Venice back in 1976 or so. I had ended up in Austria after changing train cars to get away from the compartment of Greeks who never slept and so I would get a peaceful night's sleep in an empty compartment (I did sleep, but didn't realize that train cars each have their own destination!). I finally got to Venice after 1/2 hour of asking the Austian train station agent to call Venice to get my luggage out of my original compartment (yes, I left it there - I was a trusting college student after all) once the train arrived there. He finally gave in and made that international call to get rid of the crazy American who wouldn't stop asking him to help - I just kept on saying, "But you don't understand...". Anyway, once I retrieved my luggage from one of the dozens of Venice police stations, I got out into Venice and it was snowing - the first time in 20 years is what I was told. Everything was slippery, slimy and smelly and to make matters worse, there was an train strike brewing within the next 24 hours. I couldn't get out there fast enough.

I went back 3 years ago under better conditions and loved it.

Tere:

So happy that you disliked L.A. It is a much maligned destination....BUT we privately love to read articles about our fallen city...maybe that will stem that steady flow of easterners and mid-westerners...giving us a little more smog-breathing space.

Mmmmm.love the smell of haze and smog..delicious!

Please write an article about the dangers and horrors of L.A. Don't forget to include the bumper-to-bumper traffic, the crazy freeways, the dope dealers, rapists and murderers on every street corner...lay it on, thicker the better.

Stu T. (corrupt, dope-crazed Angeleno)

Well, once again I must post the only anti-Lucerne vote. I just don't get what the fuss is all about. Also Bacharach along the Rhine River in Germany is a whole lotta nuthin, and the village of Engleberg above Lucerne was a complete waste of time, although it was Sunday and everything was closed. Loved Florence and Salzburg though!

I don't think anyone has mentioned Brussels! It just seemed to Eurocrat-centric for me. The square is beautiful but nothing else.

Also, wasn't grabbed by Athens, Rome, Pisa, Naples or Trier.

Where is that thread about places you didn't expect to like but did? I tried searching but it didn't come up?

I feel the need to post the antithesis of this one!

Found it, never mind. Need to add Budapest and Glasgow.

Hate to say it but, Lugano, Switzerland. Perhaps because we traveled too far to be there for two days. Perhaps because we were there with my elderly Uncle who didn't want to 'explore'. Perhaps because we'd come straight from Germany where everything seemed pristine. Not sure of the reason. It wasn't a bad destination, it just wasn't great for our group at that time.

Am worrying about the Rome posts. I thought everyone 'loved' Rome. I have been chastising myself for not alotting enough time to Rome on our upcoming trip. Perhaps I will re-think the timing.

Great thread!
H

In many cases, my reaction to a city is colored by the circumstances. I wanted to see Florence all my life, since I had a fascination with the Renaissance and the Medicis, etc., but I went there on a bus tour from Rome that was so hectic I really didn't enjoy it. I plan to give it another try, at a slower pace.
I just got back from Vienna, another place I wanted to see all my life. I know I would like it under other conditions, but it was so hot and humid I skipped most of the must-see sights I would normally love.
I also just returned from Salzburg, which I truly loved. I am puzzled by the negative reaction of some people in this posting. I also liked Barcelona a lot--but I saw it post-Olympics, so that might have made the difference. The Gaudi architecture was fascinating, and I liked the energy and artistic flair in the city.
But, truth be told, I like every place I visit for one reason or another. Even the heat in Vienna couldn't spoil a festive night in Grinzing or the Schonnbrun Palace....

I have really tried Gary_Mc, and I can't really think of anyplace I have visited that I didn't like. A few hotels or restaurants etc yes but not locations. Of course one always prefers some places over another but I truly can't say I wish I had not visited a certain place.

The place I have liked least in my travels is Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Unbearably hot and humid, nothing to do, no where to go or nothing to see. Women are very secluded, no taxi's that we could find, and passing motorists looked at us funny for walking along, side by side, on the sidewalk..it's like being on the moon!

I would never go back to Gibraltar and Cordoba. I was disappointed in Amsterdam and Insbruck.

