What places have you been or activities were a waste of time?
 

I enjoy reading travelers recommendations, but I want to know if there are places you've been or things you've seen that afterward you wished you hadn't wasted your time on. My daughter and I will be in London, Paris, and Rome in late March and with a limited amount of time, I would prefer not to waste it. An example would be the changing of the guards, which I think would be boring, but many of you have enjoyed. Comments about any place in Europe would be welcome since many of us may get there (or hope to) someday. Thanks for your opinions.

In 1995 we visited Switzerland and Germany. While we were in Zurich we took a train ride over to Lichtenstein (sp?). That place is *the biggest* tourist trap I've seen in many a day. We felt like we wasted a perfectly good European travel day. It boasts, "Come to the smallest country in the world
and have your passport stamped." And that was about
it. The rest was a string of junk trinket shops up and down the little main street. Oh, yes, there was
a castle on a hill. We'd say don't waste your time.
Stay in Switzerland.

I agree that the Changing of the Guard in London is worth a miss. I'd managed to visit London 6 times and not bother... but then my mother-in-law insited when she came to visit. I was right... it was awful. I also have to been to Paris 12 times, and never felt compelled to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I know others feel strongly that this is the highlight of Paris... but I just don't get it. I lived in Germany 4 years, and never ever even considered going to Oktoberfest in Munich. It's just for the tourists. Now I actually *do* enjoy the 'touristy' sights and things to do... I just want to see them, and not stand in line with loads of other tourists. I love *looking* at the Eiffel Tower, and I've got plenty of pictures... it's just that there are better views of Paris from cooler places.

My advice is to skip Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. The town was dirty and crowded and the streets were lined with junky gift shops. Anne Hathaway's cottage was interesting, but definitely not worth a special trip.

I agree, skip changing of the guard, also Winsor,Stradford upon Avon. Must see's are.. Westmister Abbey, British Museum and if out of town try to spend time in York. Bath is OK, Most any place in Wales.

There is a way to enjoy the Changing of the Guard. First go to see the Changing of the Horse Guards which starts before the Changing of the Guard. This is a small crowd and you can get close. After about 15 minutes leave and go over to The Mall, there you can see the bands as they turn onto 'The Mall' and again the crowd is not large. After this leave and you have not been run over by a large crowd of people and have some great pictures.

I agree about the changing of the guard. We saw it at Windsor, which most people think is better than at Buckingham, and my daughter still pronounced it scary and then boring. IMO, though, Windsor Castle itself is definitely worth a visit. The efforts that were made to restore the rooms damaged by fire are impressive even if you are not impressed by royalty. We went to the Tower of London early in the day and bought tickets aboard one of the double decker buses so we did not have to stand in the long line. It was definitely worth it, although if I'd stood in line as long as most people did I'm not sure I'd say that.

Not just worth a miss, the Changing of the Guard could be one of the biggest wastes of time in London. I lived there for 8 months and never went, until my girlfriend came to visit, and insisted on going. Even if you could get up really close, I can't imagine it would be worth an hour or two out of one's day. Also, don't bother with Stonehendge, it really is just a pile of rocks and is not half as big as you might imagine. I agree that it is an intriguing mystery as to what it is for, etc., but you won't gain anything new by going to see it. If you do go, save time for Salisbury Cathedral, it was the best part of my trip to Stonehendge. I also have heard that Stratford is a waste of time (haven't seen it myself). The British Museum and Westminster Abbey are both great times. As are the National Gallery and, if you like modern art, the Tate Gallery.

I don't want to start a flame war here, but we were a bit disappointed with the British Museum. Let me explain...my daughter had her heart set on seeing the Magna Carta and the signed manuscripts from everyone between Mozart and Lennon/McCartney. But the Manuscript Saloon (yes) was empty, in the process of being moved to new quarters. I understand they will be re-displaying in April.

Agree with everything except the Eiffel Tower. If you've never been, try to be at the top at dusk. But you'll get a great view of the Tower from across the Seine at the World Exhibition Pavillion. In London, you can get Tower of London tix at most tube stations as well as the tour buses to avoid lines. Instead of changing of the guards, I strongly recommend the Ceremony of the Keys at Tower of London, unless your daughter is real young since its a bit eerie. But great atmosphere and great history. I never really considered anything a "disappointment" or "waste of time" when travelling because it's always something different and an adventure. If you've never been before, I would suggest doing many of the "touristy" things.

