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!

My Vegan friends who live in Italy said the best Vegan food they’ve ever had apart from what they make at home was in Prague.

Someone said they didn't like Florence? Wow! Florence is beautiful.

Oh dear am off to Rome at the end of the month. After reading this thread and listening to a friend who has just returned I'm not sure I'm going to like it.

I wasn't keen on Venice and Bordeaux just stank of piss. My DH loved Paris but it's never appealed to me so I've not been

I loved Rome. Loads to do.

fussychica - what did they say bad about Rome? I've been a number of times and love it. I mean, if you hate historical buildings and are bored by cultural things, it might not be your cup of tea, I suppose, but even so it's lovely exploring all the different areas and there are so many delicious restaurants. And amazing ice cream!

NZ = 'longwayaway Dorset'. Jesus H Christ. Yes of course the Southern Alps, the fijords, the wine countries, the glaciers, the cultural impact of the Maori, the subtropical islands, the dolphins, the orca... of Dorset. Give me fucking strength.
Nakedavenger74 are you my husband?! You have written pretty much what he has been ranting to me for the 24 hours since I read that post to him!

Rome.

Way too many people and rip off prices seem to be the biggest complaints. I won't be paying 9Euros for a coffee!
We are staying in an apartment so can pick and choose how often we want to eat out. I am looking forward to seeing all the amazing sites, I love a bit of culture from time to time but don't fancy getting swept along on a tide of humanity as one MNetter put it.

NZ = Dorset made me laugh too. I've never been to NZ but have always wanted to go but hate long haul flying. I was greatly comforted by the fact I can take a quick trip to my neighbouring county to achieve the NZ experience

Gibraltar
Yarmouth
Magaluf

Canoed down the Amazon. Was shit. It's just a longwayaway Thetford Forest.

Spent my honeymoon in the Maldives. Rubbish. Just a longwayaway Scarborough.

Australia, most of it though there are some beaches that are ok. Trying to think of some.
Sydney is ok around the quay, the rest is just houses. No I don't like it and some woman vomited on my shoes.

Love Paris.

Spent my honeymoon in the Maldives. Rubbish. Just a longwayaway Scarborough.

Seriously @BruegelTheElder?

Oh dear am off to Rome at the end of the month. After reading this thread and listening to a friend who has just returned I'm not sure I'm going to like it.

I never tire of Rome but it helps if you like art, historical ruins and history. The Trevi Fountain? I’ve never been to see it but there are other places I’ve been time and time again and each time I’ve seen something different. But the best bit is there’s still so much more to see and explore.

I have been to Venice eleven times in October, February, March and September and it has never disappointed. Yes, the Bridge of Sighs, St Marks Square, the Doge’s Palace and other tourist hotspots are crowded as it’s reputation for beauty makes it a worldwide draw for visitors. Nevertheless, it is the most stunning place in the world. It cannot be modernised or over developed and there is no road traffic or traffic noise. In contrast, the boat traffic is lively and charming. Off the beaten track it can be so quiet you could imagine it was two hundred years ago. The cafes and restaurants are expensive and the food pricey and dull but I have taken to eating in my apartment with fresh, local food and having drinks and snacks at canal and fondamente-side bars. The views and buildings are truly uplifting. The art galleries and museums are first class and the opera house enchanting. The Italians value their music and it can be found everywhere. I cannot wait to go back!

Forgot to mention Helsinki. Adore it.

Ulvita in Costa Rica ...this landed in my hair and wouldn't leave, after it had jumped off I need to take a Valium. The guest house where we were staying thought it was hilarious... We soon got out of there and went north, had a fantastic remaining holiday, out of the jungle, in a resort

Thanks to this thread I’ll forever avoid the horrors of Blackpool, Yarmouth and Skegness. Happy to keep an open mind regarding New Zealand, Santorini, San Francisco etc etc

@MawkishTwaddle Your post made me smile. I certainly understand what you mean about Withernsea. However ...

