Cities you've visited that were unexpectedly great
Jul 22nd, 2021, 05:08 PM
#21
We ended up enjoying Phenom Penh which we did not expect. Great food.
It had a lot of positive qualities including restaurants that hire and train street kids, giving them a chance. And when we came across an elephant in the road, that was a memory we won't forget!
It had a lot of positive qualities including restaurants that hire and train street kids, giving them a chance. And when we came across an elephant in the road, that was a memory we won't forget!
Jul 24th, 2021, 06:40 AM
#22
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Go back and look at my original post. I didn't ask 'where have you been on holiday that you liked more than you expected'.
There are lots of other reasons one might visit a city other than being on holiday. You might go on a business trip, to visit family, for a special occasion like a wedding or funeral, or to visit one particular landmark or attend an event. You may have had no other interest in that city but then find out you really liked it a lot and wanted to return for a holiday.
For example, we first went to Cleveland for no other reason than to visit the R&R Hall of Fame but on that visit we really liked the city so we went back several times and explored more of the city each time.
But it could also work even when you're on holiday. When we were in Bologna we took a day trip to Perugia just because we could do it easily. Perugia has never really been on my list of places I'd like to visit but now that I've been there for just part of a day, I wouldn't mind going back for a longer visit.
There are lots of other reasons one might visit a city other than being on holiday. You might go on a business trip, to visit family, for a special occasion like a wedding or funeral, or to visit one particular landmark or attend an event. You may have had no other interest in that city but then find out you really liked it a lot and wanted to return for a holiday.
For example, we first went to Cleveland for no other reason than to visit the R&R Hall of Fame but on that visit we really liked the city so we went back several times and explored more of the city each time.
But it could also work even when you're on holiday. When we were in Bologna we took a day trip to Perugia just because we could do it easily. Perugia has never really been on my list of places I'd like to visit but now that I've been there for just part of a day, I wouldn't mind going back for a longer visit.
Jul 24th, 2021, 07:16 AM
#23
Jul 24th, 2021, 08:03 AM
#24
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"Or on a driving route where it's along the way."
Exactly. We ended up in Aix en Provence because it was enroute from Nice to St. Remy. I had screwed up our hotel reservation in St. Remy, leaving us one night short of a place to stay. Loved Aix but we would never have seen it except for that mistake.
Exactly. We ended up in Aix en Provence because it was enroute from Nice to St. Remy. I had screwed up our hotel reservation in St. Remy, leaving us one night short of a place to stay. Loved Aix but we would never have seen it except for that mistake.
Jul 24th, 2021, 04:07 PM
#25
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Goddesstogo, I understand exactly what you are asking.
We visited Lisbon in April 2018 and absolutely fell in love with it! We chose to visit Lisbon because TAP has a Portugal Stopover for no additional money. We were flying home from Marseille, and decided to take advantage of this program and spend 5 nights in Lisbon. We had never been to Portugal, and I knew we would like Lisbon, but we ended up loving Lisbon, and I would love to return. Not sure that we will because we prefer to visit places we have never been. But we enjoyed Lisbon so much more than we expected to.
Another place we enjoyed more than we expected is Malaga, Spain. We were vacationing in Andalusia, and I thought it would be nice to include a visit to the Mediterranean, so I decided to add Malaga to our itinerary. It was a short ALSA bus ride from Granada, so why not? A former poster on Fodors loved Malaga, I think his name is Kimhe, and he encouraged people to visit. I had a feeling we would like Malaga and would not be disappointed. But we end up loving Malaga, and I encourage people to visit. Several people I know tried to discourage us from going to Malaga. They said it had nothing to offer and called it party central. Made it sound like it was only for college spring breakers, but they were oh so wrong.
