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!!!

Colloseum not collide.
On an up note. When I saw the last judgement in the cistene chapel it took my breathe away. Which is lucky seeing as how you weren't allowed to speak.

Florence - enjoyed it but been wanting to go for a long time (since Room With a View) and was expecting more. Think it's the crowds at all these famous places now tbh. Also find Paris overrated.

Places that didnt disappoint were New York, Jerusalem, Rome and strangely The Costa Del Sol (much nicer thsn i was expecting!)

San Francisco. So many people told me that I love it but it totally underwhelmed me.

I know you didn't ask this but I was AMAZED by Tintagel...wasn't expecting much particularly but was awe struck.

Very beautiful place. Magical.

I saw the Little Mermaid when I was in Copenhagen about 20 years + another 20 years ago and have absolutely no recollection of it.

And Lands End. It was just like a big concrete car park with a cliff on the end of it. Went to Sennen Cove after and was much more impressed, would love to go back.

Disneyland in Florida. Not keen at all and hated the queuing. It felt like a giant con!

The Giant's Causeway. I thought Uluru wasn't called Ayer's Rock anymore but it is officially called both. Learn something new everyday!

Tailypo I felt the same about the statue of David. Queued for ages as felt it was something we should see but it was beautiful and well worth the wait.

The Prague Astronomical Clock.

Maybe I went at the wrong time but all I saw were a few quivering skeletons accompanied by a pinging bell. Then a bird creaks out of a hole.
I'm afraid I disgraced myself with ribald laughter after the performance...

The Grand Canyon. It's just a brown hole.
Gaudi's bits and bobs in Barcelona. In fact most of Barcelona was a let down. I think I just hate crowds.

Grand Canyon - obviously you know before you go but I was just like meh a big whole

Haha Cross post Iam!!

Another vote for Edinburgh Castle. It is mostly a museum and always majorly overcrowded. I did love Edinburgh as a city though.

Sydney opera house- thought it was odd to be covered in tiles. Still think it's odd.
The whole of Australia frankly- no culture at all apart from the aborigines history . The Aboriginies were treat like shit by the white Australians which disgusted me. Didn't hear a single one have a good thing to say about the indigenous population- notice how there's never any on Australian tv ( Masterchef springs to mind)
Hubby was a bit dissapointed in Raffles hotel. We stayed there as part of honeymoon and he felt it was more a tourist attraction than a grand hotel.
The top of Victoria peak on Hing Kong island. It's been misty/ foggy every time I have been up there!

Sadly, I was very disappointed by the pyramids in Giza, Egypt which were much smaller than I expected them to be and stepped rather than smooth. I was more impressed by the Sphinx which was huge! I loved the Taj Mahal and I used to live near the Grand canyon so went to visit it in all seasons and thought it was spectacular. I was also impressed by the Terracota Warriors and the Great Wall of Chins but the Mannikin Pis (statue of a boy weeing in Brussels) is so tiny, you will miss it unless someone points it out.

The Eiffel Tower (it's just a metal tower), New York (it felt like a business district without heart and soul and way way too spread out). and the White House (tiny).

Places that genuinely impressed me: Taj Mahal, yes to the pp Agra is dirty but the actual building was just beautiful. Mt Sinai (and it's now nigh impossible to get there because of terrorism), Abu Simbel temple and the Himalayas.

The views from the top of the Burj Khalifa were pretty bloody dreary.

And I can't imagine the migrant workers who were brutally exploited and died in their 100s during the construction process were much impressed either. It encapsulates everything that's wrong with capitalism with unregulated capitalism and why I'd be happy if I never set foot in Dubai in my life.

Sorry, China not chins!

Las Vegas - view of strip flying in was cool, but the city itself is a hideous temple to consumerism with seedy pimps handing out flyers everywhere. Hideous. Would never have chosen to go there, personally, though so perhaps a bit unfair to say I was disappointed. Enjoyed trips out of Vegas to the hoover dam and the Grand Canyon, though.

Californian coast - overdeveloped and overhyped; I suspect Americans think it's great because they haven't seen enough of the rest of the world. Was consistently underwhelmed all the way along. Very disappointing because I'd heard great things.

Uffizi - such small rooms, so cramped, so over-stuffed with smart-phone brandishing morons (although this seems to be true of all major art galleries now). Hard to appreciate the amazing collection because after ten or so masterpieces I get a bit overwhelmed and the Uffizi has millions and millions... doesn't stop me going back but argh!!!!!

Great Barrier Reef - sadly, and only because there is so much coral die back it is depressing. Genuinely disappointing as diving here was a long held dream of mine.

I'd say for each place I've visited which was disappointing, I've visited at least ten places that were unbelievably and surprisingly amazing though! I think less well known places have the edge here - very easy to feel a bit blah when you've seen a reproduced image of whatever you're visiting a million times before you see the real thing.

York cathedral or whatever it's called. My then BF, now DH was like "look how awesome" and I was like "yes, it's a big church".

Athens.

And I say this as a keen student of (ancient) Greek history.

I actually knew exactly what to expect, but was still disappointed. I even went back a few years later in a different season in the hope that I would enjoy it more with lowered expectations, but didn't.

Stonehenge was good when I was a kid, no barriers or crowds then. And the Grand Canyon is something else if you see it from the bottom, white water rafting.

My most underwhelming was St Peters, Rome. Although I'm an atheist, I enjoy the ambience of English cathedrals but it just didn't have any.

York cathedral or whatever it's called. My then BF, now DH was like "look how awesome" and I was like "yes, it's a big church

York Minster

I agree with your husband, I lived in York and the building never failed to fill me with awe and I'm a confirmed atheist (pun intended) What on earth were you expecting?

On that logic

Chatsworth - big house

Windsor - big static bouncy castle

Eiffel Tower - big Blackpool tower

This is one reason I like to go to places off season, you can really marvel at them. Or perhaps I'm just a hopeless romantic. I remember being in India and we all got up at dawn and waited patiently for the clouds to open and there was Everest in all her beauty and I was really moved, but the person next to me said it was all a bit of a let-down, wasn't it?

I've travelled a lot, but I can't think of one that was underwhelming. I'll think some more.