LONDON: France’s Eiffel Tower has been named the most favourite building of the world, leaving behind India's Taj Mahal and New York's Statue of Liberty, according to a new survey.

The survey by a leading accommodation website Hotels.com has found the iconic Parisian structure as the most favourite among international travellers, while the sixteenth-century monument of love at Agra was the third most-liked structure in the world.

According to the survey, about 16 per cent of the over 10,000 travellers polled in five continents named Eiffel Tower as the best structure.

Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome, is the second most favourite structure with 9 per cent of votes, while the Taj Mahal came third with 8 per cent of the votes.

Three American icons - the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty - made up the remainder of the top six spots, each sharing 7 per cent of traveller's votes.

The other structures that managed to be in top 10 are the Sydney Opera House, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Acropolis in Athens and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

"This survey shows that the pull of famous landmarks is so strong that many people travel to a place especially to see them. These buildings really do have a hold on our imaginations," said Alison Couper.