Most disappointing destinations

[Demon_fan]

I can't understand how Paris fails anyone. It's a beautiful city. I'm just wondering how it fails?

The people are rude, the food is average and bland, the sites are underwhelming, the metro stinks.

Dont get me wrong, I really wanted to like it and was really looking forward to it. I left completely disappointed.

 

[boomy]

I can't understand how Paris fails anyone. It's a beautiful city. I'm just wondering how it fails?

It could be a great city if not located in France

 

[DalyWaters]

I drove coach tours around Europe for four years and found Paris to be an enchanting city every time I visited. The worst city to drive in, by far but the city is so good that I visited again during off time.

Barcelona was a city we went to great lengths to avoid. We were fortunate to have flexible itineraries and usually, but not always, convinced our passengers to swap Barcelona for Budapest. Barcelona was crime, crime and more crime at the time.

I found Dubai to be a bit of a nothing except for the creek. Watching the taxi buses showed some real life but the rest of Dubai is too manufactured. Other cities I have visited in the past but would now happily bypass are L.A., Manila, and worst of all, Pattaya.

 

[Pushka]

Did you try to speak French? I learnt a few words and found I was greeted with smiles. Even from the person selling the Metro Pass. And found that all through France as we travelled south.

Adding another to the list of underwhelms. Most places in the South Pacific but excluding Fiji. And Vietnam. Did not like Vietnam. Never felt welcome there and had a feeling of being disliked by the local people. Probably enjoyed HaNoi more than Sth Vietnam.

 

[drron]

I can't understand how Paris fails anyone. It's a beautiful city. I'm just wondering how it fails?

Just because we heard so many people say how beautiful Paris was.Too high an expectation that it didn't live up to.
Though I admit it was beautiful sitting on the balcony of the Exec lounge in the ex Paris Hilton admiring the Eiffel tower.

 

[Scarlett]

Just because we heard so many people say how beautiful Paris was.Too high an expectation that it didn't live up to.
Though I admit it was beautiful sitting on the balcony of the Exec lounge in the ex Paris Hilton admiring the Eiffel tower.

So you've been inside Paris Hilton then?
No wonder it was disappointing...

 

[Shan Man]

Cairns city is disappointing. Cairns Northern Beaches (esp Trinity) are fantastic.

For me:

Kyoto
Hanoi
Barcelona

Kyoto? Really!? I spent five days in Kyoto March 2013, during sakura season the city is beautiful. Its not as faced paced as Tokyo or Osaka but its got a certain calmness about it. I found it a nice getaway from the hussle and bussle we had experienced the seven days before.

We did do a day trip to Hiroshima for one of the days however.

 

[Hvr]

I'm with Shan Man re Kyoto. Especially the Steam Train museum.

 

[Awesom Andy]

So you've been inside Paris Hilton then?

Not sure how I should be interpreting this... :shock:

 

[markis10]

Agreed. In Orlando and very short of something to do outside of the convention, I invested 2 hours driving around to find that great cultural institution, Krispy Kremes. Had 2 delicious ones and then never had another for ever after.

the

I wonder why it attracted 4M more people last year compared to NYC?

Orlando Beats Out NYC as the Most Visited Destination in the U.S. – Skift

Disney would be happy.

 

[smit0847]

Interesting. I thought Kyoto was beautiful and Barcelona is probably my favourite European city (haven't been to Hanoi yet). Just out of interest, what didn't you like about Barcelona? (Hope you weren't robbed there)

I found Kyoto full of tourists and quite fake. The 'back streets' where everyone is looking for Geisha at night felt like a movie set. Osaka had much more vibrancy.

I know most people think Barcelona is one of their favourite European cities but my partner and I didn't like it at all. It seems to exist purely for tourism (I have never seen so many tourists in my life) and there didnt seem to be any of the passion and fire that I expected Spaniards to have. I was prepared to be robbed/overwhelmed/amazed at La Ramblas but found a boring mall full of fat American tourists eating ice cream. The indoor food markets were the only thing I liked about the city.

