The Mona Lisa has been voted the world’s most disappointing tourist attraction by Britons.

A survey by airline easyJet of 2,000 Britons revealed that 86 per cent thought the famous portrait, which was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 16th century, was a “let down”.

The portrait hangs in the Louvre in Paris, which incidentally also features at number nine on the list of disappointing tourist destinations. 

Checkpoint Charlie – a border crossing between east and west Berlin during the Cold War – is the second most disappointing attraction, disliked by 84 per cent of Britons, while the Manneken Pis statue in Brussels comes in at third place on the list, with 80 per cent unimpressed by the bronze statue of a naked boy.

Holidaymakers were also underwhelmed by the Moulin Rouge nightclub and Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain in Rome, The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. 

In contrast, the most desirable attraction was found to be the Northern Lights in Iceland, with 75 per cent of respondents saying it is something they would like to see. 

This was followed by Lake Como in Italy (63 per cent) and Santorini in Greece (60 per cent).

Other top destinations included the Alps in Switzerland, the pink sand Elafonissi beach in Greece, the Cinque Terre in Italy and the tulip fields in the Netherlands.

The survey also revealed that Instagram has become the travel brochure of choice for many Britons, with more than half (55 per cent) of those surveyed booking trips abroad after being inspired by photographs they have seen on social media. 

Nearly one in three travellers (32 per cent) also said their biggest priority when considering a foreign destination was how well their holiday photographs would look on Instagram.

Daniel Young, head of digital experience at easyJet, said: “As people’s attention turns to booking their summer holidays our research shows they’re turning to social media not only to showcase their travels, but to inspire their next adventure in the first place.”

Top 10 disappointments

• Mona Lisa, Paris
• Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin
• Manneken Pis, Brussels
• Moulin Rouge nightclub, Paris
• The Little Mermaid statue, Copenhagen
• Eiffel Tower, Paris
• Spanish Steps, Rome
• Trevi Fountain, Rome
• Louvre, Paris
• Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Top 10 most desirable sights

• Northern Lights, Iceland
• Lake Como, Italy
• Santorini, Greece
• Alps, Switzerland
• Pink sand Elafonissi beach, Greece
• Cinque Terre, Italy
• Acropolis and Parthenon, Athens
• Coliseum, Rome
• Tulip fields, Netherlands
• Benagil sea cave, Portugal

You can find The Independent’s pick of the best European cities to visit in 2019 here. 

Read More