16 Most Disappointing Places to Visit on Earth.

climbingsingle · December 2014

http://uk.businessinsider.com/reddit-most-disappointing-travel-places-2014-12

Totally disagree with Pisa. I thought the leaning tower was really cool! And it was really fun to walk up.

Gibraltar is where we got engaged, so it has a place in my heart. The caves are really cool. But I agree that you could see it all in one day, as we did.

My cousin lives in Daytona and she keeps asking me to come visit. And I've always been very "Eh" about it.

Agree/disagree with this list?

allispain · December 2014

Eh, I can see some of what people are commenting on here, but I think it depends on what expectations you have going to these places. A lot of tourists expect everything to always look like the postcards and it just doesn't work that way. A lot of times, the tourism industry itself is what makes these places so problematic - complaining that there are too many tourists when you yourself are a tourist seems a little silly to me.

Jells2dot0 · December 2014

@ClimbingBrideNY did you want this moved over to CC?

climbingsingle · December 2014

YES! What the hell? I thought I posted this on CC. D'oh.

lovegood90 · December 2014

Interesting! I agree with you I really enjoyed Pisa.

It's interesting to note the complaints about the experience being ruined by hawkers trying to sell you things. When I went to Bali all of the temples were so beautiful but the experience was definitely a bit ruined by being hassled every few feet. I guess that's to be expected though, I was a bit naïve to not think about that!

climbingsingle · December 2014

lovegood90 said:

Interesting! I agree with you I really enjoyed Pisa.
It's interesting to note the complaints about the experience being ruined by hawkers trying to sell you things. When I went to Bali all of the temples were so beautiful but the experience was definitely a bit ruined by being hassled every few feet. I guess that's to be expected though, I was a bit naïve to not think about that!

We were definitely hassled in Venice. It was annoying, but I didn't let it ruin my experience there. And Pisa was touristy. What do you expect? There are tourists there!

Jells2dot0 · December 2014

Moved!

kat1114 · December 2014

I feel very uncultured/untraveled (is that even a word?), but the only place I've been to on this list is Vegas. I absolutely love Vegas! Up until last year, I'd been at least once a year for 5 years. I've never seen any kind of fight. Sure it can be a little dirty, but anywhere that I can legally gamble and walk around a mall with alcohol is a good place to me.

novella1186 · December 2014

allispain said:

Eh, I can see some of what people are commenting on here, but I think it depends on what expectations you have going to these places. A lot of tourists expect everything to always look like the postcards and it just doesn't work that way. A lot of times, the tourism industry itself is what makes these places so problematic - complaining that there are too many tourists when you yourself are a tourist seems a little silly to me.

I agree with this. I remember going to see the Moulin Rouge in Paris. I had been DYING to see it for years and years because when I was a kid I studied Toulouse Lautrec's art and read about the history of the Moulin Rouge, etc.

When I got there, it wasn't very pretty, and it wasn't in the greatest neighborhood, and it was totally crowded in the middle of a bunch of other buildings, so it was just meh. My expectations had been built up too much and were too different than the reality.

I think in all my years of travelling (and I travel A LOT) the things that blow me away the most tend to be the things that are "off the beaten path" that I haven't heard tons and tons about. Like when I went to China, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City were amazing, of course. But I was let into a Tibetan temple where tourists hadn't ever been allowed before (still no idea how I got that lucky) and the inside of the temple, plus getting to sit down and eat with the monks and listen to them sing, was something I had never imagined and it completely blew my mind.

climbingsingle · December 2014

I forgot about Vegas! I was there once. I'm really not a gambler, so I didn't enjoy it as much as others. Once was definitely enough for me.

southernbelle0915 · December 2014

The only one I don't agree with (of the places I've been on this list) is Stonehenge. At the time it was made, that's a big fucking deal to construct in its location. If someone were to be like "wow, some rocks. Fucking cool. Where's the starbucks?" then yea, they're going to be disappointed.

novella1186 · December 2014

ClimbingBrideNY said:

I forgot about Vegas! I was there once. I'm really not a gambler, so I didn't enjoy it as much as others. Once was definitely enough for me.

