Most overrated international destination?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Koh Samui was our biggest let down in SE Asia (DH and I spent a couple months across two trips on the banana pancake trail) — over developed, really not that striking, full of drunk Europeans and Australians, not biologically/ecologically interesting. That said, I am not sure if it’s appropriate to call it overrated. It just fell short of our expectations. Traffic and crowds notwithstanding, we liked Bali. The highlights are in the visual culture and interior; the beaches other than for surfing are so-so.

The only trip I have taken and not felt great about was to Colombia. The food was bland with a lot of carb on carb situations, and we felt uneasy in the city centers. We still enjoyed ourselves! It was good value for money, the scenery outside cities was beautiful, and the people were perfectly pleasant (I understand Spanish, but can’t speak much at all for context). I realized after the fact that everyone raving about Medellin and Cartagena were raving about certain aspects of the nightlife, if you catch my drift.

One lesson I have learned after a lot of travel is that we are actually really lucky in terms of beach options living on the East Coast. From Maine to Miami, there is a piece of shoreline (accessible by car, too) that caters to just about anyone, the Caribbean is a short flight away (again something for everyone — an AI you never leave, diving and snorkeling the Mesoamerican reef, quiet luxury, flashy luxury).

To be fair, Koh Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Koh Tao are supposed to be full of drunk backpackers. They are not the family friendly islands. I visited in my 20s (during full moon, I think that's what it was) and it was nothing but drunken twenty-somethings even back then. These are not where you go when you are older.

I hear “family friendly” and I’m outttttt. I go on vacations to avoid screaming children.

To be fair, this forum draws a lot of parents due to the name "DC urban moms (and dads)." The Rick Steves forum tends to attract more adults travelling without kids and may be less triggering for you.

I see Rick Steves and i think of 70+ tour groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the bickering is about differences in how people hear "overrated"... Someplace can be "overrated" and still have a lot of value. Paris is an interesting & lovely city, but it is also dirty, crowded, gray (with just so much dog/bird sh!t), and so I think falls well short of the "City of Love" hype. I really like Rome, but I can see that if people are imagining just ancient ruins, trevi fountain, vatican & gelato shops on a large scale, it will be a letdown.

With that sense of the word, here are a couple more:

Dubrovnik (absolutely stunning, but attacked by waves of cruise tourists that looked like some sort of well-heeled zombie invasion until evening; thereafter, it was like wandering a lifeless museum)

Bruges/Brussels. Attractive enough, but a little dull, and I was expecting some sort of mindblowing beer and chocolate and it was... underwhelming.

Neuschwanstein. May be one of the few truly spectacular sights where the closer you get the less interesting it is. So much of Bavaria actually *does* live up to the hype (tho not Munich, agree) that it is shame to waste much time there.

Hong Kong. Perhaps there is not much hype, but I expected something super high tech & dynamic. It was unbelievably dense, made Tokyo look pastoral, and sort of boring.

It's definitely a bit sad about Dubrovnik. We were there 15 years ago now, when frankly most of our friends/family had not even heard of it, and even then the cruise ship crowds were bad and locals were telling us how hard it was to live there. I'm sure the permanent population is even lower now. I'd like to explore Croatia more someday but Dubrovnik feels like a one-and-done sort of place, despite how beautiful it was.

Bit surprised to see so many mention Rome.

I'm from former Yugoslavia and grew up vacationing in Croatia in the early 80s and 90s. The difference between then and now is astounding. You couldn't pay me to go there in the summer anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of you really need to stick to Epcot.

This is amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the bickering is about differences in how people hear "overrated"... Someplace can be "overrated" and still have a lot of value. Paris is an interesting & lovely city, but it is also dirty, crowded, gray (with just so much dog/bird sh!t), and so I think falls well short of the "City of Love" hype. I really like Rome, but I can see that if people are imagining just ancient ruins, trevi fountain, vatican & gelato shops on a large scale, it will be a letdown.

With that sense of the word, here are a couple more:

Dubrovnik (absolutely stunning, but attacked by waves of cruise tourists that looked like some sort of well-heeled zombie invasion until evening; thereafter, it was like wandering a lifeless museum)

Bruges/Brussels. Attractive enough, but a little dull, and I was expecting some sort of mindblowing beer and chocolate and it was... underwhelming.

Neuschwanstein. May be one of the few truly spectacular sights where the closer you get the less interesting it is. So much of Bavaria actually *does* live up to the hype (tho not Munich, agree) that it is shame to waste much time there.

Hong Kong. Perhaps there is not much hype, but I expected something super high tech & dynamic. It was unbelievably dense, made Tokyo look pastoral, and sort of boring.

It's definitely a bit sad about Dubrovnik. We were there 15 years ago now, when frankly most of our friends/family had not even heard of it, and even then the cruise ship crowds were bad and locals were telling us how hard it was to live there. I'm sure the permanent population is even lower now. I'd like to explore Croatia more someday but Dubrovnik feels like a one-and-done sort of place, despite how beautiful it was.

