10 Most Popular Attractions of 2019, According to TripAdvisor

If you want to see the Colosseum in Rome, you better get in line, as the Italian landmark was just named the most popular tourist attraction on TripAdvisor.

The travel booking website compiled its annual list of most booked attractions, and it turns out, the majority of travelers in 2019 wanted a scoop of gelato with a side of Roman history.

“Iconic and historic sites from around the world will always be popular destinations for travelers, but they’re popular for a reason,” Laurel Greatrix, a TripAdvisor spokesperson, said in a statement. “These are some of the most historic and memorable sites in the world. Whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth, there are plenty of interesting ways to see these sites, like an underground tour of the Colosseum, a family treasure hunt at the Louvre, or even a prime view of the Pope’s weekly address.”

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However, the Colosseum isn’t the only historic landmark that travelers flocked to this year. According to TripAdvisor, the top five attractions included the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Vatican Museums in Rome, the Statue of Liberty in New York, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the French Quarter in New Orleans, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the Skydeck at the Willis Tower in Chicago, and the famed Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy, rounded out the list.

If visiting the Colosseum is on your 2020 list, TripAdvisor does have a little advice on how to get the most in-depth experience without the crowds: Go underground.

“For a behind-the-scenes experience, try an underground tour to gain access to restricted parts of the Colosseum visitors can’t normally enter,” the website said in a blog post. But don’t take their word for it.

Here’s what one traveler said about their experience on the tour: “This was an incredible tour and I was so excited to get to places most people don’t see. We went out onto the ‘stage’ and underground was fascinating. You could really get [a] feel for how things might have worked way back in the day. After that, we walked up and around, and to my surprise, she unlocked a door and we got to go even further up than anyone else!”

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