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Traveling can be a magical, eye opening experience, but not all locations are made equally. From tourist traps to just plain old boring and tacky cities, some places are not worth it. 

Someone asked “In your travels, which city was the biggest letdown?” and netizens shared their worst experiences. We also got in touch with Macca Sherifi from An Adventurous World and he was kind enough to answer some of our questions. So get comfortable as you read through, upvote your favorites and be sure to comment your own experiences below.

More info: An Adventurous World

Image credits: ElisaBelloo

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#1

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Dubai. It's like Vegas with no soul. I never thought Vegas had a soul, then I visited Dubai.

Dewthedru:
It’s like Vegas but for business. Huge advertisements everywhere. Big, gaudy towers and shopping places seemed to be the main attractions. And zero people doing any work are from there. It's just a big, bright, and expensive facade. No soul at all.

dbag127 , Alex Azabache / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:
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James016
James016
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's such a weird place. Now that I have been, I have no desire to go back.

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#2

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Cairo without a doubt. Anyone who hasn't been just Google and the horror stories will keep you away.

emmadilemma:
My disappointment when I got to the Pyramids…and directly across the road was a Pizza Hut. Dafuq?

MenlaOfTheBody , Oziel Gómez / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:
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James016
James016
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Been there, my wife and I got harassed constantly. The pyramids and the sphynx are breath taking though. You also have to buy sheets of toilet paper in the museum if you need the toilet.

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#3

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Niagara Falls, Ontario. Not the falls themselves. They're spectacular. The town is awful.

veebs7:
Tacky, touristy hellhole next to one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world. I guess if you’re a family with young kids, there’s plenty to do aside from the falls, but otherwise, ugh.

Imaginary_Airport_43:
It used to be the #1 honeymoon destination for Americans before it was over-commercialized. Supposedly, during the Victorian era, it still had a wild and magical aura about it, but it was lost once it became developed and touristy.

Charlie9261 , Anthony Rodriguez / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:
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Content Wombat
Content Wombat
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This happens to a lot of places once people realise they can make some money.

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Bored Panda got in touch with veteran traveler Macca Sherifi from An Adventurous World and he was kind enough to answer some of our questions. First, we wanted to know what travel advice he would give a younger self.

“Don't stress about money. It's always better saying yes to the experiences you want to do, even if they cost a lot of money, than saying no and regretting it for the rest of your life.” It’s also important to get one’s priorities straight, as the internet is littered with people who end up with underwhelming experiences. 
#4

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Hollywood. "Who hurt you" - the city.

EmeraldIbis:
I realized after my trip that you really need to research where to go in LA. My usual travel style is to just show up without much of a plan and wander around, but that doesn't really work in LA. The famous tourist locations like Hollywood Boulevard and Venice Beach are disgusting.

AnjoonaToona:
I live near Hollywood, and trust me, it's one of the sh**tier parts of LA.

Formal_Yesterday8114 , Daniel Semenov / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:
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Jack Burton
Jack Burton
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It would be really challenging for me cause my favorite part during trips is just wandering, walking in a city. Yeah i am european obviously.

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#5

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Las Vegas, all fun for 2 nights, but we made a mistake and stayed for 4 nights. Couldn't wait to leave.

ositola:
You arrive bright-eyed and full of energy. You leave dehydrated and don't open any banking apps until you get paid again.

flacao9 , Dave Morgan / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Jrog
Jrog
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8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everything is tied to money and crazy expensive, plenty of disturbed people wandering around the Strip, panhandlers, Downtown is rundown and trashy, outside of the tourism hotspots there is a lot of poverty, d***s and some dangerous areas (do NOT walk from the Stratosphere to anywhere!). Enjoy the Bellagio fountains, have a walk through the famous casino to wonder at the atmosphere, get a rental car and visit the countryside.

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#6

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Dallas, Texas. I cannot believe how boring that city is. I’ve had much more fun in every other Texas city I’ve visited (Austin, San Antonio, even Fort Worth!).

TheBigC87:
I grew up in Ft. Worth. This is so accurate. DFW is a huge suburban sprawl where the character has been sucked dry. San Antonio is the best city in Texas for tourism.

r0n0c0:
For all of its hype and local pride, Dallas is a disappointment. I went there for business once. It’s historic and fun, people said. They were wrong.

LA_Snkr_Dude , Terrance Barksdale / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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nomnomborkbork
nomnomborkbork
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I lived in Dallas most of my adult life, and would never have thought of it as a tourist destination. It's a business city. San Antonio is the place to visit for tourism.

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We also wanted to hear his thoughts on what things are worth splurging on. “If you've got the money then great. By paying a premium, it can save you a lot of time in travel time or when planning a trip. However, I love the planning element of a holiday, so I wouldn't want to take that away!” he shared with Bored Panda. 
#7

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Tel Aviv as a teen Christian thinking they were our allies and friends. Israelis spit on my mother, called us goyim, and everyone ripped us off. The men were perverted and rude. I’ve also never been to a city where people argue amongst themselves so much. We got scammed for dinner, our airbnb tried to overcharge us, we got scammed at markets and stores, and laughed at for being christians and americans on several instances. They say Tel Aviv is famous for hospitality but thats only true if you are hebrew. Also most outwardly racist place I’ve been. Another family with our church was mexican and the israelis thought they were arab, so the way they were treated was disgusting. They got spit on twice. .

ranchopannadece44 , Haley Black / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:
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Jack Burton
Jack Burton
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As an arab looking french and atheist.... oh dear boy what a ride... i can understand the geopolitical context and i totally respect different religion but damn Israel as a country is so racist, far right politics and a DNA of perpetual conflict and heavy communatarianism that spoils every relation.

