Machu Picchu named 'world's top landmark' by TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor has published the
results of its second Traveler's Choice Attractions Awards. The ancient
city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia, ranked tenth in the Top World
Landmarks category.
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(CNN) -- Ever been to Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania?
How about the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia?
If not, you're missing
out on two of the world's top 10 landmarks, at least according to
TripAdvisor, which on Tuesday released the results of its second
Travelers' Choice Attractions Awards.
Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca citadel located in Peru, tops the travel website's list of the world's top landmarks.
The awards list the top landmarks, as well as the top parks, in the world and United States.
There are also dedicated
lists for Asia, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Mexico, South
America, the South Pacific and UK.
Stanley Park in
Vancouver, Canada, is the world's top park, according to the website,
followed by the Garden of the Gods in Colorado, which edged out Central
Park in New York as the top park in the United States.
The awards identify
leading travel spots around the world "based on the millions of valuable
reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers," said the travel
website in a statement.
"Winners were determined
using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of
reviews for landmark and park attractions worldwide, gathered over a
12-month period."
The world landmarks top
10 list includes numerous religious sites, including Sheikh Zayed Grand
Mosque in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. (#2); the Great Cathedral and Mosque in
Cordoba, Spain (#4); St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City (#5) and Bayon
Temple at Siem Reap, Cambodia (#7).
The U.S. landmarks list
includes four sites that honor the country's soldiers and war dead --
Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Korean War Veterans Memorial, both in Washington, D.C.
The list features a number of head-scratchers, not so much for what's included, but for what isn't.
Portland Head Light
lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, for example, comes in at number 22
on the list of U.S. attractions, but there's no mention of New York's
Statue of Liberty or Arizona's Grand Canyon (both operated by the
National Parks Service) or even Seattle's Space Needle in the U.S. top
25.
The Cloud Gate, a modern
stainless steel public sculpture at Millennium Park referred to by
locals as "the Bean," is the only Chicago attraction to crack the U.S.
top 25 -- none of Chicago's architectural classics, including the Willis
(Sears) Tower, Wrigley Building and John Hancock Center appear in the
top 25 U.S. landmarks.
Likewise, Egypt's pyramids (or any site in Egypt for that matter) are nowhere to be found in the world's top 25 landmarks list.
"TripAdvisor Travelers'
Choice Attractions highlighted landmarks and parks as these are places
people can visit as part of their trip to a destination," TripAdvisor
spokesperson Erin Millard tells CNN.
"National and state parks are often destinations and trips in and of themselves.
"We defined landmark as a
historically, architecturally or culturally significant attraction, and
they are typically owned or run by a governmental or non-profit
organization. Registered national historic landmarks and UNESCO sites
are also included."
Vancouver, Canada's, Stanley Park took home top honors in the TripAdvisor awards.
Top 10 World Landmarks
1. Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu, Peru
2. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
3. Taj Mahal, Agra, India
4. Great Cathedral and Mosque, Cordoba, Spain
5. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
6. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
7. Bayon Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
8. Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia
9. Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
10. Ancient City Walls, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Top 10 U.S. Landmarks
2. Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, Washington, D.C.
3. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
4. Alcatraz, San Francisco
5. USS Arizona Memorial, Honolulu
6. Cloud Gate, Chicago
7. Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
8. New York Public Library, New York
9. Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Savannah, Georgia
10. Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Top 10 World Parks
1. Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada
2. Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado
3. Central Park, New York
4. Millennium Park, Chicago
5. High Line, New York
6. Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, Australia
7. Guell Park, Barcelona, Spain
8. Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo
9. Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro), Madrid
10. Luxembourg Gardens, Paris
Top 10 U.S. Parks
1. Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado
2. Central Park, New York
3. Millennium Park, Chicago
4. High Line, New York
5. Boston Public Garden, Boston
6. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
7. Balboa Park, San Diego
8. Bryant Park, New York
9. Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia
10. Falls Park on the Reedy, Greenville, South Carolina
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