Top tourist attractions around the world

30.3 million international arrivals in 2025, more than any other city, and the only one in the top ten to fall, by 7%. Things to do in Bangkok concentrate in Rattanakosin, where the Grand Palace has stood since Rama I founded the capital in 1782 and Wat Pho keeps a 46 metre reclining Buddha finished in gold leaf. Wat Arun faces both from the far bank of the Chao Phraya, a few minutes away by river boat.

23.2 million arrivals in 2025, up 6% and second worldwide, lifted by the 50,000 seat Kai Tak Stadium that opened in March 2025 and by the expanded Terminal 2 at the airport. A guide to Hong Kong runs from Victoria Peak at 552 metres down to the Star Ferry, crossing the harbour since 1888, and out to Lantau, where the 34 metre Tian Tan Buddha sits at the top of 268 steps.

22.7 million arrivals in 2025, up 4% and the highest of any European city. What to see in London starts with the Tower of London, on the UNESCO list since 1988, and Westminster Abbey, where every coronation since 1066 has been held. The big museums charge nothing: the Natural History Museum drew 7.1 million visits in 2025 and the British Museum 6.4 million, first and second in the country.

20.4 million arrivals in 2025, a 14% rise and the fastest growth in the top ten, with most visitors crossing from mainland China and Hong Kong. Things to do in Macau sit inside a Historic Centre on the UNESCO list since 2005, where the Ruins of St Paul's and Senado Square anchor a Portuguese quarter small enough to cross on foot, with the Cotai resorts a short bus ride south.

19.7 million arrivals in 2025, up 6%, and the only city in the top ten that sits on two continents. Istanbul's Sultanahmet district falls inside the Historic Areas inscribed by UNESCO in 1985, which puts Hagia Sophia, completed in 537, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, the Ottoman seat of government from the 15th century onward, inside a single walk.

19.5 million arrivals in 2025, up 7%. Things to do in Dubai build outward from the Burj Khalifa, which at 828 metres has been the tallest building in the world since it opened in 2010, through the Deira gold and spice souks of the older creek-side city, to desert that starts within an hour's drive. Dubai International handled 95.2 million passengers in 2025, the heaviest international traffic any airport has recorded.

18.7 million arrivals in 2025, up 7%, almost all of them pilgrims. Entry to the city is reserved for Muslims, which sets it apart from everywhere else on this list. Visiting Mecca peaks with the Hajj, which drew 1,673,230 pilgrims in 2025 according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics, 90% of them from abroad, while Umrah continues year round at the Masjid al-Haram, the largest mosque in the world.

18.6 million arrivals in 2025, up 8%, counted across the whole Turkish Mediterranean province rather than the city alone. A guide to Antalya opens at Hadrian's Gate, raised in 130 CE for the emperor's visit and the last surviving gate of the old walls, then runs through the Kaleici quarter and out to the Roman theatre at Aspendos, built under Marcus Aurelius and among the best preserved anywhere.

18.3 million arrivals in 2025, up 4%, and first in Euromonitor's overall index for the fifth year running. Things to do in Paris run from Notre-Dame, reopened in December 2024 after the fire, to the 330 metre Eiffel Tower, with Versailles a short train ride out. The Louvre held its place as the most visited museum in the world in 2025 with around 9 million visitors.

17.3 million arrivals in 2025, up 5%, closing the world top ten. What to do in Kuala Lumpur takes in the Petronas Twin Towers, 451.9 metres and still the tallest twin towers ever built, and Merdeka 118, which at 678.9 metres is the second tallest building in the world behind the Burj Khalifa. Batu Caves and its 272 painted steps sit 13 kilometres north on the commuter line.