# Most disappointing travel destination or tourist attraction \[Edited thread title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581 "2011-03-05T15:26:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/201 "2011-03-11T14:47:27Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I’m not complaining, I’m just saying that I didn’t enjoy this museum as much as I could have if the placards were in English. It was weird; every big museum I have EVER gone to has had placards in English. If I’m at a small museum in a place with minimal tourism (ie, every museum I went to in Colombia), it’s not a surprise, but a big museum in Italy? It was just…odd. Shrug, they’ve been The tourist destination since Byron’s times (and a huge travel destination for other reasons before the word “tourism” got invented) - they have some of the worst hotels out there, and can’t really see the point of updating installations. After all, why spend money on that when people go anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/202 "2011-03-11T16:24:56Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Who on earth considers it a pedestrians town? compared to which cities? Have you been to many other cities around the world? Buh? New York City is one of the only places where having a car is a detriment. The majority of people get around by walking or by taking the subway. It is absolutely a town for pedestrians. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/203 "2011-03-11T20:30:55Z")
Ah, I think I see the issue. Compared to other US cities I’d agree that NY is easier to navigate without a car. The distinguishing feature of many US cities is that you absolutely have to have a car to get anywhere. In Europe we sort of take it for granted that there will be buses and trains so we wouldn’t think that that alone makes a city good for pedestrians. I accept that in the US you may find NY exceptional in that way. So I’m more concerned with the aesthetic pleasure of walking, and the things to see, the changes in scenery and architecture. And that is greater in other cities. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/204 "2011-03-11T23:21:06Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Those are just the biggies. There are a number of other smaller specialized museums. Interesting… an entire U-boat, you say? And an actual Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton? If I ever make my way to Chicago I shall definitely have to check those out. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/205 "2011-03-11T23:26:09Z")
The U-boat is _awesome_. They basically built the rest of the museum around it. (Physically, I mean.) You can go on a little tour through the inside and everything. Well worth the price of admission. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/206 "2011-03-12T00:10:15Z")
While I found Londoin fascinating, I have to admit that I was underwhelmed by the [Crown Jewels](http://www.royal.gov.uk/The%20Royal%20Collection%20and%20other%20collections/TheCrownJewels/Overview.aspx). The sceptres, crowns, and ceremonial objects were interesting. However, the gold plate–the salad bowls and whatnot–didn’t impress me. Yes, it’s real gold, and there’s a lot of it. But it just looks like trailer-park bling to me: quantity instead of quality. On the other hand, the First Star of Africa diamond, set in the Queen’s sceptre, was utterly amazing. On the third hand, the way the exhibit was set up was a little unsettling. You enter the room and step on a moving sidewalk (gold-plated, with the Queen’s initials), and stand there as it whisks you past the treasure. You can duck back via a separate passageway if you want another look, but you _cannot stand still_ in front of the Crown Jewels. ---
**Author:** ![Recliner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a88e57/32.png) [@Recliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recliner)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/207 "2011-03-12T03:00:16Z")
> [@buckgully](#): > > Hands down, Times Square, NYC for New Year’s eve. I’ll agree that this is surprisingly boring. I was there on 12/31/1999, which I consider pretty definitive. I expected more cameraderie, but it was really just a massive crowd and no real interaction beyond counting down from ten. That said, I had a hell of a lot of fun doing other things that night. But Times Square on NYE is just as boring as it is any other time, I reckon. Oh, and the police move everyone out right afterwards – the REAL “gathering” is the huge hassle it is to clean up all the crap people leave behind. It was somewhat fascinating to see these regimented brigades of sweepers appear, along with very strategic policing (“Move along, folks. If you’re going Uptown, I recommend…”)…they clear out Times Square and get it shined up for the next day, when it becomes…whatever it is that Times Square is. Backdrop-slash-Flagship-Billboard, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/208 "2011-03-12T09:45:40Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > When you’re in front of the Mona Lisa, make a 180° turn. There you have a