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Travel+Leisure

The Most Popular Attractions in Cities Around the World

Talia Avakian
7 min read
Bondi Beach Australia
Bondi Beach Australia

Siripong Kaewla-iad/Getty Images

Knowing the local hotspots in a destination you're visiting can help you fill your itinerary with authentic finds and hidden gems.

TripAdvisor has just launched a Check-Index, showcasing which areas travelers and locals frequent most often in major tourism destinations across the globe.

Using mobile check-ins at locations ranging from restaurants to attractions and hotels, the travel site has put together a list that showcases where tourists' and locals' interests overlap, and the alternative finds locals enjoy that often aren't on tourists' travel itineraries.

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From San Francisco to Berlin, here are the spots travelers and locals visit most in popular cities.

New York City

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Madison Square Garden

2. The National 9/11 Memorial and Museum

3. Times Square

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Madison Square Garden

2. Bryant Park

3. One World Observatory—World Trade Center

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Katz's Deli

2. Balthazar

3. Ellen's Stardust Diner

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Pershing Square

2. The Dead Rabbit

3. Balthazar

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Hard Rock Cafe

2. Shake Shack (Columbus Avenue)

3. Starbucks (Madison Avenue)

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Shake Shack (East 86 Street)

2. Starbucks (Columbus Avenue) 

3. Starbucks (Astor Place) 

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. New York Hilton Midtown

2. Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel

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3. The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel

Chicago

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. The Magnificent Mile

2. The Art Institute of Chicago

3. Navy Pier

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. The Magnificent Mile

2. United Center

3. East Bank Club

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Quartino

2. Girl and The Goat

3. Chicago Cut Steakhouse

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Chicago French Market

2. Chicago Cut Steakhouse

3. Quartino

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Portillo's

2. Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe

3. Giordano's (North Rush Street)

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Portillo's

2. Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe

3. Starbucks (South Drexel Avenue)

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Hyatt Regency Chicago

2. The Palmer House Hilton

3. Hyatt Regency McCormick Place

San Francisco

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Pier 39

2. Union Square

3. Fisherman's Wharf

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Ferry Building Marketplace

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2. Union Square

3. Market Street

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. The Slanted Door

2. Scoma's

3. Cliff House

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Town Hall

2. Yank Sing (Stevenson Street)

3. Foreign Cinema

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. In-N-Out Burger

2. Super Duper Burgers (Downtown)

3. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant and Market

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. The Grove—Yerba Buena

2. Super Duper Burgers (Downtown)

3. Roam Artisan Burgers (Union Street)

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Hilton San Francisco Union Square

2. San Francisco Marriott Marquis

3. InterContinental San Francisco

Los Angeles

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Universal Studios Hollywood

2. Hollywood Walk of Fame

3. The Original Farmers Market

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Staples Center

2. The Original Farmers Market

3. The Grove

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Gjelina

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2. Perch

3. The Rose Venice

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. The Rose Venice

2. Perch

3. Bottega Louie

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. The Ivy

2. BCD Tofu House

3. In-N-Out Burger

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. BCD Tofu House

2. IHOP

3. Urban Plates

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites

2. JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live

3. Hilton Los Angeles Airport

London

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Tower of London

2. Borough Market

3. British Museum

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Borough Market

2. St. Paul's Cathedral

3. Sky Garden

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Duck and Waffle

2. Novikov Restaurant and Bar

3. The Wolseley

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. The Folly Bar

2. Madison

3. Novikov Restaurant and Bar

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Dishoom Covent Garden

2. Five Guys

3. Yauatcha

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Dishoom Covent Garden

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2. Big Easy

3. Yauatcha

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London

2. Hilton London Metropole

3. Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel

Paris

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. The Louvre

2. Eiffel Tower

3. Galeries Lafayette

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Les Quatre Temps

2. Les Halles

3. Printemps

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Lafayette Gourmet

2. L'Avenue

3. Les Deux Magots

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Lafayette Gourmet

2. Le Chalet 16

3. Klay Saint Sauveur

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Laduree

2. McDonald's

3. Angelina Paris

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Laduree

2. Starbucks

3. Le Relais de l'Entrecote

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Le Meridien Etoile

2. Pullman Paris Montparnasse

3. Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel

Rome

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Colosseum

2. Trevi Fountain

3. Spanish Steps

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Stadio Olimpico

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2. Spanish Steps

3. Villa Borghese

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Angelino al Fori dal 1947

2. Grazia and Graziella

3. Momart Cafe

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Momart Cafe

2. Dolce

3. Il Fungo—Piano Zero e Quattordicesimo Piano

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Stagioni, l'Osteria di Eataly

2. McDonald's

3. Hard Rock Cafe Rome

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Stagioni, l'Osteria di Eataly

2. Caffe Tomeucci

3. Mamma Pizza

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts

2. NH Collection Rome Vittorio Veneto

3. The Westin Excelsior, Rome

Barcelona

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Bjorn Holland/Getty Images

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Basílica de la Sagrada Família

2. Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria

3. Park Guell

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. La Maquinista

2. L'illa Diagonal

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3. Casa Batllo

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. El Nacional Barcelona

2. Cerveceria Catalana

3. La Fonda del Port Olimpic

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Cerveceria Catalana

2. El Nacional Barcelona

3. Fabrica Moritz Barcelona

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Brunch and Cake

2. Tapas 24

3. Bilbao Berria

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Bacoa—Universitat

2. Sopa

3. Nostrum

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Barcelo Sants

2. W Barcelona

3. Hotel Arts Barcelona

Berlin

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Alexanderplatz

2. Mauermuseum

3. Berlin TV Tower

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Alexanderplatz

2. Mauermuseum

3. Berlin TV Tower

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Monsieur Vuong

2. Burgermeister

3. KaffeeMitte

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Monsieur Vuong

2. Markthalle Neun

3. Sets

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. KaDeWe Feinschmecker

2. Hofbrau Munchen

3. Hard Rock Cafe Berlin

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. KaDeWe Feinschmecker

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2. Ikea

3. Spreegold

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. InterContinental Berlin

2. Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz

3. Hilton Berlin

Sydney

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Sydney Opera House

2. Darling Harbour

3. Bondi Beach

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Olympic Stadium

2. Sydney Opera House

3. The Star

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. The Grounds of Alexandria

2. The Glenmore

3. The Beresford

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Salt Meats Cheese

2. McDonald's

3. Hard Rock Cafe

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Shangri-La Hotel Sydney

2. The Fullerton Hotel Sydney

3. InterContinental Sydney

Bangkok

Attractions Tourists Visit Most:

1. Khao San Road

2. Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)

3. Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew)

Attractions Locals Visit Most:

1. Siriraj Medical Museum

2. Lumpini Park

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3. Ganesha Shrine

Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Thip Samai

2. Go Ang—Pratunam Chicken Rice Restaurant

3. T&K Seafood

Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. Roast

2. Papaya

3. Thip Samai

Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most:

1. Secret Recipe Cafe

2. Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok

3. Baan Khanita by the River

Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most:

1. After You Dessert Cafe—Intersect Rama 3

2. Secret Recipe Cafe

3. MK Restaurant

Hotels Tourists Stay at Most:

1. Pathumwan Princess Hotel

2. Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok

3. Amari Watergate Bangkok

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