Discover the best tourist attractions around the world for your next trip
The top landmarks
From Paris and Rome to Bangkok and Hong Kong
Plan before you go
Itineraries for all the cities and places worth visiting
Visiting information
Opening hours, transport and entrances documented site by site
Tickets & tours
Entry tickets and guided tours for each site
Explore the 10 most popular destinations in the world
Ranked by international arrivals in 2025, the measure used by Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index. Figures count overnight visitors from abroad, cover the full calendar year and are refreshed each December.
1. Bangkok
30.3 million international arrivals in 2025, more than any other city, and the only one in the top ten to fall, by 7%. Tourist attractions in Bangkok concentrate in Rattanakosin, where the Grand Palace has stood since Rama I founded the capital in 1782 and Wat Pho keeps a 46 metre reclining Buddha finished in gold leaf. Wat Arun faces both from the far bank of the Chao Phraya, a few minutes away by river boat.
2. Hong Kong
23.2 million arrivals in 2025, up 6% and second worldwide, lifted by the 50,000 seat Kai Tak Stadium that opened in March 2025 and by the expanded Terminal 2 at the airport. A guide to Hong Kong runs from Victoria Peak at 552 metres down to the Star Ferry, crossing the harbour since 1888, and out to Lantau, where the 34 metre Tian Tan Buddha sits at the top of 268 steps.
3. London
22.7 million arrivals in 2025, up 4% and the highest of any European city. The best of London's tourist attractions starts with the Tower of London, on the UNESCO list since 1988, and Westminster Abbey, where every coronation since 1066 has been held. The big museums charge nothing: the Natural History Museum drew 7.1 million visits in 2025 and the British Museum 6.4 million, first and second in the country.
4. Macau
20.4 million arrivals in 2025, a 14% rise and the fastest growth in the top ten, with most visitors crossing from mainland China and Hong Kong. Tourist attractions in Macau sit inside a Historic Centre on the UNESCO list since 2005, where the Ruins of St Paul's and Senado Square anchor a Portuguese quarter small enough to cross on foot, with the Cotai resorts a short bus ride south.
5. Istanbul
19.7 million arrivals in 2025, up 6%, and the only city in the top ten that sits on two continents. Istanbul's Sultanahmet district falls inside the Historic Areas inscribed by UNESCO in 1985, which puts Hagia Sophia, completed in 537, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, the Ottoman seat of government from the 15th century onward, inside a single walk.
6. Dubai
19.5 million arrivals in 2025, up 7%. Tourist attractions in Dubai build outward from the Burj Khalifa, which at 828 metres has been the tallest building in the world since it opened in 2010, through the Deira gold and spice souks of the older creek-side city, to desert that starts within an hour's drive. Dubai International handled 95.2 million passengers in 2025, the heaviest international traffic any airport has recorded.
7. Mecca
18.7 million arrivals in 2025, up 7%, almost all of them pilgrims. Entry to the city is reserved for Muslims, which sets it apart from everywhere else on this list. Visiting Mecca peaks with the Hajj, which drew 1,673,230 pilgrims in 2025 according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics, 90% of them from abroad, while Umrah continues year round at the Masjid al-Haram, the largest mosque in the world.
8. Antalya
18.6 million arrivals in 2025, up 8%, counted across the whole Turkish Mediterranean province rather than the city alone. A guide to Antalya opens at Hadrian's Gate, raised in 130 CE for the emperor's visit and the last surviving gate of the old walls, then runs through the Kaleici quarter and out to the Roman theatre at Aspendos, built under Marcus Aurelius and among the best preserved anywhere.
9. Paris
18.3 million arrivals in 2025, up 4%, and first in Euromonitor's overall index for the fifth year running. Tourist attractions in Paris run from Notre-Dame, reopened in December 2024 after the fire, to the 330 metre Eiffel Tower, with Versailles a short train ride out. The Louvre held its place as the most visited museum in the world in 2025 with around 9 million visitors.
10. Kuala Lumpur
17.3 million arrivals in 2025, up 5%, closing the world top ten. The best of Kuala Lumpur's tourist attractions takes in the Petronas Twin Towers, 451.9 metres and still the tallest twin towers ever built, and Merdeka 118, which at 678.9 metres is the second tallest building in the world behind the Burj Khalifa. Batu Caves and its 272 painted steps sit 13 kilometres north on the commuter line.
The monuments every traveler recognizes
Some places are known before their city is even named: the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, the Great Wall. A guide to famous landmarks around the world gathers 60 cities and the 20 most popular monuments in one place, grouped by the kind of traveler each destination suits, with the best viewpoint for each monument on the list.
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Travel news that will shape your trips
Events, closures and new rules worth checking before you travel.
Milan: National Unity and Armed Forces Day
From October 30 to November 4, the Villaggio della Difesa fills Milan with free ceremonies, military vehicle displays and talks, closing with a Bersaglieri fanfare and an evening concert.
Athens: road closures for the Authentic Marathon
From November 5 to 8, the marathon and its 5 km and 10 km races close avenues around Syntagma and the Panathenaic Stadium, with the longest shutdowns on Sunday.
Venice: the 2027 access fee calendar
Day visitors will pay the Venice access fee on 72 dates between March 26 and August 15, 2027, mostly from Friday to Sunday. Check every fee day before you book.