Interesting read, guys. A few mental notes taken there, thanks.
For me..
1. Macau - Outside the casinos: filthy streets, rude locals, decaying infrastructure. Inside the casinos: rapey sleazebag Indians & Arabs getting all up in my grill, fabricated everything. Did enjoy the free drinks though.
2. Paris - Gross. Metro was dirty, littered with rubbish, completed disregard of locals for any hygiene (coughing all over each other in packed trains), washing ( a lot of smelly people). Had my bum grabbed by 1. one of those hawker guys outside a restaurant 2. a guy on the subway within the space of half an hour. I dread to think what attractive girls have to put up with! Rude locals, unless of course they are trying to swindle you out of your money. Found my bag (an across-the-body travel bag I hold under my elbow) open twice. Lucky I don't keep my money/cards/passport in there anyway.
3. Wuhan, China - try finding a snack that is not: a) dried fish jerky, dried bullfrog, dried turtle, dried insects, dried assorted dead animals. Polluted. Locals will press themselves up against the entire length of your body when lining up anywhere. Cold drinks do not exist. Drinks are kept in fridges, but the fridges aren't turned on, making for a clammy, humid cabinet full of room temperature bottles.
4. Shanghai, China - cosmopolitan city my a$$. Prepare to take the name of your hotel and anywhere else you want to go written down in Chinese, or risk not getting there at all as most taxi drivers don't speak English. Very few bathrooms have soap, even in restaurants.. which makes for risky eating out. Lame shopping due to 17% VAT (things made in China are cheaper in Aus). Be prepared to be near pushed over by locals if you plan on using the subway.
5. Frankfurt - boring.. except for the huge red light district one has to walk to to get to the cathedral / museums from the train station. Wow. That was not boring for all the wrong reasons.
I too was surprised by Kyoto being on some traveller's 'disappointing' lists - I really liked it. There's not much to dislike anywhere in Japan in my opinion... except for maybe Fukushima. But then, I love Cairns and Milan as well, so I guess it's a case of different strokes for different folks.
Venice I have to love out of loyalty - it's my ancestral home, and my cousin Roberto the gondolier would feel betrayed if I didn't like it.
Though it is definitely a great place to observe the negative effects of tourism.. and global warming. And impossible to find a public toilet without buying an overpriced drink in a restaurant / bar. Never mind. As long as there's good, us travellers take the downsides in our stride.