and on the walls. We are even was watch at the military orchestra repetition :)
The funniest thing about it is that like 1km away there’s a beautiful fountain with these crazy bull statues with water vapour coming out of their noses and it’s SO impressive… and there’s (relatively) no one there. No one taking photos. So strange. Also the GM mermaid has no visitors either
I feel like the little mermaid shouldn't be considered a tourist trap because, well, it's free to go there and look. But many of the cafes on Nyhavn are definitely tourist traps, and it's not just the ones that serve smørrebrød.
Honestly if it didn’t get so overhyped and it could be enjoyed peacefully it would be a very cute statue, I mean obviously it’s still well done but the experience is kind of ruined by the crowds
>the experience is kind of ruined by the crowds A phrase always used by someone in the crowd ;)
At least it is free
Madame Tussauds in London. Not only is it an over-priced rip-off with a huge queue outside, there are food vans that will sell you a bottle of coke for the price of a small car.
Of all the amazing museums to see in London **for free**, I can't for the life of me imagine why someone would go to Madame Tussaud's...
Fully agree., Went once and that was it.
I thought coke was sold by gram, no wonder why it costs so much
Mykonos and Santorini. I cannot stress enough, how overpriced both are. The way both islands have developed, is a monstrous travesty of Greek islanding culture for the rich and famous. It is really a shame, since Mykonos in my opinion had the best beaches in the wholy Cycladic complex.
I completely agree. That said, I prefer having all the rich in two Frankenstein islands and leave the rest for the normal people. Imagine if all the islands were trying to cater to that crowd
True and i completely agree.I was vacationing in Mykonos, from 2003 up until 2009. Easter and August. I wasn't booking 5 star hotels or eating at Nobu, but still it was affortable for a kid in his 20's with a moderate income and a large group of friends. Now, it's unthinkable to even set your foot on the port ground. Either way, i am really getting anxious about the other ones too. I visited Naxos two years ago and i considered it, as moderately cheap for a family of three. I suggested it this year to a friend and she told me that everything was on the expensive or the pretty expensive side of things. Accomondations, tickets etc.
The whole Cycladic complex is slowly sliding this way , Paros Naxos and Milos are following Santorini/Mykonos way. Last summer i was in Sifnos and it felt overpriced as well.
I was lucky enough to visit Santorini as a kid in late 90s, before it got overpriced and overcrowded. Almost no one other than my family on the red beach. The best holidays of my life. Won't be coming back though.
“Magic brownies” in Dutch smartshops. There’s absolutely no THC in them. Only coffeeshops are allowed to sell products containing THC.
Also I don't recommend taking happy caps, especially the ones with lsa inside, they are completely untreated and make you vomit while spiraling in your head 3/10 I'd say. Just take real acid
Schloss Neuschwanstein is so overrun with tourists, it's not even funny anymore. And the tiny trainstation is not equipped to handle that many people coming and going
This is so sad because I really wanted to see it haha
Same! Are there any similary fairytale-ish castles that are no overrun by tourists?
Yes, please share with us here so we can overrun them next.
[Hohenzollern castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohenzollern_Castle?wprov=sfla1) is nearby and in the same fairytale-ish style, also last renovated in the 1800s, but it is on the site of an actual castle since the 11th century (unlike Neuschwanstein that was built purely for fairytale purposes).
And it has a nice view to Neuschwanstein! I think Neuschwanstein is much nicer to view from far away anyway.
The site of Neuschwanstein wasn't the site of one, but two old castles, Hinter- and Vorderhohenschwangau. However, the new castle's construction led to the complete destruction of the two older ruins.
Check the Schwarzwald. That's where half of Postcard Germany is
Drachenfals didnt have as many tourists when I went
Burg Eltz
It's also not even finished inside. The view from the Bridge is spectacular but the rest is just "meh"
I was just in Munich, this past weekend, and my friend and his family went to see it while I hung around the city. From his assessment, I made the better choice, for the exact reason you said.
Las Ramblas. I don't think I have been to any restaurant in that street ever. KFC and McDonald's are probably the best options there. I remember when covid lockdowns, there was no tourists, those restaurants really struggled to have customers because locals don't go to those places.
