Most overrated destination you’ve visited?

[Hairbrush123]

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

Most of these I'm disagreeing with, but Winter Wonderland yes! It was tacky and grim. No wonder at all.

bloke in a chair genuinely made me laugh out loud.

But it is not as warm in Northumberland. It is stunning but noticeable. We went to the Lakes a few times in the Easter holidays and it was freezing. You can start to go up the Downs an sit on the grass and admire the view in April, it is a stark difference.

Rome. Though the ruins are wonderful, I always felt slightly unsafe there from the letchy men who were very obviously following me. But I love Athens, slightly counter-intuitively.

San Francisco, the last time I went. Unbelievable wealth right next to such human misery - really uncomfortable.

@shinynewapple22

Sardinia is beautiful. We stayed in the north and spent a day on a ferry boat going along the Costa Smeralda, being dropped off at beaches, and also visiting a cave. The Nuraghe (?) remains are fascinating. The food is good, the beaches are nice. For us it was better to stay in self catering so we could make the most of our local Italian supermarket and have access to a shared pool. We've also been to Isola San Pietro, which was incredible, like going back to the 1950s. Cagliari is not representative, and you don't really go inland anyway if you're there on holidays. Adore Sardinia.

I haven't read the whole thread but as an Irish person I think those of you that didn't enjoy Ireland probably went to the typical tourist spots.Those that purposely go out of their way to get every US$ that they can which I think is so deplorable.
I've lived all over the world due to my husbands job and I agree so much with the negative comments about Dubai, its an awful place! Loved other areas in the ME though.
I spent a lot of time in Africa and you cant beat Zambia, Mozambique and Senegal. Its all depends on governements and politics of the time.
We are lucky in the UK that politics is fairly stable but in some parts of the world things are legalised at the whim of dictators.
Thankfully I now live in the SE, my kids are safe and being eduacted well and we are very happy.

Cork. Generic, boring town, populated by people who hate the English and make no attempt to hide it, (even when you're spending money in their businesses). We left after having stones thrown at us by local kids outside our accommodation.

I agree with Rome.

@Creamcrackersandricecakes where were you staying? Cork is on my list and I'd like to avoid that if possible

Kelly7889 There's more to the South of England than London don't you know? I live in the South Downs national park and it's breathtaking, we have historic market towns such as Arundel and Chichester, we can go hiking on the downs and then go sailing in Bosham, all within very easy reach plus we have fantastic hot summers...so no pity needed from anyone on her thanks.

Agree with Naples and with Rome - although the latter was probably just that the Forum was so much smaller than I had imagined it to be - probably didn't help that I saw it after St Peter's.

I love Cornwall and South Wales but hated Devon - the rolling hills made me feel quite hemmed in and claustrophobic.

On here I meant to type...

@ZeusandClio

Nice. Disgusting shithole. Monaco and San Remo were great though, but Nice is horrid.

I actually think the reverse of this. Love Nice and the surrounding area (Saint Jean Cap Ferrat particularly). Monaco horrible and vastly overrated.

The problem with travel as other's have said is that it's become too easy, too cheap, too everyday. There are too many tourists, too, so whatever made a place lovely is hidden beneath the rubbish and crowds. You jump on a plane for a weekend and wonder why you can't get into a place (and I am guilty of this.)

Places are just another commodity.

My approach now is to travel less but plan more, while also lowering my expectations.

@UniBallEye - we stayed in a cottage in a small village a short drive from Cork itself, but I can't remember the name sorry! Try and visit Blarney Castle while you're there - that was the only part of the trip I enjoyed.

@lllllllllll

Also really dislike London

I don’t understand how you can dislike the whole of London. There are so many distinct parts and there’s endless stuff to do. Your loss!

@lllllllllll Strange response? Surely that's the same for many destinations mentioned -

in some cases whole counties (Cornwall)

and in other cases whole countries ( Scotland) - or is it just London we are not allowed to dislike?

'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'

My sister went and said it was hell. All those pretty streets looking over the water were packed shoulder to shoulder during sunset with hundreds of people all holding their phones in the air. She sent me a video of it and it totally killed the illusion of Santorini I had in my head

Maybe don't go peak season then.

These threads entertain more than inform. The idea that a weekend in a city or a week somewhere qualifies them being written off and declared shitholes. A whole country called a shithole

I cannot for the life of me understand how Paris can be declared a shithole. All of Paris?

I know it's meant to be lighthearted and is entirely subjective but I do find the word shithole to describe whole city or country unfair.

Joke by the way just as I imagine the post about pitying those who live in the south is!

London. But then the older I get, the more I like my peace, quiet, and lack of too many people....

HalfCakeHalfBiscuit

So many rubbish places

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon - like a provincial garden centre
Colossus of Rhodes - just a statue of a bloke
Lighthouse of Alexandria - a boring tower
Statue of Zeus at Olympia - bloke in a chair
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - just a tomb
Temple of Artemis - like any other church
Great Pyramid of Giza - big triangle

*Hilarious - this reminds me of the sort of things Karl Pilkington would say 😅

I know this thread is cheering me up no end today!

I was disappointed with NYC. To be fair, it was July, it was super hot, and I was in the midst of breaking up with the boyfriend I was there with....

We have a family joke about Haast in South Island, NZ. I've been through it a dozen or more times, and have never once seen someone happy who seems to live/work there. So, when we talk about somewhere, it's like "Oh, I loved Venice, but y'know, it was no Haast...' TBF, I'd probably also be pretty miserable to stay in Haast, and not experience the beauty of the SI!

@Lunaballoon

I actually think the reverse of this. Love Nice and the surrounding area (Saint Jean Cap Ferrat particularly). Monaco horrible and vastly overrated.

Agree. Monaco is a peculiar place.

Dublin - just didn't get it. Got my drink spiked, never been so poorly in my life after only a couple of drinks.

Rome - possibly spoilt by the weather and public transport strikes (rained constantly and had to walk everywhere). Just completely built up, so much traffic, didn't feel like there was anywhere green. Vowed never to return.

I saw someone saying Nanod's and have to agree 100%.

I found Paris a lot nicer than Rome. But visited many years ago in my early 20s, would love to go back and see it with older eyes.

Those saying Australia. I lived there for 2 years in my early 30s. I get the 80s feel but I kinda liked that, still being green grocers, local stores, limited internet shopping, etc. There is, unfortunately, really open misogyny and racism which I really disliked (which at that time, wasn't as apparent in the UK as it was there).
I think you have to live like a local to get the most out of it. Like a lot of places, the areas frequented by tourists aren't necessarily the best bits. I worked at an airport briefly and talked to so many tourists who came for 2 to 3 weeks and visit more places than I did in two years. I wondered whether all they saw were airports and hotel rooms.