Times Square, The Eiffel Tower and the Trevi Fountain have topped a list of tourist attractions where it is practically impossible to capture the “perfect photo” – due to the overwhelming number of tourists.
New research commissioned by Samsung has identified the world’s most photogenic-yet-frustrating landmarks where people are most likely to photobomb your memories, with The Mona Lisa, Buckingham Palace, Taj Mahal and the Colosseum all ranking among the hardest to capture cleanly.
The study uncovered the lengths people are willing to go to for the dream shot, with more than a quarter (27%) of Brits admitting to sacrificing their holiday lie-in to arrive early for a crowd-free photo, with some reaching iconic landmarks before 6am to capture landmarks before they fill up with tourists.
Whilst this was most common amongst Gen Z tourists, with just under half (40%) admitting to waking up before 6am to bag the perfect picture, their parents’ generation seem less than willing to make the same sacrifice, with 59% of Gen X say they would never wake up early just to get people-free snaps.
The research was commissioned by Samsung to celebrate the power of Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S25 Series, with Photo Assist’s Generative Edit feature enabling users to remove unwanted people or objects from photos so you can showcase you holiday memories and not everyone else’s too.
Top 10 tourist hotspots where it’s practically impossible to get a clean photo:
- Times Square – New York City, USA
- Eiffel Tower – Paris, France
- Trevi Fountain – Rome, Italy
- The Mona Lisa – Louvre Museum, Paris, France
- Buckingham Palace – London, UK
- Taj Mahal – Agra, India
- The Colosseum – Rome, Italy
- Great Wall of China (Badaling section) – Beijing, China
- Niagara Falls – USA
- Shibuya Crossing – Tokyo, Japan
Elsewhere, one in five Brits admit to having queued longer than an hour for photos in certain spots, with reports of the Taj Mahal in India taking the most time. Sites like Times Square and the Shibuya Crossing can also be expected to take an age to get the ideal snap.
At the other end of the scale with travellers reporting the shortest wait times are Machu Pichu and The Hollywood Sign viewpoints, given the vast amount of space for taking photos.
Seven in 10 Brits admit to getting genuinely frustrated when people walk in front of them whilst they’re getting their dream shot captured, with a fifth saying they have even told strangers off for committing unforgivable photography faux pas.
When it comes to generational divides, Gen Z are partial for the perfect shot, with 41% saying they have returned to a tourist attraction twice just to get it. Unsurprisingly, social media is the driver behind this as 31% of Brits admit to taking photos for this reason, as well as sending to loved ones (35%).
46% of Gen Z say they do actually find it annoying when their photos are photobombed. For millennials, a whopping 45% avoid taking pictures at overcrowded sites.
Whilst nearly half of Brits (48%) see the humour in passer-by’s giving a side-eye, smiling in the background, or even pulling old-school photobombing tactics, 64% of millennials wish they could just edit unwanted photobombers out.
Annika Bizon, Mobile Experience VP of Product and Marketing at Samsung said: “Everyone wants to travel home with a photo that represents their incredible trip to some of the wonders of the world, but capturing the perfect snap can sometimes be near impossible. Our Galaxy AI features like Generative Edit on the Galaxy S25 can help time-strapped travellers who would prefer not to have to wake up before 5am to queue for a photo, with just a speedy tap removing any unwanted guests.”
The Galaxy S25 comes with a powerful camera that can recognise faces and lighting to optimise skin tones and clarity for the perfect portrait shots. Its Photo Assist feature lets you recreate the perfect holiday snap with the power of Galaxy AI, with tools like Generative Edit and Portrait Studio.