They are the kind of supposedly iconic sights which inspire tourists to trek around the world clutching the guidebooks that list them as must-see destinations. But when travellers finally set eyes on some of the most well-known attractions the pilgrimage ends too often with a distinct sense of anticlimax.

It seems the allure of mysterious ancient constructions or feats of elegant engineering are easily diminished by the inconvenience of traffic, crowds and hawkers for the Britons who have voted Stonehenge, the Eiffel Tower, Times Square and the Pyramids as among the most disappointing tourist spectacles they have seen.

Buckingham Palace and the White House left the respondents cold. Even Anthony Gormley's much-celebrated Angel of the North in Gateshead (an "ugly monstrosity" according to one) and the London Eye took a beating, as did postcard favourites Blackpool Tower and Brighton pier. And she may have been the People's Princess, but the panel of 1,267 were not impressed by the controversial Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain either ("wet and pointless"). Elsewhere in the world the experience of jostling for position to peer at the surprisingly tiny Mona Lisa was thought to have contributed to the Louvre's damp squib status.

Stonehenge, which topped the table of the most disappointing attractions in Britain, has long suffered complaints about its position wedged at the junction of the busy A303 and A344.

Planning permission has been granted for a £67m visitor centre that has been in the pipeline for years, but English Heritage is still awaiting a decision from the government on whether the A303 can be rerouted into a tunnel. The centre cannot go ahead without it. Stonehenge director Peter Carson said: "Stonehenge is a must-see attraction even though the current visitor facilities are inadequate for the number of people who visit each year."

The prehistoric monument's latest critics, who must pay £6.30 to walk around the stone circle, noted that the "road does seem to detract from the spectacle". One, with disregard for the mystery of the monument which dates to around 3,100 BC, complained it was "just a pile of rocks" and even sniped: "It's dull." Those polled for Virgin Travel Insurance chose their most underwhelming sights from a list of 24 possibilities in the UK and 25 overseas.

But writer Bill Bryson, while agreeing Stonehenge needed a tunnel and serious improvements to visitor facilities, was quick to defend it. "There's no doubt that it isn't as spectacular as people often think it's going to be," he said. "But I have completely warmed to Stonehenge over the years. Once you adjust to the fact that it's completely inert and not overwhelming in scale it's quite magical."

Approached on foot from a distance it was an entirely different experience, he explained. "The whole problem is not Stonehenge. It's the way it's presented. You kind of drive up and it's not a very great reception - it's more a big Portakabin type thing. It all looks temporary ... what it desperately needs is a really good visitor centre." Bryson was equally keen on other attractions blacklisted in the poll. "I love the Angel of the North," he said. "I don't see why it could possibly be disappointing." Blackpool Tower was "sensational", the Diana fountain "terrific" and the Pyramids, which he saw for the first time earlier this year, "one of the great moments in my life".

Indeed the problem might be that people were coming to the most well-known sights with expectations already raised too high and an unrealistic desire to see them minus the crowds.

"Stonehenge is a classic example: you've seen it so many times before you actually see it that you have a very powerful image of what it's going to be like and because of that the likelihood is that you're going to be disappointed," Bryson said. "The Eiffel Tower is really a great structure. It's very exciting. I know it's a bit of a pain in the ass to get up because of the queues. But this is the world we live in. There are a finite number of attractions and increasing numbers of people."

Most disappointing:

UK

1 Stonehenge

2 Angel of the North, Gateshead

3 Blackpool Tower

4 Land's End, Cornwall

5 Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, London

6 The London Eye

7 Brighton Pier

8 Buckingham Palace

9 White Cliffs of Dover

10 Big Ben

Overseas

1 The Eiffel Tower, Paris

2 Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Paris

3 Times Square, New York

4 Las Ramblas, Barcelona

5 Statue of Liberty, New York

6 Spanish Steps, Rome

7 The White House, Washington DC

8 The Pyramids, Egypt

9 The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

10 Leaning Tower of Pisa