# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/61 "2011-03-07T02:19:09Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > That trip was the first clue in realizing that my idea of a good vacation (doing interesting things and seeing new places) is not the same as many other peoples’ idea of a good vacation (lying on the beach getting drunk). I grew up in California, so I had no frigid winters to escape from, but when I was in grad school in Michigan, I took my spring breaks in Colombia and the Philippines (the latter was a school trip, and paid for). Got away from the cold AND I did something interesting, all at the same time! > > Hey, if you enjoy the lazing around sort of vacation, more power to you. It’s just not what I enjoy, and I was correspondingly massively disappointed with Cancun. I wasn’t trying to say your opinion was invalid, I was just trying to say that for people who don’t have wonderful warm weather Cancun can be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/62 "2011-03-07T03:16:11Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > **Vienna**. When I went there on holiday about fifteen years ago, I couldn’t believe how grubby it all seemed to be. I must concur with Vienna. Grimy, dull, and expensive. There were some nice buildings, but it seemed like there was little to do that didn’t cost a fortune (and we were broke backpackers at the time), and even the food was high priced and all very pretentious. Didn’t find the people at all friendly either. I’m sure it didn’t help that I had just come from Prague, which is lovely - attractive, cheap, cool, lots to do. Vienna was terrible in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/63 "2011-03-07T03:20:01Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I wasn’t trying to say your opinion was invalid, I was just trying to say that for people who don’t have wonderful warm weather Cancun can be nice. I lived in the Midwest for six years and Eastern Europe for two. I understand about cold winters. I’d still never return to Cancun. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/64 "2011-03-07T08:27:25Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > The Sistine Chapel. > > You wait on unending lines and when you finally get in it’s dark, the ceiling is high so you can’t see much detail of the frescoes, it’s hot, and there are these security guards going around loudly (and vainly) trying to keep people from taking photos. > > The rest of Italy was great, especially Florence. But I’d skip the chapel, and most of Rome now that I think of it. You are advising people to skip Rome? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/65 "2011-03-07T09:48:06Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Edinburgh is my favorite city I’ve ever been to. Of course, last time I was there, it was on that sunny day - you guys remember that day? It was nice. You’ve got the wrong city: the Scottish city that insists of wearing a hat of clouds even when the rest of the country is sunny is Glasgow. Edinburgh gets gorgeous weather, specially on the fall. I’ve been disappointed by very few places, but then, my attitude tends to be of the “let’s get surprised” kind. I know there isn’t much point for me to go to Cancún or Punta Cana because that’s not the kind of tourism I want to do: for the same reason, I will not be found within 100 km of Marbella and it’s very unlikely I’ll do more than pass through Ibiza “ok, yeah: beach full of shrimp-colored north-Europeans, big nightclubs, let’s go back to the ship”. If I’d had more than a weekend to spend in Nice, with no car and on a short budget, I would have been bored out of my mind by the third day; since I only had two days and my hotel was close to the old parts/beachfront, it was fine. If you want to see the area (not just go down to the beach), there are many villages nearby which would be better as “command centers”. The same can be said for Rosas in NE Spain: lots of things to do and places to see in the area, but if you’re in “the big village” getting from the hotel to the road takes a ridiculously long time unless you jump into the car before the other tourists have woken up. ---
**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 7, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/66 "2011-03-07T11:43:22Z")
For me it’s probably San Francisco- besides Alcatraz, I was just thoroughly underwhelmed by this city that’s so frequently held up as One Of The World’s Great Cities. And I’ve never seen so many homeless people in a city before or since, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/67 "2011-03-07T12:38:31Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > If I’d had more than a weekend to spend in Nice, with no car and on a short budget, I would have been bored out of my mind by the third day. Of course, you could always hop the train to Cannes or Nice. They’re 10 or 15 minutes away. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/68 "2011-03-07T12:50:51Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > You’ve got the wrong city: the Scottish city that insists of wearing a hat of clouds even when the rest of the country is sunny is Glasgow. Edinburgh gets gorgeous weather, specially on the fall. True. But you get the free “performance art/stand-up comedy/theatre” that is Glaswegian people. 🙂 Loudly seconding **Shamozzle** ’s reaction to **Mach Tuck:** : Do not skip Rome. I repeat: Do not skip Rome. My own vote of negativity goes to Irish towns and cities in general. Go to Ireland if you like its specific type of wild and raw nature (and don’t mind rain), friendly people, talking, Guinness and music. The towns, well they tend to have a smattering of cute coloured houses and pockets of nice architecture here and there if you know where to look, but to be quite honest, they are nothing like as beautiful, interesting or cultural as what you could easily find in most of mainland Europe (Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France etc). And most of those places are cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/69 "2011-03-07T13:25:57Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > For me it’s probably San Francisco- besides Alcatraz, I was just thoroughly underwhelmed by this city that’s so frequently held up as One Of The World’s Great Cities. And I’ve never seen so many homeless people in a city before or since, for that matter. I think that’s how the place struck me the first time I went there. But on subsequent visits, I’ve come to like the place more. I may even end up loving it: I like the distinct feel to the various areas, and I love that there’s all that nature right at its back door. Seattle, on the other hand…! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/70 "2011-03-07T13:38:20Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > Of course, you could always hop the train to Cannes or Nice. They’re 10 or 15 minutes away. I’m reasonably sure that I didn’t need to hop on the train from Nice to Nice… did you mean Monaco? Neither Monaco nor Cannes are places I have the slightest interest in seeing, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/71 "2011-03-07T14:28:55Z")
