Worst 'tourist' places you've visited

[ThunderOnlyHappens]

A little inspired by the school trips thread but I have been thinking about the worst places I've visited in pursuit of leisure. Disclaimer-sorry if you live there/love it. These are not anything other than my experience on that day/time.

There was the time I took a group of patients for a nice country stroll, which turned out to be a lay-by off an A-Road.

Or going on holiday to a small town near Gainsborough and realising that there was nothing to do, at all. We were there for a week!

Only been to Lanzarote once and no we didn’t see much of it
Thought it was ok
Was December so pretty cool..did enjoy walking along from our hotel in punta de la carmen to the airport fence perimeter and practically feel the jets taking off and flying in over the top of you
Highlight of my week that was 👍

London. Find it overrated and just generally disappointing

Everywhere (in the uk at least) has High Street malaise.

Then where I live there are (Amazon) delivery vans touring the roads non stop.

Yeah, nothing attractive about Lanzarote at all.

Sorry that was in response to Dowser's comment on York.

I would go to Lanzarote now!

All the tacky commercial crud and neon lights ruining any natural Wonder of the World like Niagara Falls.

Bridlington: scared the living daylights out of us when we were young as was like the graveyards and coffins had emptied and very elderly ghost like people walking and turning slowly around in shops etc..

US Theme parks where you get factory processed from carpark to ride and have to endure seeing as normal morbidly obese children and adults gnawing on an enormous superantibiotic + steroid filled turkey drumstick where each one could easily feed a family of 4 and swilling from fizzy drinks the size of buckets.

Anywhere where you have the poorest, shabbiest shanty towns next to walled gated palacial residences, malls and resorts.

Anywhere where the animals are mistreated.

York Council grant far too many licenses to bars/restaurants.

It's become the hen/stag capital of the UK and on Saturdays it's full of roaming groups of pissheads.

York Station at teatime is shocking. Platforms full of people absolutely mortalled. Last time I went there I saw a man in his fifties bleeding from the head and someone else had pissed himself.

I moved here 26 years ago and it was the home of my dreams. I moved to a town a few miles out a couple of years ago with a view to moving back one day, but I wouldn't dream of it now. It's sad.

Dominican Republic. Such poverty surrounded by massive all inclusive resorts.

Hong Kong. The high-rises give the streets a claustrophobic feeling and I have never come across so many rude and unwelcoming people anywhere--even when I was trying to give them my money by buying their goods/services. Also the air pollution was so bad that I got asthma within an hour of landing there, which I normally never get. Spent my first day there in search of medication so I could breathe again. Never again.

DP and I went to Lake Garda in early June this year so out of season.I liked it but I could tell that it would be absolutely heaving in the summer as there is only one road to get anywhere.

We sacked it off the second week and stayed higher up in the hills which was much nicer.

Really disliked our recent (Supposedly) 5* Turkish All inclusive holiday. For one reason only - the horrible arrogant and rude Russians that were about 70& of the people there.

Agree with the last few posts re York, there has been a definite decline. All I hear about the place is what a good night out it is but I don't really get that, either. I tried getting into the swing of it the last time I was there, but the homeless people huddled up outside the pub/bar entrances sobered me up pretty quickly and I ended up going back to my room feeling a bit sad!

I love New York. Been twice and it's one of my fave places. The people are friendly and helpful and there is so much to see and do. Also liked Amsterdam. You can stay out of red light district and the Jordaan area is ace. Also liked Prague but not as much as Amsterdam. Loved New Orleans and didn't feel unsafe walking around. In fact I felt more threatened in Paris.

The only truly nasty mini-break I've had was to the Peak District. I now live nearby, and love the scenery, but the break was just awful. Nasty, moldy B&B with rude staff, who were very sneery about us not being "serious" walkers (we were just going on short excursions, not doing the Trans-Pennine trail or anything else acceptable); dismal food, random drunken youth etc. Obviously it rained throughout, but that wasn't unexpected.

Paris was underwhelming, but I think that was to do with my circumstances (was with ex) and lack of speaking French. I loved the cemeteries, though.

