Overrated sights/destinations

Well I guess the clue about Ayer's Rock is in the name, best time to visit is early morning or dusk when the silence and play of shadow is really affecting. Same goes for Stonehenge.
Most disappointing for me was probably Manneken Pis in Brussels. As well as being a fairly dull statue it's not even the the original but a copy from the mid 1960s. You have to visit the city museum to see the original.

LirW wrote: »

I'm planning a trip to the states in March and everyone says we need to go there. Of course we do now but in the back of my head I'm just worried that it's gonna be lame and we paid the park entrance for nothing!

Ah the grand Canyon is spectacular, definitely go and visit, and give yourself time for a hike too. Monument Valley on the other hand is not really worth it, and the roads are really cr@p to get there

As for other over-rated destinations, New York is a ripoff, its dirty and its extremely unfriendly

BailMeOut wrote: »

no way. I saw Mona Lisa for first time only recently and was blown away by the painting as its so beautiful. The crowds swarming around it adds to the experience especially when you look from the painting back out to them.

It's funny how few of them bother to look over their shoulder to the 3 Da Vincis' in the next room.

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

This just confirms what others are saying. People looking at a painting they cant get within 20 feet of and ignoring other works that are right next to them.

Skyfloater wrote: »

It's funny how few of them bother to look over their shoulder to the 3 Da Vincis' in the next room.

How do you know they didn't look at the other works once they finished with, or prior to, the Mona Lisa? It's a still photo, not a moving picture.

LirW wrote: »

I'm planning a trip to the states in March and everyone says we need to go there. Of course we do now but in the back of my head I'm just worried that it's gonna be lame and we paid the park entrance for nothing!

I've been a few times, it's been amazing each visit. But if you're not into the outdoors or scenery, it's not for you.

Rockall, feck all to do and woeful hard to get a decent pint.

CrankyHaus wrote: »

New York. Expensive, unfriendly, uncomfortable.

I completely disagree, new Yorkers are very friendly and theres about 1,000 interesting things to do in n York. My best holiday ever

I don't get when people are disappointed or underwhelmed by these things. Most of these attractions are telling you what they are simply by their name.

It reminds me of the episode of fawlty towers where the guest wasn't satisfied with the view out of the window of a Torquay hotel. Basil fawlty then asks what she expected to see out of the window, the hanging gardens of Babylon or herds of wildebeests ?

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

Leaning tower of pizza, not that impressive. Lots of tourists doing stupid poses.

Mona Lisa, tiny and swarmed with people

Barcelona / Venice; suffering from over tourism

Leaning tower is interesting from engineering perspective, well that is the engineer in me I guess.

The church the other side was pretty amazing, but most people seem to ignore it.
Barcelona is over hyped, some areas are nice like up near Olympic stadium, but Las Ramblas area is to be avoided like the plague.

Sirsok wrote: »

Ayers rock...four day drive from Sydney with not much to see around you only to go see a big red rock, four day back.. waste of holiday from work

And did you walk right round it ?
A three mile walk around a big rock in searing heat with loads of fecking snakes waiting for you if you wander off the path.
Even if you start early it is boiling by the time you finish.

And as for the cr** about it changing colour at sunset.

Yep it does get darker alright.
But that is because the fooking sun is going down and everything is getting dark.

Myself and this English guy turned away from it and start taking pictures of the opposite view only to realise a bus load of Japanese tourists were copying us because they thought they were missing something.

Skyfloater wrote: »

The hill of Tara would get my vote. A hill with a couple of small ditches on it, wow.

+1

My son & I went on a tourist tour of Ireland a few years ago. Wanted to see some of the stuff on our doorstep that tourists travel thousands of km to see. Saw Newgrange .... loved it. Saw Giants Causeway .... loved it. Hill of Tara .... yawn. It may have tons of history, and an important site in ye olde times, but as a visual site it's nothing.... Just a field like hundreds that I wandered around in when I was a kid.

Loved Venice first time I was there (honeymoon!)
Went back years later with the kids and was very disappointed. But they loved it.... stupid kids! 😀

Pompeii
It could do with a makeover.