The Tower of London has today been named as the best rated landmark in the UK and eleventh in Europe in the Travellers’ Choice TM awards for Landmarks, announced by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*.
The famous London attraction, which has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses the Crown Jewels, was also named among the winning landmarks in Europe, along with Edinburgh Castle, which was named second in the UK rankings.
Gordon Innes, CEO London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional company for London said, “Last year was another record-breaking year for international tourism to London, with 17.4 million overseas visits. The Tower of London’s spectacular poppy installation - Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red – captivated the world and was one of the key cultural attractions drawing visitors to the capital, with more than five million attending the stunning display.
“It’s no surprise that this world-famous landmark, along with six other iconic London attractions, have been deservedly championed by the TripAdvisor community.”
“The Travellers’ Choice Landmarks, now in its third year, highlight some of the world’s most iconic, must-see attractions that have won over the TripAdvisor community. The UK is blessed with a lot of fantastic landmarks, but especially in the summer they can prove very popular, so it often pays to plan ahead and book a tour in advance,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay.
London and Edinburgh dominate UK top 10
This year, London wins big in the Travellers’ Choice Awards for Landmarks with six of the UK’s top ten; Tower of London, Big Ben, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace taking first, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place respectively. Edinburgh follows behind London as the second biggest winning city in the UK with two of the UK’s top three landmarks, Edinburgh Castle and Royal Yacht Britannia, taking second and third place.
Russian travellers showing the love for UK attractions
When looking at which nation’s travellers rate UK attractions the highest in their reviews, Russia came out on top, giving the winning UK attractions an average rating of 4.8 out of five[i]. While US and Brazilian travellers were found to be the most frequent reviewers of UK attractions after Brits.
Travellers’ Choice Landmarks awards honour top landmarks worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for landmarks worldwide, gathered over a 12-month
Top three winners in the UK, Europe and the world with recommended value hotels and most popular tours:
For travellers planning a trip to one of the top three Travellers’ Choice award winning landmarks in the UK, Europe and world, TripAdvisor has identified top-rated Viator tours of these impressive sights, as well as highly-rated value hotels[ii] nearby with availability to book on TripAdvisor this summer.
Top three UK Landmarks
Nearby value hotel: Hotel Indigo London Tower Hill – Average nightly summer rate: £171
Top-rated tour: Tower of London Entrance Ticket Including Crown Jewels and Beefeater Tour, starting at £22.00 per traveller
2. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
Nearby value hotel: Stay Central Hotel – Average nightly summer rate: £161
Top-rated tour: Edinburgh Castle Entrance Ticket, starting at £16.50 per traveller
3. Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh
Nearby value hotel: A-Haven Townhouse Hotel – Average nightly summer rate: £85
Top-rated tour: The Royal Yacht Britannia, starting at £14.00 per traveller
Top three Europe Landmarks
1. Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Nearby value hotel: Hostal Hostemplo – Average nightly summer rate: £70
Top-rated tour: Skip the Line: Barcelona Sagrada Familia Tour Including Tower Entry, starting at £28.82 per traveller
2. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy
Nearby value hotel: Fragrance Hotel St. Peter – Average nightly summer rate: £85
Top-rated tour: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's, starting at £44.66 per traveller
3. Milan Cathedral (Duomo), Milan, Italy
Nearby value hotel: Gran Duca di York – Average nightly summer rate: £143
Top-rated tour: Milan Super Saver: Skip-the-Line Duomo Tour and Evening Rooftop Visit, starting at £40.34 per traveller
Top three World Landmarks
1. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Nearby value hotel: Diamon D'Angkor Boutique – Average nightly summer rate: £42
Top-rated tour: Angkor Temples Small-Group Tour, starting at £52.94 per traveller
2. Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu, Peru
Nearby value hotel: El MaPi Hotel – Average nightly summer rate: £134
Top-rated tour: Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cusco, starting at £238.23 per traveller
Nearby value hotel: The Gateway Hotel – Average nightly summer rate: £46
Top-rated tour: Private Tour: Day Trip to Agra from Delhi including Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, starting at £47.65 per traveller
For the complete list of winners from the 2015 Travellers’ Choice Landmarks awards, as well as reviews and candid traveller photos, go to www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravellersChoice-Landmarks.
Notes to editors:
Top 10 UK Landmarks
2. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
3. Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh
5. Houses of Parliament, London
Top 10 Europe Landmarks
1. Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
2. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy
3. Milan Cathedral (Duomo), Milan, Italy
4. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
5. Church of the Savior on Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia
6. Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
7. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain
8. Hagia Sophia Museum / Church (Ayasofya), Istanbul, Turkey
9. Charles Bridge (Karluv Most), Prague, Czech Republic
10. Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
Top 10 World Landmarks
1. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
2. Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu, Peru
4. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
5. Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
6. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy
7. Milan Cathedral (Duomo), Milan, Italy
8. Alcatraz, San Francisco, United States
9. Corcovado - Cristo Redentor, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
10. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, United States
[i] Score is the average review rating from the country that has rated UK attractions the highest. Each country needed to have at least 20 reviews targeting each UK attraction to be considered.
[ii] Nearby value hotels are located within 10 miles of the Travellers’ Choice award-winning landmarks. Hotels were identified based on the quality and volume of hotel reviews, price, and traveller ratings for value. Average nightly rate for summer period of 1 June 2015 – 31 August 2015.
