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New research by Accor has highlighted the crème de la crème of European destinations, based on a unique ‘Worth the wait’ score. This has been calculated by looking at the balance between an attraction’s busyness and visitor enjoyment levels at each attraction. Drawing a comparison between the crowd data (busyness) and experience data (enjoyment) reveals the “worth the wait” score.
Top 10 attractions that are worth the wait
| Rank | Venue | Country | Experience rating | Max Crowd | Avg. Weekday crowds | Avg. Weekend crowds | Avg. Crowd size | Crowd rating | Worth the wait score |
| 1 | Puy du Fou | France | 72.68 | 2,152 | 1,047 | 419 | 1,206 | 67.67 | 98.77 |
| 2 | Musée d’Orsay | France | 75.11 | 2,496 | 869 | 745 | 1,370 | 70.20 | 98.66 |
| 3 | Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias | Spain | 71.22 | 2,113 | 879 | 521 | 1,171 | 67.12 | 97.65 |
| 4 | Astérix Park | France | 67.98 | 1,965 | 856 | 496 | 1,106 | 66.12 | 94.91 |
| 5 | Southbank Centre | United Kingdom | 68.72 | 2,425 | 918 | 562 | 1,302 | 69.14 | 92.10 |
| 6 | The Centre Pompidou | France | 71.43 | 2,726 | 1,106 | 687 | 1,506 | 72.30 | 91.55 |
| 7 | Natural History Museum | United Kingdom | 76.92 | 3,630 | 1,212 | 982 | 1,941 | 79.01 | 90.06 |
| 8 | La Sagrada Familia | Spain | 72.52 | 2,820 | 1,240 | 1,120 | 1,727 | 75.70 | 88.72 |
| 9 | The British Museum | United Kingdom | 70.38 | 3,091 | 950 | 912 | 1,651 | 74.53 | 87.53 |
| 10 | East Side Gallery | Germany | 57.57 | 1,849 | 941 | 683 | 1,158 | 66.92 | 81.15 |
Puy du Fou ranked the attraction most worth the wait
Topping the list is France’s magnificent Puy Du Fou, a historical theme park that sees 2.3 million visitors each year. With immersive shows and curated gardens, the park scores an experience rating of 72.68. Coupled with a crowd rating of 67.67 and an average crowd size of 1,206 across its 500-acres, this spacious historical amusement park takes the top spot.
Following closely in second is the iconic Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Famed for its impressionist paintings and housing the likes of Monet and Van Gogh, it’s no wonder the museum scored 98.66 for its “worth the wait” score. Valencia’s architectural marvel, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias ranked third. Encompassing museums, theatres, and an opera house, it has something for everyone – reflected in its 97.65 “worth the wait” score.
In fourth is the family fun comic themed Astérix Park in France scoring 94.91. Rounding up the top five is London’s cultural epicenter, the Southbank Centre, achieving a 92.10.
The Palace of Versailles is ranked as Europe’s busiest attraction
| Rank | Venue | Country | Peak crowd | Avg. Weekend crowd | Avg. Weekday crowd | Avg. Crowd size | Crowd rating |
| 1 | Palace of Versailles | France | 5,942 | 2,355 | 1,609 | 3,302 | 100.00 |
| 2 | Louvre Museum | France | 5,821 | 2,206 | 1,852 | 3,293 | 99.86 |
| 3 | Park Güell | Spain | 5,230 | 2,112 | 2,064 | 3,135 | 97.43 |
| 4 | Cité des Sciences et de L’industrie | France | 5,047 | 1,769 | 1,114 | 2,644 | 89.84 |
| 5 | Europa – Park | Germany | 4,434 | 1,882 | 1,434 | 2,583 | 88.91 |
*Crowd sizes are estimated averages during peak season.
Tourists from all over the world flock to Europe for its historical sites and world-renowned art, meaning many of these destinations see huge queues and bustling crowds.
France leads in Europe’s busiest attractions, with The Palace of Versailles being the most crowded, receiving around 15 million visitors annually. Topping the charts with a crowd rating of 100, halls that were once lined with European royalty are now packed with an average of 3,302 tourists a day.
Parisian attractions such as the Louvre Museum and Cité des Sciences et de L’Industrie also rank in the top five, with average crowd sizes of over 2,500. Barcelona’s Park Güell ranks third with a 97.43 crowd rating and an average crowd size of 3,135, with Germany’s Europa-Park in fifth with an 88.91 crowd score.
Longleat Safari Park rated top for experience
| Rank | Venue | City | Positive sentiment | Neutral sentiment | Negative sentiment | Experience rating |
| 1 | Longleat | Warminster | 25% | 72% | 3% | 82.48 |
| 2 | National Museum of Scotland | Edinburgh | 27% | 72% | 1% | 81.50 |
| 3 | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | London | 26% | 72% | 2% | 81.39 |
| 4 | RHS Garden Wisley | Woking | 27% | 71% | 2% | 80.55 |
| 5 | Victoria and Albert Museum | London | 26% | 72% | 1% | 79.74 |
To determine which attractions visitors were having the best experience at, Google reviews for each attraction were analysed to gauge the overall mood of each review – positive, negative or neutral. This score was then scaled to create the final Experience Rating, where a higher score indicates a more positive experience.
The UK, Ireland, and Germany offer some of the best tourist experiences. Longleat Safari Park and Stately Home leads the way with a rating of 82.48 for visitor experience, followed by the National Museum of Scotland at 81.50 and Kew Gardens in third.
RHS Garden Wisley scores 80.55, while the Victoria and Albert Museum achieves a 79.74 rating. Europa Park in Germany ranks sixth with over 100 attractions. Ireland’s highlights include Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse, Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, and Fota Wildlife Park in the top ten.
For more information about this campaign and the full list of top attractions, visit the Accor site here.
