Where in the world have you been that was very different to what you’d expected?

[Davespecifico]

For me it was a journey through Montenegro to Kotor. I couldn’t believe the fjords, steep cliffs and cruise ships.

I love Paris! There are so many romantic parts to it. I love everything about it.

France in general, especially Paris and Disneyland Paris which I’d told myself would be horrible.
Daytona Beach was everything I expected and more. Actually just most of Florida apart from downtown Orlando.

Argentina. Really loved the people, very family orientated,friendly. Great country, let down continually by their politicians.

San Francisco. Unbelievable amounts of homeless people. We stayed in a hotel close to the airport and as we were leaving to fly home we saw a homeless lady pushing her elderly mother in a wheelchair,with sleeping bags on her lap. It's such a great country yet how their vulnerable are treated makes me so fucking angry.

Corfu. I thought it would be like the Durrels, turns out it's rather tacky and smells vile from rubbish everywhere.

Fuerteventura, absolutely beautiful beaches. Like being in the Caribbean.

*Managedmis

"Perth in Australia. It was like sodding Preston"
*
Yep. Couldn't agree more.

Venice. Expected to be disappointed but loved it. Just get away from the crowds and lose yourself. Ditto Paris which I've been to very many times and I love it. I was expecting to hate Bangkok but it was an amazing vibrant place. LA was extremely underwhelming as was Bondi Beach.

St Tropez still has a glamorous fishing village look. Went swimming however and the sea floor was full of rubbish. Old metal, tyres, a whole motorbike! I think you're just supposed to be seen sitting at the pavement cafes not go for a swim though.

To be fair this was over 30 years ago. They may have cleaned the beach.

Birmingham in Alabama, USA!!!!

Bondi Beach. Tiny and miserable.

Better than expected:
Sri Lanka - really beautiful and loads to see
Croatia - beautiful towns e.g rovinj and coastline
Crete - loved Chania ans the west coast

Disappointing
The pyramids - very small and commercialised
Marrakech - felt very unsafe and uncomfortable
Grenada - dirty and overpriced. Generally prefer asian beaches to carribean

I was disappointed in Rome, I had been wanting to go for so long and it was so underwhelming.

Paris is dirty - hate it there. Also been to Lille and Lyon and I don't like it there either so maybe I just dont like visiting France!

Stockholm is lovely, Liverpool is a brilliant place to visit. Lovely people, lots to see and a very clean city.

Cyprus is gorgeous. I guess if you never leave the town you're staying in, that is specifically catered to the brits abroad, you won't make the most of it. Beautiful unspoilt beaches, friendly people, amazing food. Gorgeous scenery and quaint villages up in the mountains (and skiing in the winter). Little fishing towns with lovely harbours and tavernas. Hire a car and go exploring. If you're expecting middle east and Greek mixed together of course you're going to be disappointed - there's still a divide through the country with military checkpoints. They're not buddies happily mixing their cultures. So much so if you hire a car in the south you can't take it to the North.

Rhodes was a shithole. The only nice beach we found was Lindos. Unfortunately we were staying a long way from there.

Ethiopia. I never expected the variety of landscapes, and the rich history and archaeology.

VenusClapTrap me too! I’d expected to feel a bit unsafe, as I’d been warned it wasn’t nice, but I adored Mexico City.

I felt safer there than in New York. Lovely people.

I hated Dakar - Africa really does a whole other level of poverty, I was scared and wanted to cry in equal measures.

I'm addicted to Bali. Can't really explain why as there is lots not to love but there is something about the place that keeps drawing us back.

Paris is a very different experience if you speak French (or are with someone who can 😊).

Daytona Beach last year, mid hurricane season. I was last there ten years ago and it was fab, we took the car onto the beach and paddled with rays. Last year it was grotty, windswept, everything was closed up and it looked unloved.

Cape Town was a revelation. I had expected it to be scary and full.of poverty - there were areas of great wealth and great poverty side by side which I felt was very sad, but it is a stunning place and everyone was so welcoming. I love it.

''India was way better than I expected. Much cleaner than the UK, humble, friendly and colourful.''

...............really, not when I lived there

Worse than expected:
Barcelona. Heaving with people and grubby.
NYC. Didn't have the charm I thought it would.

Better than expected:
Monaco. I had an idea in my head that I'd hate it but it was beautiful. The streets, the gardens, the water, everything!
Scotland. First went as a reluctant teenager and loved it. Now go back whenever I can.

Surprised so many people don't like Paris. It's such a beautiful city with so much to see. So pretty around Le Marais.

LA - absolute shithole

Beirut - I know a lot of Lebanese people but none of them ever let on was a fab city it is. I loved it.

Bali- The sea was like swimming in a skip. Absolutely vile.

Russia. Thought it would all be soviet tower blocks, and st Petersburg was jaw droppingly beautiful.

New York over Christmas, was expecting it to be magical but just thought it was a bit crap.

Benidorm. Thought it would be a complete dump full of drunken British tourists, there are lots of drunken British tourists but also gorgeous clean beaches and a beautiful old town full of amazing restaurants.

Yes @SecondStarFromTheRight I didn’t know what to expect going to Monaco but I thought it was beautiful too.