Best Ways to Experience These Popular Tourist Destinations Like a Local

Traveling "like a local" may sound like an oxymoron, but it has become one of the hottest trends in modern travel. Seeking out local experiences leads you away from the most overtouristed areas while also offering a more immersive and rewarding trip experience along the way. This sea change is being reflected in everything from the boom in short-term rentals to tours tailored specifically to give tourists an authentic taste of a destination.

Click on the slideshow to see how to navigate the following 25 popular tourist hotspots as if you lived there.

Experiencing Vegas as a local begins with one simple yet highly effective act: leaving the Strip. Where you go from there is up to you. Head to the suburbs to watch a Golden Knights hockey game at a casual bar & grill (don't worry, you can still wager to your heart's content at the built-into-the-bar gaming machines) or spend a morning enjoying the stunning desert scenery at Red Rock Canyon or Valley of Fire.

Like many of the world's greatest cities, Tokyo is a sum of its neighborhoods. Some-like Shibuya & Ginza-are world-famous and very international-feeling, while others like Asakusa and Ueno are more traditional and therefore feel much more "local". The heart of all neighborhoods are humble coffee shops called kissatens and no-frills eateries called izakayas; Visiting one of them is a great way to experience the city like its citizens.

Another sure-fire way to feel like you live there is to duck into any Don Quijote store for a shopping extravaganza like nothing else.

After you've Instagrammed the Colosseum, Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, head out to the Aqueduct Park to enjoy one of the city's best green spaces. Here you will find haunting remnants of ancient aqueducts and plenty of relaxing Romans. Then, take the Metro to the Trastevere neighborhood for dinner at a casual trattoria. Or just grab a slice of thick, delicious pizza at one of the city's many street vendors.

While you may arrive in Florida with your sights set on spending all your time at Walt Disney World or Universal, experiencing a little of the "real" Orlando will send you home more than pleasantly surprised. Case in point is the Park Lake Highland neighborhood, where you can bounce between restaurants (the area is home to some of the best Vietnamese food in the state) and laid-back bars. Then, slide next door to Ivanhoe Village to bring home an antique souvenir-in addition to your mouse ears, of course.

You can't come to Amsterdam without taking a canal cruise, experiencing a museum or taking a curious stroll through the Red Light District. Do all of this and more, but then make sure to spend some time sitting at a sidewalk cafe in one of the outer neighborhoods like Oud Zuid (Cornelis Schuytstraat street feels downright Parisian), De Baarsjes (Cafe Edel is perched directly on a canal) or trendy De Pijp. The latter is certainly popular with tourists, but if the sun is out, you will still be surrounded by lots of locals picnicking at the Sarphatipark.

Also, instead of dodging the masses at the Albert Cuyp Market, you'll find more locals than tourists at the city's lesser-known markets like Ten Kate Markt and Dappermarkt. Grab lunch there and a wedge of Gouda cheese for the road.

Yes, Cancun has a local side and it's easy to find. Leave the hotel zone for the day, where you can experience the sights, sounds and street food aromas of a Mexican market (Mercado 23 & Tianguis de la 94 are good starting points), but still be back to the white sands by sunset.

There are around 8 million versions of local life to inspire your New York story, and you won't go wrong emulating any of them. While the tourists have descended on Brooklyn, Queens remains less discovered, so spend a good chunk of your time taking a bite out of the Big Apple here. Then, visit Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island for a new perspective on the city before taking the Staten Island Ferry to admire the city from the water.

The Turks love their tea and you can't get a more authentic experience than sitting along the Bosphorus river sipping a glass of sugar-laced, fresh-brewed leaves with locals. Then, to experience something you can't do anywhere else in the world, board a cross-continental commuter ferry to the Kadikoy district on Istanbul's Asian side. Linger at the cafes and markets of Kadikoy, as this area offers a real glimpse into the day-to-day Istanbul experience.

Lisbon is riding an unprecedented wave of popularity, but you can still have lots of local experiences if you know where to look. Make for one of the many miradouros (scenic viewpoints), to admire the city in all its glory before retiring to a local, no-frills restaurant that serves up fresh fish, grilled meats and Portuguese wine without the slightest hint of fuss.

The locals are re-discovering downtown in droves so why not join them for a mouthwatering meal at Grand Central Market. Then, spend the rest of your night belting out the hits during a karaoke session in Koreatown. To knock the cobwebs out the next morning, go for a run or a hike at Runyon Canyon Trail or even in the hills of Malibu Creek State Park.

After you've seen Stanley Park and gawked at the steaming clock in Gastown, it's time to rest and relax at the serene Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Afterward, head to East Vancouver to sip the sudsy wares of some of the city's finest craft beer establishments.

