Tripadvisor
Largest reviews database for attractions, restaurants, and tours.
What Tripadvisor is
Tripadvisor hosts one of the largest collections of traveler reviews for hotels, restaurants, attractions, and tours worldwide, alongside booking options for experiences and accommodation. Travelers use it to gauge what's worth their time in an unfamiliar place by reading large volumes of firsthand reviews and photos. It also surfaces rankings and 'things to do' lists that help shape an itinerary.
What it does for travelers
- ✓Huge database of reviews and traveler photos for attractions, restaurants, and hotels
- ✓Rankings and 'top things to do' lists by destination
- ✓Booking for tours, experiences, and activities
- ✓Hotel and restaurant search with price and rating filters
- ✓Saved lists and trip-planning tools
Good to know
- Free to use; the company earns through bookings and advertising rather than a subscription
- Reviews are user-generated, so read a range and weigh recent ones over older or outlier opinions
- Most features need a data connection, though you can save key info ahead of time
- Available globally, with deeper coverage in major tourist destinations than off-the-beaten-path spots
Tips from the road
- Sort reviews by most recent to catch changes in quality, ownership, or closures rather than relying on the overall average
- Cross-check restaurant picks with local sources, since tourist-heavy listings can skew toward visitor tastes
- Save shortlists of attractions before you go so you have a plan even with spotty signal
- Watch for clusters of suspiciously generic five-star reviews and read the critical ones for balance
When to reach for it
Use Tripadvisor when you want breadth — lots of opinions and photos to vet attractions and tours in a new destination — and to compare options before committing time or money.
Travelers use Tripadvisor in
Tripadvisor — frequently asked
Are Tripadvisor reviews reliable?
They're crowdsourced, so they're most useful in aggregate; read several recent reviews, weigh the critical ones, and be wary of listings with only generic glowing comments.
Can I book hotels and tours directly in the app?
Yes, you can book experiences, tours, and accommodation through the app, and it compares options and prices from various providers.
Does Tripadvisor cost anything?
No, it's free to use; the platform makes money from bookings and advertising rather than charging travelers a fee.