There’s only one rule to keep in mind when traveling: If you don't
take photos, it didn’t happen. (That, and don’t drink the tap water.) An
un-Instagrammed Eiffel Tower may as well not even exist -- or, at
least,
you didn't see it. Yes, travel pics are important.
But what are the most popular shots travelers snap while traipsing the globe?
Sightsmap recently
used data from a Google-powered photo-sharing app to calculate the most
captured spots, right down to the specific landmark. Here are the top
10.
10. Budapest, Hungary – St. Stephen’s Basilica
Like every other European capital, Hungary’s capital is home to more
religious edifices than you can shake a censer at. St. Stephen’s
Basilica, named after the first king of Hungary, is by far the crown
jewel in the Pearl of the Danube’s scepter -- and yet it’s still only
the third-largest church in Hungary.
9. Buenos Aires, Argentina – Caminito
Located in Buenos Aires’s beautiful (but touristy) La Boca district, the
cobblestone Caminito (Spanish for “little path”) is lined with brightly
painted buildings in front of which artists sell prints and paintings
from kiosks. The colorful storefronts were inspired by tango culture and
soccer teams in equal measure; by all accounts, it’s the ideal place to
crack open a cerveza and watch some fútbol.
8. Florence, Italy – Piazzale Michelangelo
Italy begins its most-photographed dominance (yes, there are more
coming) with Florence’s Piazzale Michelangelo, which isn’t actually
photographed all that much. Rather, its elevation allows tourists to
avoid shelling out Euros for a postcard by snapping professional-looking
panoramas from the perfect vantage point.
7. Monte Carlo, Monaco – Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
For high rollers only, Monte Carlo is an impossibly rich ward of the
impossibly small principality of Monaco, which borders an impossibly
blue Mediterranean sea. The Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo is just one of
many luxury hotels in Monaco, but its fame can be attributed, in part,
to its appearance in the James Bond film GoldenEye. Also, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.
6. Venice, Italy – Ponte dell’Accademia
Sure, Venice smells and the gondola traffic is frustrating – but check
out those bridges, man! The Ponte dell’Accademia is one of four bridges
that crosses Venice’s Grand Canal, and for whatever reason this is a
super important thing that tourists love to capture on film.
Love, in fact, may actually have something to do with it: couples attach
padlocks to the bridge to symbolize their undying affection for
throwing money away on locks they don't need. Or something. Either way,
local law enforcement has been cracking down on the practice in recent
years.
5. Istanbul, Turkey – Maiden’s Tower
At the southern entrance of the Bosphorous strait in Istanbul, you can
actually see the place where the European and Asian continents meet.
While it looks like any other landmass surrounded by water,
conceptually, it's super cool. If it weren’t for the Maiden’s Tower, a
quaint little structure built on a small island in the strait, there
would be nothing at all to note the area’s significance. Thanks, little
guy.
4. Paris, France – Moulin Rouge
Gay Paree has a lot to offer the DSLR-toting traveler: the Eiffel Tower,
the Champs Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, the Nôtre Dame cathedral...
But the city’s most photographed locale,
the Moulin Rouge,
reminds us that sex always sells, even if there’s absolutely zero
chance that Nicole Kidman will show up wearing a black lace garter.
3. Barcelona, Spain – Park Güell
Home to many a historic landmark designed by famed architect Antoní
Gaudi, Barcelona’s Park Güell and its fanciful buildings make up one of
the largest architectural compounds in southern Europe, and all the
outdoor stairs/numerous vantage points make for easy photographing.
2. Rome, Italy – Trinità dei Monti
The Italian capital is the world’s second most photographed location,
according to Google. Of the hundreds of buildings devoted to the
Catholic faith scattered about Rome (seriously, you can toss a papal
vestment anywhere and hit a house of worship), the one that most often
appears in tourist snapshots is the Trinità dei Monti, a Renaissance
church built on a former vineyard.
1. New York City, New York – Guggenheim Museum
Surprisingly, the most camera-friendly landmark in tourist-unfriendly
New York is not the Statue of Liberty or some “abandoned” warehouse in
Williamsburg, but the Guggenheim Museum. Which could mean that tourists
are finally realizing Times Square is a glaring neon hellscape, and if
so, good on them.
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