A new study revealing the world’s worst (and best) value for money tourist attractions, from the Empire State Building to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, was released today.
The study analyzed the cost of a one-day adult admission ticket to 30 of the world’s top tourist attractions, as well as the number of “poor” and “terrible” reviews each attraction received.
The attractions were then given a standardized “value score” out of ten to reveal the world’s worst (and best) tourist attractions.
Top 10 Cheapest Tourist Attractions
| Rank | Attraction | Location | Ticket price | % bad reviews | Value score /10 |
| 1 | Empire State Building | New York City | $44.00 | 4.2% | 1.03 |
| 2 | Buckingham Palace | London | $40.53 | 3.3% | 1.90 |
| 2 | Stonehenge | Wiltshire | $26.35 | 8.0% | 1.90 |
| 2 | Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum | New York City | $25.00 | 18.1% | 1.90 |
| 5 | London eye | London | $36.48 | 4.2% | 2.07 |
| 6 | modern Art Museum | New York City | $25.00 | 4.7% | 2.59 |
| 7 | Castle of Versailles | Versailles | $22.67 | 9.5% | 2.76 |
| 8 | Petra | Ma’an | $70.52 | 2.5% | 2.93 |
| 9 | Vatican Museums | Vatican City | $19.27 | 8.2% | 3.28 |
| ten | Edinburgh Castle | Edinburgh | $23.64 | 2.9% | 3.97 |
Taking the unfortunate title of being the cheapest attraction, the Empire State Building in New York. While it’s undoubtedly an iconic New York landmark, going up the tower costs $44.00 (and that’s only on the main deck, not the very top). When combined with a negative review rate of 4.2%, the Empire State Building only scores 1.03/10 for its value.
A close second is the American Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, an art museum featuring collections of Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary art. The museum sees a large number of dissatisfied visitors, with nearly one in five reviews being either “poor” or “terrible”.
Buckingham Palace and Stonehenge in the UK also rank second. A visit to the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace will set you back $40.53, however, 3.3% of visitors were unimpressed with their visit to the Queen’s home.
Stonehenge, on the other hand, costs $26.35, but reviews found on Tripadvisor include that you’re not allowed to touch the stones, and one disgruntled reviewer described the attraction as “just a pile of rocks “.
Top 10 Best Value Tourist Attractions
| Rank | Attraction | Location | Ticket price | % bad reviews | Value score /10 |
| 1 | Great Wall of China (Mutianyu) | beijing | $6.31 | 0.5% | 10.00 |
| 2 | Taj Mahal | Agra | $14.61 | 1.0% | 8.28 |
| 3 | forgotten city | beijing | $6.31 | 2.5% | 7.76 |
| 4 | prague castle | prague | $11.66 | 2.4% | 7.59 |
| 4 | Eiffel Tower | Paris | $12.13 | 2.2% | 7.59 |
| 6 | Grand Canyon | Arizona | $20.00 | 0.7% | 7.42 |
| 7 | Peak Victoria | hong kong | $9.61 | 2.5% | 7.07 |
| 7 | Coliseum | Rome | $18.14 | 1.3% | 7.07 |
| 9 | Acropolis of Athens | Athens | $22.67 | 1.6% | 6.21 |
| ten | louver | Paris | $17.00 | 2.5% | 5.86 |
The Great Wall of China ranks as the best value for money tourist attraction. Not only is the Great Wall of China the cheapest of the reviewed attractions, with an admission price of just $6.31 for the Mutianyu section, but it also has the fewest negative reviews.
The Taj Mahal takes second place. Known for being one of the finest examples of architecture in the world, the monument is also relatively affordable, with an admission ticket costing $14.61. Only 1% of Taj Mahal visitors leave a bad review, which represents the excellent value for money.
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