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!!!

When we were in the Sistene Chapel there was a group of people who kept talking (and drawing cries of Silencio from the guards). So embarrassing as they were English.

San Francisco and the supposedly wonderful coast just south of it. As someone said, it (and many other supposedly amazing coastlines) can't hold a candle to the Antrim coast.

Perth, WA. We didn't have great weather there though which may have coloured our view of it.

Surprised about the people talking about Sydney though, we were staying near the main station and got a train to Circular Quay. As we pulled into the station and you got a simultaneous view of the Bridge and the Opera House it was a bit of a 'wow' moment for me!

Oh well, we're all different.

Haven't been to Cornwall for a very long time, but Land's End was an overcommercialised disappointment.

I found the trevi fountain a bit underwhelming. It is beautiful but you could literally walk past it without realising as it's in the middle of loads of shops.

I have actually enjoyed a lot of the attractions mentioned here but maybe I have never really built them up beforehand. Loved the collosseum in Rome, Vegas and all of New York.

I did a lot of travelling around Germany and we saw some amazing things that are maybe not that well known, I think that is when things really have the wow factor. There was one monument in the Rhein area that was so imposing it maje me feel sick but it was amazing. I cannot remember what it's called.

Anything to do with Paris is overrated

I do wonder where all you people who hate Paris are going. The Champs? It's a horrible tourist strip. I feel sorry for anyone who has to work in the shops on there. Bd Saint Germain? Heavy, heavy tourist tax in any café along there.
How about the 3rd and 4th arrondissments, in all the back streets? Montmartre and the 18th? Bois de Vincennes? Bois de Boulogne? The 5th with all its amazing history?
Don't see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre; see other stuff. They have some amazing things.

To the person who visited the Hermitage in St Petersburg, how do you do it? Do you take a week and go every day? It's sooo huge!
I also wonder when you were here - August being a notoriously bad time to visit; it's often very hot, and an awful lot of places are closed.

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

if they put a fence up so people didn't slow down to have a look, you'd move faster :)

Had more of a look through the comments on this thread. I really like Rome, but agree we do ancient monuments (and museums) better. Get fed of being shouted at for doing nothing - eg in a museum in Verona was asked to make sure I kept my ds under control. He was 10 at the time and walking round with us and we'd only just walked into the room in question! Not a toddler trying to crayon on the walls. The museum was really quiet and we were being effectively chased around so we left.

Have had bad experiences in German museums too. Never in UK ones.

The Rock of Gibraltar.

I loved the Rock of Gibraltar. The caves and tunnels, view of Africa, monkeys and cable car ride all breathtaking. Need to go back really.

Mona Lisa, Bondi Beach, Miami.
Hot springs in Langkawi - literally a man made circular hole in the concrete, a bit smaller than a kids paddling pool. The water in it is hot but the setting awful.

Baths in Bath & Cheddar Gorge - extortionately expensive.

Brighton Pavilion - just a load of tat I expected a wonderful whimsical folly of a place. Went to Arundel Castle next day which was lovely.

Trevor fountain/Spanish steps - meh. What's the fuss? But LOVED St Peter's and the Vatican museum, and the Sistine Chapel - I was prepared to think "it's a painting I've seen hundreds of times in pictures" but seeing it for real, the roundedness of the bodies and the sheer artistry was amazing

*Trevi!!!! Great auto correct though it will now be Trevor to me

"Trevor Fountain"

'Treeeeeev!'

Madamme Tussauds. I don't think I need to explain the inexplicable.
What a load of overpriced shit.

Also agree with PP, felt incredibly uneasy about the wealth on display at the vatican and the beggars outside.

Loved the rest of Rome, including the Trevi (or Trevor!!) fountain, stupidly crowded when I went but so beautiful and liked that it was just plonked in the middle of a tiny square filled with shops.
Colosseum was amazing.

Windsor Castle was crap - it was the Michael Jackson approach to gilding everything that got me. And so many bloody vases...

Land's End is definitely not worth the effort.

Mont St Michel in Normandy looks beautiful from a distance, and I'd recommend staying that far away too. Tiny narrow streets absolutely heaving with people so you can hardly move. Def not worth the entry fee or tourist scrum.

I've been to countless museums, but one of the most impressive in terms of visitor experience is the Titanic Museum, Belfast. I admit I might be biased (as I live nearby).

Wow! Really quite amazed by some of these? How can you just say 'New York'?

A lot of it seems to do with size. Really? It's the significance things acquire that's the deal. Surely with The Little Mermaid the clue is in the title.

Empire State Building in addition to those mentioned above! I queued for a long time for what was a great view of New York at night but I didn't see much of what is a lovely art deco building as its covered up inside! It felt a bit like queuing for a theme park ride. I got similar views for free from other buildings!

Here a few of my most underwhelming, the mannequin pis, the Angel of the north, the old and new visitors centre at Stonehenge, dining in st marks square (bloody expensive, the singing put me off my food was still hungry after the meal so had to walk round the corner to get a pizza) hadrians wall (especially the bits by a bus stop with a whole load of school kids sitting on it) and the island of lindisfarne

Def the Mona Lisa, its tiny, behind glass and surrounded by tourists!!

Agree re Titanic museum - was very impressed by it.

The Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel.

Singapore was a massive disappointment for me. I'd spent my student years watching Going For Gold where the dream holiday prize was to Hong Kong and Singapore ("and why don't you come too"). I was so excited to be relocated there for a while with work. And I was so very disappointed. It's like a very damp, grey Wolverhampton with none of the history and culture but all of the traffic and flyovers. It rains sooo much and anything over 5 years old gets knocked down and rebuilt. Shopping is the favourite pastime in air conditioning that makes your teeth chatter.

Actually I did grow to love it, especially the people. And once you get under the skin of the place there are little gems there. Especially the food!! It's also a brilliant hub for going to Malaysia and Indonesia for the weekend. However I never recommend it to people for a holiday.

I get irrationally disappointed by crossing the Equator and Arctic Circle. I know they are just "lines" but I think there should be more to it. Like going through a sort of vortex into the new world that lies beyond.

I think you have to see a performance at the Minack theatre to appreciate it. I saw Midsummer Nights Dream and, weirdly, Oh What a Lovely War (was a long time ago) and loved it.