 

[VHOEJ]

New York - because it is overrated in my view.

 

[Hvr]

New York - because it is overrated in my view.

Assuming you're talking about the city and not the state I can only misquote Samuel Johnson "When a man is tired of New York he is tired of life for there is in New York all that life can afford".

Yes he said it of London but it also applies to New York city.

​

 

[BAM1748]

New York - because it is overrated in my view.

I can think of far worse places than NY state or city. With apologies to the good burgers of Adelaide, I'm going there on Thursday and I think I'd prefer NY.

 

[codash1099]

So you've been inside Paris Hilton then?
No wonder it was disappointing...

It's the Pull man now

 

[drron]

I did always enter by the back door.:shock::shock:

 

[footy99]

This is interesting.

I suspect most places people don't like are places they built up going in then the 'reality' didn't match their fantasy. That reality unfortunately now usually being a few days of jumping between sights, snapping pictures and moving on. Paris is probably the worst for this. I reckon you could pretty accurately guess who will like Paris or not just by their itinerary.

There is chat here about Barcelona being full of tourists. Having been there many times to visit relatives, I've never really seen tourists there. I guess that's a different part of the city. I've also never really seen any of the sights, and wouldn't know what they were, because we tend just to hang out in their neighbourhood. Same city, wildly different experience.

It also depends a lot on where you've come from. Santiago for instance. The first time I visited Santiago was after 6 months travelling around rural Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Northern Chile. Almost none of these places had bitumen roads, concrete footpaths, clean anything, internet, sometimes electricity, hot water, heating, cooling, yadda yadda. The contrast with Santiago in a single bus trip was just mind blowing. It's a completely different world more closely resembling Sydney or Auckland than its South American neighbours (at least the parts I visited). So to me, everything about Santiago was staggering and I relished my time there, although it did seem outlandishly expensive relative to where I'd just been. Luxuries like water fountains in parks to enhance the beauty of it, a private spa bath, electric blankets and the like were just unimaginable where I had been for the last 6 months just down the road. Now, had I come from Sydney or Auckland knowing nothing about the rest of the continent, I suspect it looks quite different and I might have even been disappointed! Also I have since visited parts of the city that much closer resemble rural South America. Had I stayed there, my view would be very different again.

The only places I didn't like when travelling were Tangiers and Delhi. Tangiers because I was with a friend who wanted to do the tour thing so all I saw were people trying to exploit me. One day there left me with a sour taste because of the way I experienced it. In Delhi I got ripped off by a tour company in cahoots with the hotel I was staying at. That scam cost me over $2000. Given a large part of my exposure to Delhi culture was a thieving tour company and their hotel accomplice, I basically told everyone never to go near the place because there was no place worse on the planet. Then, had I picked a different hotel to start with, my view on Delhi would likely be completely different.

Some of the places mentioned here and in the article are truly remarkable places. I reckon generally it is almost irrelevant which city names are on your itinerary - they can all be great or terrible. And the final judgment will be based on such a tiny sample of experience of the place that it is ultimately useless to anyone except the person who had it.

 

[Programme]

Another one for Kuala Lumpur. Use it as a transit point, for doing business or for visiting relatives. Anything else can be done better elsewhere.

Worst possible mix of the general dirtiness and shadiness of Bangkok without the sights and excitement, combined with the contrived nature of Singapore without the efficiency. The only redeeming feature is the food, but that is also available in Singapore with greater accessibility and cleanliness but slightly greater cost - $5 instead of $2...

 

[Clivem]

..... I got ripped off by a tour company in cahoots with the hotel I was staying at. That scam cost me over $2000. ......

$2K ....ouch how did they work that ? I only ask as fore warned is hopefully fore armed.

 

[Paddy55]

New York - because it is overrated in my view.

I guess to each his own :shock:.... but I find it endlessly interesting