Just saw this post now that its back up top. <BR>My opinion on places *not yet mentioned* for dullness would be; Nice and Dijon in France, Frankfurt, Lubijana.....and Munich <BR>(but maybe I hate that last one since I end up having to return there so often). I admit I also am no fan of Milan and (gasp) Florence. As for Pisa (everyones favorite whipping boy in this thread), I went there many years ago and saw the tower and the church and left, never to return. It was fine for a few hour visit. <BR>

....forgot a few. Also I am or have been quite bored of Zurich, Geneva and Madrid. <BR>

I think this is an interesting thread.

With all due respect to Montanans, I think the dullest place I've ever been was Butte. That was back when I was a kid - maybe it has changed. <BR>

Being somewhat of an intermediate traveller, and being fortunate enough to have friends world wide (when else would I have done some of the stranger things I did in my travels!) - but I have to put in my vote for my most disappointing city - Amsterdam. <BR> <BR> God, was I ever disappointed - I couldn't WAIT to get out of the city. From being chased by men near the red light district to seeing junkies and slackjawed kids my age was really disappointing. Not only that, the Stedlijk museum was under partial reconstruction, and the line at the Rembrandt museum was far too long. <BR> <BR>The only other place I can say I was a bit disappointed by was Padua/Padova - we were there only for a day, saw the cathedrals, walked around the university, and ate the only semi bad meal we had in Italy. It was pretty boring all in all, I thought. Then we rushed back to our hotel in Bassano del Grappa (a wonderful little town an hour away from Venice - I'd recommend staying there any time!) <BR> <BR>Interesting that so many people didn't like Pisa, I'm not surprised as our Italian friends avoid heading there at all costs.

Anyone had a good time in Trieste, Italy, or Sofia, Bulgaria? They get my vote as being way up there on most boring places. I liked Pisa as a day trip of several areas. The Cathedral, Baptistry and Camposanto were very interesting and the Tower was certainly worth seeing. I echo something i previously saw in that it was the one place that my kids were eager to see in Italy and they really liked it.

In defense of Amsterdam - and yes I admit it was just a city where our plane came in and out of - I found the Rijksmuseum to be great. The Van Gogh museum was close, so their the Rijks' exhibit was all Van Gogh. I was amazing. <BR> <BR>On another note, I loved the Heineken Brewery. The tour was all PR fluff, but the beer afterwards was wonderful and fresh. And it was fun to talk to everyone from all places of the world.

In defense of Amsterdam - and yes I admit it was just a city where our plane came in and out of - I found the Rijksmuseum to be great. The Van Gogh museum was close, so their the Rijks' exhibit was all Van Gogh. I was amazing. <BR> <BR>On another note, I loved the Heineken Brewery. The tour was all PR fluff, but the beer afterwards was wonderful and fresh. And it was fun to talk to everyone from all places of the world.

I have noticed a bit of a consistent thread in these postings. In a lot of cases it is the tourists that make a site dull or disappointing. It seems in the case of the Mona Lisa with hordes of people surrounding it, or Pisa with hordes of tour bus tourists trying to hold the tower up, that the crowd is what spoils the event. In my case, that was definitely the case when I went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace. I would never go again, or recommend it. It may have been wonderful, but I have no idea. I couldn't see a thing. <BR> <BR>Its really difficult to feel a sense of wonder, or discovery, when there are hundred of others pushing or flashing their cameras in front of you.

I think alot depends on the expectations people have before they visit the city. Resarch helps avoiding disappointments and planning alternatives. My favorite place was Murren Switzerland, but on our first full day it rained, we got lost hiking and by the end of the day we were exhausted. But we had a great time!!! There is so much out there to observe and learn and be apart of the world. I have been frustrated with locations (florence, Italy is not my favorite) but I cannot say any of it was ever dull! I have talked to friends and relatives who came back from fabulous places and told me they were disappointed. If you listen, it was mostly bad planning, not enough time or too much time or a bad attitude. I agree places are less enjoyable than others but we try to avoid those with the help of Rick Steves and this wonderful resouce of the European Forum.

