Destinations that turned out to be surprisingly good

[Pluvia]

Salamanca. On a trip through Spain we randomly stopped there for a night at Salamanca and loved it. Inexpensive bars and restaurants, lots of locals, no tourist hotspots — so much so that we spent the day looking round and stayed a second night.

Cardiff. A lovely, bustling, buzzy city with a beautiful river, park, castle, shopping, cafes and a harbour and history. I'd gone for the weekend to visit an old friend, ended up moving there.

Lucca. So beautiful and lots to do and see.

Another vote for Hereford and Herefordshire. Not only is it beautiful, but the people were really friendly and nice.

Bruges is a lovely city and has a nice, chilled vibe about it. I always feel very at home there.

Croatia. Really lovely.

Really enjoyed Salt Lake City when we had a stopover during a road trip. Really spacious and clean. The Mormon museum was very interesting. Was expecting it to be very conservative but there were plenty of bars and the nightlife was pretty busy.

I think you cannot go wrong with a Spanish city.* Malaga, Seville, Valencia, Palma, Girona, all fab. Madrid also fab though perhaps a little more touristy, but still doable. Malaga sneaks in as my favourite because there are so many cheap flights.

*Barcelona being the exception.

Germany: Hamburg, Berlin, Baden Baden, Kleve, Xanten, Friewald, Gegenbach - in fact anywhere! It's cheap, clean, friendly, organised, the food is good and the cakes are amazing. There is so much to see and do, be it museums, history, or the countryside. The only place I wasn't so keen on was Arcen because it was full of tourists, even in February.

Malaga
Krakow
Dalyan
Burano

Brussels- I felt fine walking around on my own, using public transport and going to the amazing museums. Loved it.

Cardiff is a terrible shithole, or at least it was when I visited.

I agree on Salamanca.

Lanzarote is lovely. I also booked a cheap trip just wanting some sand and sun. But we’ve gone back twice as the volcanic landscapes are so beautiful. Outside of the main resorts it’s very peaceful and unspoiled.

I’m yet to visit a part of Spain I dislike. Agree that they do cities well. Seville is wonderful. I thought it would be a bit Barcelona like, which was a great city but absolutely packed and expensive. However, it didn’t feel touristy at all, was very reasonable, and the locals were so friendly.

London! I’ve been about 5 times and still want to do back and do things.

I’ve never heard a bad word about Queenstown, New Zealand but it still way exceeded my expectations. Best holiday location ever.

I came to add Lanzarote as PP have and also Tenerife. Much like others, we booked a holiday there with few expectations but there are some great little gems if you head out of the main resorts. Michelin starred Japanese food in the non-tourist capital city, world heritage site, beautiful quiet hikes, lovely beaches, amazing dolphin spotting trip. Just a few highlights. Plus now we have kids, the great climate in winter for just a short flight. Heading to the Canary Islands in a February for some uplifting sunshine is my favourite thing!

Xiamen and Gulangyu Island in China.

Milan.
It's been criticised a lot on the other thread but it's one of my favourite cities. A few years ago I was planning a break to Northern Italy that was intended to be a stay in the Lakes with a couple of day trips into Milam, partly to watch some cycling and partly to see the city. But when I started looking for hotels the costs were prohibitive so I, somewhat reluctantly, reversed the plan and decided to stay in Milan and take day trips to the Lakes as it was a great deal less expensive. We loved it and ended up only doing one day trip as we found so much to do in Milan. We stayed in what was predominantly a business type hotel rather than a tourist place. The staff were lovely and really helpful, food was good and reasonably priced, and public transport was convenient and easy to use. I'd definitely like to go back.

@MrsAvocet

Milan. It's been criticised a lot on the other thread but it's one of my favourite cities. A few years ago I was planning a break to Northern Italy that was intended to be a stay in the Lakes with a couple of day trips into Milam, partly to watch some cycling and partly to see the city. But when I started looking for hotels the costs were prohibitive so I, somewhat reluctantly, reversed the plan and decided to stay in Milan and take day trips to the Lakes as it was a great deal less expensive. We loved it and ended up only doing one day trip as we found so much to do in Milan. We stayed in what was predominantly a business type hotel rather than a tourist place. The staff were lovely and really helpful, food was good and reasonably priced, and public transport was convenient and easy to use. I'd definitely like to go back.

I agree. Milan is a great place to visit. I felt I needed to research bars and restaurants a bit more, but found good places. The Last Supper was great, I think because they restrict visitor numbers. I really liked using the underground.

@Sausagesausagesausage the best tapas bar I’ve ever been to was in a side street in Malaga too. It is called El Tapeo de Cervantes. Maybe it’s the same one you went to?

Early 2000's £99 deal to Kefalonia with then BF and another couple. It was wonderful, we were in a little village, apartment didn't have a TV or wifi but the people were lovely, we walked to the local bakery every morning for breakfast, lazed on the quiet beach in the day, then ate fresh seafood and drank cheap cocktails at the local restaurant/bar.

Blackpool.

Very low expectations, terrible weather, yet a brilliant holiday ! Loads to do, and lovely people.

Bilbao was great.
Really good food, unpretentious and good art.

We also had a fantastic trip to Tenerife, staying in the middle of the Island, very few tourists, no Brits.
Great lunar landscape, beaches and historic towns.
We were visiting a Spanish friend and we loved the area.

Yes to Tenerife! We drove across the island and the landscape along the coast in the National Park was stunning. I was expecting to hate the island as I assumed it was just a built-up tourist hell-hole. I was also delighted by the climate, a lovely breeze and never too hot.

I loved Rotterdam, with its vast food hall, interesting (modern) architecture, cute little trams. The boat ride touring the harbour was really memorable, and a couple of great museums, good food, and a chilled but friendly Dutch vibe. We absolutely loved a place called Plaswijkpark which is easily the best children's park I've ever been to, and so cheap! My DD sheepishly said it was more fun than Legoland.

Llandudno. Not another dreary seaside town but gorgeous, and sort of majestic.
There is another post on here about moments of pure happiness, which is what I felt when I saw the beautiful curved seafront at Llandudno for the first time.

Forest of Dean
Roermond
Madrid

Lanzarote surprised me too. The landscape is lovely & the beaches / water were superb. I liked the vibe, people are there to have a good time. But there was no rowdy crowds & I felt safe walking about by myself, even after dark. It was such a relaxing holiday!

Lake Garda. Such a wholesome family atmosphere. And Verona. So much less busy / touristy than Venice. A nice taste of Northern Italy.

Malaga
Broadstairs
Glasgow
Strasbourg