Where is the most overrated holiday destination you’ve been?

[phoanymoany]

Where have you been on holiday and thought “wow, that was a waste of my time and money”.

Mine was travelling to a fairly remote tropical island where people were supposed to be so friendly. Unfortunately we found the people we interacted with in the hotels and restaurants to be anything but nice. It piddled down with rain and then we almost got scammed.

Japan was the biggest let down for me. I was there for work though so not much time for tourism.

Ireland was also a disappointment, as was Boston, MA.

The biggest positive surprise was Venice, which is built up as a tourist trap but is absolutely stunning and full of hidden gems / not busy outside of the hotspots.
Switzerland never disappoints me,

Just for once, can we not? Nobody has called any other country racist, and yet I think we all know for a fact that they are. ( Hello Japan, Dubai , Saudi Arabia etc) For the 15th time, Australia is one of, if not the, most multi-cultural, peaceful and democratic countries in the world. Pick on a country your own size for once. Have a crack at Germany or South Korea. It's getting dull.

It's been like that for at least 25 years - it's such a shame. Venice is the same - ruined by millions of dawdling tour groups. They are at least empty for a brief period between November and February (pre-Carnival in Venice), but the weather is often grey, wet, cold and dreary. I only go to Rome in the winter too - the rest of the year it's heaving and you can't enjoy it. Italy has allowed its cities to become like Disneyland.

We loved Malta, it was completely unexpected, so many amazing things to see. But we knew the beaches weren’t great before we went, knew it’s densely populated so adjusted our expectations. If you didn’t do your research, you can’t really complain it didn’t meet your expectations. It does have lots of lovely hotels, restaurants and picturesque views. The old Valletta harbour and three cities is incredible- one of the best in the world. Sailing into it is beautiful especially at golden hour with the stone buildings glowing orange.

Your sardinia experience surprises me a lot. I know sardinia very well and probably every corner of Cagliari, which I know from way way back. Any examples of this rudeness?

Pick on a country your own size for once

Probably the wrong turn of phrase when defending criticism of Australia

Kefalonia. Myrtos beach I visited I didn't like, the travel agency didn't put us near a beach it was at the top of a bloody mountain/big hill and you had to drive/taxi to the nearest beach, and I hated the capital, Argostoli, concrete monstrosity. Not helped that near our complex the local Greeks abandoned feral kittens to die. Then 9/11 happened during our holiday and I fell out with my then boyfriend too. I found it very overrated but maybe didn't see best parts.

Beloved by many MNers though...!

The USA, but only because of the hotels we stayed at while travelling around. The people were so lovely, but every hotel pool was full of people with long hair, so loose hair everywhere. I'd go for a swim and my fingers would be full of hair. I think must be an American thing. In the UK people tie their hair back when they go in the pool. Eugh.

Dublin a hundred time over. I'm the child of `Irish immigrants so have passed through there many many times as part of journeys to visit family bit until DS moved there for a few years had never actually visited it. I'm so glad he moved away because Dubli/n is awful. Everything is overpriced, public transport is inconvenient and overcrowded and unless you want to go to touristy bars (or the dreaded Guinness experience) there is very little to do.

I love Ireland as a country and spend several weeks a year there but Dublin is awful.

Just after the terrorist attack at the concert in Paris I visited and met 2 American friends and their tween DD's there (they're South Korean). The Parisians couldn't be nicer to us, even when I stopped at a bar/cafe to ask for directions.

My friend who's Jewish was interested to see the Jewish part of Le Marais, and we loved the falafel places in that part.

I stayed sort of near Eiffel Tower though and got warned it's dangerous, lots of pickpockets, by Parisians there.

I stayed sort of near Eiffel Tower though and got warned it's dangerous, lots of pickpockets, by Parisians there.

I stayed near the Eiffel last week, and it was fine. Took the Metro too, though I divided my money. People were lovely. Less dogshit than in my part of London. Probably helped that it was off season and freezing, so no crowds.

All of you who hate Dublin, have you been out of central Dublin? I agree that it isn't great, but the areas along the coast are much nicer.

Geneva in December of last year. Full of migrants, overpriced and so globalised, nothing Swiss about it anymore. Massive disillusionment, as have not visited for 20 years but thought for some silly reason that it would not be so susceptible to globalisation in the form of Zaras, Decathlons (!!!), food, etc. V.depressing.

Broadstairs. I felt like I was going to catch something off the beach.

Full of migrants? Also, surely people everywhere deserve a Decathlon if they want one. India has Zara and Decathlon now too. I am not sure destinations should stay "unspoilt" for our benefit.

