Most overrated destination you’ve visited?

[Hairbrush123]

For me, it was Paris. Not an AIBU, I know

MadisonAvenue
Dublin too, I’ve been a number of times on cheap 30 minute Ryanair flights with my kids, just for a day out on a plane, and a couple of times with friends for overnight stays for concerts and I just don’t see what there is to get excited about there

I have never heard of anyone that rounds up the kids to hop on a plane for a day out.

Really interesting thread!

Never fancied New York so glad I'm not missing anything.
Paris 40 years ago was wonderful, also enjoyed brief trips there over the past 20 years but not the last ten.
Florence the same, visited 20 years apart and marked decline (due to amount of tourists, sadly).
Morocco I love, been several times to several parts. Never felt unsafe though the medinas in Marrakesh can be a nuisance.
Egypt I loved and felt very, very comfortable! (Didn't go to resorts).

My meh has to be Rome - full of cars, found the sites uncomfortable in a showy church wealth way. And prefer Glasgow to Edinburgh - Edinburgh was just a big hill with lots of Woolen Mill shops!

I've never really hated or been disappointed by anywhere I've travelled to.

Cairo was very unpleasant to be out and about in, on foot or by road, but it was worth going to see the attractions.

Beirut also quite unpleasant but still fascinating, and the food was fabulous.

You think the Highlands should have car parks?
Riiiiiight.

@JohnBetjeman

Slough

Is it even possible for somewhere to be overrated if no one rated it in the first place?

I went to Paris 20 years ago it was filthy rude men urinated up lamposts "sleeping children" on the streets with "parents" begging (it's well known these babies are drugged and those are unlikely to be there real mothers) it was just filthy in general and expensive it wasn't worth it

London. It’s filthy dirty, overpriced and most of the people I encountered were quite rude. I booked the trip a few months ago on a whim as there are in restaurants I’d been excited to try but hadn’t managed to with Covid, and was thoroughly underwhelmed by it all. Dublin > London any day.

The Grand Canyon. It's a big hole.

Tangiers
Barcelona

@Sunsetsupernova

Oh no not New York! We’ve had two trips cancelled and I’m absolutely desperate to go but we live in London so perhaps I should lower my expectations slightly.

I loved New York, went with my DD about 7 years ago. Don’t write it off. Having said that I thought the underground there was urghhh, London Underground is definitely a lot nicer. So we just didn’t use it. We stayed in a hotel just off Times Square and it was a brilliant location. Because of the time difference we were up at 5-30am every day, breakfast on dot of 7am (our hotel had a restaurant) and off out by 8am, first up Empire State Building, on first boat to Ellis Island etc, crammed heaps in.

@Bussinbussin : Re: Cairo, my D friend was afraid to go out in Cairo.
He's a man.
He's Egyptian.
He's originally from......Cairo!

@RosesAndHellebores

Haven't managed the whole thread but I loved: Paris, Rome, Nice, Cannes, (Juan Le Pins betwixt) though I prefer the South West. Also love Cornwall and was blown away by Belfast.

Wouldn't bother visiting again:
Whitby
Sorrento
Marseille
LA
Barbados
Jersey

I was really disappointed when I visited whitby. I had wanted to go for ages but its just tiny nondescript seaside town full of rude locals!

Tunisia. Apart from one fantastic day visiting El Jem, the rest of the visit was dreadful. Would never, ever go back there.

Totally agree with Dubai - horrible undertones and the way they treat women is disgusting.

Shocked to see Iceland, Croatia, Nice and Belfast on the list - loved all of them.

I'm not from the UK but a friend of mine was living in Southend-on-Sea temporarily and invited me to visit for a week describing it as a lovely little quiet seaside town. Later admitted she really just wanted a visitor! There is absolutely nothing in the world that could get me to agree to go back! Horrendous place.

I didn't mind New York but my last visit there was to the World Trade Center on 8/11/2001. Haven't been back since.

Paris and London
( Ive completed 2 marathons in London and those days were great though)

@Cigfree

Tunisia. Apart from one fantastic day visiting El Jem, the rest of the visit was dreadful. Would never, ever go back there.

I'd actually love to go back to Tunisia. Not sure the tourist industry has recovered after the Arab spring. Some of the posters complaining about places that are third world countries with terrible poverty- Tunisia, Mogadishu etc - what are you expecting exactly?

I've been to New York and San Francisco a couple of times and honestly think they've both gone downhill. Barcelona also became incredibly touristy (pre covid) that it was quite unbearable (though I did like the tour over the cathedral roof). didn't like Dubai at all. Awful place.

I flew into Cancun but then went on a road trip round Yucatan with my 16yr old DS , just the two of us. Its a developing country but the Mayan temple complexes are amazing. We also had a great summer holiday touring in Iceland - loved it. One of my favourite experiences was walking up a grassy mountain valley past solfataras and bathing in a hot river. Also going up on the glacier and seeing lots of geysers and the rift valleys.

Also loved our road trip in California and Nevada - loved the Grand Canyon at sunset.

Egypt. We did a Nile cruise. I saw children begging and cruelty to horses. I watery upset.

Biarritz. It may have been glamorous once upon a time but those days are well and truly gone I'm afraid.

[quote AutomaticMoon]@SportsMother What’s the matter with Bali? Please tell me and spare me wasting years trying to save money to go there, beaches look lovely in pictures 😃[/quote]
I’ve only been once (stayed in Ubud) and enjoyed it well enough, but didn’t get the hype. Had been warned in advance by a dd to avoid certain beach areas (‘Like an Aussie Blackpool - you’ll hate it.’ )

I’ve preferred other parts of Indonesia, particularly Sulawesi - utterly gorgeous sea and snorkelling, fantastic fish life) but this was quite a while ago now.

Paris now - to postres who don't get it, it used to be romantic and much less dirty.

Malta. Uncomfortably humid. People unfriendly. Not very clean.