I’m not touching that! Top 5 ‘germiest’ tourist attractions in the world

WE’VE heard of ‘roughing it’, but these popular tourist attractions make us want to reach for the hand sanitiser, stat.

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WE’VE heard of ‘roughing it’, but these popular tourist attractions make us want to reach for the hand sanitiser, stat.

If you’re not one to get your hands dirty while on vacation, you might want to steer clear of these top five ‘germiest’ attractions, as polled by TripAdvisor.

1. Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle, Ireland: Local legend has it that visitors who bend over backwards to kiss the stone built into Blarney Castle are rewarded with eloquent speech. But, given that more than 400,000 people pucker up to the stone each year, we’re guessing you’d end up with a little more than just the ‘gift of the gab’.

2. Gum Wall, Seattle, Washington: People have been sticking their unwanted chewing gum to a wall outside Seattle’s Market Theatre since 1990. It all started as a last-ditch effort by theatregoers to get rid of their gum while waiting in line. Today, it’s a 50ft-long wall covered from floor to ceiling in brightly coloured, sweetly smelling chewie.

In pictures: The 10 worst tourist attractions ever

When the weather heats up, the gum gives off a sickly-sweet aroma. Delicious! Picture: Supplied

3. Oscar Wilde’s Tomb, Paris, France: It’s tradition to kiss the tomb of famous Irish author and playwright Oscar Wilde in Paris’ Pere-Lachaise cemetery. The memorial is covered in a rainbow of hundreds of lipstick prints.

Wonder if British actor Rupert Everett planted a kiss on Oscar Wilde's tomb? Picture: Supplied

4. St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy: Anyone who can’t stand pigeons might argue that this tourist attraction should be the ‘germiest’ of all. Venice’s famed St. Mark’s Square is home to thousands of hungry ’rats of the sky’. Vendors no longer sell food to tourists to feed the birds in an attempt to get rid of the fowl creatures.

Plenty of tourists opt to touch and even hold the pigeons, posing for photos with the. Picture: Supplied

5. Forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, California: The forecourt to this Hollywood landmark features the hand and footprints of some of the biggest stars in history. But, with millions of grubby mitts placed in the moulds to try and match those of favourite celebs, it’s little wonder this tourist attraction rounds out the top five.

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