huge, famous painting ([Veronese’s marriage at Cana](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_owmNZHkEsvY/TTmtF6LqK2I/AAAAAAAACtg/vUhIjx4MsB0/s1600/Veronese-Cana.jpg)) without glass, without barrier and nobody’s looking that way. > > I find this fascinating. You enter the room with those two paintings and everybody is around the one you barely can see, while completely ignoring the other that covers a whole wall. There’s something surrealist about it. Clairobscure, thanks very much- I loved that painting but never knew what it was even though I bought all the guide books. And there was another- The Money Lenders or something. Mona Lisa seemed pretty small compared to those. I was one of the tourists taking pictures though… In Dublin, that statue of Molly Malone is just gross. As is most of Dublin, apart from Trinity College. Temple Bar is disgusting. The one monument that wins hands down as the most vapid, shitty monument on earth is that of Dodi and Diana at Harrods. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/209 "2011-03-12T15:36:44Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > In Dublin, that statue of Molly Malone is just gross. As is most of Dublin, apart from Trinity College. Temple Bar is disgusting. Temple Bar was a designed tourist trap and I don’t understand its popularity at all. There are plenty of parts of Dublin that aren’t gross but where few tourists ever go. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/210 "2011-03-12T16:06:37Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Temple Bar was a designed tourist trap and I don’t understand its popularity at all. There are plenty of parts of Dublin that aren’t gross but where few tourists ever go. Well, I had a nice time in Dublin. I went to some museums, and from there, I wandered around and got wildly lost and just looked at the city. It was very cool, except when I found myself in a pretty sketchy-looking industrial area which was definitely not a tourist area. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/211 "2011-03-12T16:44:43Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Dublin’s one redeeming grace was Kilmainham Gaol, where we had a guided tour by a woman who knew her shit and obviously cared quite a deal about the history of the place, and where we had by far the best tourist experience. Oh, and it also only cost us €1.50. I loved the week I spent in Dublin, but the best thing we did in the week we were there was go on a tour of the Gaol. I had the same experience as you, with a friendly, knowledgeable guide who was politely unphased by our utter ignorance of modern Irish history. We avoided (on the edvice of everyone we met and every guidebook I’ve ever met) Temple Bar, and found ourselves in a lot of nice pubs. Terrible food though. I don’t know why - maybe our luck was against us. But In six days we didn’t have a decent meal, unless you counted the Guinness. [QUOTE=Cicero] The one monument that wins hands down as the most vapid, shitty monument on earth is that of Dodi and Diana at Harrods. [/QUOTE] But it’s so awful it’s amazing, right? I love the undiluted madness of it. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/212 "2011-03-12T18:43:02Z")
Pisa. I’ll be damned. It’s leaning (it was kind of cool to climb up, I admit). Oh yeah, there’s a horde of Chinese vendors selling tat. Now what?? (Not entirely fair – lucked into a much-better-than-expected artisanal restaurant in an old warehouse – and had a decent hotel with a view of the Tower). But having come from Venice and Florence – big letdown, not really worth the trip. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/213 "2011-03-12T19:16:46Z")
\*slight hijack. It seems to only be fair that if you are looking for a beach vacation where you drink all day long and lie in the sun, then it’s not proper to come on here and say how much you think Alaska sucks. Or you wanted to go cross country skiing and Florida really disappointed you. Obviously you think that. I’m not the OP, but I’m sure that the spirit of the thread was a vacation destination that is within your sphere of interest. I was going to come on here and nominate Disney, but that would violate my own rule. My daughter loves Disney and that’s who they build the parks for, not me. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/214 "2011-03-13T20:36:02Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > … > Example: there is a place near Sendai (NE coast, on the Pacific) that is advertised as one of the three (or six, or five, I don’t remember) most beautiful places. It’s a string of islands off the coast that you can see from the town. But the town itself and everything leading up to it is (or was in 1988) filled with one junky souvenir shop after another, and it’s pretty hard to appreciate the putative beauty. > … > Roddy Sadly, that has probably changed significantly. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/215 "2011-03-13T21:17:17Z")
