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.

Casablanca. Hideous

The Trevi Fountain. It’s impressive in itself, but it’s just on a street corner.

Dubrovnik. Overcrowded and boring

@FarquarKumquatsmama yes so friendly, and the food was amazing! I'm glad others think so

Oi @derxa what are you saying about Wishaw??!? Well it's not a tourist hotspot. People always say they loved 'Scotland' as if it was a homogeneous place. Don't worry I like Wishaw and its people. I used to work there.

I'm not a great traveller, I don't relax in new places so it's only when I get home that I can decide if I've enjoyed it or not . I'm aware that sounds bonkers.

I loved Sorrento, probably because we didn't do the beaches, were child free and it's touristy in a similar way to a nice seaside town in the UK.

Herculaneum and Oplontis were better than Pompeii. Pompeii is huge though and we didn't bother with a guide. Lots of the villas were open. The museum in Naples was great too. I was expecting Naples to be scary and crime ridden. It was fine (same as all cities).

Paris I wasn't keen on, but I like to get my bearings and I find that tricky for cities on a grid layout. Very likely lack of research tbh and undoubtedly easier in the age of the smart phone.

Vegas was ok. I was probably there too long as ex wanted 10 days, so I'm happy never to go back 😂.

The mermaid statue in Copenhagen was very underwhelming - we walked for ages to see it, so it was a disappointment. The rest of Copenhagen was great though.

I'd like to go to India, to the south as I have family there. The city they live has a lot of technological industry so it might be like visiting the equivalent of Milton Keynes...

Benidorm - Thought it would be all English bars and souvenir shops, which are there if you want to visit them, but the old town is just charming and the beach is lovely.

Gibraltar - I live in Stoke, its like Stoke but with sunshine.

Newcastle - Gorgeous city, friendly people, I loved the riverside and the who city has a great vibe.

Copenhagen - the little mermaid is titchy, blink and you'll miss her, its a beautiful city, even during a torrential downpour and the I never noticed before how attractive Danish people are!

The Kelpies. Oh I was looking forward to seeing them right enough, on a whistle stop visit en route to Stirling - but expecting to duly admire them, take a couple of snaps then look around furtively for the coffee shop. Instead I was drawn like a magnet from the car, tumbling out before we'd even parked up. Didn't want to speak to anyone, spurned the scones, took 65 gazillion pictures from every preposterous angle - and had to be dragged away kicking and screaming after 2 and a half hours (in driving rain, on a blustery November morning).

I swear I left a piece of my soul with them. I revisit those 65 gazillion pics regularly, can't bring myself to delete a single one. Yearn to go back when they are lit up at night.

Not remotely horsey btw.

@Heidihoo I had a bottle of ksara rose last weekend - lovely!

Yes I know @TooGood2BeTrue ! We were skiing in Austria but flew to Munich - I didn't like either of them!

Surfer's Paradise - what shit hole.
Bondi Beach - tiny, far too busy, dirty.

Sorry to hear that TokyoSushi.

Jerusalem. Particularly staying in the Old City and hearing the call to prayer. Loved it.

I'm sad to read about how fab Beirut is. We were meant to move there several years ago with DH's work and we were excited at the prospect. But the company changed the role to being based in Dubai. No thanks.

Turkey. DH pestered me for years as his parents took him to Turkey on their family holidays when he was younger, the same way my parents always took me to Spain.

I just didn't fancy it. I'd pictured it as kind of desert-y and dull but we went last year and it was gorgeous. Lush and green, really clean, the local people were all so friendly, the food was amazing and the local town was beautiful. I'd go back tomorrow.

San Francisco - always wanted to visit. Hated it. Felt menacing, I live in London so I am not shrinking violet. Felt on my guard all the time. Ditto LA, the tackiness of the Walk of Fames or whatever it was called with the Stars. I like Santa Monica but there were a few uneasy moments with aggressive beggars.

Mauritius- stunning in places but take away the luxury tourism and it is a poor place. The juxtaposition between rich visitors and poor locals was upsetting.

Grand Canyon - somebody mentioned the tackiness. This is going to sound wanky but the GC is better seen by air. You can get a helicopter tour and it was jawdropping.

Love Monterey and Santa Barbara in California.

Las Vegas, was as I expected. Glad I have seen it, will never go back.

I have never been to Paris. I have heard it is not what you expect at all. Grubby in places, like London I guess. Anybody here think Paris is great? What parts?

