World’s best tourist attractions revealed — NYC icon cracked the top 5

It’s an Empire State-ment.

While the Empire State Building hasn’t been the world’s tallest in a long time, it hasn’t lost its allure. The iconic skyscraper placed fourth on Tripadvisor’s list of the Top Attractions in the World for 2026, beating out such landmarks as the Louvre in Paris, France, and the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

The list was part of the travel site’s annual Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best rankings, which judges sites based on their “volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the Tripadvisor community over 12 months. Out of their 8 million listings, just 1% achieved this lofty spot.

“This is hard-won recognition, shaped by millions of travelers who booked, showed up, and rated what was actually worth their time,” said Laurel Greatrix, chief communications officer of Tripadvisor Group.

Ranking number one on the list was the Royal Yacht Britannia, which served as the official vessel for the late Queen Elizabeth and the royal family for 44 years before being decommissioned in 1997.

It’s now permanently berthed at a dock in Edinburgh, Scotland, inviting to visit this former pride of the British monarchy’s excursions on the high seas.

Following close behind was La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona by famed architect Antoni Gaudí.

Standing over 566 feet tall, the architectural marvel is the world’s tallest church despite not yet being completed — it has been under construction for 150 years.

Singapore’s sprawling and immaculately manicured park Gardens By the Bay came in third, followed by the Empire State Building in fourth.

Meanwhile, the glittering Cayman Crystal Caves in the Cayman Islands rounded out the top five.

The Big Apple overall had a great showing, with two entries in Tripadvisor’s list of the Top 10 Experiences in the US for 2026: The Central Park Pedicab Guided Tours (6) and the 9/11 Memorial Ground Zero Tour (7).