Best and worst place you have been on holiday to?!

[Frosty66611]

My best was definitely Canada. Driving through the Rockies was an unforgettable experience and we got perfect weather and lots of lovely food and hotel stops along the way.

The worst has to be Dublin. I was really underwhelmed by it and found it crazy expensive.

Best - Budapest. Loads of history, lovely buildings and views, friendly people and everything really reasonably priced.
Also really enjoyed Prague, Athens, St Petersburg and Sorrento.
Didn’t like Rome all that much - lots to see but quite dirty and expensive, also public transport the worst of any city I’ve been to.
Worst - Jamaica as a teen with my family. Couldn’t leave the resort unless on an organised tour. When we did go on a trip to a nearby village we were surrounded by people offering us drugs/tours/ jewellery who wouldn’t take no for an answer and were pretty aggressive and intimidating. At the hotel itself the male waiting staff kept chatting me up very persistently which made me feel really uncomfortable as I was 14 at the time, overweight and very self conscious. This was 20 odd years ago so things may have changed since then - and I have to say that the scenery was stunning.

and also lonicera the friend who went for her 40th wasnt there for a 'birthday party' for people like you to avoid. She went with her DH for the same reasons you want to go!!

Sounds good to me XiCi. My idea of a nice evening is a few drinks and a nice meal.

@LoniceraJaponica I’m glad I went for Auschwitz but there was nothing about Krakow that appealed to me. I didn’t find it enjoyable to walk around and we found the people abrupt to the point of rude - more than just a cultural difference. It’s hard to say but I just didn’t warm to the place at all. We did everything by public transport and didn’t hire guides and it is heavily geared towards organised tours, so maybe that makes a difference. As I said though, Auschwitz was worth the trip - really made me think.

Xici
I hope you reported the drink spiking to police.
I am sad that my home city of Dublin is getting such a bashing on this thread.
It's a wake up call to the Irish tourist board.

Best UK -
South Cornwall, not as dramatic as North Cornwall but still charming with fewer tourists.
Southwold - Genteel and unremarkable but just lovely even though parking is a pita! The Yorkshire coast - Whitby is full of atmosphere and mystery. Stathies and Robin Hoods Bay are just lovely.

Worst UK-
Blackpool - loved it as a kid but the deprivation now is grim. Definitely lost it's magic. Burnham on Sea - drab and dreary.

Best Europe -
Connemara in Galway is stunningly beautiful with few tourists when we were there. Santorini, looks just like the photos. Venice, magical and it's easy to escape the crowds.

Worst Europe -
Costa Brava, tacky and crowded beaches. Barcelona was meh but I didn't have much time to explore.

Best long haul -
New Zealand, stunning scenery and genuinely friendly locals. Nepal, same reasons as New Zealand. Florida, family fun and beautiful beaches. Travelling up the middle in Australia is lots of fun, feels so remote. Also love the Australian wildlife.

Worst long haul -
Any border town, always feels threatening. Particularly the border town between Kenya and Tanzania. Underwhelmed by Sydney but imagine it's a great place to live. Bored by Byron Bay. Delhi is a complete and utter dump full of people trying to fleece you and the snobbery is awful. Malaysia was quite dreary.

Canada and South Africa are my absolute favourites! India probably was the worst. Crazy place!

I found New York pretty underwhelming as well tbh!

Best for us is Florida (and Disney) by far, value for money so much better in summer holidays than trying to go to Europe. Also love Italy, sorrento was one of our favourites.

Worst for me has been another vote for Dublin and I’ve been a few times! And Tenerife but that was as much to do with who I went with as the place itself...

I am amazed about the comments on how expensive Dublin is.

It really isn't that expensive but it's a Capital City in a different country. Do people not research these things?

As I said previously I have been on holiday pre internet when it was less easy to do a lot of research . We were in Dublin in 1988 and found it extremely expensive.

I'm amazed that you're amazed somewhere , why do you think everyone is commenting about it? I don't think I've ever met a single person that's been and not commented on how expensive it is.

Best - Maldives, Phuket, Norway, Scottish Highlands, North Devon, the Cotswolds, Italian Alps, Copenhagen, Finland, New Zealand, Corsica

Worst - Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Australia, St Petersburg, Cyprus, Bali (Ubud), Rhodes, Tenerife

Best - New York. We saved up and just absolutely went for it, eating in fabulous restaurants, drinking in lovely bars and just generally living it up like well heeled New Yorkers. I can imagine going there on a tight budget would be a very different experience. Also loved the Maldives and Crete. DH loved St Lucia, i liked it but found it a bit underwhelming, beaches were covered in seaweed and the resort we stayed in was wall to wall chavtastic.

Worst - Malta, I couldn't wait to leave. We spent one night in a 4 star hotel which would get about 1 star here. Brussels was hands down the dullest place I've ever visited. Actually, no - Skye is equally tedious especially with kids. Literally nothing to do, shit weather, utter misery.

@LoniceraJaponica

I loved Krakow, but please try to go late Nov / Dec when the Christmas markets are on, soooo pretty!

somewhere I think it doesn’t feel (to me) like a capital city as it’s quite down on its luck, it’s rather small and so the “London” prices are a bit discordant.

