Worlds most overrated tourist destination

asfasdfsdfdfdsafsdfsd wrote:

Iceland

Amsterdam

Iceland? What? That's probably the most underrated out there. If you like nature, it's paradise. Second most underrated would be Iffley Road Track at Oxford where Bannister first broke 4. Of course, I'm a huge track geek, so that might have something to do with it. I tried to make myself feel what it was like for him. The flag of England still flies up on the hill at around the 250m mark where Bannister judged the wind on that landmark day. Was actually there with another LRC poster, Drewr, on the track on a cold, rainy, and blustery day. Ran a sub 60 second lap just to get full affect. Was a pretty cool experience for me. Interestingly, there's not much advertising the feat at the track- just a small display case with the watch stopped at 3:59.4 and a picture of Sir Roger inside the athletic center's office. Also of note: best fish and chips I ever had was just down the road as well.

The Swede wrote:

asfasdfsdfdfdsafsdfsd wrote:

Iceland

Amsterdam

Iceland? What? That's probably the most underrated out there. If you like nature, it's paradise.

Too many "discovered" Iceland in the past 5-10 years. Too crowded, even outdoors... You really need to get out of beaten path to enjoy nature as it was intended in Iceland...

Portland, Maine.

I heard some much about it from that show "Portlandia" and it didn't seem anything like that. What a waste of a trip.

This is almost funny ...

The key to turning most of these “overrated” destinations into great experiences is to go during off-peak times and lower your expectations. Very few things are as good as you imagine.

I almost mentioned Rome, but so went in Sept. (worst time to go) and it was the last leg of a long trip. I’m willing to give it another change bc I loved staying just outside downtown in a neighborhood.

Vegas can be fun the first couple of times, but it gets old after that. Last time I hiked around Red Rocks tho, which was fun.

In general I hate LA. It’s the only play I’ve ever visited where I was like nah, I’ll never want to live here.

well,, wrote:

New York

Los Angeles

Las Vegas

Hawaii

Agree with you on all these except Hawaii. Concrete jungles are terrible tourist destinations. Traffic, smog, small spaces and high prices are not my idea of a vacation. Oahu is a dump, but many parts of the big island are pretty amazing. I highly recommend the waipio valley if you are up for an adventure. Belize, Montana and Alaska are fat better tourist destinations.

joedirt wrote:

well,, wrote:

New York

Los Angeles

Las Vegas

Hawaii

Agree with you on all these except Hawaii. Concrete jungles are terrible tourist destinations. Traffic, smog, small spaces and high prices are not my idea of a vacation. Oahu is a dump, but many parts of the big island are pretty amazing. I highly recommend the waipio valley if you are up for an adventure. Belize, Montana and Alaska are fat better tourist destinations.

I get how the Taj Mahal and Stonehenge can be overrated as tourist destinations, but I don't see how people can say that about a state or city. It just depends what you are looking for.

It's hard to see how NYC can be overrated if you want a cultural experience with theater, art, food and shopping. If you want to spend time in the outdoors on a vacation why would you go there? If you go to LA it's expected you will spend a lot time driving on congested freeways. Vegas has always been filled with trashy people. If you go to Waikiki Beach you should expect it to be jammed with people. But of course there are also beautiful secluded beaches in Hawaii that can only be reached by hiking through spectacular scenery.

Portland, OREGON dumb.....boy!

Go to Dyersville, Iowa. The best.........If you are a Baseball fan. I loved the movie and playing catch with my daughter was wonderful. cheers..................The worst was Disneyland........

Grumpy wrote:

Disney world, hands down

Relative to the hype, I would agree with Disney World, conversely, Disneyland is under-rated.

Most overrated destinations:

Las Vegas

Brooklyn

Bahamas

Baltimore "Inner Harbor"

Miami

Most overrated tourist attractions:

Statue of Liberty

Hollywood Walk of Fame

St. Louis Arch

Any zip line

Underrated destinations:

Maine

Switzerland

Carmel, CA

Thailand

Corsica

Underrated tourist attractions:

Red Rocks Amphitheater

Tanglewood

NY Botanical Gardens

Governor's Island

Evening Parade at Marine Barracks, Washington DC

Xdog....... wrote:

Portland, OREGON dumb.....boy!

Really?! Damn! I could have driven there (Oregon) instead of using up all those airline miles i bought for the Maine trip.

Walk on by wrote:

Sparkley jeans retorts wrote:

So in other words you list big the times you gambled in Vegas.

Huh?

He meant lost. And I guess he was accusing you of being bitter?

Ive been to vegas maybe 10 times. Its an easy flight or not so easy drive from SF area where I live. As a result, lots of friends have had birthdays/bachelor parties etc there and I've tagged along. I'm not into gambling, which is really the only thing unique to Vegas. The clubs, buffets, shows, strippers arent any different than in any other big city, except it is insanely crowded and there is zero culture and the architecture is atrocious.

My lifetime losses from gambling are about 20 bucks. I milk the penny slots or video poker while waiting for my friends to grow bored of gambling and be ready to go to one of those mediocre clubs/buffets/shows, etc.

The lazy river is alright. I also like the novelty of being able to be that @sshole smoking a ridiculously smelly handrolled cigarette at video poker.

San Francisco. There is human and dog? Poop everywhere. Needless everywhere. Homeless people and drug addicts just chilling. It's the city of hepatitis

Most of these depend where in the destination. I can't stand LA, but the Santa Monica mountains have great trails with lots of elevation. Vegas is mostly dirty and annoying (although the buffet is nice after a long run), but Red Rocks parks has fun canyons. Honolulu was WAY too touristy for me, so I didn't like Hawaii much, but I think if I had been able to get out to other places, Hawaii probably has some amazing spots.

beezo wrote:

+1 for vegas wrote:

Vegas, the Worst Place on Earth.

I'm not sure why so many people say Vegas is overrated. What were they expecting? It seems to me like it delivers what it promises. If that doesn't appeal to you why go there in the first place?

Speakin of Vegas, the Bunny Ranch brothel nearby was a disappointment. It was full of whores, not rabbits.

Agree, Shhhhhhhhhhhh! Worked out there for 2 summers and a fall and still didn't see it all. Always amazing. The real Yellowstone experience is on a trail that isn't paved.

XY wrote:

oldgrizzledveteran wrote:

Yellowstone is one of the most amazing places on the planet. I've been there 4x. The trick is to get out of your car and go hiking. Sadly, 90% of the visitors to Yellowstone never venture more than a quarter mile from a visitor center or a roadside pullout. Your experience sounds like you are one of those people. No wonder you didn't care for it. It has amazing wildlife, great geysers and nude bathing in the backcountry hot springs. On second thought, stay in your car!

Shhhhhhhhhhhh

Global Traveler #1 wrote:

For me it’s the Taj Mahal, hands down. It’s not better than in the pictures and it’s miserable. I’ve been there twice just to make sure.

Tower of Pisa is second.

There's more to Pisa than just the crowded tower area - it's definitely worth a day or two

Thailand is overrun with Instagram models or whatever it is they do.

As for the Inner Harbor, a place has to be highly rated by someone to be considered "overrated." No one thinks the Inner Harbor is anything other than a colossal sh!tdump where you'll probably be car jacked

Worstest wrote:

Someone said Hawaii, that is heaven on earth if you go to the right island.

NYC, LA, and Vegas for sure though. Especially Vegas is a dump.

Hell on earth would have to be Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge: the world's largest tourist trap next to the Smoky Mountains.

http://www.thecarpetbagger.org/2013/08/gatlinburg-and-pigeon-forge-tn-sodom.html

This is spot on. It is such an embarrassment. The big shame is that the mountains are beautiful and Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge blew what could have been the chance to have something very nice in some amazing surrounding.

Instead it's this dumpy cheesy craptown of bad food, stupid crappy stores, sad washed up country music acts, and lowest common denominator..... everything.

It sucks. What could have been a jewel is a sh!t stain on our state.

Over rated.

Orlando- it's horrible but then you've got to know that before going there right? I had to go for a family reunion so I doubled down on the bad. No way I'd ever ever go back.

Gatlinburg & Pidgeon Forge- it's like Orlando only with mountains, and honestly if you've been out West you would hardly call the Smokies "mountains"

Panama City Beach- again, caters to the lower middle, more lower than middle.

Vegas- Is fun for maybe 2 days, but that's it. I don't gamble so it's just not my thing. Fun to grab a show, drink and party with a group of friends. It's hard for me to put it on the list since Vegas kinda is what it is. It knows it's cheesy and fake.

Memphis- you have the whole Elvis thing and that is it. That city is a total crap hole.