My TripAdvisor Index: World Cities by Sightseeing Potential (chapel, hotels)

[manitopiaaa]

As I explained in the North American version of this thread (//www.city-data.com/forum/city-...-tourists.html), I usually tend to travel to places with lots of stuff to see. I'm less of a chill and relax tourist and more of a "see the sights person." For the past few years I lived in Europe and, when clueless on locations (Hamburg vs. Dresden? Bruges vs. Ghent? Fes vs. Marrakech?) determined where to visit based on a super simple index I made using the # of reviews from TripAdvisor.

It is basically this: every sight on TripAdvisor has a # of reviews. The more reviews, the more generally popular and iconic the sight is. If it has more reviews it is largely because it receives more tourist traffic.

So when deciding where to go, I've often made a list of a city's Top 10 sights by # of review and then looked at the # of reviews for Site #10. Whichever city has the higher number of reviews for the 10th most popular site offers more tourist bang for the buck, in my opinion. It's just a rule of thumb I go by.

So in this thread, I'll score Global Cities by this TripAdvisor Index I made.
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What the Scores Below Mean:
10,000+: Their is no way to ever see 'everything' of note in this city.
5,000-9,999: The city offers an immense array of sights, experiences and itineraries to keep any tourist busy for a considerable amount of time
2,500-4,999: The city houses a large array of sights that would keep a tourist busy for up to one week
1,000-2,499: The city houses a moderate array of sights that would keep tourists busy for a few (3-5) days
500-999: The city offers a small array of sights that would keep a tourist busy for about 1 or 2 days
250-499: The city has a few sights, though the city doesn't necessarily merit much tourism based on those sites
<250: The city offers little of note. Tourists are wasting their time by visiting the city:
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I'll focus first on cities around the world with more than 5 million people. Here are those we already have from the North America thread:

ATLANTA
Score: 1,480

1. Georgia Aquarium 14,295
2. World of Coca-Cola 8,394
3. Atlanta Botanical Garden 2,999
4. Fox Theatre 2,963
5. Centennial Olympic Park 2,479
6. Turner Field 2,431
7. Zoo Atlanta 2,296
8. King National Historic Site 2,235
9. Piedmont Park 1,650
10. High Museum of Art 1,480

BOSTON
Score: 2,620

1. Freedom Trail 10,684
2. Fenway Park 10,324
3. Boston Public Garden 5,966
4. Museum of Fine Arts 5,548
5. North End 4,915
6. Boston Common 4,264
7. Faneuil Hall Marketplace 4,178
8. Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum 3,675
9. New England Aquarium 3,548
10. USS Constitution 2,620

CHICAGO
Score: 6,273

1. Art Institute of Chicago 15,749
2. Millennium Park 15,379
3. Cloud Gate 10,670
4. Willis Tower 10,401
5. Navy Pier 8,301
6. Michigan Avenue 7,607
7. Museum of Science and Industry 6,945
8. Wrigley Field 6,645
9. John Hancock Center 6,445
10. Shedd Aquarium 6,273

DALLAS
Score: 1,175

1. The Sixth Floor Museum/Texas School Book Depository 5,968
2. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens 3,572
3. Dallas World Aquarium 3,180
4. Perot Museum of Nature and Science 2,269
5. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum 2,264
6. Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark District 1,443
7. Reunion Tower 1,374
8. Dallas Museum of Art 1,327
9. Klyde Warren Park 1,276
10. Dallas Zoo 1,175

DETROIT + DEARBORN
Score: 446

1. The Henry Ford 2,931
2. Comerica Park 1,870
3. Detroit Institute of Arts 1,780
4. Greenfield Village 1,656
5. Motown Museum 1,161
6. Detroit RiverFront 860
7. Ford Field 542
8. Belle Isle Park 537
9. Greektown 521
10. Joe Louis Arena 446

HOUSTON
Score: 612

1. Space Center Houston 5,107
2. The Galleria 3,139
3. The Houston Museum of Natural Science 3,106
4. Houston Zoo 2,552
5. Minute Maid Park 1,923
6. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 1,679
7. Downtown Aquarium 1,520
8. Children's Museum of Houston 1,181
9. Water Wall 782
10. Holocaust Museum Houston 612