While I still consider Rick Steves my travel guru, I've been disappointed by him a few times. The first was Colmar. True, the Issenheim Altarpiece is an incredible work, but the rest of the museum is fairly redundant if you're seeing all the major art galleries in Europe. And the quaint old buildings are no biggy if you also plan to do the Romantic Road in Germany. Not to mention that it was very cold and the cafes were not happy to serve coffee to two freezing girls just trying to warm up. For an afternoon, fine, but two days? Forget it. <BR> <BR>Was also extremely disappointed by Paris, but that might have been my frame of mind at the time more than anything. The little archeological site under the square in front of Notre Dame? Skip it. I still think Paris is over-rated but intend to give it another chance one day in the future. <BR> <BR>Rick Steves IS right about leaving Greece out of a whirlwind European itinerary. I wish I'd paid attention. It really does take two days to get from Rome to Athens via ferry and train, and Athens is over-rated and crowded. Next time I go to Greece I'm FLYING. <BR> <BR>On the other hand, I find I'm not being discouraged by some of the postings here. Pisa is fine for an afternoon stop. And I still want to see "The Last Supper." Its damage is part of its history, and mostly da Vinci's fault, since he painted it in a combination of tempera and oil paints. Didn't anyone tell him oil and water don't mix?

Liechenstein,hands down. Unless you collect stamps or coutries, don't bother. <BR> <BR>Fortunately the next bus out is close at hand. <BR> <BR>Ed

Let me offer my comment on Pisa, having been there last Sunday. My reaction was, god, this looks awful. I was there in 1985, pre-cable, pre-weights on the uphill side, pre-fence, and I got to go up in the tower. I was disappointed for my son, who had wanted to see THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA. He's 10, and bless his heart, that was at the top of his list. He, however, was not disappointed. We went on a Sunday so as to maximize our days in Florence, but it certainly minimized our day in Pisa. <BR>Gregoire, if you're still reading, I just roared with laughter at your jokes about Dallas. Call me irreverent (on the JFK part) but I live in Austin and I am no fan of big D.

I don't know if I'm the only one to feel this way but I was sort of disappointed with Florence. Sure, if you love Renaissance art then that's the place to go, but I don't think all the millions of tourists are really looking for that. As a city I didn't find it that special at all. Well, the Duomo is impressive and you can get some great views on and from the Ponte Vecchio but the streets are a bit dull. The worst thing is that at least in summer it's awfully crowded. IMO there are many cities in Italy that are just as beautiful (if not more) but without the bus loads of tourists.

But Palmer, Massachusetts, isn't supposed to be interesting. Pisa is (or was). This is a great thread. <BR>

Absolutely, without a doubt -The tour of Tower Bridge in London, an entire hour of learning the mechanics of how the bridge works. Although, we did get some great pictures from the walkway above the bridge.

Actually Kendra, I found the Tower Bridge experience to be fascinating and very enjoyable. I guess it depends on your mind - I myself find art very boring. <BR>

I think boring is what you make of it. Countries such as America (sorry, Americans) are being so commercialized be companies like Starbucks. Commercialization tottaly strips the country of it's natural landscape and brings society down. We are too busy sipping brand name coffee that we often forget the beauty of places. I'm not saying that Europe hasn't be commercialized. It has but not to the extent of America and there brand name coffees. Also, coming as a inexeperienced (un?) traveller I think that ANYTHING

I think boring is what you make of it. Countries such as America (sorry, Americans) are being so commercialized be companies like Starbucks. Commercialization tottaly strips the country of it's natural landscape and brings society down. We are too busy sipping brand name coffee that we often forget the beauty of places. I'm not saying that Europe hasn't be commercialized. It has but not to the extent of America and there brand name coffees. Also, coming from an inexeperienced (un?) traveller I think that ANYTHING would be great. Boring is a frame of mind that we have captured oursleves in. When I visit Europe for the first time in 24 days, I won't even care where we go. It's a different place with lots of different things and I'm going to enjoy all of them! Chow for now!

Stefan, I too was disappointed in Florence. I heard all of these wonderful things about it and I was really let down. Yes, the Duomo was unbelievable, and seeing the David was fun, but the Ponte Vecchio was nothing more than 47th Street in NY on a bridge. I found it to be over commercialized, and extremely crowded, and those Vespas drove me up a wall. I agree, there are plenty of other cities in Italy that are extremely beautiful and not as crowded with busloads of tourists. Still I am glad I went, but wouldn't go back.