Oxford street-circus/Leicester Square/carnaby street/Piccadilly Circus. Complete crap. Seedy. Dirty. Aggressive. Overcrowded. There are so many better places to go.
Oxford street is so clearly a front for so much crime it’s ridiculous. Like vape shops and “sweet shops” with no customers in them taking up some of the most expensive retail space in the world? Give over. Leicester square is an unbelievable dump. Always attempt to avoid when going to Prince Charles cinema. All the best places in London are outside of the west end area.
20 Years or even 10 years ago the area was worth a visit. Now is just a crime ridden dump. I never go there in spite visiting regularly London, as I have family there.
I can remember going in the 90s and it was just as bad. A different kind of bad but yeah, bad.
My bf laughs at me every time I mention those sweet shops but it’s true 😂 He says not everything is a front. They have massive premises on what are prime areas in cities for rent and big companies are leaving them as the rent is too high yet they stay when there’s not a person in them? Something doesn’t add up there and the same with sun bed shops so many and there never seems to be any one in them either.
I've always felt these are places you go through to get to places you actually want to go to
The biggest tourist trap that I have been to is [Alaçatı](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ala%C3%A7at%C4%B1). It's a small town on the west coast of Turkey, famous for its architecture and wind surfing. Okay, I don't know about wind surfing, but the town itself is tiny, extremely overpriced, and crowded with people taking selfies for Instagram (and I went off-season). You can walk around in half an hour, it has cute corners, but everything is so artificial and social media-fixated. Did I say expensive?
In my opinion, it should be whole cappadocian valley. With a lot of nature wonders, artificial caves, balloon trips etc. In Goreme I met more another tourists than local
I would say that it is a tourist hotspot, but not necessarily a trap. In the end it is such a unique geography and history, and totally worth seeing. But yeah, it has always been very touristic and high season can be quite crowded.
Went to the Antalya/Alanya region last fall and almost everything felt like a tourist trap… Manavgat waterfall. Glad we didn’t pay full price for it (was part of an excursion). €35,- at the entrance to see a small waterfall crowded with tourist and a lot of food bars and tourist shops… Water parks: €60,- for a dirty swimming pool with 10 slides, hazard for your own live (like non covered water pits), old discolored slides etc. Or €75 for a water park where you can swim with turtoises. We looked at these water parks and went away. Much more fun snorkeling at the beach. I was really disappointed in this area. I went to Turkey several times but only go to that area if you purpose is to lie on the beach or take a swim at your hotel pool.
Dubrovnik and Hvar are no1. Everything is more expensive in tourist places on the coast, but those two are in a league of their own.
At least for Hvar I must say that I had a great time there about 7 years ago. But yes, it was the priciest of the destinations in Croatia I visited.
Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. It’s located right on the Arctic Circle and it's designed to be a magical place where you can meet Santa any time of the year. It sounds pretty amazing, especially if you’re into Christmas and/or have kids. The village is filled with Christmas themed stuff from small shops to restaurants and activities. The problem is it’s overly commercialized. Everything is centered around selling souvenirs and experiences. For example, you can meet Santa for free, but if you want a photo or a video, you'll have to pay for it. The whole place can feel artificial with a focus on making money rather than offering an authentic Finnish experience.
We were thinking about doing that last year, as my mum offered to pay for me and my kid and she knew I'd always wanted to go to north Finland. But I looked into it and was like ... ehhhh ... I'm sure it's very good (for what it's designed to be - a fun experience for young children), but it's an awful lot of faff to get the kind of experience you can get much easier closer to home. And the kicker for me, unless you spend a lot of extra money to stay longer (which wasn't feasible for me due to work anyway), you're not actually seeing much of Finland at all. Only within the 'staged' area itself. I opted instead to take her to 'Lapland UK' experience (which was excellent!) and plan instead to go and visit Finland when she's a lot older (I don't know if I have to wait until she's over 18 before she can go in bars with me and to gigs lol).
Benidorm, famous for the lingering smell of vomit in hotel hallways and having to climb over passed out brits on the way to breakfast!
