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.

Pompeii, really haunting.
The cathedral in Florence, so beautiful.

Culludon battle field, atmosphere was haunting.

Whitchurch Silk Mill (I know this makes me sound boring). A beautiful gem in a stunning spot and so interesting. (If I’m talking further afield, Uluru was incredible and worth the journey).

Disney Paris. I've been before and didn't love it, so when I was there again this year I had low expectations. We had a fantastic time! Really lucky with the queues - no queue at all for Pirates of the Caribbean! - the Lion King show was fab, and a couple of members of staff were soooo kind and helpful to us.

My low expectations were smashed.

Also, I had low expectations for Mallorca as my impression of it was based on stories of Magaluf. But Mallorca was stunning. I'd gladly go back.

Mine are UK based.

Iona. Beautiful unspoilt island with lovely clear seas.
The Roman Baths in Bath at night. I was with a small pre-booked group. They have torches burning around the main bath and you can see the steam rising off the water. They also had knowledable actors/guides in Roman costumes around too. Much more atmospheric than during the day. (Luckily I am local).

The temples of Angkor - particularly Ta Prohm as it was lovely and quiet compared to Angkor Wat (which was still amazing!). Absolutely incredible!

9/11 memorial, haunting, emotional and beautifully done.

The Vatican is incredible, anything in Rome and Florence ptoo.

The samaria gorge

Mont St Michel. It was really busy, but even that didn't detract from its incredible setting and architecture. It's like something out of a fantasy novel. I would suggest not going in the height of summer though!

The Taj Mahal - quiet if you get there early enough

This is a weird one but Vegas. We went as part of a trip to the west coast and I was amazed by the whole place. I was happy to go, it wasn’t on my list of things to do but DH fancied it. The sheer size of things is fascinating, as is the whole culture of the place. The whole experience is really hard to describe but I enjoyed it and would definitely go back.

A lot of votes for Venice! It’s on my list. I’d agree with Jerusalem old town, absolutely beautiful and felt transported to centuries past. I’d also put Istanbul down, pretty much all of it. Absolutely love the blue mosque, hagia sophia, topkapi museum. The architecture is incredible. I don’t agree with the pyramids though, it was a bizzare juxtaposition how built up it all was and only a few steps away from a McDonald’s and shops and cars. I expected a vast dessert so it was a strange to see it in person. My memories may be tainted negatively though as we were massively ripped off there.

Bayeux tapestry, so much more interesting than I was expecting.
Sousessvlei dune, Namibia, saw the moon rise up over it, felt amazing and then went back just before sunrise and climbed to the top - was quite chilly and once the sun came up the heat was fierce, and we slid down the side.
the churches carved downwards out of rock in Ethiopia,
the Great Wall in China - lots of things in China really but the scale of this blew my mind.
Newgrange in Ireland, how did they even build it like that. It’s a dream to go for the winter solistice.
Agree with many others on this thread, but impossible for me to choose one as I loved them all for different reasons. Things that impressed me, made me think, made me feel a certain way or just moved me.

I’m seeing the last supper at the end of the month and am now looking forward to it more than I was thanks to this thread 😊

Ephesus, Turkey. Absolutely spectacular. Bloody slippery on the path on the way down to the library though, I went arse over tit 😆 more than once!

Sistine Chapel, Rome, Italy - but I saw it in 2003 so it was nowhere near as busy then.

Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Asolutely incredible and even the air felt ancient; you could almost feel the centuries. Never seen a site quote like it.

Everywhere is one billion percent better if you go as early as possible. If you can't get there for opening time then don't bother.

The cloud forest in Costa Rica. I knew it would be enchanting, but it was SO magnificent. Took my breath away.

Petra
Cairo pyramids
Grand Canyon
Niagra Falls

You can look at pictures and videos but you don’t get the full impact until you see sights like that yourself. They’re awe inspiring.

Alcatraz in San Francisco. We were there for a couple of days and decided it would be somehting to do for a few hours, but it was genuinely amazing! They had an audio guide that you listened to on headphones that was narrated by the former governor, wardens and inmates etc and some of it was spine tingling!

On the boat over to the island we were sat next to an old man and what we thought was his daughter so we were just chatting away to him about our holiday, where we're from etc. After we did the tour we went to the gift shop and he was there doing a book signing - his own book about his time as an inmate on Alcatraz!

Ancient standing stones on Orkney ( older than Stonehenge) and free. There was no else there when I went and there’s a nearby ancient settlement to explore. I found it fascinating. It really drew me in.

Krakow Salt Mine. Absolutely incredible.

A common denominator seems to be places when they’re quieter with fewer tourists (either because of the timing or because numbers are restricted).

I've been to so many it's hard to pick one, but I agree with this. Dawn at Machu Picchu for example - very quiet as most tourists haven't arrived yet. But one of my favourites was Abu Simbel, which most people see at a time overrun by tourists. But we were on Lake Nasser and the only boat tied up at the dock overnight there. Went to the sound and light in the evening, but next morning we got on the site as it opened. Literally the 40 of us were swamped by the place and we got to wonder through the chambers and corridors at liberty pretty much alone. Magical.

Yes - eg if you want to see Knossos, stay in Heraklion and get the bus there to arrive for opening. We were second in, hardly anyone else there for a good hour or so till the coaches started rolling in.
The museum in Heraklion is very good too - we wandered round for hours, circling back to gaze at those wonderful wall paintings.

Agree with Ephesus, loved it so much we’ve been twice and we were lucky enough to visit Pamukkale in the early 90s when you could walk freely around! Bloody slippy though!

Watching the sun rise over Machu Picchu.

Sunrise at Fountains Abbey.( Ripon Cathedral is pretty impressive too). I was invited to a special event at Fountains, especially for sunrise.

I cried in the Mezquita in Cordoba and St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest. I was also really moved in the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. I'm not particularly religious but that was the greatest sense of faith experienced.

Walking into Rovinj, the first evening, took my breath away.

And Anne Frank’s house! Quite bare, nobody visiting spoke at all. It was such an emotional experience. My usually unmoved teenage DS was so interested and involved.
When we returned home we saw the stage play and that was similar, nobody spoke leaving the theatre.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Definitely worth the stifling heat and 3am rise.

Glen Coe and The Outer Hebrides (Lewis and Harris), Scotland. We were there for 10 days in perfect weather (unheard of), otherworldly.

Tokyo. The sheer size is hard to comprehend, total culture shock, such an interesting place.

The Charleston glow worm caves in South Island NZ. This is less touristy than Waitomo but still an attraction. Tubing in the pitch black whilst seeing thousands of glow worms twinkling above you was quite something.