LOS ANGELES + SANTA MONICA
Score: 3,322

1. Universal Studios Hollywood 22,474
2. Griffith Observatory 11,343
3. Santa Monica Pier 9,815
4. The Getty Center 9,537
5. Star Walk of Fame 9,113
6. Venice Beach 6,060
7. Hollywood Sign 4,300
8. Santa Monica Beach 4,234
9. Third Street Promenade 4,038
10. Santa Monica Bay 3,322

MIAMI + MIAMI BEACH
Score: 3,375

1. South Beach 12,690
2. Lincoln Road 10,790
3. Ocean Drive 7,273
4. Bayside Marketplace 7,198
5. Dolphin Mall 5,792
6. Art Deco Historic District 4,713
7. Miami Beach Boardwalk 4,419
8. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens 4,370
9. American Airlines Arena 3,868
10. Collins Avenue 3,375

NEW YORK
Score: 20,683

1. Central Park 82,682
2. Rockefeller Center: Top of the Rock 51,839
3. National September 11 Memorial and Museum 49,498
4. Empire State Building 45,707
5. The High Line 37,380
6. Metropolitan Museum of Art 37,275
7. Times Square 26,474
8. Grand Central Terminal 24,775
9. Statue of Liberty 23,424
10. Broadway 20,683

PHILADELPHIA
Score: 1,667

1. Independence Hall 5,737
2. Philadelphia Museum of Art 4,762
3. Eastern State Penitentiary 3,859
4. The Barnes Foundation 3,419
5. Liberty Bell Center 2,752
6. Reading Terminal Market 2,431
7. The Franklin Institute 1,948
8. Independence National Historical Park 1,745
9. Citizens Bank Park 1,714
10. Independence Visitor Center 1,667

SAN FRANCISCO
Score: 4,189

1. Alcatraz 34,947
2. Golden Gate Bridge 31,729
3. Cable Cars 12,937
4. Pier 39 11,075
5. Fisherman's Wharf 10,588
6. Lombard Street 8,595
7. Golden Gate Park 6,735
8. San Francisco Bay 5,585
9. AT&T Park 5,046
10. Twin Peaks 4,189

TORONTO
Score: 2,546

1. CN Tower 14,352
2. Aquarium of Canada 9,839
3. Saint Lawrence Market 8,135
4. Royal Ontario Museum 4,952
5. Distillery Historic District 4,699
6. Toronto Island Park 4,422
7. Casa Loma 4,279
8. Toronto Zoo 3,264
9. Art Gallery of Ontario 2,742
10. Hockey Hall of Fame 2,546

WASHINGTON + ARLINGTON
Score: 6,254

1. Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool 18,670
2. National Air and Space Museum 14,755
3. National Museum of Natural History 7,736
4. Vietnam Veterans Memorial 7,540
5. United States Holocaust Museum 7,137
6. Korean War Veterans Memorial 6,848
7. Newseum 6,362
8. National Gallery of Art 6,332
9. Arlington National Cemetery 6,295
10. National World War II Memorial and Rainbow Pool 6,254

Next up will be the Big 5 cities of Barcelona, Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Tokyo!

[manitopiaaa]

BARCELONA
Score: 8,146

1. Basilica of the Sagrada Familia 91,796
2. Park Guell 44,347
3. Casa Batllo 32,054
4. Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic) 23,685
5. Camp Nou 22,518
6. La Pedrera 13,126
7. Palau de la Musica Orfeo Catala 11,654
8. Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria 10,978
9. Passeig de Gracia 8,897
10. The Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar 8,146

HONG KONG
Score: 4,128

1. Victoria Peak (The Peak) 21,304
2. Star Ferry 11,825
3. Hong Kong Disneyland 10,405
4. Hong Kong Skyline 9,366
5. Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) 9,119
6. Ocean Park 7,353
7. Hong Kong Tramways (Ding Ding) 6,234
8. Peak Tram 4,933
9. Victoria Harbour 4,710
10. Ngong Ping Village (Ngong Ping 360) 4,128

LONDON
Score: 15,903

1. The London Eye 48,982
2. British Museum 42,214
3. Tower of London 37,311
4. National Gallery 23,707
5. Madame Tussauds London 19,561
6. Natural History Museum 19,332
7. Big Ben 18,493
8. V&A - Victoria and Albert Museum 18,413
9. Tower Bridge 17,776
10. Buckingham Palace 15,903