Bit surprised to see so many mention Rome.

I'm from former Yugoslavia and grew up vacationing in Croatia in the early 80s and 90s. The difference between then and now is astounding. You couldn't pay me to go there in the summer anymore.

Sadly, I will never go to Dubrovnik again. We even went on a day when there were no cruise ships. The combination of crowds and summer heat overwhelmed what is otherwise a very small and beautiful historic area.

[Anonymous]

All this Rome bashing. We were just there and absolutely loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Koh Samui was our biggest let down in SE Asia (DH and I spent a couple months across two trips on the banana pancake trail) — over developed, really not that striking, full of drunk Europeans and Australians, not biologically/ecologically interesting. That said, I am not sure if it’s appropriate to call it overrated. It just fell short of our expectations. Traffic and crowds notwithstanding, we liked Bali. The highlights are in the visual culture and interior; the beaches other than for surfing are so-so.

The only trip I have taken and not felt great about was to Colombia. The food was bland with a lot of carb on carb situations, and we felt uneasy in the city centers. We still enjoyed ourselves! It was good value for money, the scenery outside cities was beautiful, and the people were perfectly pleasant (I understand Spanish, but can’t speak much at all for context). I realized after the fact that everyone raving about Medellin and Cartagena were raving about certain aspects of the nightlife, if you catch my drift.

One lesson I have learned after a lot of travel is that we are actually really lucky in terms of beach options living on the East Coast. From Maine to Miami, there is a piece of shoreline (accessible by car, too) that caters to just about anyone, the Caribbean is a short flight away (again something for everyone — an AI you never leave, diving and snorkeling the Mesoamerican reef, quiet luxury, flashy luxury).

To be fair, Koh Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Koh Tao are supposed to be full of drunk backpackers. They are not the family friendly islands. I visited in my 20s (during full moon, I think that's what it was) and it was nothing but drunken twenty-somethings even back then. These are not where you go when you are older.

I hear “family friendly” and I’m outttttt. I go on vacations to avoid screaming children.

To be fair, this forum draws a lot of parents due to the name "DC urban moms (and dads)." The Rick Steves forum tends to attract more adults travelling without kids and may be less triggering for you.

I've traveled a lot, and I travel a lot with my kid. Family-friendly does not bother me, but kids in some cultures are worse behaved than others. British and American kids are particularly bad, in general. German/French/other western European, quite well behaved (again, in general). *Rich* Chinese and Gulf state kids, particularly boys...oh man.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the bickering is about differences in how people hear "overrated"... Someplace can be "overrated" and still have a lot of value. Paris is an interesting & lovely city, but it is also dirty, crowded, gray (with just so much dog/bird sh!t), and so I think falls well short of the "City of Love" hype. I really like Rome, but I can see that if people are imagining just ancient ruins, trevi fountain, vatican & gelato shops on a large scale, it will be a letdown.

With that sense of the word, here are a couple more:

Dubrovnik (absolutely stunning, but attacked by waves of cruise tourists that looked like some sort of well-heeled zombie invasion until evening; thereafter, it was like wandering a lifeless museum)

Bruges/Brussels. Attractive enough, but a little dull, and I was expecting some sort of mindblowing beer and chocolate and it was... underwhelming.

Neuschwanstein. May be one of the few truly spectacular sights where the closer you get the less interesting it is. So much of Bavaria actually *does* live up to the hype (tho not Munich, agree) that it is shame to waste much time there.

Hong Kong. Perhaps there is not much hype, but I expected something super high tech & dynamic. It was unbelievably dense, made Tokyo look pastoral, and sort of boring.

It's definitely a bit sad about Dubrovnik. We were there 15 years ago now, when frankly most of our friends/family had not even heard of it, and even then the cruise ship crowds were bad and locals were telling us how hard it was to live there. I'm sure the permanent population is even lower now. I'd like to explore Croatia more someday but Dubrovnik feels like a one-and-done sort of place, despite how beautiful it was.

Bit surprised to see so many mention Rome.

I'm from former Yugoslavia and grew up vacationing in Croatia in the early 80s and 90s. The difference between then and now is astounding. You couldn't pay me to go there in the summer anymore.

Sure.

But the same could be said for Bethany Beach or Rehoboth in terms of crowds now vs back in the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All this Rome bashing. We were just there and absolutely loved it.

+1

Same. We spent an entire week there at the end of June. There were still things and places we didn’t get to. Even with the heat and crowds, it’s magnificent.

I also need to give credit to DCUM for the recommendation for Context Tours. We did 3 tours with them and they were worth every penny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Koh Samui was our biggest let down in SE Asia (DH and I spent a couple months across two trips on the banana pancake trail) — over developed, really not that striking, full of drunk Europeans and Australians, not biologically/ecologically interesting. That said, I am not sure if it’s appropriate to call it overrated. It just fell short of our expectations. Traffic and crowds notwithstanding, we liked Bali. The highlights are in the visual culture and interior; the beaches other than for surfing are so-so.

