25 Tourist Traps That Are Totally Worth the Money

10/15/2012 — By Kaeli Conforti

Sunrise on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Hula dancer entertains the crowd on Kuhio Beach on Oahu, Hawaii

The Roman Colosseum in the light of sunset in Rome, Italy.

The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor

Uluru Ayers Rock in the Australian Outback

Flowers at Elvis' grave at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee

The Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin, Germany

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"The Great Wall, but off the beaten path." —Anita Ziegner

"There's still something magical about the Eiffel Tower." —@MSNLocalEdition

"Pisa. Go in knowing that you're there for the obligatory picture of you pushing or leaning on the tower. Where else is there one like it?" —@amy_veenstra

Courtesy ibnelly/myBudgetTravel

"Versailles. I've never been but am planning to go next spring. I'm a historian though, so it is of particular interest to me." —Caroline Dover Wilson

Courtesy rwheeler50/myBudgetTravel

"The Acropolis in Athens." —Cindy Ackerman Hovland

"I think Café du Monde, though touristy, in New Orleans is still worth the visit." —@JLDumont6

Courtesy mirelisp/myBudgetTravel

"Chichen Itza. It is truly remarkable and worth the drive." —Addy Bailey

Courtesy Akwinelvr/myBudgetTravel

"Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro." —Shash Yázh

"Blarney Castle. The grounds around the castle are just gorgeous." —Sara O'Bryan Thompson

Courtesy cjdrich/myBudgetTravel

"The U.S. Capitol building. Take the tour. The new video is awesome." —Terrica M. Gibson

"Hit up the luaus on Oahu, Polynesian Cultural Center, Paradise Cove. You have a show and you eat traditional Hawaiian food. They're worth the price of admission." —Barbara Palaith-Newson

"Gondola rides in Venice. A "touristy" thing to do but so worth it!" —JaMeka Tyler Ramnath

"Angkor Wat, Cambodia. So spectacular!" —@mrsptravels

"I did a tour of the Colosseum and some of the ruins. My brother was against it, but we got to see and learn about things that we otherwise wouldn't have known! Totally worth it." —Krista Martin

"The Statue of Liberty." —Sara O'Bryan Thompson

"Uluru [Ayers Rock in the Australian Outback]." —Jennifer Filipowski

"The Trevi Fountain in Rome." —Carolyn Hopkins

"The Pyramids [of Egypt]." —Kelly Hoffman

"Graceland. Mainly because I haven't been yet (next summer!) and I'm obsessed." —Ami Kamara

"Stonehenge. Totally worth the photo op!" —Erin Roush

Courtesy davidspiel/myBudgetTravel

"The double-decker tour buses in Barcelona. Totally worth the long line to get on." —Kelly Schott

"The Tower of London. Been there three times with three different people and loved it every time." —Colleen Fitzwater DePietro

"The Sound of Music bus tour in Salzburg (it doesn't get much more tourist trappy than that!) and I loved it!" —

Courtesy jasminejennyjen/Flickr

"The Space Needle in Seattle." —Crystal Wishart

Courtesy zoonabar/Flickr

"The Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin. Huge queues but worth it." —Fiona Thompson

Courtesy websprinter.nl/Flickr

Sure, these iconic destinations are mentioned in every travel guide. Sure, they're teeming with tourists. But we firmly believe that some spots are on the beaten path for a good reason. Here, the 25 travel classics that Budget Travelers can't (and shouldn't!) resist.