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Original poster

Most overrated destination you’ve visited?

944 replies

Rnm62 · 20/05/2023 13:53

Just that really..

OP posts:
mushroom3 · 21/05/2023 23:35

LA and Miami

3pteepee · 21/05/2023 23:48

Thessaloniki- so drab and no place to park

pleasehelpwi3 · 21/05/2023 23:52

Tenerife
Sherness!
The back of a stretched Mercedes limousine. Icy cold and windows way too tinted.

SockGoddess · 21/05/2023 23:54

Tobermory, boring, unfriendly, totally lifeless and when we tried to go in a pub locals turned round and glared at us until we left. It looks nice and could make lots of money from tourism but I guess it doesn’t want to!

The only welcoming place we could go was an Italian restaurant, the Italians were nice,

MCal174 · 22/05/2023 00:00

Rnm62 · 20/05/2023 13:53

Just that really..

Walt Disney Theme Parks, money for old rope, dated nonsense! EPCOT utter crap. Orlando Theme Parks in general, overhyped tosh!

Ninjama1 · 22/05/2023 00:04

Dinopawus · 20/05/2023 14:05

Bahamas. Like Magaluf for Floridians.

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Really - where were you?

Ninjama1 · 22/05/2023 00:07

Refreshmentsanyone · 21/05/2023 22:31

Loads of people say New York now. It was the city in the ‘80’s /90’s. What’s changed?

That's not quite true - NYC was the pits in the 1980s with Times Square full of sex shops and worse. It wasn't until the 1990s that it began to clean up its act. Sadly Covid has struck at its heart again and people working from home and companies closing have left some areas full of homeless and crime ridden again.

Ninjama1 · 22/05/2023 00:09

CharlieBoo · 21/05/2023 21:14

People surprised at Majorca.. it is really beautiful. We’ve gone to Puerto Pollensa almost every year for the last 10 years. My favourite place ever ..

It's an island of two halves!

HRTQueen · 22/05/2023 00:19

evuscha · 20/05/2023 17:10

Yes! LA is actually great once you get off the beaten path, amazing museums, amazing hiking trails, some great beaches too, so much to do for everyone, of course some dodgy areas too. But yeah if you only ever see Venice beach and Hollywood walk of fame then I can see why people don’t like it.

I have similar experience with other places where I either lived for a bit or visited with locals. New York, Venice, Milan - loved all of those and discovered cool places in each, but they generally get a lot of hate when people just look at the main tourist spots.

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I’ve visited LA and spent a lot of time/worked there I have immediate family living there

I still don’t like it. I agree that there is more to see that the tourist sites and nice places to visit. I think it’s the genera feeling there I find it’s falsely friendly, the extremes of wealth and poverty, so many very unwell people living on the streets, for such a multi cultural city it’s doesn’t seem so interstates it just has a very different feeling to any other city I have been to

i think California is a great place to visit

LuluBlakey1 · 22/05/2023 00:27

Rome - most of it was filthy, heaving with traffic, shabby concrete building work taking place. It was only in a defined area in the centre that it was beautiful.

Fredflinstoneswife · 22/05/2023 00:30

Madrid
Barcelona
Chicago
Was unimpressed by Malta

letthemalldoone · 22/05/2023 00:31

Fredflinstoneswife · 22/05/2023 00:30

Madrid
Barcelona
Chicago
Was unimpressed by Malta

We loved Madrid!

NutellaNut · 22/05/2023 00:48

Another vote for Paris and also Brussels.

Anskl · 22/05/2023 00:56

Tunisia, as so many other have said.
I was keen to go there as I'd only ever visited European countries and wanted to experience something different.
The trip from the airport to the hotel made me feel uneasy - there was a menacing air and everything was dirty and grim. I felt safe in the hotel but didn't feel I was experiencing anything authentic, rather the staff trying to cater to a perceived Western idea of luxury.
On the occasions I ventured outside the complex I felt intimidated, especially in markets with their aggressive selling techniques. It didn't help that local men persistently called "Jennifer Lopez" after me wherever I went. I'm not Latina and don't consider myself beautiful although I do have a sizeable derriere...
The only part of the holiday I enjoyed was a guided tour where we escaped into the Sahara desert, rode some camels, and watched the sun rise.

