These are the world’s most underrated tourist attractions, according to a new study

Forget the crowded, overpriced bucket-list stops — a new study says these lesser-known spots are the ones actually blowing visitors away.

Everyone’s got the same five landmarks on their bucket list, and half of them are a letdown once you’re standing in line for two hours to see them (ask me about my less-than-stellar experience seeing the Pyramids of Giza). A new study went digging through TripAdvisor to find the places actually earning their five stars, the ones people leave raving about instead of just checking off a list.

The analysis, conducted by ChicksX, reviewed TripAdvisor feedback for the top 50 tourist attractions in every country, tracking 40 keywords tied to positive surprise, words like “amazing,” “hidden gem,” “breathtaking,” and “must-see.” Each attraction’s “underrated score” reflects how many of those keywords appeared relative to its total review count, meaning some spots scored over 100% – visitors were leaving more than one glowing comment per review, on average.

Here’s the full top 10, counting down to the world’s most underrated attraction:

10. The Rooms — Canada (133%)

St. John’s, Newfoundland’s provincial museum and art gallery, The Rooms houses collections spanning the province’s natural and cultural history. It scored 133% underrated, roughly 1.3 complimentary mentions for every review.

9. Skypoint Climb — Australia (134%)

An outdoor climbing experience atop Q1, one of the tallest residential buildings in the Southern Hemisphere on Australia’s Gold Coast, Skypoint Climb takes visitors above the skyline via a guided harness climb. It posted an underrated score of 134%, with consistently enthusiastic reviews.

8. Newcastle Memorial Walk — Australia

This coastal boardwalk in Newcastle, New South Wales, honors World War I soldiers with a series of walkways offering ocean views. “Great view” was its most common description, appearing 652 times, alongside frequent mentions of “beautiful” and “spectacular.”

7. Kiambethu Tea Farm — Kenya

A working tea estate outside Nairobi, Kiambethu offers guided walks through the plantation along with tastings and a home-cooked lunch. It posted an underrated score of 138%, this one had a steady stream of praise from visitors for its intimate, small-group format. This is one of many incredible things you could do on a trip to Nairobi.

6. Stetson Mansion — United States (139%)

The lone U.S. entry on the list, this Victorian-era estate in DeLand, Florida, is known for its ornate architecture and guided tours. It pulled in 8,290 positive mentions across 5,974 reviews with more than 1,000 calling it “amazing” or “beautiful,” and hundreds more describing it as “spectacular” or a “must-see.”

5. Stone Hall Castle — Canada (140%)

Tucked into a residential neighborhood in Regina, Saskatchewan, this is Canada’s only medieval-style castle. It’s a stone fortress built in 1926, now offering guided historical tours and overnight stays. It drew 1,522 complimentary mentions across 1,082 reviews, with visitors frequently calling it “amazing” and a “must see.”

4. Cabot Trail — Canada (142%)

This scenic highway loop winds along the coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, known for dramatic cliffside views and fall foliage. It racked up 2,605 complimentary mentions across 1,824 reviews, including 679 uses of “beautiful” and 333 of “amazing.”

3. Al Noor Island — United Arab Emirates

A small lagoon island in Sharjah connected by a pedestrian bridge, Al Noor Island is known for its butterfly house, art installations, and skyline views. It received 618 positive mentions across 432 reviews, with staff friendliness being a standout theme.

2. Irish National Stud and Gardens — Ireland

Located in County Kildare, this working horse farm and Japanese-style garden draws visitors for both its thoroughbred history and its manicured grounds. It pulled in 2,713 compliments across 1,857 reviews, with visitors frequently praising the gardens as “beautiful” and the staff as “friendly.”

If you need more ideas of incredible places to visit on your Ireland road trip itinerary, be sure to check out the video above.

1. Ahhh Ras Natango Gallery and Garden — Jamaica

Perched 2,000 feet above sea level near Montego Bay, this eco-tourism retreat combines a tropical garden with local art and a rainforest lookout. Of its 357 reviews, researchers counted 712 underrated keyword mentions (nearly two compliments per review), and it currently holds a perfect five-star TripAdvisor rating.

A grain of salt

The rankings come from a marketing research firm’s keyword analysis of public reviews, not a formal academic study, and sample sizes vary widely, from just a few hundred reviews to several thousand. Still, for travelers looking to skip the overpriced tourist traps, this list offers a solid starting point for where to go instead. And if you are curious about what tourist attractions people think you should skip, this study took a look at some of the country’s most boring tourist attractions.

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Read more: The 20 Most Boring Tourist Attractions in the U.S., Ranked

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