We visited Lisbon in April 2018 and absolutely fell in love with it! We chose to visit Lisbon because TAP has a Portugal Stopover for no additional money. We were flying home from Marseille, and decided to take advantage of this program and spend 5 nights in Lisbon. We had never been to Portugal, and I knew we would like Lisbon, but we ended up loving Lisbon, and I would love to return. Not sure that we will because we prefer to visit places we have never been. But we enjoyed Lisbon so much more than we expected to.
Another place we enjoyed more than we expected is Malaga, Spain. We were vacationing in Andalusia, and I thought it would be nice to include a visit to the Mediterranean, so I decided to add Malaga to our itinerary. It was a short ALSA bus ride from Granada, so why not? A former poster on Fodors loved Malaga, I think his name is Kimhe, and he encouraged people to visit. I had a feeling we would like Malaga and would not be disappointed. But we end up loving Malaga, and I encourage people to visit. Several people I know tried to discourage us from going to Malaga. They said it had nothing to offer and called it party central. Made it sound like it was only for college spring breakers, but they were oh so wrong.
Jul 24th, 2021, 05:12 PM
#26
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Oh, I love Lisbon too, KW. That was another place where I tagged along because of a conference my SO was attending.
Believe me, I understand the constraints of time and budget when you're planning a holiday but once in a while something good throws itself in your path when you least expect it.
Believe me, I understand the constraints of time and budget when you're planning a holiday but once in a while something good throws itself in your path when you least expect it.
Jul 24th, 2021, 08:33 PM
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I know you ask for "cities" but I will take some liberties here by saying "Trieste, Aquileia and Cividale del Friuli."
What specifically was better than expected:
- the sense of faded grandeur at Piazza Unita' d'Italia in Trieste
- the realization that I didn't know Italy as well as I had thought I knew Italy (having never been to this corner of the country before despite my 20+ visits to Italy)
- 2 dishes in Trieste: frico and goulash -- and the pleasure of eating something in Italy that I had previously considered Hungarian -- and having it still "count" as local cuisine!
- the mosaic in San Giusto cathedral in Trieste
- the stunning floor mosaics at the basilica in Aquileia
- the Lombard art in Cividale del Friuli
- Gubana cake in Cividale del Friuli (walnuts, raisins, blackberries, pine nuts)
- the refreshing feeling of not being completely certain that Italian is the lingua franca of this region
My advice: 4 days in this region can be an excellent counterbalance to a few days in Venice / the Veneto. Highly educational (at least for me) and well worth the effort.
What specifically was better than expected:
- the sense of faded grandeur at Piazza Unita' d'Italia in Trieste
- the realization that I didn't know Italy as well as I had thought I knew Italy (having never been to this corner of the country before despite my 20+ visits to Italy)
- 2 dishes in Trieste: frico and goulash -- and the pleasure of eating something in Italy that I had previously considered Hungarian -- and having it still "count" as local cuisine!
- the mosaic in San Giusto cathedral in Trieste
- the stunning floor mosaics at the basilica in Aquileia
- the Lombard art in Cividale del Friuli
- Gubana cake in Cividale del Friuli (walnuts, raisins, blackberries, pine nuts)
- the refreshing feeling of not being completely certain that Italian is the lingua franca of this region
My advice: 4 days in this region can be an excellent counterbalance to a few days in Venice / the Veneto. Highly educational (at least for me) and well worth the effort.
Aug 1st, 2021, 01:53 PM
#32
Another vote for Athens, Lisbon, Strasbourg, Phnom Penh, Budapest and Ferrara. (But not for Madrid, Buenos Aires and Aix).
I stopped off in Chicago to break the cross-country train trip from New York to San Francisco and enjoyed it so much more than I expected that I was sorry not to have more time. Great architectural tour and river tour, great museum, good meet-up with a Fodorite, large and comfortable hotel/apartment.
I liked Bayonne enough I went back, and then had an unexpectedly enjoyable day trip to Biarritz
I stopped off in Chicago to break the cross-country train trip from New York to San Francisco and enjoyed it so much more than I expected that I was sorry not to have more time. Great architectural tour and river tour, great museum, good meet-up with a Fodorite, large and comfortable hotel/apartment.
