You’ve perused the travel guides, asked your friends, and mapped out your perfect vacation. You spend all day getting to a so-called “amazing” tourist site, only to realize it’s painfully crowded and unspectacular.
Sure, famous monuments and iconic structures are necessary stopping points at new destinations, but what about the lines, the fees, the waiting… and did we mention the lines? While these popular destinations are good to add to your ‘been there’ list, you can likely file a lot of them under “time better spent elsewhere.”
With that, we offer this list of overrated destinations that might be worthy of a cooler replacement, or at least done a little differently. Forget the hokey ticket machines and lines wrapped around the corner – use this list to get the best of the place you’re in without the fuss.
Red Light District, Amsterdam: Amsterdam may earn its stripes
through its liberal legal system, but the Red Light District isn’t
exactly the capital of cool that everyone hopes. Chalk-full of young,
unashamed Americans prowling for a story to tell their friends back
home, the RLD doesn’t represent the best of this beautiful city.
Instead, spend the next few hours meandering in and out of the
unpretentious galleries, or grab a bag of stroopwaffels and sit by the
canal pondering the meaning of life, man.
Pacific Beach Nightlife, San Diego: If you’ve booked a flight to
San Diego, you’re probably looking for some beach time. While all signs
of nightlife point to Pacific Beach, put on the brakes if you’re
looking for something even remotely upscale. Saturated in tourists, the
celebrated Garnett Avenue is mostly good for scantily clad youth
shelling out $15 for a mixed drinks served in beach buckets. For a
waterfront atmosphere with a bit more class, try Prospect Place in La
Jolla. You can shop, eat, and drink by the water, all without the
tiki-torches and tube tops.
The Subway System in Beijing: Beijing is so big that they had to design its roads like a bull’s eye to accommodate for its mass and its people. Initially, visitors think taking the subway is a cool way to get around, until they wait in a 20-minute ticket line, wait in more lines to reach the platform, and wait again at the platform for the train. With confusing lines, even more confusing timetables, and hit-or-miss air conditioning, cramming into a subway car like a sardine is the last place a smart traveler should waste an hour (or more). Normally we push for eco-options, but in this case, take a cab. The conversion from USD to RMB is beyond favorable – a two-hour subway ride cuts down to a 30-minute cab ride for less than $10.
Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco: Every city has its
quintessential tourist spot, and Fisherman’s Wharf is it for San
Francisco. Although the amount of people who converge on the wharf make
it a bit of a pain to walk through, we still think it’s worth seeing.
So instead of skipping it, try attacking it more efficiently. The
purpose is to see the sea lions, right? Have a taxi drop you at the
corner of Beach Street and the Embarcadero and walk straight to
Neptune’s Palace – an elegant seafood restaurant. Along the way, you’ll
get the vibe, feel the ocean breeze, spot plenty of sea lions on the
pier, and have dinner above it all, overlooking the water and Alcatraz.
Quincy Market, Boston: Yes, Quincy Market in Boston‘s Faneuil Hall is a one-stop shop for history, food, shopping and nightlife, but it’s also a gathering place for all things tour guides. Pass on the maps and fanny packs and head to Copley Square for all of the above without the visor-wearing hopefuls. Historic churches, a huge variety of shopping (read: everything from Banana Republic to Chanel), cool eateries – both chain and independent – and more than 20 drinking establishments lie within the Boylston Street and Newbury Street parallel. You can also ditch downtown and cross the Charles to explore Harvard Square, for a lively and more bohemian version of bistros, bars, boutiques, and brainy institutions.
The Moulin Rouge, Paris: “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge.” Anyone familiar with Baz Luhrmann’s colorful drama knows that these words open a world of music, dancing and gallant females. Seeing it today is not the same, and somewhat of a letdown. Dinner and a show at this Paris nightclub can cost up to 180 Euros, and busloads of tourists usher in each night. To bypass the madness, pay a fraction of the price, see legendary live entertainment, and revel in history, walk an extra 15 minutes to the Folies-Bergère – a club where Charlie Chaplin and Edith Piaf hung out, and where Josephine Baker’s banana skirt left people in a trance.
Cheapflights readers: What are your picks for the most overrated tourist spots? Let us know!
© Cheapflights Ltd Andrea Mooney