I was prepared to hate Crete in July, since I don't like heat, sunshine, beaches etc. but went with DM (she was a carer, and it was a rare break for her). Didn't step on a beach or a touristy restaurant once, and had a great time! (Much retsina was sipped in shady places, though...)

This is the weirdest place I've been in Korea. www.citylab.com/life/2018/01/the-popular-korean-attraction-that-was-a-forced-labor-camp/548690

It was a labour camp, but they've turned it into a tourist attraction with lights and wine and figurines and models of kids' cartoon characters. Then you round a corner and there's a sign like 'this is where the Japanese brutally beat and tortured Koreans' then you turn another corner and it's like 'here's a statue of Pikachu'. Very weird place.

There is also an old prison where the Japanese imprisoned protesters, beat and murdered them etc, where you can get a selfie taken with a filter that makes it look like you're being tortured.

It would be hysterical if it wasn't for the tragic history.

Definitely Los Angeles - was there less than 24 hours and even that was too much!

It is such a shame that the tourist trade has ruined many places. If I could get in a time machine (and be rich!) I'd travel everywhere, but now I'd really rather sit at home than be disappointed. I think the Japanese have a term for it, "Paris Syndrome", where you are overcome with sadness at the disconnect between the place of your imaginings and what it is actually like.

That being said, I think some people who say places are "boring" - WTF? How can there be "nothing to do" in New York or Edinburgh or even Milton Keynes? There's always something to investigate. I guess some people don't do people watching or museums or even countryside. I enjoyed my trip to Guernsey (which was someone's idea of "boring" upthread). Especially enjoyed the Telephone Museum. You need the right attitude, people!

We loved Lanzarote!

Places I didn't like:
Dublin - rubbish-strewn O'Connell St, tacky Temple Bar and rain

Istanbul - the sights were great, but creepy men followed me around for the entire time until in desperation I grabbed a sarong I had in my luggage and wrapped it round my head like I was a Muslim and voila! No more hassle

Australia - the natural wonders and the wildlife are great, but the cities were a big disappointment - modern and largely grotty with poor shopping and mediocre museums. The weather also wasn't that great and the ocean, which everyone raves about is bloody dangerous! Rip tides, huge waves, steeply shelving beaches - give me the Med any day. Not worth sitting on a plane for 22 hours for IMO.

And Las Vegas - bleugh!

Dd and I had a wonderful break in Dublin. Excellent museums, extremely friendly and helpful people and nice shops. The rain... it's Ireland !!!!

Paris - filthy/stank
Johannesburg - Our group had to be escorted by armed guards
LA - what a disappointment, one big traffic jam with not much to see
Hollywood - Feet stuck to pavement as it’s so filthy

This is Europe and we moan! The bloody French are worse, I can tell you (I'm married to a Frenchman). The Swiss aren't much better (live in Switzerland)

I really enjoy my time visiting my friend in Switzerland and I we still laugh about one day this year when I turned round in a supermarket queue and fell over an empty buggy someone had parked right behind me without me realising. The dad wasnt happy and then followed me to another till in the shop all the whilst muttering something under his breath that I didnt realise was directed at me - not even in the queue at the next till when the assistants face was a picture at what was going on and he started to mutter louder and louder with the the sexiest french accent ever 'fucking tourist, fucking tourist'. It was worth it just to hear him speak

Now when I meet up with my friend and her son its our stock phrase and at least once a day regardless of where we are in the world we have to work 'fucking tourist' into something going on however random it is.

And the poster who enjoys holidays in Germany? Ive enjoyed nipping over the border from Switzerland into Germany so much that in April we're doing two weeks in the south as well.

Madeira - horrid dull food all served with chips. Lots of big lorries and fumes. Hardly any good beaches.
Bulgaria - plane touched down at Sofia Airport and was surrounded by a pack of wild dogs! Frozen washing hung off drab balconies of soviet looking high rises. No fresh fruit - all black and bruised. All local dishes were a derivation of potatoes. Open plan toilets - which is basically a room that people just walk into and defecate in. Never again.
UK - Keswick pencil museum, also a slate splitting demonstration in North Wales were mind numbingly dull.

Madeira - horrid dull food all served with chips

You’ve really eaten in the wrong places!