Gran Canaria. Went for a weeks break in the sun. We got the sun but hadn't bargained on the run down areas and big fat tatooed, pint swilling lager louts in England soccer shirts and baseball caps. And that was just the women !!!

It was hell on earth. Glad the Mrs Booked it and not me lol

Muck

Lourdes - No.l on Tackiest City List (will I go to hell for saying this?)

Athens (except for the Acropolis which is amazing) - dirty, oppressively hot, lots of people with attitude to say the least, was even sexually accosted one day (been there several times and tried to like it).

Can't think of any place I didn't find something interesting to do and see. Didn't like Dublin on a Saturday night after a game - drunks on every street and policeman on every corner.

But "any day traveling is better than a day at home watching TV" no matter what country you land in.

Venice and Paris - they are both completely overrated. I have to admit that I enjoyed Paris more, the second time around. And maybe I need to go back to Venice. But at this point....both are still completely overrated IMO, and nowhere near the top of my "want to go to" places.

Wow! Some people just like to complain. This thread has been going on for over two years.

Why is it people enjoy the negative? A thread about favorite places would have never gotten such sustained attention.

Paris and Venice are no good? Really?? Fairly amazing information to know.

Toni-

I beleive you have a misplaced phrase.

Athens (except for the Acropolis which is amazing) - dirty, oppressively hot, lots of people with attitude to say the least, was even sexually accosted one day (been there several times and tried to like it).

suze:

It took two years to get up to 200 places we didn't like -- only a month on another thread to get 118 people to respond to the places they'd go back to again and again. I guess we're not such complainers after all.

That said, I would not make an effort to return to Antwerp and would try to find an alternative if it turned up on a projected itinerary.

Well, I wrote a long post and it disappeared!
Short version: We travel to Europe in March and October: cheaper, cooler, less crowded, easier to get FF miles. I think this affects our opinions about locations. Even Vienna in March, 25 F and snowing, was great. The complaints of Venice smelling and miserable didn't apply in March. Athens was very comfortable in March. Paris was clean and crisp and easy to do in October. And so on. I couldn't and wouldn't travel during peak travel times, and thank goodness we don't have to at this time in our lives. But I do appreciate all the info, good and bad, and will take that into account in planning future trips. This is a great thread!

VirginiaC is right and out of all the cities that some of us have visited to think that there were only a handful that each person didn't like.


I think it's interesting to read why people didn't like the place. Sometimes it seems that they just didn't have enough information about the place to make it interesting or maybe what the city had to offer was of no interest to the traveler. Granted, my own reasons for not liking places is odd.

That's why it's always frustrating to try an answer the question I'm going to____ what should I do. I usually want to say, "stay home" because they might not know what they're travelling for.

Thanks for this thread. I love some ofthe responses!

My preferences are not the big cities, but rather the countryside and surrounding areas, although I have a couple of city favorites that tend to have more neighborhood appeal. I also prefer those cities with some type of water view (ocean, sea, lake, river, etc.)

Would return to only if required (business only):
England - yes, the entire country - although London is particularly one of my dreaded places (as is NYC) and Brighton in the winter has to be the dreariest place on the planet

Pisa - I saw the leaning tower and it's touristy souvenir sellers

Lisbon - one of the few cities in continental Europe that I don't long to return

Nice - reminds me of the Jersey shore (but I love the private beaches in Beaulieu-sur-mer)

OK, but not at the top of the list for return visits (usually stopovers going somewhere else):
Rome - I used to like Rome until I found the glories of Southern Italy. Now, Rome feels dirty, crowded, and so non-Italian.

Athens - great food, culture, etc. and yes, it's also a big, dirty city. I love Greece, particularly Crete, and my preference would be to get out of the city and explore the countryside.

At the top of the list to return:
Paris: Still my favorite place and I've visited at least 20-30 times. The key for me is to avoid all of the tourist places (Eiffel Tower, museums, etc.) and focus on some of the neighborhoods. Sitting in cafes, shopping with friends, attending mass in one of the churches, etc.

St. Petersburg: We visited in the cold of winter and I fell in love with St. Petersburg - the art, architecture, history, opera, etc. The food was surprisingly good!

Venice: We stayed on the lagoon and loved hanging out in the piazzas at night when the majority of the tourists left. And no, it didn't smell.

