Landmarks

Every city in the world has something that’s defining it. The most known building, structure, natural feature or monument that tourists associate with the respective town or country.
Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Prada Museum, the Coliseum, The Parthenon, Old Town, CN Tower, Times Square, Hollywood etc. Most of the times these landmarks are crowded with tourists, photographers, souvenir vendors and a whole bunch of scammers.
Speaking the local language, even if just at basic level, reading about the respective landmark prior to visiting and bringing your common sense with you, helps a lot in dealing with these inconveniences.
Many of these landmarks are overrated, expensive and would not deserve a visit if it weren’t for the hype. And sometimes it’s fine to fall victim to the hype but only once, the first time, usually. Many tourists visit these landmarks all over the world and leave disappointed, because it wasn’t that exciting and amazing as advertised or written/talked about. The pressure to visit these places is still there, from friends, relatives, colleagues and even oneself. So a healthy dose of skepticism is in order before visiting famous landmarks anywhere.
There are however many amazing places in every country/town that are less known and much more rewarding from a touristic point of view. It takes some researching before visiting but it’s definitely worth it.
There are of course many of these landmarks that do live up to the hype and are a must see. Greek islands, Champs Elysees in Paris, Piccadilly Circus and British Museum in London for example and many others.
Coliseum in Rome is on the other hand, one of the most overrated, since the beauty of it is actually the outside of the building, so paying a hefty price to get inside and lining up for several hours might be just a complete waste of time and money.
Some landmarks do require a longer time than usual to be seen and admired fully. Visiting in a rush or with a large crowd just to checkmark it on a list, sometimes due to time and budget constraints would only be acceptable if a promise to return is being made.
What landmarks have you visited around the world that are overrated and which ones you made a promise (to yourself) to visit again for a longer time?

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