11 famous places that are quite different from what the guidebooks show

Most travel guides, whether physical or online, tend to show amazing photos of the attractions in each location. But, as most experienced tourists already know, expectations and reality are often very different. Or have you never seen a classic picture of the Great Wall of China crammed with tourists?

If you are ready to go to one of the places that we will show you below, this post is not intended to disappoint you, just to prepare your spirit for life as it is.

O awesome.club presents the main tourist points of the world as they really are.

Although it is a super imposing monument and with one of the most beautiful views in the world, Christ the Redeemer is not very tall. In fact, it is not even taller than the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York, USA. The height of Christ is 38 meters, while the base of the famous statue is 47 meters. Considering pedestal plus statue, the United States monument totals 93 meters. The great advantage of Cristo is that it is at the top of Corcovado Mountain, which, in turn, is 710 meters high.

If you are a fan of the Game Of Thrones series and go to the city of Dubrovnik, on the coast of the country, to walk around the places where the famous series was filmed, prepare to be very accompanied🇧🇷 During the high season, in the summer (which is in July and August), the city is so crowded with tourists that the authorities have to limit access to the historic center to a maximum of 4,000 people a day.

When someone talks about Egyptian pyramids, the image that comes to most people’s minds is that of a desert as far as the eye can see, a relentless sun and camels everywhere. It is unlikely that someone who has never been there would imagine residential neighborhoods very close to the famous historical monument. But that’s the reality. With its nearly 20 million inhabitants, the growth of the city of Cairo threatens to push the pyramids into the middle of the urban area, as some travelers fear.

Add to that an army of street vendors (street vendorsnot camels!) that sell all sorts of souvenirs, people offering to take pictures of tourists (which, of course, are charged) and it is unlikely that you will feel, in fact, that you are in front of history.

Here we have a good example that everything depends on the angle. When you see some amazing photos of this attraction, it looks like you’re dangling over a frightening abyss. What happens is that there is a hill just below, although we do not recommend that you fall on it. The view of the attraction, regardless of the angle of the photo, is breathtaking, which is why it is worth visiting.

Almost any Barcelona tourist guide will introduce you to this incredible urban park designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí. Those who have never been to the capital of Catalonia can get the impression of a village made of small fantasy toys. The good news: the park is much more than a few colorfully tiled houses. The bad news: entry costs around 8.5 euros and queues are usually long. For this reason, it might not be worth paying and it would be more interesting to take pictures from a kind of observation area at the top of the park, with its colorful tiles and the Mediterranean Sea in the background.

If you know the most famous staircase in Italy, you’ve probably already imagined climbing them hand in hand with your love on a sunny day with a smile on your face, the wind blowing your flowing hair… well, we’re sorry to say, but you you can count yourself lucky if you find a spot to sit there.

This beautiful city, which became even more famous with the World Cup, has a monument capable of surprising for its… size. And not because it’s too big. Instead, it’s a tiny bird on a pedestal that many tourists throw coins at. Well, you could say that if the statue were bigger and everyone hit it, the poor bird wouldn’t be able to handle it.
so many wishes.

Very blue sky, transparent sea, fine sand… paradise on Earth. When one thinks of paradisiacal beaches, these islands in the Indian Ocean are among the most remembered destinations. But what few know is that very close by there is an artificial island called Thilafushi, which receives all the garbage generated by tourists. Environmentalists claim that this little-known side of paradise once received around 330 tons of garbage daily. Therefore, in 2011, the authorities suspended the ‘export’ of garbage to the site.

Don’t expect to feel like a French aristocrat in this historic and glamorous location. Like most major tourist attractions, this one suffers from overcrowding. It is even possible for the tide of people to take you ‘down the river’, without you being able to move on your own.

The famous peeing boy statue might disappoint you. It turns out that he doesn’t always ‘take the water off his knee’ naked. Sometimes he does it dressed up — there’s even a collection of clothes for that, ranging from regional costumes to Elvis costumes. The curious thing is that changing clothes (or putting them on) is usually accompanied by a ceremony with a band and everything. Let’s face it: it must even be more fun than simply enjoying the naked statue peeing.

Yet another case in which people imagine themselves in a mystical and deserted place, but end up forgetting that civilization nowadays reaches everywhere. The famous UK ruins are next to a very noisy and busy road.

Have you been to any of these places? What were your impressions? Maybe you don’t agree with what we publish and managed to have a few moments of contemplation in front of all these monuments and historical sites. Regardless of anything, the important thing is to be grateful for the incredible opportunity to be able to travel and discover the wonders created by nature and humanity. After all, as an old movie said, life is beautiful 🙂