tourist sites

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After String of Suicides, a NYC Landmark Reopens

Hudson Yards' Vessel now has protective steel netting on most levels after 4 suicides in 18 months

(Newser) - In 2021, at the peak of COVID, the Vessel in Manhattan's Hudson Yards was shuttered after four suicides in 18 months. Now, the eye-catching 16-story landmark in New York City has reopened, with protections in place to keep anyone else from harming themselves, reports NBC News . The 150-foot-tall building,...

Tourist Apologizes for Carving Initials Into Pompeii Treasure
Tourist Leaves Mark in Pompeii
Aug 9, 2024 2:45 PM CDT

Tourist Leaves Mark in Pompeii

37-year-old apologizes but could face jail

(Newser) - A house in Pompeii stood unmarred for 2,000 years—though long covered after Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE—until a 37-year-old British tourist visited the ancient city this week. Employees at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy saw him defacing the house and called police, CNN reports. They...

Venice Makes New Move on Tourist Influx

Italian city limits tour groups to 25 or fewer, with some exceptions

(Newser) - In April, Venetians raised an outcry over a new tourist entry fee that they said would make the destination less like a city and more akin to a museum or theme park attraction. Now, the Italian hot spot is making another big move to try to tamp down on overtourism—...

Tate Modern Sees Another Fall, This One Fatal

Man dies after plummeting from London art gallery

(Newser) - A visit to London's Tate Modern art gallery ended in tragedy for one guest on Friday morning. The Metropolitan Police in the UK's capital city say a man fell to his death from the museum around 10:45am local time, reports the AP . First responders attempted to resuscitate...

One of the Hottest Landmarks Offers Private, Pricey Tours

Come April, pay up to $5.5K at Athens' Acropolis and have it all to yourself (along with a few others)

(Newser) - Fancy seeing the ancient Acropolis uncluttered by thousands of selfie-snappers? A solution is in the works, but it will set you back up to $5,500. Starting April 1, Greece plans to offer exclusive guided tours of its most powerful tourist magnet to handfuls of well-heeled visitors outside normal opening...

Symbol of Vietnam Tourism at Risk of Collapse

'Kissing rocks' of Ha Long Bay are eroding, due in part to nearby boats

(Newser) - A key feature of Vietnam's famed Ha Long Bay could collapse if officials don't act to keep boats away. A recent report warns two favorite islets among the thousands of rainforest-topped limestone formations that dot the emerald bay are eroding, with tourists partly to blame, per the BBC...

Tourist Site Pleads for End to Naked Photo Ops

Visitors have gotten 'a right eyeful' in UK sunflower field

(Newser) - The owners of a sunflower field off England's south coast have asked visitors to feel a little less at home. About a half-dozen people have been inspired by the surroundings to pose naked among the 2 million blooms for photos, CNN reports. After "a couple of children saw...

Places to Not Fall Asleep While Drunk in Paris

2 American tourists spent the night in the Eiffel Tower, delaying its opening by an hour

(Newser) - When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Paris, don't do as these two Americans did. As AFP reports, Eiffel Tower security guards making their rounds early Monday before the Parisian icon's 9am opening found a rather unusual and unwelcome surprise in the form of two...

Tourist Says Sorry for Marring Colosseum
Colosseum Vandal
Has an Odd Excuse
Jul 6, 2023 9:13 AM CDT

Colosseum Vandal Has an Odd Excuse

Ivan Dimitrov, 31, of Bristol, England, claims he didn't realize how old the Rome landmark was

(Newser) - A tourist from the UK who was tracked down after etching the names of himself and his girlfriend into Rome's famous Colosseum has been fully identified and is now offering his apologies. "I admit with deepest embarrassment that it was only after what regrettably happened that I learned...

Here Are the Most Overrated Tourist Spots in the US

Plus, 10 underrated gems, courtesy of HawaiianIslands.com

(Newser) - Looking to book your next getaway and take in the sights? If you've ever been disappointed during past visits to American tourist magnets, you might want to check out HawaiianIsland.com's list . The site analyzed upward of 17,000 Tripadvisor reviews for destinations in all 50 states, searching...

For This New Tourist Site, You Need a Hazmat Suit

Ukraine makes Chernobyl control room open for short visits

(Newser) - Not every vacation requires you to receive not one but two tests for radiation exposure, but not every vacation involves a visit to the control room at Chernobyl. Officials in Ukraine are now letting tourists make five-minute visits to the room where the infamous meltdown took place in 1986, reports...

Want to Climb Uluru? Better Do It Soon

Climbing at sacred Anangu site will be banned in 2019

(Newser) - If your bucket list includes a trek up Australia's sacred monolith Uluru, you'd better get moving. The management board of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park—made up of eight indigenous members and four government officials, per the BBC —voted unanimously Wednesday to ban people from climbing the huge...

Attempt to Repair Part of China's Great Wall Ruins It

A 'wild' section of the wall now looks more like a road

(Newser) - It may be the worst repair job ever: What began as an effort to patch up a crumbling 700-year-old portion of China's Great Wall ended up as an unsightly trail of what looks like smooth gray concrete. CNN reports the patch job took place in 2014, but after a...

13 Stories