The only trip I have taken and not felt great about was to Colombia. The food was bland with a lot of carb on carb situations, and we felt uneasy in the city centers. We still enjoyed ourselves! It was good value for money, the scenery outside cities was beautiful, and the people were perfectly pleasant (I understand Spanish, but can’t speak much at all for context). I realized after the fact that everyone raving about Medellin and Cartagena were raving about certain aspects of the nightlife, if you catch my drift.

One lesson I have learned after a lot of travel is that we are actually really lucky in terms of beach options living on the East Coast. From Maine to Miami, there is a piece of shoreline (accessible by car, too) that caters to just about anyone, the Caribbean is a short flight away (again something for everyone — an AI you never leave, diving and snorkeling the Mesoamerican reef, quiet luxury, flashy luxury).

To be fair, Koh Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Koh Tao are supposed to be full of drunk backpackers. They are not the family friendly islands. I visited in my 20s (during full moon, I think that's what it was) and it was nothing but drunken twenty-somethings even back then. These are not where you go when you are older.

I hear “family friendly” and I’m outttttt. I go on vacations to avoid screaming children.

To be fair, this forum draws a lot of parents due to the name "DC urban moms (and dads)." The Rick Steves forum tends to attract more adults travelling without kids and may be less triggering for you.

I've traveled a lot, and I travel a lot with my kid. Family-friendly does not bother me, but kids in some cultures are worse behaved than others. British and American kids are particularly bad, in general. German/French/other western European, quite well behaved (again, in general). *Rich* Chinese and Gulf state kids, particularly boys...oh man.

Ha, I agree with this 100%. German, but currently living in DC. Lived in Middle East and India--spoiled rich boys from those places are horrendous.

[Anonymous]

The one thing I take from this thread is that despite being well traveled, lived abroad for 13 years, who will continue to be well traveled, there are going to be places I loved that others found overrated or underwhelming, while places I found overrated and underwhelming will be beloved by others.

Can't take it personally. Be a bit amused, perhaps.

[Anonymous]

We lived in Europe for 5 years and traveled a lot. I don’t think one should equate “touristy” with “overrated.” Many places are overwhelming in the high season but that doesn’t mean they aren’t wonderful destinations.

The only place in Europe anyone mentioned that I think is actually overrated is Brussels. Apart from the Grand Place, the city is pretty ordinary compared with other European cities. The smaller Belgian cities Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges more interesting imo.

Naples not overrated (don’t think generally it’s a highly regarded tourist destination) but another place we didn’t think was worth our time and no need to return. Don’t understand the appeal. We loved every other place we went in Italy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We lived in Europe for 5 years and traveled a lot. I don’t think one should equate “touristy” with “overrated.” Many places are overwhelming in the high season but that doesn’t mean they aren’t wonderful destinations.

The only place in Europe anyone mentioned that I think is actually overrated is Brussels. Apart from the Grand Place, the city is pretty ordinary compared with other European cities. The smaller Belgian cities Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges more interesting imo.

Naples not overrated (don’t think generally it’s a highly regarded tourist destination) but another place we didn’t think was worth our time and no need to return. Don’t understand the appeal. We loved every other place we went in Italy.

You didn't like the pizza? The pastries? The seafood pastas? The archeological museum? Capidemonte museum? The churches and monasteries? The old city center? Access to Pompeii? Bay of Naples? City views from the hills?

[Anonymous]

For Dubrovnik and Kotor we checked cruise ship schedule and avoided going during those hours. That made a huge difference .They were both beautiful without the extra crowds especially within the city walls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We lived in Europe for 5 years and traveled a lot. I don’t think one should equate “touristy” with “overrated.” Many places are overwhelming in the high season but that doesn’t mean they aren’t wonderful destinations.

The only place in Europe anyone mentioned that I think is actually overrated is Brussels. Apart from the Grand Place, the city is pretty ordinary compared with other European cities. The smaller Belgian cities Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges more interesting imo.

Naples not overrated (don’t think generally it’s a highly regarded tourist destination) but another place we didn’t think was worth our time and no need to return. Don’t understand the appeal. We loved every other place we went in Italy.

You didn't like the pizza? The pastries? The seafood pastas? The archeological museum? Capidemonte museum? The churches and monasteries? The old city center? Access to Pompeii? Bay of Naples? City views from the hills?

Italy-mos are the worst. Naples is a crap hole

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Italy

Where did you go?

Rome and Naples. Total dumps

2 cities and the whole country is overrated? Wow. Its like saying you love or hate the US based on Florida alone.

We loved Italy much more than expected - took high speed train from Geneva to Milan then Florence and then down to Naples - but only to change trains for Sorrento.

Coast south of Sorrento is spectacular and the food is amazing. Locals very friendly.