Swap These 10 Top Tourist Attractions for Their Quieter Alternatives

Practically the only place in Paris where you can’t see the Eiffel Tower is from the top of the tower itself. That in mind, avoid the lines and seek out an equally marvelous view (that, yes, includes the Eiffel) from the Centre Pompidou, an art and cultural center. After you enjoy the vista, you should also explore the center itself, which houses the Musée National d'Art Moderne, one of the best modern art museums in Europe. The quirky building is also an attraction in its own right. Built in the 1970s, the facade is covered by all the cables and pipes the building needs to function; the controversial, ultra-modern design caused an uproar upon its completion.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” reads the most famous part of the poem inscribed at the base of New York Harbor’s most famous monument. It’s an ideal that forms a cornerstone of New York City’s history. But the best place to learn about that history is not at Lady Liberty—it’s actually on the Lower East Side, at the Tenement Museum. The museum is made up of preserved apartments where families lived crowded together in tiny rooms, and walking through allows you to experience the reality of daily life for many of the immigrants who landed here in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Rotating exhibitions also highlight the stories of the individual families (from more than 20 different countries) who lived in the building. When you’re done with your visit, dive into the contemporary immigrant experience on a food tour of Lower East Side eateries.

Head to the southern edge of Egypt—away from the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, and Cairo, in the north—and you’ll find the temples of Abu Simbel. Built about a thousand years after the Great Pyramids, Abu Simbel is famous for its massive sculptures honoring Ramesses II. The government actually moved this temple complex from its original location during the construction of Lake Nasser, which submerged the adjacent desert (and the temples’ original footprint). That’s lucky for us, because these temples are some of the most magnificent in all of Egypt. Visit on a day tour from Aswan or on a Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor.

The Colosseum, located right in the middle of the busy neighborhoods of modern Rome, is a stunning reminder of the lasting influence of the ancient Roman Empire. But venture to the outskirts of the city, and you can visit another set of stunning ruins while enjoying much more peaceful surroundings. Aqueduct Park (Parco degli Acquedotti) is a 593-acre (240-hectare) reserve that is home to three ancient, water-carrying ruins, as well as a part of the Appian Way (one of the Roman Republic’s earliest and most important roads). Pack a picnic lunch, and you can contemplate the layers of history that undergird Rome at your leisure with few other tourists around to bother you.

Rio de Janeiro seems to go on and on—from the favelas hugging the hills to the miles of beach that string the city’s gorgeous coast. Not surprisingly, the best way to see all of it is from above. Most tourists who want a bird's-eye view head to the popular statue of Christ the Redeemer. For a quieter experience, ride the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain, named for its distinctive shape. The crowds are lighter, and you can enjoy equally stunning views of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Guanabara Bay.

If the Taj Mahal is a symbol of everlasting love—built by the emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal—then the Gurudwara Guru Ka Taal is a symbol of incredible generosity. Gurudwaras are temples for those of the Sikh faith, and they offer free meals to all who pass through (yes, including tourists). And there’s nothing like sitting on the floor of Agra’s Guru Ka Taal and dining among hundreds (sometimes thousands) of devotees. Here, you can learn about Sikhism and the ninth guru, Tegh Bahadur, while feeling like you’re far from the usual tourist track, despite being only 20-minutes from the Taj. Plus, the gurudwara’s building itself is grandiose and beautiful, crowned by pristine white domes.

Though the Forbidden City is unparalleled for its grandeur, it is often so overrun with tourists that it’s hard to see anything but the crowds. For easier access to imperial artifacts, venture out of the city center to the Ming Tombs, which were built around the same time, during the Ming dynasty. This large complex, at the northern edge of the sprawling metropolis, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the final resting place of a majority of the Ming emperors, who ruled China between the 14th and 17th centuries. Chosen based on the principles of feng shui, the site at the foot of mountains boasts thirteen tombs spread over 15 square miles (40 square kilometers). During the Cultural Revolution, some of the tombs’ contents were destroyed, but today the entire complex is preserved for visitors.

The two waterfalls that together make up Niagara Falls are magnificent—some of the biggest falls in the whole world by water volume. But the surrounding cities can sometimes feel more like Vegas than places that allow an unmediated reckoning with the power of nature. For a more relaxed vacation, head north to Quebec City, where European streets and French-Canadian appeal meet a burgeoning gallery scene and world-class restaurants. From there, drive 20 minutes to Montmorency Falls, one of the most impressive cascades in all of southern Canada with a vertical drop of over 260 feet (80 meters). You can see the powerful falls up close on a cable car that takes visitors up to the top or hike up on the well-maintained trail that also takes you above the falls, via a long suspension bridge.

Sydney’s Opera House may grace every postcard and trinket in town, but if you’re visiting the city for the first time, there are other, more emblematic parts of Australia’s largest city you should see. For one of the city’s most iconic experiences, join the locals at Bondi Beach, just a short drive from downtown, where people find time for surfing and lounging no matter the season. Along the beachfront you’ll find hip cafés and bars where you can soak up the sun and people watch. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can then hit Sydney’s six largest beaches for a full seaside experience.

While there’s no place quite like Machu Picchu, the site has unfortunately suffered from over-tourism in recent years. Despite its remote location, it sees 1.5 million visitors per year arriving by truck, foot, and train; it can also be difficult to book entry during high season. Instead of joining those crowds, take a trip to ruminate over the mysteries of the Nazca Lines, located a few hundred miles from Cusco. How an ancient civilization managed to construct this series of ornate geoglyphs (designs carved into or built onto the ground) depicting animals and plants continues to mystify scholars, as the lines are really only visible from the air. To see them, you’ll need to take a plane tour from Lima.