Trip Ideas Attractions The Most Popular Attractions in Cities Around the World By Talia Avakian Talia Avakian Website Talia Avakian is a lifestyle reporter with nearly a decade of experience writing digital and print content for noted national and international travel publications. She began her career in travel reporting at BBC Travel, where she covered news and features of global destinations, later working as a travel reporter at Business Insider and as a digital news reporter for Travel + Leisure. During her time at Travel + Leisure, she has covered airlines, hotels, new product launches for travelers, natural phenomena travelers can witness, new experience launches, and more. Her work has also appeared in The Independent, Time, Food & Wine, Fortune, Essence, and Departures, among others. Talia is currently a freelance lifestyle reporter in Los Angeles, where she covers content ranging from outdoor getaways, hotels, and transportation to food and experiential offerings at destinations across the globe. She has gone behind the scenes with airlines to learn about flight attendant training, scaled remote mountainsides at far-flung hotels, gone inside the inner workers of Air Force jets, shared the history of Frank Sinatra's favorite New York restaurant hideaway, documented what life is like inside the world's largest residential airpark, and more. She loves discovering unknown perks travelers can access and adventures they can take part in no matter where they go, sharing inside looks at offerings from around the world to help every traveler get the best out of each journey. * 9+ years of experience working as a travel reporter * Stories published and syndicated across over 50 national and international publications * Appeared as a travel expert on Cheddar to discuss emerging travel trends * Received a master's degree in multimedia reporting from the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on April 25, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Siripong Kaewla-iad/Getty Images Knowing the local hotspots in a destination you're visiting can help you fill your itinerary with authentic finds and hidden gems. TripAdvisor has just launched a Check-Index, showcasing which areas travelers and locals frequent most often in major tourism destinations across the globe. Using mobile check-ins at locations ranging from restaurants to attractions and hotels, the travel site has put together a list that showcases where tourists' and locals' interests overlap, and the alternative finds locals enjoy that often aren't on tourists' travel itineraries. From San Francisco to Berlin, here are the spots travelers and locals visit most in popular cities. New York City Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Madison Square Garden 2. The National 9/11 Memorial and Museum 3. Times Square Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Madison Square Garden 2. Bryant Park 3. One World Observatory—World Trade Center Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Katz's Deli 2. Balthazar 3. Ellen's Stardust Diner Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Pershing Square 2. The Dead Rabbit 3. Balthazar Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Hard Rock Cafe 2. Shake Shack (Columbus Avenue) 3. Starbucks (Madison Avenue) Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Shake Shack (East 86 Street) 2. Starbucks (Columbus Avenue) 3. Starbucks (Astor Place) Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. New York Hilton Midtown 2. Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel 3. The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel Chicago Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. The Magnificent Mile 2. The Art Institute of Chicago 3. Navy Pier Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. The Magnificent Mile 2. United Center 3. East Bank Club Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Quartino 2. Girl and The Goat 3. Chicago Cut Steakhouse Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Chicago French Market 2. Chicago Cut Steakhouse 3. Quartino Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Portillo's 2. Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe 3. Giordano's (North Rush Street) Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Portillo's 2. Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe 3. Starbucks (South Drexel Avenue) Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Hyatt Regency Chicago 2. The Palmer House Hilton 3. Hyatt Regency McCormick Place San Francisco Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Pier 39 2. Union Square 3. Fisherman's Wharf Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Ferry Building Marketplace 2. Union Square 3. Market Street Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. The Slanted Door 2. Scoma's 3. Cliff House Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Town Hall 2. Yank Sing (Stevenson Street) 3. Foreign Cinema Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. In-N-Out Burger 2. Super Duper Burgers (Downtown) 3. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant and Market Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. The Grove—Yerba Buena 2. Super Duper Burgers (Downtown) 3. Roam Artisan Burgers (Union Street) Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Hilton San Francisco Union Square 2. San Francisco Marriott Marquis 3. InterContinental San Francisco Los Angeles Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Universal Studios Hollywood 2. Hollywood Walk of Fame 3. The Original Farmers Market Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Staples Center 2. The Original Farmers Market 3. The Grove Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Gjelina 2. Perch 3. The Rose Venice Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. The Rose Venice 2. Perch 3. Bottega Louie Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. The Ivy 2. BCD Tofu House 3. In-N-Out Burger Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. BCD Tofu House 2. IHOP 3. Urban Plates Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites 2. JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live 3. Hilton Los Angeles Airport London Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Tower of London 2. Borough Market 3. British Museum Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Borough Market 2. St. Paul's Cathedral 3. Sky Garden Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Duck and Waffle 2. Novikov Restaurant and Bar 3. The Wolseley Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. The Folly Bar 2. Madison 3. Novikov Restaurant and Bar Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Dishoom Covent Garden 2. Five Guys 3. Yauatcha Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Dishoom Covent Garden 2. Big Easy 3. Yauatcha Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London 2. Hilton London Metropole 3. Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel Paris Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. The Louvre 2. Eiffel Tower 3. Galeries Lafayette Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Les Quatre Temps 2. Les Halles 3. Printemps Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Lafayette Gourmet 2. L'Avenue 3. Les Deux Magots Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Lafayette Gourmet 2. Le Chalet 16 3. Klay Saint Sauveur Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Laduree 2. McDonald's 3. Angelina Paris Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Laduree 2. Starbucks 3. Le Relais de l'Entrecote Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Le Meridien Etoile 2. Pullman Paris Montparnasse 3. Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel Rome Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Colosseum 2. Trevi Fountain 3. Spanish Steps Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Stadio Olimpico 2. Spanish Steps 3. Villa Borghese Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Angelino al Fori dal 1947 2. Grazia and Graziella 3. Momart Cafe Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Momart Cafe 2. Dolce 3. Il Fungo—Piano Zero e Quattordicesimo Piano Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Stagioni, l'Osteria di Eataly 2. McDonald's 3. Hard Rock Cafe Rome Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Stagioni, l'Osteria di Eataly 2. Caffe Tomeucci 3. Mamma Pizza Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts 2. NH Collection Rome Vittorio Veneto 3. The Westin Excelsior, Rome Barcelona Bjorn Holland/Getty Images Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Basílica de la Sagrada Família 2. Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria 3. Park Guell Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. La Maquinista 2. L'illa Diagonal 3. Casa Batllo Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. El Nacional Barcelona 2. Cerveceria Catalana 3. La Fonda del Port Olimpic Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Cerveceria Catalana 2. El Nacional Barcelona 3. Fabrica Moritz Barcelona Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Brunch and Cake 2. Tapas 24 3. Bilbao Berria Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Bacoa—Universitat 2. Sopa 3. Nostrum Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Barcelo Sants 2. W Barcelona 3. Hotel Arts Barcelona Berlin Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Alexanderplatz 2. Mauermuseum 3. Berlin TV Tower Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Alexanderplatz 2. Mauermuseum 3. Berlin TV Tower Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Monsieur Vuong 2. Burgermeister 3. KaffeeMitte Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Monsieur Vuong 2. Markthalle Neun 3. Sets Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. KaDeWe Feinschmecker 2. Hofbrau Munchen 3. Hard Rock Cafe Berlin Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. KaDeWe Feinschmecker 2. Ikea 3. Spreegold Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. InterContinental Berlin 2. Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz 3. Hilton Berlin Sydney Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Sydney Opera House 2. Darling Harbour 3. Bondi Beach Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Olympic Stadium 2. Sydney Opera House 3. The Star Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. The Grounds of Alexandria 2. The Glenmore 3. The Beresford Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Salt Meats Cheese 2. McDonald's 3. Hard Rock Cafe Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Shangri-La Hotel Sydney 2. The Fullerton Hotel Sydney 3. InterContinental Sydney Bangkok Attractions Tourists Visit Most: 1. Khao San Road 2. Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) 3. Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) Attractions Locals Visit Most: 1. Siriraj Medical Museum 2. Lumpini Park 3. Ganesha Shrine Independent Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Thip Samai 2. Go Ang—Pratunam Chicken Rice Restaurant 3. T&K Seafood Independent Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. Roast 2. Papaya 3. Thip Samai Chain Restaurants Tourists Visit Most: 1. Secret Recipe Cafe 2. Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok 3. Baan Khanita by the River Chain Restaurants Locals Visit Most: 1. After You Dessert Cafe—Intersect Rama 3 2. Secret Recipe Cafe 3. MK Restaurant Hotels Tourists Stay at Most: 1. Pathumwan Princess Hotel 2. Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok 3. Amari Watergate Bangkok Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit