Cities you'd never return to

22-07-2015 11:03AM

I generally beat the crap out of pickpockets, I hammered a guy in Sydney, caught him red handed, beat him up and down the street, I threw a Romanian gypsy woman to the ground in Benidorm and told her to stay down or she was getting it. She stayed down!

scdublin · 22-07-2015 11:51AM

I'm sure I've already posted this but, Egypt. Dirty, disappointing (gorgeous sites ruined by fast food places built far too close to them) and really pushy rude people. My little sister was about 7 at the time and they were even harassing her...she was terrified.

Two Sheds · 22-07-2015 11:51AM

murpho999 wrote: »

Been to Barcelona several times, in various parts of the city at day and night and never had an issue.

I do wonder how these victims of crime look as they wander around the city? Probably with big camera around the neck and obvious iPhone and wallet in a pair of shorts that just calls steal me.

Remember, you stand out like sort thumb as a tourist and the pickpockets target easy pickings.

Take the sensible precautions as you would at home then the risk of something happens greatly diminishes the chance of anything happening to you.

Also to label a city 'unsafe' because of one or two incidents is wrong as well. Do you think that tourists don't get robbed in Ireland?

Save the lecture - Barcelona is different. We have magpies, they have pickpockets.
Go to the city centre police station any morning and see the queue of people lining up to report crimes. You take a number and wait your turn. You're processed - insurance forms etc. and you're out. Don't expect an investigation because the police are too busy posing in groups on the street corners.

Ever heard of 'the Barcelona Shuffle'?

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/03/06/hunting-barcelonas-notorious-street-thieves-309066.html

Schadenfreudia · 22-07-2015 11:58AM

JohnCleary wrote: »

Ah FFS, i've Budapest booked for October. Anyone i've spoken to (irl) has said it's a brilliant place.

What's the problem with it?

I guess you'll find out!

malibu4u · 22-07-2015 12:09PM

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Doha - spent 8 weeks there in 2008. dirty horrible kip full of dirty horrible people.

reminds me of a friend who went to doha once - he nicknamed it diarrorhea !

Leslie91 · 22-07-2015 12:35PM

Guayaquil in Ecuador, could not get out of it fast enough. Dangerous as F. Tourists/non-locals are prey.

Schadenfreudia · 22-07-2015 12:39PM

So - it looks like Achill for the holidays again based on reading this thread.....

fullstop · 22-07-2015 12:59PM

JohnCleary wrote: »

Ah FFS, i've Budapest booked for October. Anyone i've spoken to (irl) has said it's a brilliant place.

What's the problem with it?

It's fine. One piece of advice though, do not get into a random taxi either at the airport or elsewhere or you'll get massively ripped off. Avoid all taxis if you can, they all seem to drive like they have a death wish. Contact wherever you're staying and ask them to arrange one from the airport if you have to get one.

tradhead · 22-07-2015 01:10PM

I lived in Barcelona for a year, and never had any run-ins with pickpockets or had anything stolen.

There were only two incidents that I heard of directly in the entire year:

1) A male friend was locked on the metro one evening and was on his iPhone while heading home. A guy came up with a knife, pressed it right up to him and demanded the phone. His female friend, who was also drunk, got really annoyed and hammered the would-be thief with her handbag, until he gave up and legged it. The guy was pretty freaked tho as the knife actually cut a slit in his jacket.

2) A guy was waiting for the nightbus and got his phone whipped out of his hand. He chased the thief, who had meanwhile realised that it was an ancient Nokia, apologised, handed it back and legged it!

To contrast, I moved back to Dublin after the year away and had two iPhones stolen in one year. :mad:

Tl;dr It doesn't matter where you go, you need to be careful with your stuff and try not to look like a big fat rich tourist :pac:

TCDStudent1 · 22-07-2015 01:19PM

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

What was the issue in Vilnius? I lived there for 16 months (was assigned there with my job, to build a power station), and had the time of my life, brilliant city, great bar/club culture, cheap as chips, stunningly beautiful women, all very friendly people.

in 16 months I/we never saw 1 fight, or had hassle from anyone, ever.

maybe you just had a bad experience? were you there for a stag?

I was there for a weekend and loved it there for all the reasons you said. I'd definitely go back there.

I've zero interest in going back to London. Too busy during the day, tourist attractions are average (I don't really see what's so great about Big Ben or Buckingham palace - I know it's about individual tastes though) and there seems to be somebody offering me drugs around every corner!

Wacker The Attacker · 22-07-2015 01:26PM

Glasgow is the dreariest pit I was ever in.

Manchester is another horrid kip. I would love to never have to visit either of these cities ever again.

mg1982 · 22-07-2015 01:36PM

galljga1 wrote: »

Never going back to Gotham.
It's full of mad scientists, warring crime mobs, clowns and generally strange super villains.

Id give atalantis a wide berth too. Kept running out of oxygen.

podgemonster · 22-07-2015 02:43PM

Cebu in the Philippines.

