Top 10 Places

Based on expert opinions, reader votes, and current trends compiled by U.S. News, plus factoring in the top-selling tours according to Get Your Guide, here’s the top 10 places to visit and the most popular tours to do while there.  There are varying opinions on this topic across the web, but these places seem to make the cut on most travelers’ lists.

1. PARIS, FRANCE

Top 10 Places

Nicknamed the City of Light, Paris draws in millions of travelers every year with it’s aesthetic, renowned restaurants, and art galleries.  The River Seine flows through this majestic city, lined with museums, cathedrals, street lamps, and beautiful trees.  The Eiffel Tower is perhaps the most famous of it’s many splendors, but tourists also fall in love with the shops, boutiques, and Versailles Palace.  The grand Notre-Dame Cathedral ranks high on most bucketlists, even with the damage it sustained during a terrible fire in 2019.  The list of things to do and see here feels endless.  The city’s museums are also at the top of most tourists’ to-do lists. 

Of these museums, Louvre Museum ranks as not only the most popular in the city, but the most visited museum worldwide.  Touring this vast structure is one of the most popular tours to do while in Paris.  Masterpieces such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are located here.  Other works of art ranging from Ancient Egypt to the Renaissance period can also be found within Louvre Museum.  The tour pictured below offers guaranteed entrance into the museum upon 30 minutes after arrival.  This specific tour has rave reviews from nearly everyone who has taken it.  Surely a must when visiting the most popular city in the world.  

Top 5 In Paris

  • Notre-Dame Cathedral
  • Louvre Museum
  • Eiffel Tower
  • Jardin des Tuileries
  • Le Marais

It may be impossible to see everything in this magnificent city, but try to add these Top 5 attractions to your itinerary.  In the meantime, scroll through the images below to get a good feel for the breathtaking sights you’re about to experience.  

Top 10 Places to Visit

2. MAUI, HAWAII

Top 10 Places

Maui is not the largest of the Hawaiian Islands, nor is it the smallest, but it is far and away the most popular.  Why is that?  Well, for one, tourists are stunned by it’s bewitching beautiful island scenery.  This island also offers the most things to do for a vacationer.  Many tourists are in awe of the incredible wildlife here.  Others are most impressed by the history and culture found on the island. 

You’ll probably see some hula dancing, as well exuberating experiences such as ziplining or snorkeling with beautiful sea animals.  Snorkeling tours are actually the most sought after of all the islands’ offerings.   The tour below is a best-seller that gives adventurers the opportunity to swim with sea turtles, vibrantly colored tropical fish, and see humpback whales.  A must-do if you’re headed to Hawaii and want this “magical experience’ travelers unanimously praise.

Top 5 on Maui

  • Road to Hana
  • Haleakala National Park
  • Waianapanapa State Park
  • Pipiwai Trail
  • Snorkeling Tour

Much like the previous destination spot, seeing everything on Maui in one trip may be tough, but these five things are the most sought-after adventures to partake in.  Scroll through the following photos to get a better feel for Maui’s Top 5 experiences.  

Top 10 Places to Visit

3. ROME, ITALY

Top 10 Places

Rome is a renowned historical city that is jampacked with things to see and do.  No wonder you see it near the top of nearly every bucketlist.  From the famous Fountain di Trevi, aka Trevi Fountain, to the Colosseum, the Eternal City can be overwhelming.  Tours are helpful if you’re trying to take in much of what Rome has to offer.  There are tours that focus on different venues such as the Vatican & Sistine Chapel.  Those tours are amongst the most popular to do.  Colosseum tours are also in high demand, and one specific tour (below) has immaculate reviews.  A guide takes you along to skip the line and explore the arena floor, underground level, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill.

You’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into history with any of the tours you decide to take.  The Pantheon as well as several other famed cathedrals are as awe-inspiring as all of the aforementioned sights.  Have your camera and/or phone fully charged and ready to take hundreds of photos!

Top 5 in Rome

  • Trevi Fountain
  • St. Peter's Basilica
  • the Pantheon
  • the Colosseum
  • Vatican + Sistine Chapel

It would take at least a week to see everything Rome has to offer without whizzing through and passed exhibits.  Add these five places to your itinerary and you’ll at least feel like you conquered most of this insanely cool ancient Italian city.  Browse through the photos below to get a good feel for Rome’s Top 5 spectacles.  

Top 10 Places to Visit

4. BARCELONA, SPAIN

Top 10 Places

Barcelona is another city that is aesthetically mind-blowing and incredibly difficult to cover in a day or two.  The 42 acre park and garden Park Güell is a popular attraction.  Tourists come to this place to admire it’s grand stone columns and wonderfully vibrant mosaics, with an outstanding viewpoint of the Mediterranean Sea.  You can wander this elegant work of art for hours, but you know that there’s still so many other things to see and do in this celebrated Spanish city.  