Dublin’s the only one that really comes to mind. The whole city seems to be set up around drinking. Temple Bar is an outrageously expensive shithole, and if you really want to be surrounded by drunks and stag parties you may as well visit any mid-sized town in the British Isles as opposed to paying the eye-watering charges they levy there for a pint of ale. Similarly, the museums all seem to be geared towards drink: the Guinness Factory, Jameson Whisky Museum, etc. 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. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/72 "2011-03-07T14:40:10Z")
Mt. Rushmore is a massive disappointment that I would really recommend against visiting in person. The reason is mostly because everyone is very familiar with scenes of it in movies, where actors are climbing on it or running across it or flying helicopters near it, and you’re seeing it right there in close-up. In person, you’re seeing what looks like a tiny carving on a distant cliff face. It’s very underwhelming. I mean, if you’re in the area and want to stop anyway, sure, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. The Crazy Horse monument just up the road is pretty cool, though. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/73 "2011-03-07T16:27:05Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > I suppose seeing the “Mona Lisa” also kinda belongs in this thread. ! Seeing the \*\* Mona Lisa\*\*, is really not that much more exciting than seeing \*\*Plymouth Rock. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/74 "2011-03-07T16:29:54Z")
**DisneyLand** , **DisneyWorld** are very disappointing as a travel destination… if you are over the age of 7. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/75 "2011-03-07T16:32:43Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > Do not skip Rome. I repeat: Do not skip Rome. > . Rome (and the Vatican) is probably the best man-made (as opposed to natural wonder/Yellowstone) travel attraction/destination in the world. Do not skip Rome. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/76 "2011-03-07T16:34:18Z")
The Alamo. It was a wall and nothing else. Yawn. The Grand Canyon was a giant hole. I looked down in it, muttered “Meh,” and went back to the RV. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/77 "2011-03-07T16:55:02Z")
Actually, the Alamo is a Chapel & the Long Barracks. [Surrounded by walls](http://the-alamo-san-antonio.com/html/alamo-grounds-map.htm) built in modern times that also surround the gift shop & other modern buildings. Even as kids, we thought the gift shop rather tacky; but it includes an informative diorama of The Battle. There’s also a [granite marker](http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=30779) inscribed in Classical Chinese by a Japanese visitor, comparing The Battle to an incident in Japanese history. Erected in 1914, it was missing on my first visit in the 50’s; back then, the [Japanese Tea Garden](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Antonio_Japanese_Tea_Garden) in Brackenridge Park was called The Sunken Garden. Years passed. The monument reappeared & the garden’s name reverted to the original. Another “new” feature at the Alamo is a plaque commemorating [Adina de Zavala](http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/adp/history/bios/zavala/zavala.html) for her efforts at preserving the place. Good for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for allowing it; she was often at odds with their methods. Anybody wanting to learn more about the other San Antonio missions should visit the park just south of town. Concerning the OP: I haven’t traveled enough to be widely disappointed. I recall not being overwhelmed by Amarillo, but it’s not regarded as a tourist highlight. Even by other Texans. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/78 "2011-03-07T16:59:53Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > Seeing the \*\* Mona Lisa\*\*, is really not that much more exciting than seeing \*\*Plymouth Rock. \*\* Well! I’d always assumed that the Rock was a rocky promonotory of some sort. I’d never realised that it was literally **just** a rock! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/79 "2011-03-07T17:10:59Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Well, I found Athens, Greece rather underwhelming. > > Maybe it was the context - it was a whirlwind tour of several famous Mediterranean sites, including Rome, Tuscany, Capri, and Santorini. Rome was amazing, and the modern architecture seemed to fit seamlessly with the historic sites. Athens was not that. It was an enormous, kind of gritty city but did not in itself seem all that remarkable. Both the Acropolis and the Archeological Museum were amazing, but the city itself just didn’t fit together aesthetically the way Rome did. > > Granted, I was only there for a single day. But it was the most anticipated site i visited and the ones that truly blew me away - Santorini, Greece and Dubrovnik, Croatia - were completely unexpected. I was underwhelmed by Athens, as well. The entire city is dirty, the people are rude, and the whole joint smells like urine. I was asking a taxi cab driver for directions, and he said he didn’t know, even though it was the next street over. ---
**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 7, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581/80 "2011-03-07T18:29:26Z")
> [@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. Kilmainham Gaol is amazing. If you ever happen to be coming to Dublin again and want a more teetotal experience, give us a bell. There are plenty of things to do that aren’t beholden to Diageo and Pernod Ricard. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-disappointing-travel-destination-or-tourist-attraction-edited-thread-title/573581.md?page=5)