World's Most Popular Landmarks (PHOTOS)

The High Line, a converted rail bed that's now an elevated park, lures millions to the far west side of Manhattan with its scenic lookouts. Even though it's less than three years old, the High Line has already become one of the world's most popular landmarks according to Travel + Leisure's first-ever landmarks survey.

We asked readers to rank contenders in six categories and flag the ones they've actually traveled to see. We used the latter results to determine the world's most popular landmarks, a revealing list of longtime favorites and buzzed-about newcomers like the High Line.

Landmarks that have played a significant role in history and that are instantly recognizable symbols naturally pique our travel interest. Find out which other landmarks made it into the most popular and start plotting your next trip.

--Sarah Spagnolo

Related Links:
America's Most Beautiful Landmarks
World's Most Visited Tourist Attractions

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Comments

[KIVPossum]

01:50 AM on 02/03/2012

Been to 8 of them. None would be 'most popular' for me to revisit.

[Angelus2007]

11:27 PM on 02/02/2012

I don't get The High Line. How is that the 10th most popular landmark?

[super35w81]

11:18 PM on 02/01/2012

Love the list! Excepted for, " The High Line"! I've lived in Manhattan all my life and this is
( in my opinion) the least interesting place in the NYC. Walk just one block West and you will be at Hudson River Park, far more interesting and beautiful and runs almost the whole length of the West Side of Manhattan.

[littlebrowngirl]

08:56 PM on 02/01/2012

Love the bean. I mean cloud gate in Chicago. Public art is awesome!!!

[Noah Cross]

11:42 AM on 02/01/2012

While I've known for some time that "Big Ben" referred exclusively to the bell it never occurred to me to wonder what the tower itself is called.

Any help?

[PiratePrentice]

04:35 PM on 02/01/2012

St Stephan's I believe

[HappyBrit]

09:52 PM on 02/01/2012

It's called the Clock Tower. Original, huh?

[BurtonDesque]

10:50 AM on 02/01/2012

Ridiculous list is ridiculous.

[Leewhite82]

10:44 AM on 02/01/2012

How ironic that the Empire State, so long the tallest building in NYC (and the world) lost that title in the 70's, but regained it ten years ago, without any work...

[jsgaetano]

08:26 PM on 02/01/2012

Well at least we can't say George Dubai Bush never accomplished anything.

[Archer110]

10:42 AM on 02/01/2012

I just saw #4 in a movie or a show I was watching the other day, but I can't remember what it was...ugh, now this is going to bug me all day.

[Archer110]

05:51 PM on 02/01/2012

It was in that Channing Tatum/Rachel McAdams movie trailer. yay.

[PiperSniper]

10:41 AM on 02/01/2012

Uhm, your criteria is skewed ... last time I checked, the US does not constitute the world.

[jh61]

11:17 AM on 02/01/2012

Um... who do you mean by 'your'? This poll was done by Travel and Leisure, not HP.

[PiperSniper]

11:38 AM on 02/01/2012

Second paragraph: We asked readers to rank contenders in six categories and flag the ones they've actually traveled to see. We used the latter results to determine the world's most popular landmarks, a revealing list of longtime favorites and buzzed-about newcomers like the High Line.

[Noah Cross]

11:43 AM on 02/01/2012

And, call me crazy but isn't Big Ben in that England place, which is, I've always suspected, somewhere outside the US.

[jsgaetano]

08:27 PM on 02/01/2012

Last time I checked, Paris, London, and Rome were not in the US.

[ChiGuy]

10:37 AM on 02/01/2012

If you haven't been to a show with the fantastic sight lines and sound at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in Chicago, you're missing one of the great outdoor venues.

[arjun34]

10:28 AM on 02/01/2012

I hate to jump on the-how-can-you-miss-that bandwagon but, come on! No Taj Mahal?

[doolie1]

10:15 AM on 02/01/2012

So the High line and Millenium Park are more popular landmarks than the Pyrimids or The Great Wall?
Wonder how many people in other countries say to themselves" Gee lets fly to America for a vacation, I just MUST see the high line!"?

[Drect]

10:08 AM on 02/01/2012

People, its most visited landmarks.

"We asked readers to rank contenders in six categories and flag the ones they've actually traveled to see."

For it to count you would actually had to have been there at one point. Guess a lot of readers have NOT made it to the Great Wall of China.

[twfslc]

10:06 AM on 02/01/2012

As someone who lives in Chicago, I think the Bean is kind of silly. The Frank Gehry-designed bandshell looks like something an 8-year old with Tinker Toys would build. Bandshells are supposed to look like the bandshells at the Hollywood Bowl or the Esplanade in Boston. I'd put the Sears Tower, the John Hancock Building, One Prudential Plaza (formerly the Prudential Building), the Wrigley Buillding, and the Board of Trade ahead of Millennium Park.

And how about the Old North Church in Boston?

[ChiGuy]

10:47 AM on 02/01/2012

And yet Gehry's "Tinker Toy" (lol) Pritzker Pavilion has been widely hailed as an innovative outdoor venue. Are you as adamantly opposed to Ravinia's pavilion which has been around for decades?

[SukiTheCat]

09:53 AM on 02/01/2012

really, the High Line???