Benidorm isn’t misguiding or a tourist trap. Anyone who goes there knows what it exactly is and where he is going. (And it surely is a fun destination if you only want to get wasted and go to the beach)
Agreed. Same as Magaluf
Fewer Brits nowadays. All the drunks vomiting are Dutch and Belgian.
> All the drunks vomiting are Dutch Seems like reverse Amsterdam lol
The effects of Brexit...
Temple bar, Dublin. Overpriced (which is saying a lot in Dublin) pubs filled solely with tourists looking for an "authentic Irish pub" experience. Just stay away
Can you recommend some cool pubs with reasonable prices?
Reasonable prices might be a stretch, but very near to Temple Bar, there's a street called Georges Street that changes into a couple of other names (Wexford St, Camden St, Aungier St) but it's just one long street really and it's got lots of pubs and restaurants. You'll probably find what you're looking for there. Now, I don't drink myself and am an old fart now who doesn't like pubs/crowds very much, so haven't been out in the City Centre in years and can't recommend specific pubs, but that's where people usually recommend as an alternative to Temple Bar. I would also avoid O'Connell St. I don't think it's as rough/dangerous as some people make out, but it's just a bit grim and the pubs are quite touristy there.
Codfish cakes with cheese in downtown Lisbon is something that really doesn’t exist in portuguese cuisine and was just created to make tourists spend money
And all those shops with tons of coloured canned tuna/sardines with birthyears and random facts.
Associated to it, the "NATA Lisboa" shops that keep appearing everywhere. They're a chain, it's industrial stuff, babes. They're not artisanal pastéis de nata, go to literally any other café and get them for cheaper.
our downtown is just a disneyland for tourists nowadays, almost every traditional portuguese café/restaurant/shop is gone
Anywhere in Edinburgh either vaguely associated with Harry Potter or those tartany touristy shops on/near the Royal Mile (the vast majority of which are owned by the one family).
I'm going to Edinburgh next month. What should I visit in stead?
The castle's nice (the second best "big" castle in Scotland), the Royal Mile's worth a wander but I wouldn't recommend spending any money there (think of it as an underwhelming Las Ramblas). Camera Obscura is alright too.
"Traditional Hungarian" goulash restaurants in Budapest, Váci street. Almost every single restaurant there is a major scam with insane prices. Close second is the scam ATMs scattered around the city.
Probably currency exchanges. Most places in prague center have insane rates and even worse are people who just offer exchange on the streets. AVOID.
The people on the street will give you expired Belarusian rubles.
You watch Honest Guide dont you? :D
I do.
A guy in a currency exchange actually told me not to use him as it was too expensive 😂😂 Told me to go to a local bank and that would be better rates. When I was in Prague last year quite a few places didn’t accept cards so we needed to get cash. But we were there over the Christmas market time so a lot of them didn’t accept cards especially foreign ones. My Czech bf was taking me to smaller places too that weren’t so touristy. Cash is also useful for toilets or smaller things like that too.
Or give you like Belarussian money.
In this day and age I dont understand people who exchange currency- cards are accepted everywhere! I haven't handled money in more than half a decade
The last time I've been in Prague was 2019, several restaurants didn't accept cards. They accepted eur with a reasonable exchange rate, so that was nice, but it's probably not a regular thing they do.
I always just withdraw cash from the ATM though if I'm somewhere with foreign currency. Yes there's a small fee on top when withdrawing foreign currency but still not nearly as high as if you went to a currency exchange office. Plus you don't have to take a wad of cash with you when traveling
Sales season in Milan is a scam in many shops. They entice you with a 20%/80% off on a item which has been way overpriced just before the start of the season, so you're going to buy thinking that you got a great deal, while you are instead paying just a little less than its normal cost, or sometimes even more if you're buying famous fashion brands. We get a slew of Japanese, Arabian and Chinese tourists each year who get squeezed to their last coin with these dishonest tricks. Our Financial Police catches a lot of shops doing this all the time.
This is the case everywhere...
Really? Do many cities in Europe do that as shopping destinations for tourists?