I liked Bayonne enough I went back, and then had an unexpectedly enjoyable day trip to Biarritz
Aug 1st, 2021, 09:09 PM
#33
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'Another vote for Athens, Lisbon...'
Thursdaysd & Cathies, you might find my latest photo essay TR over in the Greece section to be of interest: 'Metaxi mas'. It begins with Athens.
I am done. the birthplace of democracy and the shameless self-promotion
Thursdaysd & Cathies, you might find my latest photo essay TR over in the Greece section to be of interest: 'Metaxi mas'. It begins with Athens.
I am done. the birthplace of democracy and the shameless self-promotion
Aug 6th, 2021, 05:37 PM
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It was my long time dream to go to Turkey, but DH was so reluctant, just did not want to go at all. One day I said, “You know when I die, you will stand at my grave and say, “I am so sorry I never went to Turkey with you.” He said, “OK! Book tickets.”It was one of our best trips. I made it to include a cruise to Israel and a few days in Cappadocia with a hot air balloon flight. DH loved Istanbul, so much so that he wanted to move there.
Aug 8th, 2021, 07:26 AM
#36
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Dreamon asked above 'Why would you spend your holiday time in a city if you didn't expect it to be good?' It's a great question that I'm sure many can relate to. For me, as others have stated, the reason I have spent time in such a city is because I was on the way to somewhere else (it was a place to switch buses, trains, planes or boats), or sometimes it was a city reasonably close to an archaeological site or natural wonder that I wanted to see, or sometimes it has been because I had family nearby and thought let's check that place out, not knowing what to expect. I'm sure others may end up in a low-expectations city for business reasons. For me, due to my common way of travelling by road & rail and wanting to split the journey, there have been so many unexpected treats.
Here are a sampling of mine:
*New Orleans* Family members who had been said they really disliked the town, leaving me with no desire to go. Back in 2003, I decided to see my cousin in Houston and chose to take the train from DC; New Orleans was the switching point. I had been so put off of New Orleans by them that I only spent ONE night there. Staying in the Lower Garden District, I was almost instantly seduced, enough so, that I brought a friend there in 2007 for a much longer visit.
*San Antonio, Texas* Part of the trip involving seeing my cousin in 2003. Again, I spent one night here on the way to Mexico. People from elsewhere (who in many cases have never been) sometimes don't speak respectfully of Texas to such an extent that I had bought into some of their talk. My expectations were low and San Antonio totally caught me off-guard with its charm. I have been several times since. I state my appreciation of my trips to Texas whenever people drift into unfavorable generalizations .
*Monterrey, Mexico* I really went here because it was the closest major Mexican city to my cousin in Houston and I had never been to Mexico. No other reason really. I arrived wondering what I had gotten myself into, I left totally in love with the city, its food and its energy. It remains one of my favorite cities in the world.
*Tampico, Mexico* Honestly just stopped in Tampico in 2019 as it was a nice halfway point between Monterrey and Veracruz. The US State Department even had its highest warning 'Do Not Travel' for Tamaulipas state that it's in. The city was so much fun, with folkloric dancers in the plaza, and an enjoyable bustle in its central plazas.
*Saltillo, Mexico* Again, this was to split a journey: from Texas to Queretaro in 2016. Saltillo hotels had a Trip Advisor warning due to safety warnings associated with Coahuila state. Loved the energy of the central pink plazas and historic center, was mad that I had only planned ONE night thanks to that warning, as there are things I would have liked to have checked out.
*Tampa, Florida* I really just went here to mix things up and go somewhere warmer from DC and different in Florida by Amtrak in December 2018. I was surprised how vibrant the city was and it had a more interesting history and more charming neighbourhoods than I expected. The bay and nearby Gulf beach at Pass-a-Grille were quite attractive too.
