Historic Scottish landmarks named in top 10 'most boring' tourist attractions by visitors
Two Scottish historic landmarks have been named among the 10 most boring tourist attractions in continental Europe, according to new analysis of TripAdvisor reviews.
The Real Mary King's Close and Edinburgh Castle were both flagged in a study by World of Card Games, which examined boredom-related comments from visitors to 50 of Europe's most celebrated destinations. Despite their rich history and strong ratings, many travellers say the sites didn't live up to the hype.
The Real Mary King's Close in Edinburgh topped the list, with 2.42 percent of visitors describing their experience as 'boring', the highest boredom rating of all attractions surveyed. Edinburgh Castle also featured in the top 10, ranking eighth with 1.78 percent of reviews labelling it a let-down.
To determine where tourists felt the most underwhelmed, the World of Card Games team sifted through thousands of TripAdvisor reviews, scanning for terms like 'dull,' 'lifeless,' 'tedious,' and 'mediocre.' The result paints a picture of rising expectations, and growing disappointment, at some of the continent's most iconic sites.
'A lot of travel guides focus on the top attractions and must-see landmarks, but we wanted to explore where boredom truly sets in for visitors,' said Holger Sindbaek, founder of World of Card Games.
'By analysing real reviews and tracking how often people mention feeling disappointed, we gained a better understanding of which European destinations aren't meeting expectations. It turns out, even some of the continent's most iconic sites aren't delivering the excitement they promise.'
At The Real Mary King's Close, visitors descend beneath Edinburgh's City Chambers to explore a preserved maze of 17th to 19th-century streets once teeming with life.
The underground site, described as 'a time capsule beneath the Royal Mile', is rated 4.4 out of 5 based on more than 23,000 TripAdvisor reviews.
But despite its eerie charm and immersive storytelling, some tourists were left unimpressed. One visitor wrote: 'It was pretty disappointing, poor and boring unfortunately. The lady who presented and told the information was pleasant and worked hard at giving all of the information, but the actual experience left a lot to be desired sadly, it was just mainly dull sadly.
"The tour takes about forty-five minutes to an hour, but we were honestly hoping it'd finish only a few minutes into the tour. Also, the ticket prices are £22.50 each for adults, which is vastly overpriced for what it is. The tickets should be fifteen pounds each maximum for adults.'
Similarly, Edinburgh Castle, one of Scotland's most visited attractions, holds a 4.4 rating with over 53,000 reviews and is a centrepiece of the capital's World Heritage Site. The historic stronghold houses the Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny, Mons Meg, and the National War Museum of Scotland.
But even with its impressive credentials, some visitors left feeling deflated. One reviewer said: 'Me and my son (7 years) went to this expecting a castle. It was more like a smaller Tower of London type place.
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"I have to say, despite this being one of the main attractions, I was a bit underwhelmed by it... It has a lot of museums in the grounds, but they were a bit boring for us both (sorry!)... The crown jewels is just one room with a crown/sword etc. It's not very much for the 15–20 minute wait we had.'
Though both sites continue to attract huge numbers of tourists, the findings suggest that high expectations and large crowds are making it harder for historic landmarks to leave a lasting impression.
Other iconic sites with surprisingly high boredom ratings included Florence's Gallerie Degli Uffizi (2.27 percent), The British Museum (2.24 percent), and Buckingham Palace (2.08 percent).
According to the study, common complaints included overcrowding, lack of interactive exhibits, or simply underwhelming experiences compared to the anticipation.
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