20 "Too Viral For Their Own Good" Tourist Destinations That've Been All But Ruined By Their Immense Popularity

When visiting a new destination, you'll probably want to check out some of the "must-visit" attractions — the spots written up in all the guidebooks and travel blogs. But unfortunately, some tourist destinations have become too famous for their own good. So, I rounded up first-hand accounts of these attractions from Redditors and members of the BuzzFeed Community, all of whom love to travel. These are the worldwide tourist attractions that they say, unfortunately, have been spoiled.

1."Versailles. I knew it would be busy; it was summer, but it was a massive bucket list visit for me, so we went anyway. But there were SO many people inside the palace that I could see way more people than the actual rooms and treasures (the Hall of Mirrors had no magic for me due to crowds), and we felt like cattle being herded. However, we loved the gardens and other buildings."

2."The Trevi Fountain in Rome. It's so crowded. Next time, I'll just buy a postcard because I couldn't get much closer than three blocks away anyhow."

3."Jemaa el-Fnaa (Market Square), Marrakesh. Of all the places we visited in Morocco, Jemaa el-Fnaa was the biggest disappointment. It's full of knock-off clothes and guys trying to get you to take pictures with cobras. In general, Marrakesh is awesome, but the market is a letdown."

4."Takeshita Street in Harajuku, Tokyo. I couldn't move my elbows an inch without bumping into someone, and almost every shop had a 30-minute line. I went so that I could see the Harajuku-style fashion associated with Takeshita Street, but I hardly saw any of that. So essentially, I was packed like a sardine for hours while waiting in long lines to shop for overpriced clothes. I love Tokyo, but I won't return to Harajuku anytime soon."

5."Oktoberfest in Munich. As a German myself, it's horrible and mostly a place for wannabe celebs to get photographed and tourists who don't know any better. There are also Germans, of course, but smaller towns have much better and more authentic Oktoberfest if that's what you're looking for."

6."Oia, Santorini. I went in October expecting a quieter season, and it was still packed! Some tourists were super rude, too."

7."Banff National Park. As a Canadian, I feel that tourism in Banff is destroying the environment. It's hard to enjoy the beauty of this place when you're constantly seeing such disrespect for it around you."

8."The Leaning Tower of Pisa. It's essentially a field of tourists trying to take a picture of the tower without other tourists, plus souvenir shops trying to sell things to those tourists."

9."Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. I don't mind crowds in cities, but Plitvice is supposed to be a peaceful natural setting and felt more like a theme park."

10."Bondi Beach in Sydney. It's a mediocre beach, and it's always very crowded during the summer, so you hardly have space to swim or enjoy yourself."

11."The Vatican, and specifically inside St. Peter's Basilica. This was pre-COVID, so my experience may be different now, but there were so many people. I wanted to stay inside the Sistine Chapel to admire the ceiling paintings, but I was being pushed along, and it was so noisy."

12."Cinque Terre, Italy in August. We felt like sweaty sardines packed in everywhere we went."

13."Yellowstone National Park. It is fantastic if you find yourself in a spot where it's just you or a few other tourists. However, most of the main sites are so full of people that it feels like Disney World at some point instead of nature. It's also infuriating to see so many tourists disrespecting nature by walking off the paths/boardwalks and leaving trash around."

14."The Pyramids of Giza. This might be harsh, but the swarm of aggressive market vendors surrounding the pyramids makes visiting this site a nightmare. One woman on our tour group asked a guard to take her photo, and he refused to return her phone unless she paid him. The whole time, we were yelled at and haggled into buying headscarves and assorted souvenirs, which ruined my experience. I spent months looking forward to the trip and felt so disappointed."

15."Pretty much any tourist destination in Bali. It's a beautiful place with amazing food and friendly people, but the pushy salespeople on the street outside every tourist destination trying to extract every rupiah on me for tourist knick-knacks ruined a lot of the good vibes."

16."The Disney parks in Orlando. We paid an absolute fortune for tickets, and the place was so overcrowded that it wasn't fun."

17."The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center in NYC. It's so packed I got just close enough to barely squeeze out. I didn't even really see the tree. The setting always looks so nice in movies. And also Times Square. It's stressful being there, and I still don't understand why there's gridlock traffic. Everyone needs to honk their horn constantly as if there is anywhere to go. I'm just a country boy, I guess..."

18."The Mona Lisa room in the Louvre is incredibly frustrating, entirely because of the other tourists. I got as close as I could before a group of tourists almost pushed me to the floor. I was there as part of my studies for my master's in art history, so it was infuriating. In my humble opinion, there are much better paintings in the Louvre."

19."Dubai. This city is talked up as one of the best tourist destinations in the world, but when I was there it felt like an amusement park under construction. I felt like I was constantly being shuttled from one tourist trap to another."

20."Waikiki Beach in Oahu. It's a horrible, crowded concrete beach surrounded by traffic and overpriced chain stores. Go to literally any other beach in Oahu. Or, for an even cooler experience, drive up to the island's North Shore and pick a spot on any one of the many quiet beaches there to enjoy the gorgeous scenery."

Do you have one to add? What is a popular tourist attraction that felt overrated, spoiled, or simply not worth visiting? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.