To ask what famous landmark or must visit place/thing were you secretly underwhelmed by?

[Midge1978]

I went to stonehenge this year and whilst I was trying to get in touch with my inner druid, trying to project historical importance and mystery onto the place, I just couldn't escape the feeling that I was just looking at some very old stones and it was actually (whisper) a little bit boring!! Dh thought it was all marvellous though so I have never told him!!!

The Eden Project.

Munich. The Old Botanic Garden was smaller than our local park and outside the (very small) central area, it was a bit naff really. Nothing like a major European city and the area by the station is grim.

York Minster is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. How could anyone be underwhelmed?

As a York person, I'm guilty of taking the sights of York for granted and thinking "meh! Bloody tourists! Why do they come here, get out of my way!" lol, but even I'm thinking "how in the hell can anyone think York Minster is "yeah, just a big church"
Even if you're not religious at all and I'm not particularly, there's no denying it's an awesome, beautiful structure!
It dominates the horizon for miles around too.

The Eden Project. Massively overpriced imho

Plymouth Rock. Very underwhelming.

little mermaid is at least a lovely statue.

To paddle in the Colorado river and touch rocks that are millions of years old is amazing. The colours change as you hike down, and as the light changes. Just breathtaking.

Actually, I think the Grand Canyon is relatively young geologically. But yes... boarded a raft (a big one with motors!) at the dam, went down the river for 6 days, sleeping under the stars. The light early morning and evening... and then to get out its a helicopter followed by a cessna so you get all angles.

Was totally underwhelmed by Amsterdam, can't understand the draw at all. Similarly draculas castle (bran) was tiny and not at all what I was expecting. Leaning tower of Pisa was also a let down.
Completely overawed by plitvice lakes though, also the blue church in Berlin. New York was nice but the big tourist bits like top of the Rock etc were a let down. Niagra a falls were more impressive than I thought too. Would love to see the Grand Canyon and the barrier reef. Also the terracotta warriors.

The little mermaid

Niagara Falls. Meh. The visitor centre is quite tacky and ruins it.
We lived in Toronto for a bit and all
Anyone ever wanted to do when they visited was to go and see it...i had to go about 5 times!

Lol, I'm agreeing with so many of these

The view from Burj khalifa was curiously underwhelming. It was odd.

As mentioned by a PP The little Mermaid in Copenhagen really is 'little'. A think a lot of the Copenhagen tourist board photos of it are taken really close up 😂

We were also underwhelmed by Niagra falls - they were good but not that good

I likeStonehenge but you have to go at the right time when there is no tourists there which is tricky.

We also found the tsk mahal smaller than we thought - it was beautiful though

I loved the Grand Canyon though. We hiked into it which perhaps gave us a better sense of scale (it was a LONG way up!)

Egypt

The Mona Lisa. It's tiny.

Hadrian's wall. Some bricks/stones/whatever up a ruddy great hill. Boring.

The Mona Lisa. Tiny and not worth the hype.

Pendle hill. It was just that a hill. I dunno what I expected. Something witchier I suppose.

The husband was unimpressed with Niagara Falls apparently. He was a sulky teenager at the time mind.

We drive miles out of our way to visit the HooDoos in Alberta Canada as we are big fans of geological features. They look BIG in the photos.

In real life they aren't. They are SMALL. 😭😭. I wouldn't of minded but we had driven miles and mikes and miles to see them.

I can't be the only one thinking of Father Ted and the cows....

Hadrian's wall. Some bricks/stones/whatever up a ruddy great hill. Boring.

The wall itself, maybe, but the forts are fun (NB. May require the presence of an enthusiastic child. Same goes for Brimham Rocks mentioned upthread)

Too my utter, utter shame - Machu Pichu

Say WHAT! 👀👀👀

I thought Machu Picchu was fab. I think a lot has got to do with when you go. However great a place is if it's swamped with people it loses it's magic.

Glad other people thought the Grand Canyon was underwhelming. I did too. I only saw it from the top (so no hiking down/rafting) and maybe because it's just so big, it seemed like just another landscape.

Well, I think you're all bonkers! Do you not do any research on places before you go that you have such wildly overblown expectations?

I agree but sometimes it's nice NOT to research things beforehand so that you can 'discover' it for yourself. It makes the great sites even greater if you don't know exactly what to expect. However I agree that it occasionally leads to disappointment

I was going to say Mona Lisa

For maximum underwhelm seek out the traces of the Antonine Wall.

I see your lesser-known structure Antonine Wall and raise you one Woodhenge. Honestly, there's more to wonder at in a corn circle.

Yep, Stonehenge was rammed and distinctly underwhelming. TBH you get a decent view of it when stuck in the constantly hideous traffic on the A303...

Hollywood boulevard is vile. Nasty, dirty and unsafe. I was astonished at how small the Hollywood sign is and how many Scientology buildings there appeared to be in the vicinity.

I have a story about York Minister...was gazing in awe at its splendour when a teenage girl marched past, gabbing into her phone in a broad Yorkshire accent that she was waiting for her mate: 'I'm right outside that massive churchy-thing, you daft prick.'

The Isle of Skye, on the other hand, is breathtaking (but sssh, don't tell anyone cos it was already full of lots of bloody tourists. I don't count as a bloody tourist )

A guy in Paris told us the best view of the city was from the Eiffel Tower as you don't have to look at it.

An English traveller in the 19th century I think said the Giants Causeway was worth seeing but not worth going to see which is probably about right.

There was scaffolding round the Trevi Fountain when we seen it which was a bit of a shitter but I loved Rome. Loved Paris too.

Was disappointed in Gdansk as had been told it was a great place although that was by folk who were there for the football so likely never sober in it.

Well it takes all sorts... I can't believe people don't love everything about rome! :o

I was a bit underwhelmed with pompei and sorrento though... Pompeii was big but dusty and a bit empty.... it seemed as if all the good bits had been removed, plus there were LOADS of tourists. Herculaneum was more compact cooler and much quieter- proper magical place. I love the amalfi coast proper but sorrento is a bit meh compared to how beautiful positano or amalfi are.

Otherwise I can't think of anywhere I've been disappointed by... I think I must be very easily pleased! I even thought the mona lisa was interesting

I knew before I opened the thread it would be about stone henge
I agree about mannekin-pis (or the pissing boy as it's known in our house!) it is really shite.
Most of the others mention though I do think have their own charm.
The most disappointing place I've visited is Singapore. Over managed, over priced and under smog.