Also there are still so many stags around Dublin which is pretty grim for the tourist.

I would liken Dublin to Glasgow but Glasgow is far cheaper.

Worst was Cornwall because it just rained the whole time (in summer ffs!) If it had not rained it would have been lovely

Best so far has been staying on a farm in Wales and just chilling, patting the sheep, going for dog walkies I'm very easy to please

As for "big" holidays, new zealand definitely has been my favourite. Worst would be Singapore, the food was great but the weather is unbearable as it's so humid. However I have a good friend who lives there so I'd still go back

Xici, I was in Carlow in the summer for a gig. Gotta agree it is a strange little place, but we were made welcome. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience.

I haven't had a dreadful holiday anywhere, particularly loved Austria, Switzerland, Rome, Berlin and Warsaw. Places I wouldn't go back to are Salou ( surprised it hasn't been mentioned),Gran Canaria and Blackpool.

I have been to Paris many times, and never had an issue with rude waiters. Maybe it's because we speak French. We were there for a wedding anniversary one year and were given a bottle of wine by the owner. However we stay ( and eat) away from the touristy bits.

I am going to stand up for Dublin. I liked it, there is actually loads to see. Yes there are dodgy bits but same as in any city ( don't go walking right beside the River Liffey). It can be expensive, but not any worse than other cities.

I travel to Edinburgh frequently for work, and have never seen the problems with vomit on the streets. However it is popular for stag/hen parties and if you happen to be there on a Friday, its a nightmare.

I think people if people book holidays in Scotland/UK are always going to take a risk with the weather. It frequently pisses down...not much we can do.

New York seems to be getting a lot of love/hate comments. I’ve never been but my boyfriend and dad hated it but my sister and best friend LOVED it

I am fascinated by these threads and how people have such polar opposite feelings about the same locations!

And I am always amazed at people who visit cities and then say there was nothing to do there. Can I ask, as a genuine question, what would you expect to find / do in a city?

I see Dublin, predictably, has taken a bashing on this front again. Given that it is a capital city with a National Gallery, National Museum, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Trinity College, Botanic Gardens, 5 Georgian Squares, Dublin Castle, The Natural History Museum, Many theatres, The Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, The Little Museum of Dublin, St Stephens Green, The Phoenix Park, The Zoo, The GPO 1916 Museum, The Viking settlement history, Christ Church Cathedral, St Patricks Cathedral, St Michens which has mummies in the crypt and inspired Brams Stoker to write Dracula, The Writers Museum, lots of theaters including The National Concert Hall, The Abbey Theatre, The Gate Theatre as well as well known coffee shops such as Bewleys, many famous pubs / bars and all the usual things alike shopping streets and cafes and restaurants. What else would you hope to find in a compact city?

The same goes for people who didn't like Krakow - I can't get my head around saying there is nothing to do there. The main square is stunningly beautiful, the Jewish Quarter has wonderful restaurants and bars and historic buildings. The Jewish Ghetto has the Schindler Factory which is now a really good museum, and the Eagle Pharmacy Museum in the main square there as well as the commemorative art work etc. Then there is the castle and all the old historic streets, It is steeped in history, I was quite literally blown away just walking through the streets and thinking of all that had happened there over the years. I was very moved by Krakow and we found the people to be friendly and helpful and we had some fantastic meals including amazing pizza in a lovely Italian as well as eating in a speciality steak house.

I could say similar stuff about all the other places we have been lucky enough to visit. Maybe we are lucky that we love art and history and would visit similar types of places which ever city we visit and we have never had a bad travel experience. We research where we would like to go and make a loose plan for the time we have available.

I would never just land in a place and 'wing it' and not expect to end up seeing very little of what interest me personally

On the other hand I have absolutely zero interest in resort / beach / pool holidays so would not go on one as I know I would be bored, but that would not be the fault of the destination at all.

Just to add to that, I am in my late 40's and have travelled a lot mainly to cities including lots mentioned here: New York, Chicago, Phoenix, LA, Boston, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Bangkok, Hangzhou, Toronto, most capitals in Europe , extensive travel in Ireland and a reasonable amount in the UK inc London, Liverpool, Manchester, Norwich, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and found things of interest in all of them.

"And I am always amazed at people who visit cities and then say there was nothing to do there. Can I ask, as a genuine question, what would you expect to find / do in a city?"

I agree. Although I still stand by my impression of Dublin. I think a lot has changed sice we were there, but in 1988 I was shocked at the number of beggars on the street. I love visiting cities for short breaks and always research stuff to see and do when there as I enjoy a bit of art and culture. We had a fabulous short break to Carlisle recently.

spot on UnreasonablyPissedOff

and i do love beach resorts!

Loincera Dublin, indeed Ireland, was in an economic depression / crises in the 1980's and was an utterly different place then than it is now. Bearing in mind also that the Irish Republic was only 100 years old recently and it was a country in post colonial recovery for a very long time.

I don't live in Dublin so have no vested interest here but I think it is perhaps worth a return visit!

Best: Oregon, Lake Garda, Barcelona.

Worst: Great Yarmouth, all of the Costa Del Egg and Chips.