Most UNDERRATED destination you've visited

[YankeeDad]

I thought it would be just as interesting to hear about places visited where you had very low expectations, and were pleasantly surprised by how much these were exceeded.

I will start with three:
Turin, Italy
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Portsmouth, England

I'm glad a poster said St Malo. We're staying there for 3 nights as part of an add on to a Jersey trip. I did look at staying elsewhere but it involved hiring a car which would seriously eat into our time , budget and my enjoyment and St Malo looks like a perfect base for the places we want to visit.

Valencia. It's a wonderful city, the idk town is really pretty with lots of hidden cafes and bars. I went for a sporting event and we stayed an extra few days just to enjoy the city

Portsmouth, you say?! Southsea Common is lovely. That's all I can think of.

Leeds. I had no expectations going, but it was absolutely lovely. Beautiful city, amazing murals everywhere. Easy to navigate. Gorgeous architecture and a great buzzing, busy atmosphere. Night life was brilliant, fun and friendly with a great selection of music for all tastes.

Germany particularly Hamburg, Duss, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Munich and a whole lot of other towns and cities. Except for Berlin.

Seville
Lyon
St Malo
Belgian Ardennes (French Ardennes is awful)

Cardiff and I agree on Swindon
A lot of the UK North East coastline

Underrated attraction : Al Hambra,
Cheddar Gorge, exmoor, Portsmouth Maritime Museum.

Every place I visited In Kazakhstan was amazing! I’ve been very fortunate to visit almost 50 countries, Kazakhstan is definitely in my top three

Hull was massively gentrified when it won the city of culture. It was always a beautiful city centre, but the investment that brought really helped to bring the city up. Ten years ago it felt like it had such wasted potential and seeing it living up to that is lovely.

Yeah Carlisle, I wasn’t expecting much but we got cheap train tickets from Newcastle, and found plenty to do in the town centre for the day, everyone we spoke to was really nice too and I think that makes a difference.

I second old town Pollensa in Mallorca.
Girona in Spain is lovely . Most people fly into Girona airport and then travel straight on to beach resorts. It is a walled city with a cathedral. Quite small so easy to walk round, but has great shops and restaurants. Cheap too

Second PP on Krakow but also Poland in general. We traveled to Auschwitz and the salt mines I thought the countryside lovely and infrastructure was really good, everywhere clean with lovely shops and bakeries roadside.
Medina in Malta was stunning
The Scottish Borders I always think is a very underrated part of the UK. Countryside is really beautiful and lovely little towns like Kelso and Melrose.

"It does smell of drains though… really. I love it, but it smells."

Venice has never smelt bad when I've been, and I am fussy with smells. The only people that tell me that are those who haven't been for decades.

Carlisle. Went for a wedding. Bloody hell, couldn't believe I was in Carlisle, loved it.

I agree - I went once when I was 17 and was underwhelmed but went there last December and really enjoyed it.

I also agree with Portsmouth - lots of history.

Yes I agree with Leeds too. Loads going for it.

I've not really been to Essex or Suffolk but suspect I've missed quite a lot in both countries.

Also - Kent. Everyone rushes through to get to Dover/Folkestone. It is a really pretty county.

counties not countries!

Pisa! Everyone told us it was rubbish, nothing really to see apart from the tower so we only booked one night on our way to Florence. We thought it was beautiful and would have loved another day or two to see what it has to offer!

Sorry to be a pedant but these places are hardly underrated. Yosemite is known for being incredible !

Venice didn’t smell for me either, and I once went there during an August heatwave! (I’ve also been there in October which was a far nicer time to visit.)

I only spent a day in Toulouse, but really liked it and the people I met were friendly and helpful. I felt fat there, though. The locals tend to be slim.

I agree with Leiden and also like Haarlem and Delft.

Glasgow - rough around the edges and there are a couple of parts I’d avoid, but it’s a dynamic city with plenty of culture.

Isle of Lewis/Harris - beautiful, with a surprising amount to see and do.

Galicia, Spain - gorgeous, misty, green region with some Celtic heritage.

They say that the Danube appears blue to those who are in love. So maybe it's similar with Venice smelling sweet or stinky!

Corby. Hear me out! It's got a terrible, avoid-at-all-costs reputation, so when I ended up there I was not planning to hang around. However, I was very pleasantly surprised - it's SO green, full of woodlands and a cute little boating lake where you can sit on the deck and eat ice cream. Stunning countryside nearby too - East Carlton Park is lovely. The town centre has seen a lot of regeneration, and although it's still not great, it was much better than I anticipated.

Alicante.

Despite being slagged off regularly on Mumsnet, I like Los Angeles. Some brilliant free places to visit such as museums, Getty Center, Griffith Observatory and the canals at Venice. Lots of homeless people but good things as well and it’s a great base for exploring the desert scenery north of the city. Some people on the other overrated place thread sound so moany and negative. I also love Disneyland and Universal Studios and the beach at Santa Monica is beautiful.

I am so excited to hear votes for Swindon! Due to a spelling mistake, my friend and I are planning a trip there. What should we make sure we see?

I’m trying to think what my contribution to the list would be. We often go to not very “exciting” places in the U.K. but always have an amazing time, esp if you are happy to use it as a base and explore a bit further. Ripon and Lymington spring to mind.

Sheffield. Went for a work trip and just felt a really good vibe from it. Loved the big steel water feature at the station. Persuaded a friend it was a good choice for a city break and we had a fab time. Lots of people laughing when I said we were going but we loved the Peace Gardens and the market there, the palm house and museum attached, cathedral, the old cutlery factory food hall. Lovely city.

And Malta. Which loads of people hate but I thought was fantastic. There were so many sights and brilliant museums, loads of lovely bits for just wandering through, so much accessible about the history from significant points covering hundreds of years and all really easy to get to on a easy to navigate bus system. I think it's a brilliant destination.

I find Eastern Europe to be generally very underrated. I feel its value is often reduced to a cheap place for a piss up, which I find so insulting.

I've been to Vilnius, Tallinn, Prague, Sofia, Zagreb, Belgrade, and multiple cities in Poland and Romania. I just adore the vibe, the historic architecture, the picturesque old towns, the variety of interesting museums and things to do. I also find the people generally very friendly and welcoming, especially if you make an effort to learn some of the local language.