Nobody really visits New York City to unwind. If you're here on vacation, brace yourself for pandemonium—rats darting through the subway tunnels and an endless cacophony of noise. Given these elements, it’s hardly a revelation that a recent survey crowned the most chaotic tourist trap in the world right here in New York: Times Square.

The survey, carried out by language learning platform Preply, scrutinized over 81 popular tourist spots, polling thousands on which sites they found overrated, overcrowded, and simply not worth the trouble.

Times Square? It's noisy, smelly, and let's not overlook the Frozen characters lurking around, eager for photo ops, which can be somewhat disconcerting.

In the Preply survey, 1,761 respondents labeled the area as “overrated,” “underwhelming,” or a plain “tourist trap.” One disgruntled visitor lamented, “high hopes and expectations, met with high disappointment. Times Square to us was crowded, grimy, and overrated.” Tell us something we don't know.

Photo: unsplash.com/drezart

Despite the criticism, it's hard not to get a bit defensive. True, New Yorkers avoid Times Square unless absolutely necessary—but it's different when we’re the ones critiquing it.

But listen, if Times Square isn’t your cup of tea, New York has countless relaxing, non-touristy activities to offer. How about a Tiki Boat ride at Jamaica Wildlife Refuge? Or indulging in free meditative experiences scattered throughout the city? You could even spend a serene day at a spa on an island slated for major upgrades.

Other attractions deemed major tourist traps in the survey, ranked from worst to not-as-bad, included Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, the Eiffel Tower, The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Manneken Pis in Brussels, The Blue Lagoon in Iceland, the Hollywood Walk of Fame in L.A., the London Eye, and the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Preply also pinpointed the least stressful tourist spots globally, with Switzerland’s Lake Caumasee snagging the top spot, followed by Uluru in Australia and Monastiraki Market in Athens.

Times Square topping the list is no shocker, so defending it seems pointless. All we're saying is there’s a plethora of other activities if you’re not fond of crowds. Just show some respect for our magnificent city.

Don't forget to check out all the research on preply.com