The Empire State building: Matt Walton, 33, Hull

After joining a queue that stretched around the block from the front door, we thought we might be waiting to get in for 20 minutes or so. As we got closer and closer to the front, we got more and more excited ... until we got inside and saw that the queue snaked back and forth and we were miles away from the front. We decided to stay and eventually got to the lift and went up the building – but not to the top. We had to get out of the lift and join another queue that took you to the observation deck. Then, when you get to the top, the realisation dawns on you that the iconic view of New York has the Empire State Building in it, the one building you can’t see because you’re on top of it. You get a lovely view of the Chrysler Building though.

The leaning tower of Pisa: Chandan Chatterjee, 59, India

Tourists visit the leaning tower of Pisa. Photograph: Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images

It looks so synthetic and completely unworthy - I saw a leaning tower off Mandalay in Myanmar which had more history attached to it. Not to mention the various ones in Venice. There was such a sense of disappointment after seeing the leaning tower of Pisa. All I could think was: “What a waste of time and money!”

The Little Mermaid statue: Miranda, 23, London

The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen. Photograph: Alamy

Maybe “overrated” is now a bit dramatic given that this is now widely agreed to be the Mona Lisa of statues. Still, somehow it has 3.5/5 stars on TripAdvisor, despite the fact that it requires a long detour out of the city centre, is usually surrounded by tourists queuing for photos, and is, by its own admission “unimposing”. It’s a bit like when you order something on Amazon and forget to read the actual dimensions, and it arrives the same size as the thumbnail on your screen. Prepare to hear lots of confused people asking “Is that it?”



The Heineken experience: Neil, Ireland



A glass of Heineken beer. Photograph: Getty Images

As an avid drinker I expected greatness from the Heineken experience brewery in Amsterdam. All I got was queueing from one mediocre room to the next, with one big queue to wait for a half pint at the end.

Mount Rushmore: Rob, 29, Charlottesville, Virginia

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, US. Photograph: Image Broker/Rex Features

Pictures and video do not convey the awe the Grand Canyon does to one’s soul at sunset, nor the serene calm when watching a sunrise over the Great Barrier Reef. However, pictures do convey the boringness of Mount Rushmore and the four faces carved in to the cliffside. You look at it from one angle, then another, then you say, “OK, cool. Gift shop, then car?” Sure, you can hike to the top and see the great expanse of ... flatness covered by trees. It would be forgettable, if I hadn’t been so disappointed.

Waikiki beach: Craig Rowley, 31, Rochester

Honolulu and Waikiki beach. Photograph: Alamy

The most overrated spot has to be Waikiki Beach, in Hawaii. You always have this image of sheer perfection and a surfing paradise; yet I will always remember stepping on to the beach and saying to my friend Peter, “It’s just like Blackpool.” While that may be a slight exaggeration, the beach was barren, soulless and empty. The sand wasn’t white, the hotels beachside were tacky and there was nothing there that captured my imagination. If somebody hadn’t told me it was the famous Waikiki Beach I’d probably never have known I’d been there. It was so average, and sadly underwhelming, not the Hawaiian dream you picture.



Plymouth Rock: Ian Bentley, 62, Duluth, Minnesota

Plymouth rock in Massachusetts, US. Photograph: Alamy

The so-called landing place of the pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, is a broken rock, badly glued together with now-crumbling concrete. It is largely indistinguishable from other rocks on that shoreline.

Djemaa el Fna Square: Melissa, 54, India

Dusk view of food stalls and crowds in Jemaa El Fna Square in Marrakech, Morocco. Photograph: Alamy

Djemaa el Fna Square, Marrakech, caters to a very stereotypical western depiction of a mythical, magical “Eastern” world with snake charmers, magicians, and henna wielding women. On me, someone from the East, its pretentious charm was lost, and it came across as a hyped-up tourist trap. Aladdin’s genie was all that was missing!

Machu Picchu: Derek Stokes, 43, Dublin

Aerial view of Macchu Picchu in Cusco, Peru. Photograph: Spaces Images/Getty Images/Blend Images

Machu Picchu is essentially a pile of rubble. Yes, the location is stunning, and the fact they got the stones up there without wheels is jawdropping, but it’s still just a load of big stones. The idea is far more amazing than the remnants. Huaynu Picchu (the hill behind) was beautiful though.



Isla del Sol: Silvia Caceres, 34, Denver, Colarado

Isla del Sol on the Titicaca lake, the largest high-altitude lake in the world. Photograph: RCH photo/Getty Images

A while ago my husband and I went to visit Lake Titicaca from the Bolivian side. We decide to stay in Copacabana and booked a tour to Isla del Sol, as some people had told us how beautiful and remote the island was. It turns out you can see the island from the shore of Copacabana and that the boat is extremely slow, taking between one and two hours. Then you get to the island and there are a few run-down restaurants, with some locals welcoming you and charging you the entrance fee, and others who clearly didn’t want tourists hanging around.