I was disappointed with Vegas because in the movies they always portray it as so sparkly and glamorous, with guys in tuxedos, women in sparkly evening gowns, everyone having this great party, fancy martinis everywhere. You get there IRL and it's just a bunch of old ladies wearing fanny packs and bachelorettes in slutty dresses puking into bushes. Sigh.

FiancB · December 2014

The only place I've been to on the list is Mount Rushmore, which my husband and I enjoyed a lot more than we thought we would. I mean, yeah it's smaller than you'd think and I don't really care for the whole 'Murica thing, but the black hills are really beautiful and interesting. There's a lot of kitschy attractions around there that would be really fun for a family with young kids.

I agree I think a lot of it has to do with expectations.

Personally I find San Francisco to be pretty disappointing. I still think everyone should make the trip at some point, but overall it's incredibly crowded, and compared to other west coast cities a lot of it is really dirty and sketchy (I accidentally wandered into the tenderloin district, which is a lot easier to do than you would think). Granted, I didn't make it to Alcatraz as it's booked for 3 weeks straight, but still. If your goal is to see a hipsterey artsy kind of city, I like Portland and Seattle much better. Also if you have the chance to use a bathroom do it, because you won't see another for hours.

southernbelle0915 · December 2014

novella1186 said:

show previous quotes

ClimbingBrideNY said:

I forgot about Vegas! I was there once. I'm really not a gambler, so I didn't enjoy it as much as others. Once was definitely enough for me.

I was disappointed with Vegas because in the movies they always portray it as so sparkly and glamorous, with guys in tuxedos, women in sparkly evening gowns, everyone having this great party, fancy martinis everywhere. You get there IRL and it's just a bunch of old ladies wearing fanny packs and bachelorettes in slutty dresses puking into bushes. Sigh.

Yea, I was super disappointed with Vegas also.

And I'm sorry if anyone here is from Daytona Beach, but IMVHO that place is a dump. Maybe it was just the places we went, but sooo trashy.

amelisha · December 2014

The only place I've ever really been disappointed with is Venice, and I've done more than half this list. I don't know what is was, but I'd go absolutely anywhere in Italy before returning to Venice.

novella1186 · December 2014

Even though it wasn't on the list, I'm gonna go ahead and vent my grievance that I was super disappointed with Niagara Falls. I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and I've watched the movie Niagara a million times. So I thought the area surrounding the falls would still be like in the movie (very stupid of me) with a lot of woods, nature, open green space, beautiful natural surroundings, etc.

We drove there last summer and stayed on the Canadian side (WAY better than the American side) and I was so so so let down. Like every other beautiful place, it had been totally over-developed. There was no nature, no green space, no trees. In fact there was a whole super-crowded amusement park thing. Tacky restaurants with terrible food and way over-priced drinks. Gift shops. Cheesey tourist traps. Ugh. So sad. But again, that was my own stupid fault for having totally naive expectations. The falls themselves were pretty much exactly what I thought they would be, but the rest was such a let-down that it was all just kind of meh.

abl13 · December 2014

I LOVED Jamaica so I don't agree with that one. That being said, we were there to relax and never left our resort but the ride there was pretty shitty. I would never go to a third world country and expect to see a lot of culture though.

I was also disappointed with Vegas. I was surprised with how clean it was but it was just so crowded and everything there was so expensive. For a party atmosphere I prefer New Orleans.

buttercup1958 · December 2014

I've never been to any of these places. I'm kinda happy the places I picked out that I want to travel too weren't on this list. V and I are going to go to New Zealand one day! After that we want to go to Romania and take this awesome tour around the country. We might think of other places but those are our main two for now.

phira · December 2014

I thought Pompeii was really worth visiting. I also feel like I'd also like the leaning tower. I think that it has a lot to do with your interests and expectations. I took Latin in high school, which meant that I learned a lot about Italian and Roman history, so Pompeii was really exciting to visit (and depressing, but that's part of the ... fun?).

retterin · December 2014

novella1186 said:

Even though it wasn't on the list, I'm gonna go ahead and vent my grievance that I was super disappointed with Niagara Falls. I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and I've watched the movie Niagara a million times. So I thought the area surrounding the falls would still be like in the movie (very stupid of me) with a lot of woods, nature, open green space, beautiful natural surroundings, etc.