Naples: We love to visit friends here - dancing in the streets with gypsies, swimming off the boat near Ischia, late night pizzas at Mattozzi. I haven't been back since the garbage crisis, but I love the intensity of Naples. Most people either love it or hate it - I love it, but for all the times I've visited, I have yet to set foot in a museum here.

<i>Author: Aduchamp1
Date: 08/24/2008, 12:01 pm

...was even sexually accosted one day...</i>

Yeah. As if.

I absolutely hated Bruges. It rained and rained and rained some more, United had lost my suitcase and all I had to wear was flimsy sandals so that my foot was killing me (it's always my feet for some reason...), the restaurant which was supposed to be SO wonderful for our 25th was absolutely snotty and I found all the touristy crap depressing, etc etc. But I love Amsterdam, Paris, Venice... Can't wait to hit Venice again this October.

Interesting thread! I have to say that I have enjoyed every trip to Europe, but I certainly would put the Blue Grotto as top of the places to avoid. Very scary getting in--laying down across the bottom of a tiny rowboat lined up with another couple and praying we wouldn't get crashed against the rocks!

Then we couldn't get back out due to high waves, and had to circle around inside waiting for a break in the waves.

Ughhh!

I left Vienna and Pamplona on the same day as I arrived, even though I had booked accommodation. I was happy when the trains pulled out of the station to take me away.

<i>Nice - reminds me of the Jersey shore</i>

Too bad. Sounds like whoever took you to the Jersey Shore forgot to show you the nice parts.

I'm a Jersey girl, and Nice reminded me of Atlantic City. Someplace I wouldn't spend more than a minute in.

gruezi

gruezi -

yes, I was probably thinking more about Atlantic City! Neither place hits my highlight reel

We all have our opinions of how we see the places we visit. It all comes down to when, how long and what we are looking at when we do visit. Since we have been visiting Europe (1993) we have been to many of the places mentioned before and have liked most of them. Some more than others. Have not hated any but liked some a lot less. maitaitom I don't know how long you stayed in Colmar or what you saw but I do know that they have some great art there as well as some great culture, all you have to is look for it. For one thing the man who made the Statue of Liberty was from there and has a small Museum that is very interesting as well as an Alter piece painting of the Virgin Mary in the Rose Garden inside of a church that is just vivid. There is also a huge alter piece inside of an Nunnery that shows the life of Christ from birth to reserrection.One of Nepoleon's top Generals also was from Colmar and that is part of the towns history. Also during WWII the allies did not bomb the town as much because of fact that the creator of the Statue of Leberty was from there. The town also has a lot of combined French &amp; German herritage because of where it is. At one dinner we had, our waiter's name was Jean Claud Schmidt, his mother being french and his father German. They also have a great Sour Crout Festival once or twice a year. Like I said it all depends on when, what and how. As far as the rude French, I never didn't find many. Most of the people that were rude in France were not French. I did see a lot of other people being rude to them though, just like in all of the other countries that I visit.We as travelers need to try harder to be good traverlers not tourist.

We weren't hugely impressed with Avignon.
I wasn't feeling great and the weather was dreary. Yucky weather seems to be a common thread with op's not liking a place.
Enjoyed Nice but couldn't imagine anyone beaching on the stones! And all the lanes of traffic one had to cross to get to them!
We have returned to Venice, Pisa, Rome, Florence and Paris and would like to return to Arles.
What makes you like a place or not?

tcreath you are not alone regarding Florence. I loved the architecture and the beauty of the city but it was so hot, crowded and we were just so tired. We will go again but with a guide and in a cooler season. Minus our two boys as well...lol.

Trieste, Italy is a place that held a special place in my heart as my father was born there. But reality hit when I visited. It's not very welcoming to tourists and weren't treated the best unlike most of the areas of Italy we visited. I was aware that Trieste is not a big tourist destination and the locals can be uptight(to be nice). So that was a big disappointment. Vespas screeching by one after another. It drove me crazy. I wanted the peace and quiet of Lake Como after visiting Trieste.

We were a group of 4 couples 50's and stayed right in the city in a gorgeous ancient villa with 4 bedroom and 4 baths. We loved walking out our door and visiting the sites. Love the people, cafes, sites and restaurants. The history is wonderful. Will be going to Italy again next fall and we plan to visit Rome this time. People tell me you either love it or hate it....I love the beautiful buildings so I am sure Rome will be another great time.