To ask what tourist sites you’ve visited that met or exceeded expectations?

[VenerableFreed]

AIBU to ask what tourist sites you’ve visited that have genuinely lived up to expectations and have gone beyond them?

For me, it was seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper in person in Milan. I’m not particularly emotional, particularly about art, but it was genuinely moving to see the real thing. Visitor numbers were restricted, meaning you actually got a good look and there were no distractions. The setting, in a darkened room in an old convent, really helped too. It felt really intimate and special.

Oradour-sur-Glane

I love Italy. I expected to be moved by Rome, Florence and Venice. However, over the years I have been blown away by the less obvious The frescos of Piero della Francesca and the ‘legend of the cross’ blew my mind and this was used as a location in the English Patient.

More recently I went to Mantua to the places there. The Palace de Te is remarkable and the frescos by Romano - the whole history of the Gorgonzo family. Some of the frescos are plain rude.

Agree. So atmospheric, surrounded by countryside but not a bird singing.

Jordan - we went mostly for Petra & the Dead Sea, but the rest of Jordan, which I knew very little about, totally exceeded my expectations. Obviously there's the Siq and the Treasury at Petra, which is the headline, but the first sight of the Monastery after climbing up to it was my favourite bit. The whole site really does need two full days to appreciate properly.

Jerash was amazing, and Mount Nebo and the church with the mosaics totally blew my mind.

Mexico - The lesser visited Mayan sites exceeded my expectations, and were far better that Tulum and Chichen Itza...Palenque and Uxmal for example.

We're off to the Taj Mahal in January so really hoping that exceeds my expectations too!

I’ve not been to DLP but I rate Efteling theme park in the Netherlands as one of the happiest family days I have spent with my DC. Don’t knock a good theme park!

Astonishingly, no one's mentioned my favourites yet, which are Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, Sanjusangendo in Kyoto, and the gardens of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, all of which probably speak to my love of excess (respectively, 1113 stained glass windows, 1001 golden buddhas, and 51 fountains/64 waterfalls/220 water-basins).

I also love the Isle of Lismore, which is the total opposite - a place of such peace and simplicity it's like stepping into a colour plate from a 1930s children's bible.

Aiguille du Midi at Mont Blanc, Chamonix and all of the other things you can do up there like the cable cars, ice caves etc…go first thing in the morning when it’s quiet and it’s just amazing.

The Taj Mahal, Jordan: Kerak and Shobak crusader castles, Leptis Magna in Libya , huge amazing Roman city with no tourists , the Sphinx in Cairo visited during gulf war so no tourists had the Pyramids to myself , deserts , Mt Fuji Japan , Vermeer paintings and some other art in museums . visiting cemeteries in France and Italy with graves of my relatives who were killed in 1st and 2nd world war and seeing the sheer number who died for their country .

In no particular order - Petra, the Great Barrier Reef - especially the Outer Reef, I am Australian but flying over Sydney Harbour really blew me away and was lucky to go sailing Sydney Harbour on a Tall Ship (was at a conference haha!), the walls of Istanbul and the Princes Islands, Ephesus, attending the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day at Gallipoli, Kenya - seeing the start of the wildebeest migration

Meteora in Greece is one of the most astonishing and impressive places I’ve ever visited. Ancient monasteries perched on pillars of rock.

Just got back from Stockholm and the Vasa museum was excellent - I didn’t think I’d be very interested in an old warship, but the way it was presented made the whole thing fascinating.

The Pantheon. I know I would be blown away by Rome, the Roman forum, the Vatican, Trevi fountain, Colosseum but the pantheon just stopped me on my tracks. The size of the place was just so domineering I remember going round the corner and being stunned.

The Basilica Cisterns in Istanbul. I had no idea what to expect and it was part of a tour we booked but I was blown away.

It's probably the most atmospheric and amazing place I've ever visited. I didn't want to leave.

Siena Cathedral. Stunning. The floors are the best I’ve ever seen. They are usually covered up for 42-45 weeks of the year. I saw them uncovered as usually this time of year they reveal them.

World of James Herriot in Thirsk

Metropolitan museum in New York

The Vatican Museum. Spectacular. You’re there because it’s en route to the Sistine Chapel but my goodness, it was incredible.

Jasper in Canada. Forget Banff. Go down the road and go to Jasper!

Like @sonnybeaudelaire the Vasa Museum in Stockholm is amazing. We went there last month.

St Peters in Rome was also amazing.

Not sure anyone has mentioned the Chihuly Garden in Seattle. The glass there is just stunning. I took so many photos and each room was more impressive than the last. We only went because we had City Passes and it was raining heavily, so decided we needed to find an attraction included with plenty indoors. It was fabulous.

hrft
Richard3 burial museum in Leicester, loved it..
Also great cafe.

The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth is probably the best museum I've been to.

Saw the Mary Rose when it 1st came up in the mid 80s as dad took us there , and what they've done with it is impressive.

And St Johns co-Cathedral Valetta, Malta.

@MissAmbrosia - you absolute superstar.

Thank you SO much.

Agree! I.spent my year abroad in Siena. The Duomo is beyond beautiful and the Palio was incredible.

The Trevi Fountain at night - glorious.
Venice on a crisp, sunny December day.
Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin - absolutely fascinating.
The Roman Baths in Bath by torchlight.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The Blue Lagoon, Comino.

Agree with so many of these. Also:

A concert in the Opera House in Manaus. 1500km up the Amazon.

Helicopter ride over Rio de Janeiro at sunset. Preceded by Mass in the Cathedral and a tram ride up to Santa Teresa for a lively Sunday lunch.

Isfahan in Iran.

The huge reclining buddha in Wat Pho, Bangkok.

St Marks cathedral in Arica, Chile. Made in Eifel's Paris workshops and shipped over.

The Panama Canal - what a feat of engineering, capital raising, disease conquering/understanding, nutrition understanding!

Aachen. Charlemagne's cathedral and an excellent museum describing the history of the Holy Roman Empire.

Varenna on Lake Como. Small but perfectly formed!

I can't believe no one's mentioned Savannah, Georgia. So atmospheric with the Spanish moss, historic cemetery, and the airport and airport bus stop seats are rocking chairs!

An aspect of the area around Uluru that struck me was the smell. The soil is red and there was a very strong smell of hot iron from the sun on it.

Death Valley. We went on a road trip because my husband wanted to see it, and I had no expectations but was blown away by how beautiful it is.