Micheline - I understand what you mean about Gib - i went on the "school cruise" too many years ago [the weekend of the portuguese revolution in fact so they sent us to Vigo instead, and i still haven't made it to Lisbon] and it was a dump then. But Cordoba?
It's on my to do list, so I'd like to know why I shouldn't?

phieaglefan, you should definitely not rethink the Rome portion of your trip! As you can see from this post, everyone has their own opinions, and they vary greatly. I would never let this post alone be a determining factor in deciding how long to spend in one place.

I certainly wouldn't recommend someone skip Florence simply because I (and others, since apparently I'm not alone like I thought I would be) didn't like it.

I personally love Rome. But even if I didn't, I would recommend giving it plenty of time because there is so much to see. Give yourself enough time to see the sights but to also slow down and just wander around with no particular agenda. Perhaps you too will fall in love with Rome if you give it a chance.

Tracy

Like Maureen says, it all depends on "circumstances." If the weather is oppresive, if you are hot and tired, if you aren't feeling well, if you get a lousy hotel room, if there are crowds of tourists, sure enough you aren't going to like that city so much. That's what poster Gary found out regarding Vienna. And if you don't really like classical art, why go to Florence.

OK, while we did like the Acropolis and National Museum, Athens had traffic with exhaust fumes and was where we both had our wallets lifted! So that is on our "places we did not like" list. This after enjoying rural and ancient Greece. Otherwise, most all locations were great in our travels.

ozarksbill

I also did not care for Florence...not that there aren't wonderful works of art and architecture.

Arles was not one of my favorite French experiences.

I have loved almost every place I have been in Europe for one reason or another. I will sometimes give a place a second chance and I am often glad I did such as with Vienna. The first time around we arrived 7 hours later than planned and knocked ourselves out trying to see too much in the little time we had left. It was like a keystone cops episode where we were tripping over ourselves. The second time we spent two days and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

I was really disappointed by Versaille. I had been very excited about going, but it rained, we got lost, and when we got there, the entire front was under construction and the inside tour lasted about 20 minutes. Also, three-quarters of the Hall of Mirrors was under construction which kind of ruined the effect.

As for cities, Nice disappointed me at first. It was the only place on our whole France trip where people were mean and snobby. But I warmed up to it the next day after spending some time at the beach, visiting the Chagall Museum and finding the best restaurant of our trip.

I hated Plymouth, Massachusettes. I respect the history of it all, but there is nothing to see and I would never go back.

There's my overly-opinionated two cents.

What a depressing thread! Apparently I've been blessed as, like LoveItaly, I can't think of anyplace we've visited that I wasn't able to find some merit, some event, some sight that I enjoyed.

It was incredibly sad for me to read all the negative comments above about many places we visited and saw through different eyes. All that time and money spent for such disappointment! As I said, very depressing.

Giovanna - I agree this is a depressing thread. Yes there have been some places that didn't grab me the way they seemed to have grabbed others. Also some places that I would not plan to re-visit (too many other palces to go and see) - But,if we are taking about "places" as in cities/countries etc as opposed to a particualr sight, then to date, my list would be blank.

I think this is just an interesting thread. Just people giving impressions of various places. As for me, no ones opinion good or bad about any place would stop me from going there if it was a place I wanted to see. My brother can't stand Paris...I can't believe we have some of the same genetic makeup..LOL..I LOVE Paris. It's hard to explain sometimes what actually "grabs" you about a place. As for Rome: those of you who haven't been..IF you get an opportunity you MUST go there. If you have any interest in history..I just can't say enough about how amazing it is there. Like I say, I wish I had several more days there. I find this thread to be interesting, rather than depressing.

I find this thread heartening. First, it is nice to see Fodorites criticizing areas without attacking each other personally. I think too often people want to let off steam about a bad experience and end up wording their post poorly, leading to misunderstanding. Second, I like seeing that I am not the only one who found certain popular places less than satisfactory (I agree, for instance, with the poster who found Siena claustrophobic). Third, I think a vital part of the research about any place should be the negative things about it - so you can avoid them, or be prepared for them. That is often the hardest information to ferret out.