I would point out that what appeals to and thrills others may or may not be of any interest whatsoever to you - and vice versa. We absolutely loved Liechtenstein, but then we stayed inTreisenberg and only breezed through Vaduz (and are still mystified as to what the attraction is with those stamps). I, too, would heartily recommend being at the top of the Eiffel Tower at dusk. The views (especially if you know what you're looking at) and the lighting over the city are absolutely spectacular. Even better is to stay until after dark when the lights have been turned on all over Paris. This is one of my fondest memories of Paris. But, I was totally enthralled by the tower itself, it's size and structure. Others are not. It's good to read several different tour guides - Cadogan has a different "take" on sights and attractions, for example, and the "Irreverant" Guides are, well, irreverant. There is so much to see and do in all of these places that it's best to figure out for yourself what you find most appealing to you, and then prioritize accordingly.

Went to Paris and visited Notre Dame and the Louvre. I was only there for 2 days and being that time was short, I was unable to visit the Eiffel Tower. I'm still a little disappointed that I never got to see the Eiffel up close. There are just some things you might want to see and do, and if you don't, you'll just end up regretting it in the long run and always wondering about it. If I were you, I'd do the things you set out to do and see, and then decide for yourself if it was worth it or not. I agree, that it's all a matter of prioritizing your choices. Anything is better than having that regretful feeling of not having done a particular activity or not visited a certain place.

May I suggest one place in Paris? Try to see Saint Chapelle. I have a feeling that it may get overlooked because Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur are much bigger. However, the stained glass windows here are breathtaking. It was a highlight for me.

In Holland a visit to the VanGogh museum in central Amsterdam is easy to get to and full of colorful masterpieces. However the trip to the Van Gogh museum inside the National Park near Arnhem takes over 2 hours to get to by train, from Amsterdam. The bus from the staion ran infrequently.
Once at the museum only one room was dedicated to Van Gogh, the rest was various artist. Compared to the one in Amsterdam this was a dissappointment.

Second the recommendation for Sainte Chappelle. Spectacular. Try to go in the morning when the sunlight is streaming in the windows. Awesome!

Not on your current itinerary, but--skip Fatima, Portugal. If you are a very religious person you *might* get something out of it. But the site of the vision is now a small obelisk in a paved plaza bigger than a football field. We were advised to go in the evening for the prayer service and candlelight procession. That was okay, but not inspiring. Everything about the Fatima shrine seems tacky--the church, the chapel, also the little kiosks selling candles and cheap trinkets and the restaurants. Most of the tourist info at visitor center is in Portuguese, which seems odd for a place with an international audience. You have to be there in the afternoon to check in at hotel, dinner is earlier than the rest of Portugal because of prayer service, after service *everything* is closed. It was a waste of an afternoon and morning. That area of Portugal is attractive country, but there are more interesting things to see outside that town.

I would like to recommend to you to definetly go to Sacre Couer/Montmarte in Paris. The cathedral is beautiful, and the street artists, vendors and cafes on the walk to the Sacre Coeur Cathedral was truly enjoyable. A lovely afternoon (or morning -I'm sure)!

I would like to recommend to you to definetly go to Sacre Couer/Montmarte in Paris. The cathedral is beautiful, and the street artists, vendors and cafes on the walk to the Sacre Coeur Cathedral was truly enjoyable. A lovely afternoon (or morning -I'm sure)!

In response to the comments about the Eiffel Tower, this summer my husband and I were on a European Cruise that gave us the opportunity to spend one day in Paris. Actually, it turned out to be about 5 hours, because coincidentally, Princess Diana died there earlier that morning and the cruise lines were worried about traffic, so they cut our trip short so that the ship could leave on time. My husband had been to Paris before, I had not. On his urging, since we were in Paris, he felt the best thing to do would be go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We were left off the bus at the Plaza de Concorde and went via foot and metro to the tower. By the time we got oriented, got over to the tower, waited in line, pushed and shoved our way to the top, when we got to the top my feeling was "Okay, we're at the top of the Eiffel Tower, it's pretty high, but it's no big deal." Of course, it might be more beautiful at dusk or at night, but I was far from flabbergasted. I was really sorry that given the short amount of time we had that we didn't take a general sightseeing tour that was offered by the cruise line (which was what we did in London and I enjoyed SO much more than Paris), because I might have gotten to see a little more. As it was, I got to see the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the monument across the street which I don't even remember now, Plaza de Concorde and had a baguette on the Champs de Elysses. I guess I'll have to go back, but I sincerely would rather go back to London first when I get the chance. We immensely enjoyed Westminster Abbey, the House of Parliament, and the Tower of London. The overall city, in my opinion, is quite beautiful.

I will third the comments above re Sainte Chappelle. Just glorious. My friend and I were lucky to be the first in there in the morning and had it to ourselves - lovely and peaceful for a few minutes. The blues and golds on the lower chapel walls are also stunning.
For more atmosphere, I would also recommend San Clemente in Rome. It is a church built on several levels over an ancient Roman house and Temple of Mithras. It's quite eerie on the lower levels.