Visiting a new city is an exciting thing to do. When you visit a new location, everything is exciting, especially seeing famous landmarks and attractions that are so popular around the world. However, if you’re a local, you know how frustrating it can be to see thousands of people every day, hearing the sound of the camera capturing pictures, and so on.
For example, you may be excited to go to Disney World, a place of joy and fun, but locals can’t say the same. And, that’s also the case for the following tourist attractions:
1. The Blue Lagoon
Located in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon has been a popular tourist attraction for years. Every year, the milky blue waters and geothermal steam attract over 1 million visitors. And, that is A LOT for this country.
Their population is estimated at around 338,000 people. Even though it’s a must-see location for a lot of people, locals despise the Blue Lagoon. And that’s because it has become an overpriced attraction and because it’s inviting millions of tourists to come to Iceland.
Given the country’s population, we get why they are angry that all of a sudden, their country has become overcrowded.
2. Champs-Élysées
Paris has also been known as the city of love. However, it’s also known as the city of tourists, and we can see why. There are so many popular and iconic attractions in Paris, that make the city a true touristic landmark.
One of the things visitors never miss from seeing is Champs-Élysées, and that’s why locals are NEVER there. According to some tourists, there’s no way locals would be here, at least not voluntarily. Because it’s such a hot spot for tourists, the shops and the restaurants are overpriced, the street is not that pleasant and there are way too many people there.
By the sound of it, its resemblance is Woodstock rather than Paris.
3. Times Square
Times Square is without a doubt one of the most iconic places in the world. That’s why it’s a HUGE tourist magnet. The shops have high prices, there’s always a gigantic crowd, people taking hundreds of photos, and so on.
There are the gigantic billboards, M&M’S World, Gulliver’s Gate, and the Naked Cowboy. Oh, and let’s not forget about the hundreds of Broadway shows. On average it attracts over 50 million people every year. That’s right, 50 MILLION!
It’s absurd and now we get why locals are so sick of it. Imagine that every day you would have to deal with thousands of slow walkers and hundreds of cameras taking pictures. That would drive us mad as well!
4. Mount Rushmore
In our country, there are plenty of historic landmarks with deep meaning for the American people. That’s apparently a big reason for tourists from all around the world to come and see them as well.
Mount Rushmore is a landmark that’s being visited by millions of people every year. However, the Lakota Sioux Native American tribe is not so fond of this idea since they consider the Black Hills a sacred place.
The tribe was very against the idea of cutting into the mountain at all since it plays a huge part in their creation stories and roots. And having four presidents who ignored the genocide of Native American populations has deeply offended them.
5. La Casa di Giulietta
For those of you who are not familiar with this famous tourist attraction, we’ll explain it to you. This house is where the great Shakespeare imagined Juliet living. It’s located in Verona, Italy and it’s a very famous stop for foreigners.
There’s also a tradition started by the movie ”Letters to Juliet” where people write letters to the character.
It all sounds sweet and innocent, but tourists often behave badly. They cover surfaces of the entrance in graffiti, acting completely rude to the place. What’s even more disturbing is the fact that when they get caught in the act and are told to stop, they get angry.
Well, if we had lived there too, we would get just as angry, without a doubt.
6. Las Vegas Strip
Vegas is a well-known tourist point for many reasons: the casinos, the fun, and the legal brothels. It sounds like the best place on Earth, right? Well, not exactly, because not everyone is a fan of these things.
The majority of tourists agree that the alcohol and drug abundance, smoking indoors, and legal brothels may be a little bit too much for them. Locals avoid going to the strip because of the crazy, non-stop partying atmosphere.
In addition, the parking fees and prices overall, are too much to handle for them. Some studies even showed how 45% of locals avoid events taking place on the strip and 10% don’t go there at all.
7. Camden Market
Camden Market is located in London, and, just like any market in the world, it’s very crowded. But what has made it a more popular attraction among tourists is, in fact, Taylor Swift. In one of her recent songs, she mentioned how she enjoyed walking to the Camden market.
However, locals disagree with Swift’s lyrics because no one would actually enjoy taking a walk in the afternoon in such a crowded place. It’s full of tourists wandering, expensive shops and restaurants. There are so many people it becomes a pain for anyone to just enjoy a simple walk.
Because of this locals don’t even dream about setting foot in Camden Market.
8. Vittorio Emanuele II Monument
Rome is the city where art, history, and religion meet. There’s history present all around the capital of Italy and every year there are millions of people visiting it. There’s the Vatican City that everyone is eager to see, the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum.
These are all landmarks that locals avoid at all costs. But there’s a monument that they aren’t avoiding because it’s overcrowded, but due to its appearance. Apparently, it is believed that the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument is one of the ugliest in the world.
It was built in the early 1900s and its size and color make everyone sick of it. Italians even nicknamed it ”false teeth”, “wedding cake” and “the typewriter”.
9. Red Square
Moscow is one of the biggest cities in Europe, and it’s also one of the most beautiful. It has plenty of attractions and interesting, yet historic landmarks. One of the most popular is the Red Square.
It is so famous and popular among foreigners because it features Lenin’s Mausoleum and the Cathedral of Basil the Blessed. Because it’s such a large and popular spot, a lot of festivals and seasonal events take place there.
This is a fun reason for tourists to come, but locals are far from being fond of it. Because there are so many events taking place there, some spaces are often barricaded and blocked off, making it very difficult for Russians to reach places.
10. Nelson Mandela Statue
In 2004 a statue of Nelson Mandela had been unveiled in South Africa. The statue is 20 feet tall, and it marked the 10th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic election. Unlike the previous landmarks and historic places, the reasons locals are not fond of it are different.
There are not many tourists gathering to see it, making it annoying for the people to even be there, for them the statue itself is a problem. It gained a lot of criticism over the years because of its odd proportions, grand size, and location.
The statue is placed right next to a huge luxury shopping center in Johannesburg.
11. Disney World
Disney World in Orlando is a very popular and fun destination for tourists. Every year there are over 50 million visitors. And it even offers annual passes to Florida residents. Judging by this you wouldn’t expect locals to hate it, right?
Well, there’s a catch, as always. The passes feature blackout dates or dates during peak vacation times. That’s not pleasant at all. That’s kind of the point, for them to hand out thousands of annual passes knowing very well a few of them will be eventually used.
Now, we are not saying Disney is evil, but that’s far from being nice to people, don’t you think?
What did you think about all of these landmarks? Have YOU been to any of them? Do you live anywhere close to them? Make sure to leave a comment below to let us know if we’ve missed anything?
Here’s something you’ll enjoy reading: Top 19 Interesting Travel Facts About the U.S.