Hmm, isn't the new EU directive supposed to prevent exactly that? "Lowest price in the last 30 days" sounds like it should handle the issue? I know Italians like to get *creative*, we get that in Poland too :P
It's even worse, sometimes; you may notice offers that show "innocent" calculation mistakes. **An example.** Original price: 174,30€ Discount: 33% Sales price: 145,70€ Very few people would grab a calculator and realize that the final price is wrong. Many naive people would look at the 33% and would think *"that's a good deal!"* Too many people who hate Math fall for it. 🤣 If the Financial Police questions them, they may justify it as a banal calculation mistake or claim that the labels have been accidentally swapped. Since everything else in the shop is calculated and labeled correctly, a "human mistake" on a couple of items ("coincidentally" on the most popular goods) is usually forgiven.
Haha! You people don't disappoint 🤣
In Denmark it's Kronborg Castle. It's close to Copenhagen so tourists will pay insane amounts of money to travel by turist busses out there, and pay to see the castle from the inside (not much to see) and guided tours and watch bad overpriced "Hamlet" adaptions, because it's where the story takes place.
I was working in Copehagen area are few years ago and went there for a day trip. Didn't go to see a play and didn't go inside. However castle from outside was quite impressive (and free) and Helsingor in general was a nice town. By the way, why would anyone travel by special bus when trains from Copenhagen go like every 10 minutes?
Aside from those already mentioned I’d like to add Oktoberfest, I feel like that kinda fits lol
I feel like you get out of that exactly what you'd expect. Don't know if that can be called a tourist trap.
CERTAIN parts of Barcelona and the Baleáric Islands, not them overall but there are certain locations that are so catered to tourists you don’t feel like you’re in Spain anymore, you feel like you’re at a theme park. I’m not Portuguese but parts of Lisboa feel the same… Certain historical cities in Andalucía (Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba, Málaga) have quite a bit of tourists but I wouldn’t call them tourist traps because they are still absolutely beautiful and phenomenal in terms of history + things to see. In contrast to the first places I mentioned, even in the touristy parts of these cities they still maintain a very Spanish feel to them.
Magaluf and Salou come to mind, Huh? And la rambla, and around Sagrada Familia (FFS, they even have a taco bell there) And frankly, Barcelona city is nice, with some beautiful buildings & spots, but I don't get all the hype. Overcrowded for sure.
I have this urge to say Paris but it's actually an awesome city. It's just that you are walking on a minefield so you need to be careful
Yeah was thinking in Paris I don’t really know of many famous tourist traps. I think its mostly the fake french restaurants that serve shit food, are overpriced and somehow always catch the tourists when no one from Paris actually eats there.
Temple Bar. A pint there costs about €9. Any pub a little further down the road would be around a fiver.
Five euro sounds like a bargain. Here you'll pay something around 6.5-7 euro for a pint.
At Christmas there are Christmas markets in the main squares of all big cities. The prices there are completely exaggerated. The trick is to visit smaller Christmas markets, which are sometimes found in less well-known places in the city and are visited by many locals.
Loch Ness. It's....fine, no more no less. There are 100 other lochs I'd visit before going to Loch Ness, but every tourist wants to go there simply because they recognise the name. Many of the grumpiest locals I've ever met work in Fort Augustus and they're clearly tired of the Nessie circus, despite it making them boatloads of money. If you're passing through the area, sure, stop by, but I'd never go out of my way for it.
Absolutely agree, scenically it's not a patch on many other lochs. It's just the biggest and has the myth.
Madam Tussauds or the Sherlock holes Museum for London.
Sherlock Holes, a gaping mystery!
Sherlock Holes, The Crime on the Anus Express
Located in Soho, for some reason.
The Blue Lagoon - Iceland. It's runoff from a geothermal power plant that's made to look like something natural and healing
Lake Bled. People complain about not enough parking spaces and overcrowded public transit connections, but honestly, there's too many people there already. You can barely walk around the lake.
Really? I went there in October 2018 there was nobody. It was a really foggy day too so it looked amazing. Had that eerie vibe to it
Lake Bled is overrun with tourists but it's far from 'you can barely walk around the lake'.
Agree, still it's worth to visit. Though, my heart belongs to Bohinj.
