We travel to see the best monuments in the world. But in a world of mass tourism, the objective value of tourist attractions is increasingly in question, to the point that what until now were the great attractions of a city are, increasingly, tourist traps that already make up their specific rankings.
This is demonstrated by the study of Prepy, a language learning platform that has made a study of the 20 worst tourist traps in the world. To do so, the company analyzed some 80 tourist destinations and the negative comments made about them.
The list is topped by two foreign monuments: the first is Times Square in New York and the second is Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. But there are also three monuments in Barcelona that have made the list of the worst tourist traps in the world.
The three worst tourist traps in Barcelona
What would you say are these Barcelona landmarks on the list? You’ll probably get one of them right. The first Barcelona landmark on the list is La Rambla de Barcelona, in fifth position. Nothing new, here restaurants often offer inflated prices for mediocre food and poor quality souvenirs and, in general, the avenue has long since lost its link to Barcelona to become, exclusively, a giant tourist trap.
Second on the list is Park Güell, at number 11. Nothing new either, the park is overcrowded, the monumental area is fee-paying despite being a park and the visiting experience can be marred by long queues. In addition, it seems that many visitors are frustrated to discover that much of the park is free and that they can enjoy equally beautiful views without paying.
Finally, also appearing on the list is La Sagrada Familia ( No. 15), the city’s most visited monument. As with Park Güell, the visit experience involves long queues, high prices (about 30€ for a single ticket) and a visit that, it seems, is not very satisfactory for some visitors.
You can consult the complete list of the worst tourist traps in Barcelona on this website.