Anskl · 22/05/2023 00:57

Bali was always on my visit list but the 'hot Blackpool' comments have enlightened me.

AuntyPonsonby · 22/05/2023 01:01

Giant's Causeway - don't bother.

SquaresandStarlings · 22/05/2023 01:05

bitteroulbag · 21/05/2023 23:26

My son lives in Barcelona in a cool non touristy hood. I love the city more each time I visit.

This!!

The most amazing city.

yutu · 22/05/2023 01:09

UK

Angelinadarling · 22/05/2023 01:12

Maldives… hundreds of tiny (boring) islands in beautiful ocean - polluted by ‘rubbish island’. Absolutely sod all to do on each island except swim, £££jet ski, £££snorkel (swim), £££canoe, £££scuba (swim) and repeat - day in day out. Absolutely NO shops on each island bar one crappy souvenir stall. Nothing to do in the evenings. Nowhere to walk to : 5 mins to walk the length of each island. Yawn, yawn, yawn. An extortionently expensive utter disappointment. After 5 days Couldn’t wait to get home. Glad we only booked for a week. Oh, it took 23 hours and 3 flights to get there.

evuscha · 22/05/2023 01:17

wistfullyfocused · 21/05/2023 21:24

This thread is making me laugh, whole countries or large islands written off due to a 2 week holiday.

Weather was bad = the place was shit
Went only to the tourist traps = the place was shit
Went to a very popular destination at peak time and it was crowded = the place was shit

I can genuinely say I’ve never been to a place I hated, and I’ve traveled a lot and lived in several places long term (including some frequently hated ones like LA and Milan that I actually enjoyed). Some like Dubai and Vegas are maybe not my cup of tea but they still have cool spots or experiences and some people love them 🤷‍♀️

Hippobot · 22/05/2023 01:32

Dublin - nothing interesting/nice to look at. Unfriendly locals. Very expensive and a lot of crime.
Anywhere in mainland Spain. Cannot understand the appeal of that country at all. Too hot in summer. Barren countryside. Rude people. Shit food. Everything takes forever and the bureaucracy is ridiculous. Cities stink and are full of dog piss and honking drains. Lots of thieves.

mdinbc · 22/05/2023 01:43

I guess I have no preconceived notions when I travel somewhere, since I have never really been disappointed in a particular location. Perhaps some are more interesting than others, but I guess it depends on what I want for a holiday.

Vegas - I expected over-the-top and that's what was delivered. We walked miles an miles just looking and people-watching. Neither of us are gamblers. We never did find a buffet though! They seemed well hidden.

I have no desire to do Disney themed parks; too hot, too crowded, waiting in lineups for rides and expensive food. Maybe I will go one day with granchildren and enjoy it because it will be better than I thought!

Loved Paris, it was magical for us!

CatAndHisKit · 22/05/2023 01:45

Venice smells in August due to heat and water algae, possibly part of July. So it's not about other people (who like it) not noticing the smell - just avoid those months!

NBLarsen · 22/05/2023 01:45

@Moviecampingnight
"Oh no what's wrong with machu picchu? It's quite high on my list!"

Nothing wrong with it as such, I just found it underwhelming, not at all up to the hype. I felt crap after the Inca trail hike and just wanted to wash properly rather than wander around some ancient ruins where you couldn't move for other tourists. The photos you see online are of the site empty of people, but it's always full.
Also I'd already been travelling around South America for several months by then and had seen a lot of other ancient stuff so perhaps the novelty has really worn off.
If it's on your list then you should go. Everyone enjoys different places and experiences!

mjf981 · 22/05/2023 01:56

Berlin. I'm quite alternative but didn't 'get' it. Ugly modern architecture, rude people, miserable winter weather.

Manchester. Like Berlin, I found most of it ugly, damp and depressing.

Toronto. Massive, sprawling, flat. Nothing appealing about the place aside from Lake Ontario.

On reflection, maybe I'm not a city person..

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