Here are a sampling of mine:
*New Orleans* Family members who had been said they really disliked the town, leaving me with no desire to go. Back in 2003, I decided to see my cousin in Houston and chose to take the train from DC; New Orleans was the switching point. I had been so put off of New Orleans by them that I only spent ONE night there. Staying in the Lower Garden District, I was almost instantly seduced, enough so, that I brought a friend there in 2007 for a much longer visit.
*San Antonio, Texas* Part of the trip involving seeing my cousin in 2003. Again, I spent one night here on the way to Mexico. People from elsewhere (who in many cases have never been) sometimes don't speak respectfully of Texas to such an extent that I had bought into some of their talk. My expectations were low and San Antonio totally caught me off-guard with its charm. I have been several times since. I state my appreciation of my trips to Texas whenever people drift into unfavorable generalizations .
*Monterrey, Mexico* I really went here because it was the closest major Mexican city to my cousin in Houston and I had never been to Mexico. No other reason really. I arrived wondering what I had gotten myself into, I left totally in love with the city, its food and its energy. It remains one of my favorite cities in the world.
*Tampico, Mexico* Honestly just stopped in Tampico in 2019 as it was a nice halfway point between Monterrey and Veracruz. The US State Department even had its highest warning 'Do Not Travel' for Tamaulipas state that it's in. The city was so much fun, with folkloric dancers in the plaza, and an enjoyable bustle in its central plazas.
*Saltillo, Mexico* Again, this was to split a journey: from Texas to Queretaro in 2016. Saltillo hotels had a Trip Advisor warning due to safety warnings associated with Coahuila state. Loved the energy of the central pink plazas and historic center, was mad that I had only planned ONE night thanks to that warning, as there are things I would have liked to have checked out.
*Tampa, Florida* I really just went here to mix things up and go somewhere warmer from DC and different in Florida by Amtrak in December 2018. I was surprised how vibrant the city was and it had a more interesting history and more charming neighbourhoods than I expected. The bay and nearby Gulf beach at Pass-a-Grille were quite attractive too.
Aug 8th, 2021, 01:45 PM
#38
<<I'm not really sure that I understand this question. Why would you spend your holiday time visiting a particular city unless you expected it to be good? I don't get enough holiday time to visit places unless I expect to enjoy them.>>
dreamon - I suspect that you're getting a bit fed up with getting the same types of answers from people here, but that isn't going to deter me. In our case it was Bratislava, which when we went [it may have changed now] Ryanair was using as its "Vienna" airport, despite its being in a different country. We decided that rather than make straight for Vienna we would spend a night there just to see what it was like and loved it, including the excellent hotel we stayed in. [The Hotel Marol's, if anyone is interested - and yes, the apostrophe is how the name is written]. So this was a prime example of travel logistics dictating exposure to a city which otherwise we'd probably never have chosen to see and of which we had no great expectation.
I also had very little expectation of Chicago where for logistical reasons I met up with some Fodorite friends a couple of years ago and i agree with Thursdaysd that architecturally and artistically it was a revelation.
great thread, goddesstogo. Thanks for starting it.
dreamon - I suspect that you're getting a bit fed up with getting the same types of answers from people here, but that isn't going to deter me. In our case it was Bratislava, which when we went [it may have changed now] Ryanair was using as its "Vienna" airport, despite its being in a different country. We decided that rather than make straight for Vienna we would spend a night there just to see what it was like and loved it, including the excellent hotel we stayed in. [The Hotel Marol's, if anyone is interested - and yes, the apostrophe is how the name is written]. So this was a prime example of travel logistics dictating exposure to a city which otherwise we'd probably never have chosen to see and of which we had no great expectation.
I also had very little expectation of Chicago where for logistical reasons I met up with some Fodorite friends a couple of years ago and i agree with Thursdaysd that architecturally and artistically it was a revelation.
great thread, goddesstogo. Thanks for starting it.