We drove there last summer and stayed on the Canadian side (WAY better than the American side) and I was so so so let down. Like every other beautiful place, it had been totally over-developed. There was no nature, no green space, no trees. In fact there was a whole super-crowded amusement park thing. Tacky restaurants with terrible food and way over-priced drinks. Gift shops. Cheesey tourist traps. Ugh. So sad. But again, that was my own stupid fault for having totally naive expectations. The falls themselves were pretty much exactly what I thought they would be, but the rest was such a let-down that it was all just kind of meh.

Isn't there an Oscar Wilde quote to the effect of "Niagara Falls is the second biggest disappointment for American brides." That's all I could think of when I stopped there with some friends of mine coming back from a trip to Toronto.

I have to disagree with this list, at least about Mount Rushmore. Sure, if you just go to the monument, you are bound to be let down. But the surrounding area is gorgeous. I spent three days backpacking in the adjacent Black Elk wilderness, and it was one of my very favorite backpacking trips.

climbingsingle · December 2014

I've been to Jamaica, but to Sandals, and I didn't leave the resort. So, I liked it, but I didn't really experience the rest it has to offer.

When we were in Italy, everyone told us to check out Lucca. I was a little disappointed with that stop. I think the thing I loved most about it was the street art.

theartistformerlyknownas · December 2014

My experience with Nassau was similar to what they wrote about Jamaica, and it was really sad. Sure, the resorts are gorgeous - as long as you don't leave the grounds. The city itself was a dump. It was really sad to see the disparity - it was obvious that alllllll the money the resorts bring in never leave the grounds, either.

As to the rest, totally a matter of perspective and expectations. Seeing the pyramids from the Pizza Hut is totally not the same as being there in person. Derf.

Maggie0829 · December 2014

I have only been to Vegas. I went twice for work. I had a great time each visit but I wouldn't mind going back on an actual vacation so that I can spend the days sleeping in and lounging by the pool instead of being stuck in a meeting in a windowless room.

When people complain of being hassled at touristy areas, well then they are silly to not realize that that will happen. When you are at a huge tourist attraction there will be people there trying to sell you shit. Something that you just have to deal with. If you don't want to deal with it then don't go to a popular tourist attraction.

Unfortunately with a lot of these places people have way too high of expectations, mainly from what they see on tv shows or movies. Also you have to take into account what you are interested in. If you have no interest in the history of say Pompeii then it probably would be a good idea not to go there.

As for Daytona I have no interest of going there. To me it is just another beach (there are 1000 more to choose from that are ten times better) and unless you are on spring break or attending the Daytona 500 I could see it being just another city that happens to be by the beach.

lovedryn · December 2014

I have a most disappointing place on earth to add. How about Branson! It is where dreams go to die. We had a family reunion out there recently. It was disgusting. A run down town of the old and dying, where lazy ass bastards go so the government can pay their worthlessness to do nothing seven months out of the year. People actually bragged that because of the shitty tourist season, they got to be on food stamps and unemployment over six months of the year while the government subsidized their housing (long term hotel rooms). Beyond nasty...

flutteringinfl · December 2014

Lessee...oh! I've been to the Pyramids. I thought they were pretty neat. But I didn't go in with any expectations of it being this beautiful, isolated monument. We were told well before about the fast food restaurants across the street, and all the people who would try to sell us stuff. I think if you're aware of the whole picture it makes it a lot less disappointing and you'll be emotionally free to enjoy the sight of the pyramids, because honestly, they're very cool.

On the same school trip that we saw the pyramids, we were also going to go to Stonehenge, but then our teacher found out they really weren't that great so we passed.

I LOVED Athens, though. It was my favorite stop on the trip. Mostly the food. The food was incredible.

daria24 · December 2014

I've only been to Stonehenge on this list. I've actually been twice, as I was on two different group tours that stopped there. The first time it was disappointing, it was just a bunch of friggin rocks. But the second time I appreciated it more. It was a foggy, misty day so the whole scene was more eerie. And you couldn't see all the other tourists.