Fresh off its starring role in the smash hit film Crazy Rich Asians, Singapore is surging in popularity. While you simply have to see the twinkling lights of the otherworldly Gardens By the Bay and sip a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel, it's in the hawker center food courts where the best local experiences happen.

Simply show up (Maxwell Road Hawker Center is a great introduction), look for the stalls with the longest lines (or proudly displayed newspaper clippings that tout their cooking skills) and then order a few dishes for one of the most mind-blowing buffets of your life.

Yes, South Beach is spectacular and it's defintely the Miami of your mid-winter dreams, but there's so much more to explore. The Wynwood neighborhood is defintely where the cool kids have been hanging the last few years, but both Little Haiti and Little Havana also offer the chance to see the city from the eyes of a local.

Milan is most famous for being a mecca of fashion and for being the home of Leonardo DaVinci's The Last Supper. To be like the locals, dress to impress and spend the time before your supper indulging in aperitivo, a Milanese tradition like no other. Essentially, this is the art of sipping a pre-dinner drink while feasting on a smorgasbord of complimentary snacks.

Milan is also known for being a jumping-off point for romantic Lake Como, but if you opt to visit Lake Garda instead, you will be surrounded by the same stunning scenery but a higher percentage of Italians.

You can't come to London without taking a ride on the iconic Tube or its fleet of double-decker buses, but rest assured that both are used day-in, day-out by locals. When it comes to enjoying the city's impressive amount of green space though, skip Hyde Park for Hampstead Heath, where you can enjoy sweeping views of the city and take a dip in the outdoor swimming ponds, which are a local institution.

Forget eating at Faneuil Hall and instead make for the Boston Public Market, where you will have a much higher chance of bumping into Bostonians. Then, pay a visit to the Boston Harbor Islands for a slice of natural serenity in the city. No trip is complete without a visit to nearby Cambridge, but instead of tripping over other tourists at Harvard Square, head to Mount Auburn Cemetery for sweeping views of Beantown.

While the Old Town is sweet, it is also teeming with tourists day and night. One way to see the city like the locals used to do is by getting up at sunrise to stroll through town, admiring the gorgeous architecture and an empty Charles Bridge. Then, head for the Divoka Sarka nature reserve for some fresh air and hiking.

There is so much more to DC than museums, monuments and cherry blossoms. For starters, visit nearby Alexandria, Virginia to walk on cobbled streets and peruse boutiques and characterful taverns. Then, skip K Street for U Street, which is home to a buzzing social scene- including legendary eatery Ben's Chili Bowl.

Kick the perpetually-popular Khao San Road to the curb to instead explore the diverse eateries at the Bang Rak Market. Here, you can taste your way around Thailand and be surrounded by a good amount of Thai locals. The next day, spend some time in the urban oasis that is Bang Krachao-an artificial island which is a paradise for walkers and cyclists.

Each and every neighborhood in the City of Light is full of local surprises, so make sure to spend some quality time just wandering around, admiring the street life and lively food markets. Since Parisians are famous for purchasing their baguettes fresh every day, join them by buying one at the closest bakery to your accommodation. Then, instead of taking a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower, simply admire it from one of the many sidewalk cafes or rooftop bars within the city.

To experience the Hawaiian capital like a local, leave the crowds of Waikiki behind for a day to experience the chilled out vibe of nearby Lanikai Beach. And when it comes time to grab lunch, hit supermarket chain Foodland for some authentic poke-just like the locals do.

The population of Venice has been dwindling for decades, but the local spirit of the sinking city still shines bright every morning at the Rialto Market. Here, chefs pore over the day's catch in order to stock the kitchen's at the city's best restaurants. And the best way to see the city like a local? Take a ride on a vaporetto, Venice's water-based public transportation for the masses.

Osaka attracts millions of tourists each year, but still, a fraction of them eschew the famous Dotonbori district for slightly lesser-known Shinsekai. Play pachinko (a pinball-like game loved by locals) here before stepping into one of the many humble seafood restaurants with steamed-up windows and tables full of locals winding down after a hard day in the office.

Instead of hitting Fisherman's Wharf and snapping photos of seals, take to the water for a ferry to Tiburon-a nearby seaside town with sweeping views of SF. Then, get your fix of Golden Gate Bridge views from Marin Head Vista, which offers a less crowded experience. After a day of exploring, settle in for a bowl of local seafood stew called cioppino, which will warm you up on a cool, foggy night.

Toronto is a microcosm of the world, and you haven't truly experienced the city until you've visited Greektown, Chinatown or Little India. If you are here during the summer, spend your days with locals on the city's urban beaches, many of which are located on the nearby Toronto Islands.