La Sagrada Familia is right up there with Park Güell at that top of sights to check off.  This sky-scraping Gothic-with-a-spin church looks like something right out of Lord of the Rings.  It’s so amazing that you’ll probably want to see this awesome architecture more than just once.  This unfinished masterpiece was started in 1882 and is said to finish completion in 2026.  Tours inside Sagrada Familia are amongst the most popular in Barcelona, and the good news is that they’re also very affordable.  Book yours via the banner below, starting at just $33 per person.

Top 5 in Barcelona

  • Park Güell
  • Boqueria Market
  • Gothic Quarter
  • La Ramblas
  • La Sagrada Familia

Aside from Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona has a number of popular stops within.  The Boqueria Market is a foodie paradise, a market that’s been operating since 1840.  Here you’ll find a variety like no other marketplace, ranging from fresh fish to colorful desserts to cheeses, and much more.  Be sure to enter on an empty stomach and bring cash; otherwise you’ll just enjoy the heavenly aromas it offers.  The Gothic Quarter is another very popular area, and the oldest part of town.  Here you’ll also find food, as well as shops, cafes, clubs, bars, and picture-perfect plazas.  

Las Ramblas is another Top 5 stop for travelers.  It’s located in the city center and is pedestrian-friendly, offering up souvenir shops, street performances, and plenty of local art.  Like the Gothic Quarter, you’ll also find many cafes, plus bars and clubs that fill up as the night begins.  One thing to keep in mind is to be aware of pickpockets.  They do exist, so be cautious and smart with your valuables.  Check out the video below for a quick glance at this spectacular Spanish city.  

Top 10 Places to Visit

5. GRAND CANYON

Top 10 Places

It should be no surprise that the Grand Canyon is at the top of many people’s lists of world wonders to see in their lifetime.  It is a sight so magnificent that it seems impossible to capture it’s breathtaking views regardless of the quality of camera.  Most people who have visited this 277-mile long canyon on more than one occasion will tell you that the South Rim provides the best lookout points.  

The North Rim has a few notable viewpoints as well, while the West Rim has the famed glass Skywalk.  It’s a horseshoe-shaped glass walkway that is nearly 800 ft above the jagged rocks below.  The tour below is a popular one that starts in Las Vegas, stops in the Hoover Dam, and continues to Eagle Point on the West Rim.  

Top 5 on Grand Canyon

  • Grand Canyon Village
  • South Rim
  • Mather Point
  • North Rim
  • Horseshoe Bend

Grand Canyon Village is a first-stop for many travelers seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time.  Yavapai Point is located here, which is known for having one of the best lookouts of the canyon.  The village is also where tourists will find gift shops, markets, restaurants, as well as the Grand Canyon Railway.  It’s located on the South Rim, which also includes the most popular viewpoints of the canyon.  If driving your personal vehicle, must-see stops along the South Rim include South Kaibab Trail, Bright Angel Trail, and Mather Point.

The North Rim may not be as popular as the South Rim, but it is less crowded, and has some admired lookouts as well.  Horseshoe Bend is a Top 5 Places to see in itself.  This natural beauty is located on the East Rim of the canyon.  I wrote an article about it that you can read HERE.  There are also tours for this sight that include the astonishing Antelope Canyon nearby as well.  Check those out below, and scroll through the slideshow for a glimpse of the canyon’s splendor.

Top 10 Places to Visit

6. COSTA RICA

Toucan Sam

Top 5 in Costa Rica

  • Nicoya Peninsula
  • Arenal Volcano
  • Guanacaste
  • Corcovado National Park
  • Manuel Antonio Park

7. BALI

Bali beach babe

Top 5 in Bali

  • Pura Tirta Empul
  • Uluwatu Temple
  • Mount Batur
  • Tanah Lot Temple
  • Jimbaran

8. DUBAI

10 Best Places

Top 5 in Dubai

  • Burj Al Arab
  • Dubai Mall
  • Jumeirah Mosque
  • Jumeriah Beach
  • Burj Khalifa

9. TOKYO

Tokyo

Top 5 in Tokyo

  • Tokyo National Museum
  • Meiji Shrine
  • Sensoji Temple
  • Imperial Palace
  • Skytree

10. GLACIER NAT'L PARK

Top 5 in Glacier Nat'l Park

  • Going-to-the-Sun Road
  • Trail of the Cedars
  • Lake McDonald
  • Grinnell Glacier
  • Flathead River

There you have it, the Top 10 Places to Visit & Best Tours to Take (while there).  As mentioned, this list, like others, is a somewhat subjective topic.  These top 10 places seem to collectively be some of the most highly regarded, as are the tours mentioned throughout.  I hope you found this article helpful.  Be sure to check out TRIPS & TOURS for more travel insight on other fantastic places,