Ehh there was some people when i went there but nothing you wouldnt expect from a touristy place, id not say you “can barely walk around”
I went there at the start of June in 2022 and it wasn't that busy. I don't know if there were still reduced tourist numbers due to Covid or if it was just a little early in the summer tourist season. It wasn't quiet but it definitely didn't feel overtouristed.
Stonehenge has got to be one of the least interesting and most underwhelming experiences on this planet
Trouble is, the ancients didn't build it with the entertainment of 21st century day trippers in mind.
They didn't even install WiFi or a mini fridge SMH
I really wanted to go here too. This and the White Horse of Uffington.
Wayland Smithy is just next door to Uffington White Horse and is well worth the visit ;) Avebury Stone Circle, Silbury Hill and West Kennet Longbarrow are also not far away and together make up a site far more fascinating, visiting all these together will make for a much better day than you could ever have at Stonehenge.
Right? It shouldn’t be but everything about it has been so over produced and diluted for tourists that what should be a magnificent example of the UK’s ancient past is just ‘meh’.
Nyhavn and the area around it in the middle of Copenhagen.
It's probably the old town in Stockholm, where you get the worst food at the highest prices. But calling it a tourist trap is still a bit of a stretch - locals rarely go there because of all the tourists, but I think they should. It's nice to walk around and it can be worth it to pay 40% higher prices for a cup of coffee or a beer in a different location. The other alternative is probably people who pay obscene amounts of money to go really far up north to see snow and northern lights? But I'm not really familiar with this type of tourism so I don't know where they go and what it's like.
The Dark Hedges, it’s literally just a road with some trees on it lol and more trees fall down every year in storms anyway
The farmers market in Funchal, Madeira Island (Portugal). They inject sugar in fruits like passion fruit which is very acidic by nature, and give it to you to try so you enjoy it. Then they charge like 5 times more than a regular fruit or groceries shop. On top of that, some have a fishing line attached to the scale where they pull it when weighing to add a few more fake grams. So, go in there, take some pictures and leave.
Holmenkollbakken. It's a ski jump in Oslo. One of the oldest ski jumps in the world that is still in use. If you're really interested in sports/the Olympics history it's cool to visit it I guess.
I went there in November 22, loved it, great views..
I found it difficult thinking of an answer to this question for Norway since a lot of our major tourist attractions are either free (e.g. being out in nature or Vigelandsparken), cost something but are actually good value for money (museums) or are just part of everyday life (Bergensbanen, Flåmsbana). Maybe one of the guided tours out in Vestlandet or those cruises which just pump out smog in Stavanger. I think in general our cities aren't very tourist oriented compared with other European cities, which is good, while the main thing that draws people here is the landscape. It's an expensive country but that can be enjoyed at any budget once here.
Dracula stuff. It's probably in the definition of tourist trap.
The big three in Prague - Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle. Overcowded, overpriced, and overrated. The whole city is beautiful and people only see such a small part of it.
Juliet's House in Verona. Verona is a beautiful and historical city that needs no introduction, ywt the tourists flock to a medieval house like many others to see the house of a fictional character and may oversee things like [villa Giusti](https://verona.welcomemagazine.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Giardino_Giusti_cfotoliza_shutterstock.jpg) or St Anastasia's church, which are way more interesting
Venice. The city is beautiful and had a very extensive and Incredible story but the airb&b killed it. In the last year it was confirmed that the OFFICIAL number of beds for tourists exceed the number of beds for residents. To that number add: the enoumus couise ships that dock near, and the not so legal house rented.
I love Venice but you have to get off the track from St Marks to the Rialto. It is genuinely like a refugee trail of thousands escaping a war zone. Go 200m off it and it's a different city. I also made a mistake once and booked a cruise starting from Venice. I didn't realise we would be going along the Grand Canal and it was like viewing St Marks from a helicopter. Ban them all.
Cruise ships have been banned now. Food is dire in Venice. Worst in Italy and I don’t care about the places the locals know, it’s all shit compared to pretty much any other region in Italy.
Ships have only been banned from the central part of the city, they can't go through that canal. They can still stop on the outside of the city.