Great Barrier Reef Australia. Was on a live aboard for 3 days diving, so we could go further out . Actually upsetting to see how washed out and lacking in life the GBR was. Hope it gets a chance to recover. They should stop tourism there for a few years. Obv won’t happen.

Lots of people say Dublin, though I think it’s fairer to say it’s “overhyped” by the British media in particular. As someone who’s lived in Dublin for quite a few years, it seems that it’s mostly the British media and therefore British tourists who have hyped it as a “must do” weekend break/long weekend type destination, while basically all other tourists just see it as the capital which they’ll fly into, mooch around for a couple of days taking in a few sights, before heading off to see more representative parts of the country. Which makes more sense, as it’s true that Dublin isn’t a particularly attractive city for the casual tourist.

So maybe it’s interesting to ponder why it’s been hyped by the British media the past 20 years or so (which is really all it is as it never used to be considers “a place to visit”) - and I wonder if there’s probably a bit of colonial guilt playing a big part in it, given Britain’s history toward the country. Ireland was one of the very poorest and destitute countries in Europe for a couple of centuries, and the Brits played a significant part in that. And that only started changing around the 1960s and then properly changed in the 1990s. Which of course also partly explains why Dublin is somewhat lacking in architecture/ grand monuments/wow factor compared to many other sizeable European cities (capitals or otherwise).

That said, there are some great spots around Dublin, and many tourists would probably do better spending three days exploring the nearby scenic suburbs/coastal towns like Malahide, Skerries, Bray, Wicklow, Howth than trudging around the centre. Particularly if they’re just normal causal tourists without much interest in history.

LA. What a shit hole. And Paris, that was awful too.

Fun fact; there's actually a syndrome coined in Japan called Paris Syndrome. It's literally the utter shock and disappointment of going to Paris.

I love Paris - although it does smell round by the river. Barcelona is my favourite city, can't understand the hate there.

I was very underwhelmed by LA - flat and basic - and Venice - over-crowded, over-priced and not nearly as picturesque as I expected - when I visited those.

I know the Dublin coastline a bit. Bray is nice in summer (if sunny) but to me was just a typical seaside resort. Wicklow mountains are stunning though.

@Somepeoplearesnippy

Everything is overpriced, public transport is inconvenient and overcrowded and unless you want to go to touristy bars (or the dreaded Guinness experience) there is very little to do. I love Ireland as a country and spend several weeks a year there but Dublin is awful

It would certainly be way down my list of European capitals, but I don’t get the hate to be honest which seems a bit over the top. I mean you have to consider that Ireland was a poor country for centuries and still has a very small population density, even considering it’s size. And if there’s “very little to do” in Dublin, with its lion share of the population and spending and its art gallery, half dozen sizeable museums, theatres, modern music venues, half dozen shopping malls, nightlife, and easy access to a dozen or so pleasant coastal towns/villages - then you’re absolutely screwed in the rest of the country 🙃

Nice - unfriendly, full of dog shite and nothing really to do

Scroll down to consular activities. They had to address the myth of helpline for Paris syndrome😂
https://www.fr.emb-japan.go.jp/itprfr/00000.html

Paris Intra-Muros is the most densely populated city in Europe - it's not a museum (despite the beauty of its architecture) people live there, right in the centre, send their children school there, do all their food shopping there (on foot) so yes, maybe you will come across some harassed Parisians irritated by groups of tourists. If you want the Parisians to be polite to you preface any interaction with a "Bonjour" - MUCH more important than please or thank you and certainly more important than the very British "Sorry"! Avoid the Eiffel Tower at close quarters - you can easily get it in your photos at a distance without going anywhere near the seething mass of tourists and vendors selling tourist tat. I feel the same about the Sacre Coeur. Paris was at its best during lockdown, empty of tourists and interlopers. With all the tourist shops closed and the streets so quiet you could hear the birdsong, Montmartre felt like the village full of windmills that it used to be. We walked up the hill and found an accordionist playing to himself on bench - like a scene from Emily in Paris. It can't be like that all the time - and while a huge number of Parisians have dogs I would say the dog shit problem has vastly improved. I love it (can you tell?) and I love the fact you can live in it - it's not a tourist shell. All cities popular with tourists have their own areas worth avoiding (even if or perhaps because they are in all the guidebooks) - NYC has Times Square, Bangkok has Khao San Road, LA has the Hollywood Boulevard walk of fame - but you can't write off a whole city on the basis of a couple of over-promoted and easily avoidable bottlenecks. My idea of holiday hell would be any all-inclusive type affair where you are fenced in a compound (however beautiful the view) - because then you literally can't escape the tourism and find anything more authentic.

There is LOADS to do in Nice. Fabulous museums, old town, Colline du Chateau, fabulous public transport.