10 Bizarre Tourist Attractions Around the World
Traveling often brings us to famous landmarks and postcard-worthy views—but sometimes, it’s the offbeat and bizarre that make the most memorable experiences. All over the globe, there are destinations so odd, quirky, or downright strange that they’ve become must-see attractions in their own right. From museums dedicated to failed relationships to parks filled with baby-faced sculptures, these places might make you scratch your head—but they’re also great conversation starters and wildly entertaining.
Here are 10 of the weirdest tourist attractions in the world that just might deserve a spot on your travel bucket list.
1. Museum of Broken Relationships – Zagreb, Croatia
This unique museum is dedicated entirely to the remnants of failed love stories. Exhibits include personal objects like love letters, gifts, and odd tokens of affection—each accompanied by a short explanation of the relationship behind it.
Some are funny, some are heartbreaking, and many are unexpectedly relatable. What started as a temporary art project is now a full-fledged museum that draws visitors from around the world. It’s strange, emotional, and surprisingly moving.
2. The Upside-Down House – Szymbark, Poland
In the small village of Szymbark, you can walk into a house that’s been built completely upside down—furniture, décor, even the exterior roof is on the floor. It was designed as a political statement, but it quickly became a tourist attraction thanks to its dizzying interior and photo-worthy appeal.
Visitors walk along the ceiling while the floor is above them, causing a sense of disorientation and plenty of laughs. The site also includes other quirky attractions like the world’s longest wooden plank.
3. Bubblegum Alley – San Luis Obispo, California, USA
This narrow alleyway in California has walls coated in thousands of pieces of used chewing gum. While some find it revolting, others consider it an ever-evolving piece of public art.
People have been sticking gum here since the 1950s, and the result is a multicolored, textured surface unlike anything you’ve seen. It’s weird, a little gross, and one of the city’s most popular (and Instagrammed) landmarks.
4. Avanos Hair Museum – Avanos, Turkey
Housed in a pottery shop cave beneath the town of Avanos, this museum features hair—specifically, locks of hair from over 16,000 women. Each sample is labeled with a name and address, and the result is a surreal, tunnel-like room covered floor to ceiling in hair.
It began as a sentimental gesture and grew through word of mouth into one of Turkey’s strangest tourist stops. The owner even selects random names each year to win free pottery classes as a reward for participating.
5. The Icelandic Phallological Museum – Reykjavík, Iceland
Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a museum dedicated to penises. This Reykjavik attraction houses over 200 specimens from various animal species, including whales, seals, and land mammals.
Despite its odd subject matter, the museum takes itself seriously and is curated with scientific detail and historical context. It’s both fascinating and awkward—and impossible to forget once you’ve been.
6. Karni Mata Temple (Rat Temple) – Deshnoke, India
At first glance, this may look like a typical Hindu temple—but inside, more than 25,000 rats roam freely and are revered as sacred. Devotees believe the rats are reincarnated family members and offer food and sweets to them during visits.
Visitors walk barefoot through the temple and consider it good luck if a rat scurries across their feet. For those with strong stomachs (and sturdy nerves), it’s one of the world’s most bizarre yet culturally significant religious sites.
7. The Toilet Museum – Suwon, South Korea
Formally known as the Mr. Toilet House, this museum was created by a former mayor who was passionate about sanitation. Built in the shape of a giant toilet, the museum explores the history of bathrooms, toilets, and hygiene practices around the world.
Exhibits are both humorous and educational, highlighting the importance of public sanitation and clean water access. It’s quirky, lighthearted, and surprisingly informative for a place dedicated to, well, flushing.
8. The Dog Collar Museum – Kent, England
Located at Leeds Castle, this small but curious museum houses over 130 historic dog collars, some dating back to the 15th century. The collection includes everything from ornate, jewel-encrusted collars to heavy iron ones meant to protect dogs from wolves.
It’s a strangely specific theme, but dog lovers (and history buffs) will find it oddly fascinating. The exhibit offers a unique look into the evolving relationship between humans and their canine companions.
9. The Hand of the Desert – Atacama, Chile
In the middle of the barren Atacama Desert, a giant human hand rises from the sand—about 36 feet tall and completely isolated. Created by Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal, it’s meant to symbolize human vulnerability and loneliness.
Its remote location makes it feel even more surreal, as if it were part of a sci-fi movie. Many travelers stop here for the eerie photo op on road trips through northern Chile.
10. The Gnome Reserve – Devon, England
Deep in the English countryside lies a four-acre park filled with over 2,000 garden gnomes and pixies. Visitors are encouraged to wear provided gnome hats and roam the whimsical grounds among gnome dioramas, fishing scenes, and fairy circles.
It’s part joke, part earnest celebration of kitsch—and completely unlike any other attraction. The Gnome Reserve is a weirdly peaceful, joyfully odd place that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is part of its charm.
