Germiest vacation spots? TripAdvisor's on the case

A Newton-based firm has created a list of the world's "germiest" destinations.

TripAdvisor LLC, which is best known for user-generated reviews of hotels and tourist attractions, picked the top five, tongue in cheek.

The world's germiest attractions, by TripAdvisor's lights:

1. Blarney Stone, Blarney, Ireland.

(The photo of the Blarney Stone that appears with this post was included in TripAdvisor's press release.)

Up to 400,000 mouths from all over the world touch the stone each year.

2. Wall of Gum, Seattle, Wash.

A tradition at Seattle's Market Theatre in Post Alley has turned into a giant wall of gum. In the 1990s, visitors began sticking their gum to the wall while waiting in line.

3. Oscar Wilde's Tomb, Paris, France

"With a rainbow of hundreds of visible kiss marks adorning the grave, and countless more planted every year, one can't help but wonder...isn't there a cleaner way to show your literary appreciation?" TripAdvisor asked.

4. Foul Fowl: St. Mark's Square, Venice, Italy

"Be careful - these dirty fowl have been known to leave foul unexpected gifts on tourists," TripAdvisor warns.

5. Forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theater (Handprints and Footprints), Hollywood, Calif.

"The forecourt to this historical Hollywood landmark features the hand and footprints of some of the biggest stars in history," TripAdvisor says. "But this intimate look at Hollywood's hands can get a bit grimy given that millions of fans place their fingers in the molds of their favorites.

To read a recent Globe story about TravelAdvisor, please click here.
(By Sean Sposito, Globe correspondent)