What makes a place a "tourist trap"?
Like, I don't think it's just a place with lots of tourists. For example, I wouldn't consider Prague and Paris to be tourist traps, even though some people say they are.
What makes a place a "tourist trap"? Like, I don't think it's just a place with lots of tourists.
I wouldn’t consider entire cities to be tourist traps.
Paris and Prague are not tourist traps. They both have absolutely stunning architecture and world-class museums (especially Paris). If you want to learn a lot about history, these cities are must-do.
Tourist traps for me are businesses that serve horribly overpriced subpar quality products/services, and usually located in a very touristy area.
For example, a shitty ass restaurant that serves overpriced frozen food near the Eiffel Tower.
>I wouldn’t consider entire cities to be tourist traps
Las Vegas is 100% a city-wide tourist trap
Vegas is a tourist trap by definition but somehow they managed to get themselves to a level above a plain tourist trap.
i think because no one is looking for 'authenticity' in vegas. they want an adult amusement park
Vegas is a tourist trap done well
Vegas isn't a tourist trap away from the tourist spots. It probably was, when pretty much everyone in the city worked in industries that supported the casinos. Now there's lots of other industries and people living there out of choice, not just because of the gambling aspect.
I wouldn't ever live there, but I quite like spending a few days away from the tourists and just eating and drinking at neighbourhood places. It's also a great place for thrift stores, I've found lots of rare vinyl and other random collectables, presumably because so many people go broke in Vegas.
In my experience away from the city you're more likely to get in trouble in Vegas unless you're not going for sex lol but why else would you go
A tourist trap in my mind is a place that doesn't give you good value for your money. Gatlinburg Tennessee is the first place I think of. The strip in Vegas has a lot of tourist traps. If you eat in a celebrity restaurant on the strip, you're a fricking rube. But there are countless hotels, restaurants and clubs in Vegas that rival any city in the world. go like 2-3 times a year because my friend lives out there. Most people never make it off the strip, but there is some cool shit in the rest of the city. Spring Mountain Blvd has some of the best Jap food in the US. There is epic hiking in Vegas too. Some of my all time favorite hikes are in Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Mount Charleston and Lake Mead. Go in the spring or fall and go golf at Angel Park. You can get a cart, clubs and a tee time for 4 people for less than $100 total. It's one of the best and cheapest golf courses in the US. The ski resort is small, but they have lift tickets for $50. That's literally less than 1/3 of what they charge in California at Big Bear at Mountain High. One of these days I'm going to make a guide for Vegas and just start posting it so people stop taking shitty trips to Vegas.
A tourist trap is really just anywhere designed for tourists lol, so yeah Las Vegas is 100 percent a tourist trap but everyone who goes knows
>Tourist traps for me are businesses that serve horribly overpriced subpar quality products/services, and usually located in a very touristy area.
This. Like little knick knack shops selling junk, or the dogshit overpriced restaurants that inevitably surround any major tourist site.
It’s a place that is specifically made to fleece clueless tourists.
Pic related dogshit restaurant in Rome
Why was it dogshit? Cook was drunk?
>Tourist traps for me are businesses that serve horribly overpriced subpar quality products/services, and usually located in a very touristy area.
This. Calling a notable historical landmark a "tourist trap" because it's crowded and the ticket is expensive is just Real Traveller™ horseshit. The Historical Landmark Museum next door that's exhibiting 20 photographs and a scale model (entry fee: three billion dollarydoos) absolutely is a tourist trap though.
Depends on your definition of notable though tbh. Some "historic sites" are absolute dogshit and also have ridiculous entrance fees.
Anywhere that the police are likely to plant drugs in your luggage. Veryyyyyy common in all international travel btw
you can stop now; its become blatantly obvious
Wherever family friendly Normie homosexuals go en masse. Cancun, for example
>Thing I don’t like = “tourist trap”
Kill your self, anyone who even believes in the word
How the frick do you disagree with people's definitions in this thread, like this guy:
Niagara Falls is the pinnacle of tourist traps.
The original definition of "tourist trap" was a place where tourists must pass through while road tripping, so the entire local economy is built on tourist revenue. Thus, they put up every kind of bait to trap tourists into stopping, because they know a tourist who stops is a tourist who buys.
A tourist trap is a place that jacks up the prices and only garners attention from tourists unfamiliar with the scam, it could be anything that sells something.
Locals avoid it like the plague.
Sights that are not worth it (pic related) and are famous for unknown reasons. Places that cater exclusively to tourists and are overpriced. And also places that were only known and celebrated for its tranquility and lack of tourists but now are full with tourists. In this case it happened a lot to begpackers destinations, specially in SEA. That do not apply to places like Paris and Prague as they are filled with things to see and do.
Those three are the kind of places that I would consider as tourist traps.
Tourist traps are made up expensive shennanigans parasiting on location..
I am from Prague,I see it on every corner.
- want to see some fiddlers playing fricking Four Seasons in random church, when there is national symphonic orchestra right across the street? Thats a tourist trap..
- Museum of Sex, Chocolade, KGB or some another random shit, where there are two object of national gallery right in the same plaza - be my guest..
- every "authentic cousine" ever in popular destination
- a black person hoarding people for a cruise - yeah it must be pretty legit..
It is so obvious after some time (like two minutes..) that you have to root for the owners of thes places..
> Museum of Sex, Chocolade, KGB or some another random shit, where there are two object of national
In Europe, museums of torture are basically all tourist traps, kek.
Only 238 more miles to South of the Border
If you're not a fricking moron you will just know. Also helps if you come of as intimidating
Gelato shops nearby tourist areas in Italy, because it's not real gelato, and it's overpriced. Also the coffee bar will charge extra to tourists because they can. And really anyone who goes out to eat pizza at a restaurant and not a pizzeria is being scammed along with the poor service
Several factors make a place a "tourist trap", depends of what kind of place you're looking for (Restaurant, landmark, etc)
For restaurants, the biggest red flags you can find is that the place doesn't lists prices (Unless it's a super high-end place), has "Tourists meals" with a catch (In Barcelona it's not uncommon to see restaurants offering cheap Paella but you have to wait 30-40 minutes to get served), and generally the atmosphere of the place (Tourist traps in my experience are overly friendly, it feels like they're trying too hard to convince you to eat)
Plus reviews in google maps can help you but be sure to read them, lots of tourist traps are now purchasing fake reviews (Check the wording and how many reviews they got on a single day, it's easy to spot fake reviews as they sound generic AF and lots of times will even get things wrong, also fake reviews tend to be clustered in 2-4 days so in the end it's quite easy to spot them)