JohnCleary · 22-07-2015 02:57PM

fullstop wrote: »

It's fine. One piece of advice though, do not get into a random taxi either at the airport or elsewhere or you'll get massively ripped off. Avoid all taxis if you can, they all seem to drive like they have a death wish. Contact wherever you're staying and ask them to arrange one from the airport if you have to get one.

Yeah cheers. We have the shuttle bus already booked, drop off and pick up at hotel.

Also gonna get a 72 hour pass as I know I'll forget to validate ticket on metro

josip · 22-07-2015 02:57PM

Pripyat*

*may not have actually been there

JohnCleary · 22-07-2015 02:59PM

josip wrote: »

Pripyat

Have you actually been there? I have and looking forward to going back on another tour

Day Lewin · 22-07-2015 03:01PM

Denver.
Jeepers creepers.
Could barely find the High Street, although it does have one. One of those soul-less cities. Drab as dishwater in spite of some skyscrapers, a half-decent Art gallery, and a tram. *Yawn*

Nope, will leave Denver out of any future plans.

AndyBoBandy · 22-07-2015 03:21PM

Wacker The Attacker wrote: »

Glasgow is the dreariest pit I was ever in.

Agreed, I've been to Glasgow a good few times (regional office is there), and it's a nasty little hole of a place!!

dreary? you were being kind.

Madam · 22-07-2015 04:04PM

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Agreed, I've been to Glasgow a good few times (regional office is there), and it's a nasty little hole of a place!!

dreary? you were being kind.

Perhaps only dreary people see other cities this way? Me? I have yet to go to a city and not find something to like about it.

murpho999 · 22-07-2015 04:14PM

katemarch wrote: »

Denver.
Jeepers creepers.
Could barely find the High Street, although it does have one. One of those soul-less cities. Drab as dishwater in spite of some skyscrapers, a half-decent Art gallery, and a tram. *Yawn*

Nope, will leave Denver out of any future plans.

High Street?

Us Irish should be looking for the Main Street!

suicide_circus · 22-07-2015 04:18PM

PowerToWait wrote: »

I'm away to Barcelona on Sunday morning.

If I'd not been before and had a blast I'd be v. apprehensive reading the posts on here.

I'll take the standard preventative measures I take in other large cities and I'll have a ball.

I love Barcelona but I have to say you need to take MORE precautions than you would in your average european city, the pick pockets are everywhere 24/7

sexyfirepants · 22-07-2015 04:24PM

Athens is one that I definitely won't be going back to. Potholes and rubbish everywhere, majority of restaurants trying to apply hidden charges in the plaka area and the smell

MillField · 22-07-2015 04:25PM

JohnCleary wrote: »

Have you actually been there? I have and looking forward to going back on another tour

Have you really? I'd like to see it. Looks really interesting.

Fred Swanson · 22-07-2015 04:40PM

This post has been deleted.

AndyBoBandy · 22-07-2015 04:41PM

Madam wrote: »

Perhaps only dreary people see other cities this way? Me? I have yet to go to a city and not find something to like about it.

No, I'd be similar to yourself, I can usually always find something to like about a city, but Glasgow is just a shíthole, I'm sorry to have to say it, but it's the only city, of hundreds I've visited, that I absolutely despise! at least in Doha my hotel had a beach, and it was warm!!

karma_ · 22-07-2015 04:42PM

Baltimore... was not impressed at all.

GDK_11 · 22-07-2015 04:44PM

Seen some strange criticisms (in my opinion). I may be biased about London as that's where I lived most of my life but I absolutely love it, always something to do and so much history. Munich is also a great city, very spread out but both times we had great fun.

Cities I was not impressed with
Adelaide
LA
Bali

Also nothing wrong with Dublin, ignore the junkies, they are in every city in the world to some extent.

podgemonster · 22-07-2015 04:58PM

GDK_11 wrote: »

Seen some strange criticisms (in my opinion). I may be biased about London as that's where I lived most of my life but I absolutely love it, always something to do and so much history. Munich is also a great city, very spread out but both times we had great fun.

Cities I was not impressed with
Adelaide
LA
Bali

Also nothing wrong with Dublin, ignore the junkies, they are in every city in the world to some extent.

Bali is an island.

GDK_11 · 22-07-2015 05:08PM

podgemonster wrote: »

Bali is an island.

Denpasar then.

Madam · 22-07-2015 05:10PM

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

No, I'd be similar to yourself, I can usually always find something to like about a city, but Glasgow is just a shíthole, I'm sorry to have to say it, but it's the only city, of hundreds I've visited, that I absolutely despise! at least in Doha my hotel had a beach, and it was warm!!

Perhaps I can show you around the best parts of Glasgow - no city in my opinion is beyond finding something interesting about it. Glasgow being a city of Empire has a lot going for it (shopping the best outside of London, great bars and nightclubs, the friendliest people on these here Islands, architecture to my mind better than Dublin or any city in Ireland). Weather can be a bit dreary though.

Cities you'd never return to

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