Sheffield (sorry!)
I was expecting it to be all grim and industrial. However it’s not at all, lovely buildings, easy access to stunning countryside and the people are really friendly.

Good surprise: Athens, Florida (not theme parks or cities so much but countryside), Siem Reap - favourite place ever and amazing food.

Disappointment: Sydney, Bali, Langkawi

Sarcelle I absolutely love Paris. It is a great city, like London, like NYC, like so many others.

And this will absolutely sound wanky but the trick is to visit it rather than tour it.

Miami - Was surprised at how much I loved the South Beach Area

Can’t remember who wrote this but South Beach is great. Or it was 20 years ago. I was there for extended business and loved it. Art Deco, amazing Latino/Latina/Cuban vibe. An Australian colleague said he felt it was “a poor man’s Cannes.” I told him to fuck off.

It’s its own place, and it’s fantastic.

The Sorbonne area of a Paris is great place to stay! Love Paris! It’s got a studenty feel and is close to Luxembourg gardens which is a huge park.

Liverpool was a complete surprise, really enjoyed it and definitely want to go back.

Was enjoying Vancouver and then we took a wrong turn and in a really scary place with a lot of homeless people who had all their worldly possessions in a shopping trolley.

Monte Carlo was a huge disappointment, was expecting a really glamorous place but it was just full of high rises and no atmosphere at all. St Tropez was far nicer to meander around.

Los Angeles .... all rather dull and unexciting and, in places, rather tacky and run down.

Auschwitz. Everyone knows what to expect: horror, right? We got out of the bus and there it was: warm redbrick huts in tidy rows on green grass and gravel paths, surrounded by trees and blossom. A deep blue sky with a few puffy white clouds. People in cheery touristy clothes drinking coffee and sitting under the trees. And then we went in. I was shocked that somewhere so awful could for a moment look so nice.

On a more cheerful note, loads of places in Southern Spain are beautiful and interesting and not Blackpool-in-the-sun at all. Cartagena has excellent Roman remains - an amphitheatre and a forum - well displayed, clearly labelled and virtually empty. Almeria a lovely, quiet Alcazabar, with no entry fee, and peaceful avenues like Barcelona's Ramblas without the pickpockets. To name just two.

Fortunately as foreign travel looks unlikely for a while, there are lots of quite wonderful places in the UK. Cities, towns, coasts, countryside.

Bad:

New Orleans. Few years post-Katrina. Very obviously still a social divide and thought 'the jazz strip' was tacky

Morocca, specifically Marrakech. Preferred it down the coast in Essaouira, thought Marrakech had an edgy (in a bad way) vibe like something was going to kick off and you're trapped in all those lanes being hassled.

Dominican Republic. Been to a lot of Caribbean islands and didn't like this one.

Sicily. Thought it would be like the getting Amalfi coast type food and culture. Really not. Bullet holes round the walls in banks in Palermo - crazy! Also thought Pompeii was over-rated,

Ko phi phi (min Thailand (where they filmed the beach). Went 20 ago and it was a rubbish dump of plastic then. Stayed for less than 48.

Raffles in Singapore. Well tacky bar where tourists eat peanuts and drop all the outers on the floor.

Second the Mona Lisa being average

Also the Sistine Chapel is kinda a let down due to way they manage the crowds and it's 'just round the corner', 2 hrs later....

Good:

Costa Rica. All of it, just amazing

Loas. Brilliant and very french so eating crusty baguettes with spicy food in south east Asia was a treat.

Driving Pacific highway 1 in California. Awesome scenery, food. Loved it.

Highlands in Scotland via the Sleeper Train and waking up to see stags. Fabulous

India (parts). 24 hr train rides just a crazy adventure!

Japan. Just give me all the food. No thanks to getting squashed in the tube but bullet trains are cool (I like trains :))

Been lucky to travel a lot. Would also add many parts of the UK.

Would love to visit areas of the Middle East and Lebanon, sounds amazing from what people have posted.

Bethlehem.... dreadful and tacky!

Athens.

I knew about the history and had read all about the graffiti.

But wasn't expecting the shameless begging - one man sat his 2 young children on his knee under a blanket and sat rocking them. At the end of the day they got up and strolled off home with their takings. I felt really sorry for those kids.

And it put you right on edge being constantly constantly approached to buy things from street sellers wherever you went.