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Florence, Dublin, Venice, Milan, Dubrovnik.
They are top destinations for a city trip. Worth crossing the world for.
Try explaining that to the travelers on Reddit who are contributing to a discussion about the worst cities in Europe.
They criticized the aforementioned destinations and many more, in response to the ‘friendlyflee’ poster asking: ‘Which cities in Europe are not worth returning to?’
One city is being derided as a ‘shadow of its former self’, another as a ‘retirees’ dream’ and one famous spot is reportedly a ‘tourist trap’. Read on for more…
Bratislava, Slovakia
Reddit users have shared the cities they would never visit again. One traveler describes Bratislava (pictured above) as ‘the most boring city I’ve ever been to’
Bratislava has a striking bridge with an observation deck that looks like a UFO. Despite this, many Redditors were not impressed by the capital of Slovakia.
One participant described it as “the most boring city I’ve ever been to,” and user “Blue1994a” wrote: “The UFO bridge looks unusual but not worth a special trip.”
‘Bkittred’ commented: ‘Had a two hour tour. It was 1.5 hours too long.’
‘ConfidentLem0n’ replied: ‘Agreed! Also the people were really cold and everyone looked a bit angry or depressed.’
However, ‘OneNo7285’ pleaded for understanding and said: ‘That’s just how Slovak people are. Don’t take it personally. We like to hold grudges.’
It may be the center of the European fashion world, but it wasn’t the right place for Reddit user “Rustywings,” who noted, “Milan was pretty disappointing. I wouldn’t rush back there except as a gateway to the lakes.”
Venice, Italy
The Floating City was not the boat of user NArcadia11, who said: ‘After spending five days in Venice, I see no reason to go back.
‘It’s an incredibly beautiful, unique, architecturally artistic city and I’m so glad I saw it. But it’s also incredibly annoying to get around, the food isn’t as good as other parts of Italy and it’s a bit too “fake touristy” for me.’
Oslo, Norway
Oslo, the capital of Norway (pictured above), was described by one traveler as ‘not that spectacular’
Although there is a lot of love for Norway in the thread, the capital Oslo is generally not loved.
User ‘Schlawiner’ says: ‘Although I am a big fan of Norway, I found Oslo very boring. No interesting architecture, small, not much to do. The nature around it is also not that spectacular compared to other places in Norway.’
‘SingleBackground437’ agreed, saying the city is ‘disappointing’, while Norwegian ‘Coolbeans_97’ said he ‘completely agree’.
Barcelona, Spain
It may be Spain’s most popular tourist destination, but Barcelona isn’t for everyone. One traveller, ‘SSG669’, said: ‘Beautiful city and great food, but full of street traders and constant harassment put a damper on the trip.’
Another tourist, ‘dont_fwithcats’, wrote: ‘Have tried it twice and still feel the same way. Overpriced and very gimmicky. The locals don’t want tourists at the moment either – I can’t blame them, everything is expensive and some tourists are just assholes – so just go literally anywhere else in Spain.’
Basel, Switzerland
Basel (above) in Switzerland was criticised as ‘very expensive’ and ‘nothing to do’
Basel is located on the banks of the Rhine, but it wasn’t a big hit with ‘Lumpy-Rub-9125’, who said: ‘Although the scenery is beautiful, it is a very boring city.
“It’s like a dream place for pensioners to relax. After 8pm it’s dead quiet, after 8pm or 9pm no music is allowed in the suburbs. Also very expensive – there’s nothing to do.”
Dublin, Ireland
A gem of the Emerald Isle? Not for Reddit user ‘Queenoftheducks_’, who wrote: ‘Modern Dublin is a shadow of its former self. Its charm has been so diluted by office blocks and multinational corporations that it’s not much different from many European cities.’
“Modern Dublin is a shadow of its former self,” said one traveller
Even domestic tourists are unimpressed, with ‘Major-_-Funk’ saying: ‘I’m Irish, live in Ireland and really don’t like Dublin. The Guinness in the warehouse is some of the worst Guinness I’ve had, surprisingly.’
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dreaming of Dubrovnik? It’s a nightmare, according to user ‘Auximines_minotaur’, who commented: ‘Boring. Expensive. Mediocre food. Full of cruise ship tourists and guides with flags.
“There are no locals living there. And half the locations from Game of Thrones don’t even exist because they used mostly CGI.”
Athens, Greece
According to one traveler, Athens is ‘too expensive’, adding that you can see everything interesting in the city ‘in a few days’
According to one visitor, ‘Gzrfox’, the capital of Greece is not worth more than a weekend trip. He writes: ‘Dirty, hot, overcrowded, everything is too expensive and the few sights can be visited in a few days.’
Andorra la Vella, Andorra
It’s the capital of one of the smallest countries in Europe, but it hasn’t managed to turn the tables and make much of an impression on one Redditor, who had this to say about Andorra la Vella: ‘Possibly the most boring place I’ve ever been, and I’ve been to a lot of boring places.
‘We went in the summer so there was absolutely nothing to do except shopping (duty free so great if you want an expensive watch or something). No cultural sights, museums or architecture of interest. There weren’t even any restaurants open until Spanish meal times [typically post-9pm]and we were on a day trip.’
Florence, Italy
Florence, one of Italy’s most popular destinations, is a ‘tourist trap’, according to a traveler
The consensus is that Florence is one of Europe’s top cultural destinations.
But the consensus meant nothing to user ‘Goin_Commando_’, who noted: ‘The Ponte Vecchio has to be the most utterly and completely overrated tourist trap in Europe. It’s lined with about 50 metres of gold-selling kiosks and then… you’re right through it. The statue of David is worth seeing. Maybe five minutes if you really want to. I do like art. And the amazing talent that goes into it. But you can see it all online, including virtual tours.’
Brussels, Belgium
The capital of Belgium was no capital for ‘Queenielauren’, who wrote: ‘Brussels. Lots of rubbish on the streets, lots of construction work everywhere and lots of beggars and scammers.’
Tourist ‘Coffeewalnut05’ added: ‘I came to say Brussels. There are aspects I like, like the central architecture, the excellent public transport and the food is so good (especially the desserts). But I felt unsafe the whole time and I had to limit myself to a few streets in the center to not feel on my guard.’