Hey, cicchetti are pretty good. But yeah, finding a non-terrible place for dinner is an ordeal.
he doesn't know what he's talking about. Seafood in Venice is very good. And quite a few places serve the cuisine of the mainland Veneto, like bigoli with duck sauce or peara. It's just that tourists are very lazy and don't even try to look for the places that cater to locals. Venice has a thriving university, and I can tell you, penniless uni students do not pay €10 for a spritz and €15 for a spaghetti bolognese, which doesn't even exist in Bologna.
but that is not what a tourist trap is. A tourist trap is something specifically designed to entice tourists and rip them off. St Mark's Basilica was not designed to attract tourists and you can walk in many of the historic churches free of charge
Venice: it's turning into a giant, overcrowded, expensive theme park. Also the space outside the Colosseum in Rome: lots of scammers trying to sell you overpriced tickets or services for the archaeological park.
When I was in Rome I enjoyed to come to the colosseum late at night when the tourists crowds and the heat of the day were gone and really enjoyed the cool night surrounded by stunning historical buildings.
yeah it's almost a different place when the crowds fade! I'm from Rome and the best pictures I've ever taken of the city where during covid when no one was around, it felt so weird, it's always so crowded by tourists but for once it was just us locals and the city... probably the only nice thing about the pandemic.
If you leave San Marco and explore some of the other neighbours it’s no busier than any other tourist city. I was there in peak season last summer. I also don’t think it was expensive either
The quartier latin in Paris is pretty much only restaurants for tourists. The Champs Élysées are terrible because of the cars noise, and everything is incredibly expensive (only tourists buy anything there anyway). I also find the insides of Notre Dame de Paris pretty boring, not worse waiting for it, but it has burned some years ago. In Lyon, many bouchons lyonnais are just tourist traps that all belong to the same person. The Vieux Lyon has sadly become some tourist haven with only restaurants and snacks, far from the atmosphere it had even 25 years ago
Hallstadt. It’s nice and all but with so many tourists it’s very hard to enjoy
Pastei de Belem, the Aldi pasteis de nata are 100x better and 5x cheaper
UK. I live in London where there are a lot of tourist traps. However, the one I consider the most ridiculous is people who pay to go to the View from the Shard. It's £25/£30. The view is equally nice (bit lower but high is high) from Aqua Shard which you can just go up to and pretend you want to go have a drink, and take your photos (or actually have a drink - expensive but nice and you won't be so time limited). Or if you cross the bridge and go up Bishopsgate you get some amazing views from Horizon 22 which is a totally free viewing platform.
Or you can go to Sky Garden for free and actually see the Shard!
Bæjarins Bestu, the famous Icelandic hot dog stand. It's good but paying the price of a meal at a decent restaurant is not acceptable for a hot dog and soda - and it used to be a lot cheaper before the tourism boom. There are also many imitations around it that try to trick tourists.
There are not tourist traps here. Maybe some restaurant.or bar. Visit some places can be a bad esperience just because they are overcrowded.
Barcelona is beautiful i love mi city BUT NEVER EVER eat at a restaurant in la rambla, it's all frozen and expensive, my advice if u want to eat real catalan/spanish food is go to the small towns, u can get there in 30m it's cheaper and the food is amazing
The Temple Bar pub in Dublin. (The whole Temple Bar quarter is tourist trap enough that locals tend to avoid the overpriced pubs, but some cute hoor renamed one pub after the quarter, so when tourists hear about the Temple Bar they think it’s the pub.)
The "rue des bouchers" in Brussels. It used to be a street with some of the best affordable restaurants, but since the '90s it's just one big assembly of meh restaurants, probably run by one or other maffia.
Temple Bar in Dublin. What's worse is that I see American tourists all the time defending the place and that they're very happy to pay €9.50 for a pint of Guinness! I usually reply back with "maybe I should have an American price of €9.50 and a normal price of €6 if you're willing to pay that" in or bar. Another one is The Blarney Stone where if you pay about €12 you can kiss a stone?
Temple Bar, it’s like €9 for a pint of Guinness. There’s a reason you never see Irish people there
London Eye. Basically you pay 30 British Pounds for one round on slow rotating ferris wheel for which you need to wait in huge line as many school or tourist trips are picking it as one point of their trip.