Big Ben has today been named as the best-rated landmark in the UK in the Travellers’ Choice TM awards for Landmarks, announced by the travel planning and booking site, TripAdvisor.
The iconic London landmark and arguably the world’s most famous clock, has also been named the eleventh best-rated landmark in Europe and 19th in the world – the first time that a UK landmark has ranked among the world’s best rated in the TripAdvisor awards.
This year Big Ben is honoured alongside the likes of Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat and the Taj Mahal and beats Mexico’s Mayan Ruins – Chichen Itza, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and the Sydney Opera House.
Second place in the UK goes to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of the Crown Jewels, the Tower of London, which is also named the 21st best-rated landmark in Europe.
Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional company for London, said, “It’s great that millions of TripAdvisor travellers are enjoying London’s iconic landmarks and sharing their tremendous experiences.
“In 2016, London is set to be even more thrilling, with a new, rich, cultural calendar. For example, a new Harry Potter theatre production, a blockbuster Rolling Stones exhibition, a major extension to the world’s most popular modern art gallery, Tate Modern, and a magical “dream jar trail” across the city to celebrate the release of the Spielberg film, the BFG. I am confident, therefore, that London will continue to enjoy record breaking tourism figures and inspire many more positive reviews in the coming year.”
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 period.
“This year’s awards prove the enduring popularity of many of the UK’s most recognizable landmarks. For travellers planning a visit to any of the winners during the busy summer season, you can book a tour on TripAdvisor ahead of time, such as those that let you skip the queues at the ticket line,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson Hayley Coleman.
London leads UK with best rated landmarks
Once again, London is home to the biggest number of winning landmarks in the UK. This year the capital boasts six of the top ten in the UK, including all of the top three. Big Ben takes the top spot followed by Tower of London in second and Tower Bridge in third. House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace come in fifth, seventh and tenth place respectively in the UK.
Birthplace of The Beatles is this year’s newcomer
Liverpool’s The Cavern Club, the nightclub which famously kicked off The Beatles career along with other world famous British music artists, is the only landmark to be named among the UK’s top ten landmarks for the first time this year. The club joins the list at ninth place
Machu Picchu is world’s #1 landmark
The ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru is this year named as the world’s best rated landmark, rising up from second place last year.
Located at the meeting point between the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin, Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. Built in the fifteenth century, it was abandoned when the Inca Empire was conquered by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century and it was not until 1911 that the archaeological complex was made known to the outside world.
Top 10 world landmarks with average summer nightly accommodation rates and top-rated tours:
1. Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu, Peru – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £41
Top-rated tour: Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cusco – bookable on TripAdvisor for £236 per person.
2. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £81
Top-rated tour: Abu Dhabi Sightseeing Tour: Sheik Zayed Mosque, Heritage Village and Gold Souk – bookable on TripAdvisor for £37 per person.
3. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £44
Top-rated tour: Angkor Temples Small-Group Tour – bookable on TripAdvisor for £58 per person.
4. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £77
Top-rated tour: No Wait Access Entrance: Vatican Museums Tour with Raphael Rooms Sistine Chapel and St Peters Basilica – bookable on TripAdvisor for £50 per person.
5. Taj Mahal, Agra, India – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £24
Top-rated tour: Private Tour: Agra and the Taj Mahal Day Trip from Delhi – bookable on TripAdvisor for £82 per person.
6. Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £50
Top-rated tour: Great Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba History Tour – bookable on TripAdvisor for £16 per person.
7. Church of the Savior on Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £61
Top-rated tour: Small-Group St Petersburg City Highlights Tour Including Peter and Paul Fortress and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood – bookable on TripAdvisor for £49 per person.
8. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £51
Top-rated tour: Skip the Line: Alhambra and Generalife Gardens Half-Day Tour – bookable on TripAdvisor for £44 per person.
9. Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington, United States – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £184
Top-rated tour: Best of DC Including US Capitol and National Archives Reserved Access, the White House and Lincoln Memorial – bookable on TripAdvisor for £88 per person.
10.Milan Cathedral (Duomo), Milan, Italy – average hotel rate on TripAdvisor: £99
Top-rated tour: Milan Super Saver: Skip-the-Line Duomo Tour and Evening Rooftop Visit – bookable on TripAdvisor for £47 per person
Top 10 UK Landmarks
4. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
5. Houses of Parliament, London
8. Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh
Top 10 Europe Landmarks
1. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy
2. Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
3. Church of the Savior on Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia
4. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain
5. Milan Cathedral (Duomo), Milan, Italy
6. Hagia Sophia Museum / Church (Ayasofya), Istanbul, Turkey
7. Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
8. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
9. Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
For the complete list of winners from the 2016 Travellers’ Choice Landmarks awards, as well as reviews and candid traveller photos, go to www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravellersChoice-Landmarks.
Notes to editors:
Average seasonal nightly rates of all bookable accommodations in each destination are based on TripAdvisor pricing data for June 1 through August 31, 2016, aggregated from booking partners, including online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers.
About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travellers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 340 million unique monthly visitors**, and 350 million reviews and opinions covering 6.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 48 markets worldwide.
TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 24 other travel media brands:
www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com,www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com andwww.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com,www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com,and www.virtualtourist.com.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, February 2016
**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q1 2016