PARIS + VERSAILLES
Score: 15,459

1. Eiffel Tower 87,931
2. Musee du Louvre 64,130
3. Notre Dame Cathedral 46,348
4. Musee d'Orsay 43,673
5. Arc de Triomphe 26,789
6. Luxembourg Gardens 24,302
7. Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre 21,048
8. River Seine 18,372
9. Chateau de Versailles 16,094
10. Sainte-Chapelle 15,459

TOKYO
Score: 2,635

1. Tokyo Tower 4,970
2. Senso-ji Temple 4,765
3. Tokyo Skytree 4,696
4. Meiji Jingu Shrine 4,424
5. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office 3,822
6. Asakusa 3,697
7. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden 3,346
8. Shibuya Pedestrian Scramble 3,280
9. Ueno Park 2,969
10. Ginza 2,635

[manitopiaaa]

Storied Gems of the Mediterranean:

ATHENS
Score: 2,404

1. Acropolis Museum 18,778
2. Acropolis 17,653
3. Parthenon 8,951
4. Plaka District 7,691
5. National Archaeological Museum 4,316
6. Panathenaic Stadium 3,260
7. Mount Lycabettus 2,936
8. Temple of Hephaestus (Thiseio) 2,603
9. Monastiraki 2,602
10. Ancient Agora of Athens 2,404

CAIRO + GIZA
Score: 1,238

1. Egyptian Antiquities Museum 4,154
2. Pyramids of Giza 4,006
3. Keops Pyramid 2,486
4. Great Sphinx 1,969
5. Gizeh Plateau 1,948
6. Khan Al-Khalili 1,603
7. Saqqara (Sakkara) Pyramids 1,553
8. Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) 1,393
9. The Grand Egyptian Museum 1,259
10. Mohamed Ali Mosque 1,238

FLORENCE
Score: 5,334

1. Accademia Gallery 20,952
2. Uffizi Gallery 19,417
3. Piazzale Michelangelo 18,764
4. Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore 16,359
5. Piazza della Signoria 11,260
6. Piazza del Duomo 10,827
7. Ponte Vecchio 9,532
8. Basilica di Santa Croce 5,628
9. Mercato Centrale 5,456
10. Campanile di Giotto 5,334

ISTANBUL
Score: 5,648

1. Hagia Sophia Museum / Church (Ayasofya) 29,359
2. Blue Mosque 23,385
3. Basilica Cistern 23,152
4. Topkapi Palace 19,592
5. Sultanahmet District 11,813
6. Historic Areas of Istanbul 8,717
7. Bosphorus Strait 8,231
8. Suleymaniye Mosque 8,181
9. Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) 7,780
10. Galata Tower 5,648

ROME + VATICAN CITY
Score: 10,052

1. Colosseum 83,255
2. Trevi Fountain 48,032
3. Pantheon 43,782
4. Saint Peter's Basilica 22,734
5. Piazza Navona 20,985
6. Vatican Museums 19,896
7. Palatine Hill 13,825
8. Borghese Gallery 11,107
9. Roman Forum 10,966
10. Sistine Chapel 10,052

[yofie]

Give us some figures for cities in South America, South Africa, Australia, etc. as well!

[Acajack]

Does this "index" only count reviews in English? Because if so, this might explain why some cities rank higher or lower than expected relative to others...

[artemis agrotera]

It's not a bad system, although some flaws (who rates on trip advisor, etc).

Atlanta 'outscores' Cairo, and I know which city I'd find far more interesting....
(no offence to Atlanta lol)

[tailsock]

I think age is a factor as well in the reviews. I've noticed the more elderly you are the more you gravitate away from the hustle and bustle of large cities to areas with far less "attractions", notably natural parks and quiet, charming villages. Not my cup of tea. Definitely count me among those who prefer action packed heavyweights like London and New York! :-)

[Thepastpresentandfuture]

First order of focus, exactly Quantify to everyone what a destination zone is according to sightseeing potential of World cities, and then subsequently specify those various attractions around everywhere. Are these methods of improving touristic infrastructure relevant to Castles, Palaces, Iconic Architectural Landmarks Monuments Statues Memorials, Spiritual Religious Relics or Buildings, Archeological Ancient Sites, Neighborhoods, Essential Squares Plazas Parks Of Surrounding Activity, Independent Business Stores Resembling Cafes, Bars, Nightclub Discotheques, Restaurants, Hotels, Gifts, Cultural Institutions (Museums, International or domestic external governing diplomatic organizations), and any other measure realistically applicable.