Sherwood Forest now consists of 5 trees and a souvenir shop (or at least it did when I was there 20 years ago). Nottingham was a non-descript town and its castle was lackluster, at best. If I was Robin Hood, I would have let the sheriff have the place and moved to York. That was a much nicer city to visit. ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/216 "2011-03-16T19:50:00Z")
We spent six weeks travelling through Italy at one point - loved so much of it so dearly. Rome was our last stop, and the city we flew home from, and something I was pretty excited for. It was absolutely terrible, especially compared to other Italian cities we had fallen in love with. My husband and I always joke about French men, and how they’ll barely wait for him to turn his back before asking me out for some coffee with bedroom eyes… in Rome there was nothing to joke about. If my husband didn’t have his arm around my shoulder and his tongue down my throat at virtually all times the men would invade my personal space to a ridiculous degree, including grabbing my arm with a firm grip and pulling me hard towards themselves. It was stinking hot, obviously not the fault of Rome, but it was nearly impossible to figure out what to wear - anything temperature appropriate just made the violations of space and decency more frequent. I took almost no pictures because letting go of my husband even for half a minute was frightening. The food was garbage compared to the rest of the country, including restaurants that had been recommendations from friends who had lived there. Such a terrible way to end a trip, and a city we’ve never even talked about returning to. Why would you go, when there are so many fantastic Italian places to see? ---
**Author:** ![Chapulin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Chapulin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chapulin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/217 "2011-03-23T22:21:51Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > What? I knew it wouldn’t take very long for someone to post something completely contrary to my experience, but this is just baffling. The only way this makes any sense to me at all would be if you stayed in and around Belize City and didn’t go anywhere else. Well I never said the ENTIRE country of Belize was awful. Obvioulsy I just mean the area we were at, which was Belize City. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/218 "2011-03-23T22:30:46Z")
> [@beartato](#): > > We spent six weeks travelling through Italy at one point - loved so much of it so dearly. Rome was our last stop, and the city we flew home from, and something I was pretty excited for. It was absolutely terrible, especially compared to other Italian cities we had fallen in love with. My husband and I always joke about French men, and how they’ll barely wait for him to turn his back before asking me out for some coffee with bedroom eyes… in Rome there was nothing to joke about. If my husband didn’t have his arm around my shoulder and his tongue down my throat at virtually all times the men would invade my personal space to a ridiculous degree, including grabbing my arm with a firm grip and pulling me hard towards themselves. It was stinking hot, obviously not the fault of Rome, but it was nearly impossible to figure out what to wear - anything temperature appropriate just made the violations of space and decency more frequent. I took almost no pictures because letting go of my husband even for half a minute was frightening. The food was garbage compared to the rest of the country, including restaurants that had been recommendations from friends who had lived there. Such a terrible way to end a trip, and a city we’ve never even talked about returning to. Why would you go, when there are so many fantastic Italian places to see? I was also disappointed in Rome, but completely acknowledge it was our own fault. We also ended a long trip through Italy (driving ourselves most of the way) in Rome and we were exhausted by the time we got there. Other than the Vatican (which we loved) our hearts just weren’t in it anymore by that point. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe one night of all places (I was absolutely craving a cheeseburger by then.) I would love to go back and start a trip there. I’m sure it’s amazing in the right frame of mind. On the other hand, I loved Venice, which I hear many people complain about. ---
**Author:** ![CTburns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CTburns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CTburns)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/219 "2011-03-24T19:41:40Z")
I would have to say Bali. I didn’t stay in a plush resort, I wouldn’t have to fly halfway around the world to do that. I stayed near Kuta Beach and did different day-trips around the island, and the whole place was filthy and annoying. I found Bali to be worse than many of the third-world shitholes that I have visited. French Polynesia sucks too! Save the money and go to Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/220 "2011-03-24T19:44:58Z")
> [@CTburns](#): > > I would have to say Bali. > … I stayed near Kuta Beach … I think I see the problem. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581.md?page=12)