Ever been anywhere that far surpassed your expectations?

[cptartapp]

In contrast to the current thread about places which disappointed, where have you been that far surpassed your expectations?
For me, Seville. And El Djem in Tunisia which topped the Colosseum in Rome. We climbed all over it unaccompanied top to bottom and underground. And no crowds.

udlow (in contrast to several people on the other thread who mentioned it as a disappointment! Think the difference is I only went to meet PIL so had zero expectations whatsoever haha)

@Whichwhatnow I can only assume that they don't like historical sights, pretty market towns or interesting food shops. I loved Ludlow.

Cambodia, so beautiful in places and such lovely people

Lake Bled. Stunningly beautiful, lovely bars and restaurants in the area and all so cheap compared to other areas in Europe.
Came back wondering why it had never been on my radar before

Myanmar was brilliant. Such a shame what it happening there.

Just thought of another - Carlisle.

Karpathos in Greece. Was worth the 3 flights to get there )
(With a toddler too).

Breathtakingly stunning. Quiet. Beaches to ourselves in August.

Florence. Wonderful.

I also came on to say Seville also Nashville, I went almost reluctantly as part of a deep south road trip, with zero interest in country music, and I absolutely loved it!

Madrid. Not that I thought it'd be horrible, but it was never on my 'must-go' radar. But a friend who lives in the Antipodes was in Spain for work and suggested I get a cheap flight and spend a few days there with her and we had the most fantastic time; it was so easy to find nice places to eat and drink, wonderful indie bookshops, a lovely weekend flea/antiques market, the Prado and the Reina Sofia of course, really helpful and friendly people.

South Africa - I knew it was amazing as my DB was living out there but when I went I was absolutely blown away. Nowhere else has topped it so far.

Devon! But we were there during the heatwave of early July 2021.

Highlands and outer hebrides.
Maderia.
Lisbon.

Was pleased to read this - we are going there this summer - can't wait!

I loved Tiblisi in Georgia - best city I have ever been too. Albania was great too - stunning scenery.

Shetland. We went for 3 weeks last year it was just amazing. We have always been to Orkney year after year but went further afield last year, and to take nothing away from Orkney, Shetland was just lovely.

Kangaroo Island (South Australia). I thought Tasmania (which I adore) couldn't be beaten but I was wrong. It was just incredible. I cried when I had to leave.

Lanzarote. Went with a friend as she had free accommodation. She was a clubbing sort. I thought I’d just spend a week reading by the pool. But we stayed in Puerto del Carmen and the old harbour was lovely and there are so many fascinating places you can get day trips to. Mind you, this was quite a few years ago now.

Opatija in Croatia.

corsica.

philadelphia

hate to say it as well but late in life I have discovered a love of theme parks 😳

Disney / florida - i expected to hate it. I hate crowds, I hate rides, I don’t particularly like the films, I’m not one for merchandise. I like museums, restaurants/ bars and lovely scenery…

well I loved it, just rolled with it and had an amazing time

The Taj Mahal. Agra is horrible, it can be mobbed, but seeing it framed in front of you as you go through the port, it is magnificent. And up close, the delicacy of the marble, the semi-precious inlay, is wonderful.

Lots of places. Most recently Berlin. I only went under sufferance really as DH was working there and wanted me to go along. I am not really a city person but I absolutely loved it and would go back again without doubt.
The Taj Mahal blew me away. I was expecting it to be touristy, crowded and over commercialised like many of these "wonders of the world" type places. And it kind of was, but somehow it didn't matter.
And, umm, this is a bit of a weird one. Leicester. I've got a DC at University there and we had never even visited beforehand because of Covid, so I was very anxious that it was all a terrible mistake. I had got it into my head that it was a dull, soulless 1970s concrete jungle for some reason and I was very pleasantly surprised to find how nice some parts of the city are. I've not fallen wildly in love with the place and I am not planning to move there or anything but I quite like it, and it has definitely exceeded my (very low!) expectations.

So many lovely places mentioned here! I want to see them all!

Kefalonia for me. We went to Corfu and they did a boat trip hopping round the islands and I was only 20 (22 years ago!) and I had never really heard of any of them and wasn’t sure what to expect. We had a little coach trip round the caves near Sami and then we stopped at the top of a mountain / hill and the view was absolutely breathtaking. Just amazing.

Very minor compared to all these extravagant places. But.......the video game museum in Sheffield. Not into gaming at all really but it was loads of fun for a family day out on a wet day. Would definitely go back!

Leicester is actually a good shout! I used to have to travel up quite regularly to meet with a work supplier and would stay overnight due to distance. It's really pretty (with some lovely restaurants!)

Athens and Sri Lanka were the first places that came to my mind when I read the op.

In the UK I have to say pretty much everywhere I’ve been in Yorkshire.

Vienna. I was expecting it to be quite staid and similar to Swiss cities such as Geneva, Lausanne, Berne or Zurich, all of which are pleasant and clean, with some nice museums, generally good places to visit. It just took my breath away, the whole of the incredible palace in the centre, and all of buildings, I just loved it.