My mum had a chalet there too (Golden Sands Chalet Park) and we went there at least twice a year, for many weeks at a time, from when I was around 4 years old until I was around 15 in the 1960s and early 70s, and I have such fond memories of it. The beaches were fabulous - sandy and went on forever, and I loved walking along the cliffs, and picking mushrooms with my Grandad, and the open air swimming pool, and having a 'posh' lunch at the Queens Hotel. You're right about it being grim and downtrodden, but as a young child I didn't see that and I loved our holidays there, and that chalet park. And of course children in the 60s probably were more easily pleased than children would be today.

Withernsea is the setting of a lot of my dreams, even today.

So while I absolutely understand and agree with your perception of the place, and I know I would feel the same were I to return today, it pains me to read as I have so many happy memories of it.

I think a lot of places that people have hated is because:

a) They went there at the wrong time of year
b) They ate at the wrong places
c) They stayed in the wrong accommodation
d) They only visited the main touristy bits
e) They don’t research a place enough and are disappointed with the lack of beaches in Madeira/Amalfi coast, or visit Rome, but dislike culture and sightseeing.

I appreciate that the above can colour your view of a place quite a lot, but of the places people hated I loved Lake Garda, Rome , Florence, Venice, Bruges and San Francisco (although I did go 32 years ago and understand that it has changed a lot)

I tend to try and have realistic expectations about where we go on holiday. So, when we went to Santa Ponsa this year I didn’t expect it to be anything other than what it is. Fortunately we found places to walk to, our hotel was great, and so was the beach.

“What a shame how mass tourism has killed so many places”

I think you have summed it up perfectly @IrmaFayLear. I visited most of these places before the advent of cheap flights, and while they were busy, they weren’t claustrophobically busy like they are now.

Chowpatty beach, Mumbai (Bombay). Actually come to think of it, all of Mumbai.

Filthy, crowded and constantly hassled for money.....young children swarming like flies as soon as they spotted a caucasian....just like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. The juxtaposition was the immense wealth of many of the locals living in the nearby high rise apartments.

all of Mumbai

Filthy, crowded and constantly hassled for money

Did you expect something else?

@DarlingNikita The keyword to get good food in Venice is "cicchetti", venetian tapas equivalent. Any place that does cicchetti will have its own kitchen and if they do other food too will also be good. We had no trouble at all getting excellent food all week just by scouting TripAdvisor or Google Maps as we wandered around. Stayed in a top-floor airbnb flat two minutes from the Rialto, took the fumetti and walked everywhere. It was gorgeous. We go just outside tourist season, but we only popped through the major tourist sites (Piazza San Marco particularly) early/late because we don't like crowds. Do not for any reason eat at a major tourist site, same as any other city it's a total mugging - go two corners away to back street/tiny piazza restaurants and bars. Glorious!

Loved Prague five years ago, must have been just before the segway plague (segue plegway?) as there weren't any. It was stunning with its contrasts, so much to see. Same trick for food - sausage and a beer in a major tourist square = £10, one street away £5, two streets away £3.

I quite like Amsterdam, quite like Paris (piss and dogshit excepted, yes), love Munich, love the non-town bits of the Lake District (skip Windermere entirely plzkthx) but there are North Yorks and Yorks Moors places that are nicer and quieter, Rome's great, Tokyo is fantastic, London and New York are okay but you have to know what you're doing as choice paralysis sets in quickly.

Egypt's a shithole, anywhere Spanish speaking with a Brit expat 'community' needs to be blown up and tipped into the sea, India and South Africa and Morocco cities (and really anywhere with that sort of disparity) are too depressing and grim to enjoy.

Dominican Republic. I was so excited to be going and had read up about the good work being done in building schools and education. I contacted one of the Directors of one school and organised to take over jotters, pencils and numerous other things to aid the children. Reality was much different - literally jeep loads of tourists were arriving with armloads of resources for them - the tourists were met by the children. I questioned when any learning took place only to be ushered away and told to hush. Something just didn't feel "right" about it all.

We moved hotel after 2 days due to older women and young men in the pool.... Every day you'd see one or other of the young men with a different older woman beside the pool. I never swam in that pool after seeing what a 20 year old male did to a much older female. We flew out 9 days early, I hated the bloody place and were diagnosed with ecoli on our return.