There is one day a year (I'm assuming they still do it) where they let people in to actually touch the stones and wander around freely. That would be cool!

amelisha · December 2014

novella1186 said:

Even though it wasn't on the list, I'm gonna go ahead and vent my grievance that I was super disappointed with Niagara Falls. I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and I've watched the movie Niagara a million times. So I thought the area surrounding the falls would still be like in the movie (very stupid of me) with a lot of woods, nature, open green space, beautiful natural surroundings, etc.

We drove there last summer and stayed on the Canadian side (WAY better than the American side) and I was so so so let down. Like every other beautiful place, it had been totally over-developed. There was no nature, no green space, no trees. In fact there was a whole super-crowded amusement park thing. Tacky restaurants with terrible food and way over-priced drinks. Gift shops. Cheesey tourist traps. Ugh. So sad. But again, that was my own stupid fault for having totally naive expectations. The falls themselves were pretty much exactly what I thought they would be, but the rest was such a let-down that it was all just kind of meh.

Oh, I HATE Niagara Falls. I totally expected it to be terrible though, so I didn't include it when thinking about disappointing places. It's the worst, though...wasteland of chain restaurants and tourist traps and not even in a fun way. Ugh. Niagara Falls. Worst. I once considered going back there while on a road trip and ended up just getting back on the highway after making the turn and going to Stratford instead and buying a ticket to the first play I saw. I literally took the exit and then turned the car around immediately afterwards like "What am I DOING?"

thisismynickname2 · December 2014

I've been to Pompeii, Vegas, Mount Rushmore, and Niagra from this list.

Rushmore was a bit of a letdown because it's just too far from the viewing area. We saw it on a long cross country road trip and yes, the surrounding area is also beautiful, so there's that.

I really enjoyed Pompeii.

I agree it's totally unreasonable to say, "It's too touristy" when you yourself are a tourist. Come on now. I try to take an entire trip into consideration when I say something is worth it or not. For example, we went to Lake Como for our honeymoon. Bellagio is the most touristy town on that lake. It's got barely one day's worth of stuff to do. Worth it as a stand-alone? No. But as part of an overall tour of a beautiful region? Worth it.

tcnoble · December 2014

Movies like The Hangover really taint people's ideals of Vegas. I live here. I love Vegas. It's a great place to live and work, and it can be a great place to have fun with friends.

I dislike how the article describes Vegas as filthy streets, homeless people, and drunk people starting fights. I'm pretty sure that happens in every major city... and some people just can't handle Vegas. But there is a lot of cool stuff to see here. Take a trip out to Red Rock or Mt. Charleston. Go walk through the art galleries at Bellagio, or see a show.

Vegas isn't THAT bad, and I wouldn't mark it as one of the most disappointing places. Then again, I would like to visit several of the places on that list so maybe I'm just weird.

FiancB · December 2014

I've really wanted to go to Vegas for a long time, mainly because there's a lot of stuff to do and the hotels are super cheap. I considered going for Christmas break to get the hell out of MN but I procrastinated a little too long. I feel like it's a place everybody either loves or hates, no in between.

kat1114 · December 2014

tcnoble said:

Movies like The Hangover really taint people's ideals of Vegas. I live here. I love Vegas. It's a great place to live and work, and it can be a great place to have fun with friends.

I dislike how the article describes Vegas as filthy streets, homeless people, and drunk people starting fights. I'm pretty sure that happens in every major city... and some people just can't handle Vegas. But there is a lot of cool stuff to see here. Take a trip out to Red Rock or Mt. Charleston. Go walk through the art galleries at Bellagio, or see a show.

Vegas isn't THAT bad, and I wouldn't mark it as one of the most disappointing places. Then again, I would like to visit several of the places on that list so maybe I'm just weird.

I agree with you (so maybe we are both weird

). I really don't think Vegas is dirty. And sure, there are homeless people, but I don't think it's out of control.

I love to gamble, but that's not the only thing to like about Vegas. There's great hotels at great prices, amazing pools, fantastic restaurants and shows, and tons of shopping. Even if none of that strikes your fancy, like you said, there are some amazing recreational opportunities right outside the city.

16 Most Disappointing Places to Visit on Earth.

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