More Brits have visited the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty than these top London landmarks

London is well known as a tourist hot spot - and with great transport links, you'd think that most of the British public had explored its museums or checked out its world-famous landmarks.

But a survey has revealed Brits would sooner splash out on a trip to the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty than take in the famous sights on home soil such as St Paul’s Cathedral and Big Ben.

It seems well-travelled families are more likely to make landmarks a pit stop when abroad, but are ignoring iconic sites at home.

Hadrian’s Wall, Hampton Court Palace in Surrey, and tourist hotspots like Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament all feature on the list of UK places many are yet to visit.

According to a study by leisure group Park Plaza Hotels and Resorts, a quarter of Brits have not set foot in or near St Paul’s and Big Ben remains a TV image for one in eight.

By comparison, two thirds have been to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and a third have seen New York’s Statue of Liberty.

Well worth a visit: St Paul's Cathedral (Image: Unable to verify (TMS))

And while sightseers notch up the air miles, they are reluctant to travel to the nation’s biggest cities to see what’s on offer.

The survey found one in ten have never been to the capital, a third have not visited the Beatles’ birthplace of Liverpool and a quarter have not been to Manchester or Birmingham.

Four in ten revealed Cardiff and Edinburgh were also places they had yet to see.

You'd think most Brits would take a trip to see Buckingham Palace, surely? (Image: Roy Fisher)

The cost of travelling around Britain and unpredictable weather were the two main reasons for staying away from landmarks that attract millions of foreign visitors each year.

Greg Hegarty, regional general manager of the hotel group, said: “There are so many amazing adventures to be had on our very doorstep, with cities like London containing some of the most iconic landmarks and tourist attractions.

“There’s a rich fabric of culture and arts just waiting to be discovered. We’d like to encourage the nation to get out and tick off the bucket list.”