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#8

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again I live in Korea but not in Seoul. I've been to Seoul many times and I had this feeling that it's all a front. Ppl are miserable. Housing crisis. Over worked zombies. Underpaid zombies. A city of zombies. They smile robotically and wave around their Samsung phones in elation to their leaders - Kpop and Instagram. This city is designed for Instagram and social media. There's no restaurant with soul. (no pun). There's no business that seems true to itself.

royalpyroz , Ethan Brooke / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#9

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Sochi, Russia.

An absolute hellhole, no flair, no atmosphere apart from "give us all your money and then f**k off." Also swelteringly hot.

Awful, awful place.

Borsti17 , Oleg Prachuk / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Alexandra
Alexandra
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't even know this was a holiday destination. I'm not sure that, as a Westerner, you should even go there, what with the war and Putin's threat to unleash WWIII if he does't get his way.

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Lastly, from unwritten rules to extra tips, Macca left us with these parting thoughts. “Research research research. I think the more you know about the destination - the culture, the history, the food - then the better prepared you are. Just by having a bit of knowledge can really change your trip, and you'll find it a lot easier talking to locals and having a more authentic experience.”

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#10

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Little Rock Arkansas

I expected nothing and somehow got even less than that.

Would not recommend.

someotherguyinNH , Rod Shelley / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Skara Brae
Skara Brae
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The town is named for a large boulder that was a landmark for boats coming upriver. At some point the town permitted a railroad to hack about half of the boulder away to make room for a bridge over the river.

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#11

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Nashville. Unless you can't get enough of country music, felt like you ran out of stuff to do very quickly.

Ancient_Blackberry10 , Ushindi Namegabe / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Mrs.C
Mrs.C
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This makes me sad. I spent a lot of time there as a teen and it has been stripped of it's soul. Used to be lots of fun little shops, boutiques, quaint restaurants, and a few honky tonks scattered around, and The Underground (an awesome little dance club in the basement of a building on Broadway). Now it's hucksters, big bars, chain restaurants, and drunk bachelorettes. And don't even get me started on the parking!

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#12

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Atlantic City is a once in a lifetime experience. As I'm never going there again.

The most heartbreaking sight was all the kids on the steps of the casino, waiting for their parents who "just went for a quick spin of the roulette wheel". Those poor kids were waiting nearly all day and night.

The boardwalk is full of the kind of people you hope don't sit next to you on a plane. Loud, drunk and they have OPINIONS.

Never again.

Brain_Tourismo , Drones Flown / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#13

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again LA is terrible if you don’t have a local to show you around.

Billymillion1965:
Los Angeles is a horrible place to visit but a wonderful place to live. Beach and snow-capped mountains that can be driven to in the same day. Everything a big city can offer and the best weather on earth. I miss it so much.

FapCabs , RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#14

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Venice, Italy in the summer. I had been there in February and it was an amazing time. Summer though? I don't know what was happening but there were loads of fish dying in all the channels and the place reaked wherever we went. My wife tried the water taxi and she would've probably been ok, but with the dead fish smell mixed with the waves, she got incredibly seasick for a while. It just turned into a cr**py time for the few days we were there.

Halfwayhome22 , Diego Caumont / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Fora Nakit
Fora Nakit
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a city built on the stilts in the middle of the marshy area. Of course, it will get hellish in the summer like all the other swamps around the world. Consider it as a Loisiana of Europe. Just because it's in Italy doesn't mean that its built with rainbows and puppies.

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#15

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Daytona Beach Florida. I was SO excited to go to Florida in High school. Cockroach in the hotel room. Biohazard bag in the water, all scummy touristy stuff. No thanks, saved up all that money to go working at the school store just to be disappointed. Went to Tybee Georgia a year ago and, that place was fantastic.

Sippinonjoy:
Daytona is the trashiest city in America. Florida has many beautiful beaches, but Daytona is the absolute worst place I’ve ever been.

Padmei , Mikhail Nilov / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Vadertime
Vadertime
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Come to the Gulf Coast. It's nicer on this side and we have white sand beaches.

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#16

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Austin. For all its “keep Austin weird” c**p it’s simply not weird. The best thing I saw there was a “keep Houston ugly” sticker. This was ten years ago.

tadhg555:
Austin in the early '90s was still fun. Now it’s all glass high rises.

Responsivity , Jeswin Thomas / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#17

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Houston

It was just concrete and roadways. I did a bunch of the highlights and unique things there.... But it just didn't have a personality.

New York, LA, Atlanta, Dallas, Vegas, Miami, New orleans, Jackson, baton rouge, Kansas City etc. they all have a feel to them. But Houston just feels like a place people go to exist and work.

Snarcastic , Adrian Newell / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Keating_5
Keating_5
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe because I have a lot of local family in Texas and visited a lot as a child, but Houston can be fun due to the food (especially the hole in the walls and hidden gems) and the stuff that’s not so concentrated in the city but just on the outskirts, and when they have events like rodeos and concerts can be pretty cool. So Houston’s probably a good place to live actually but not to visit unless you’ve got a local showing you around 😅

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#18

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again San Jose, CA.

I think it actively tries to be as boring as humanly possible.

rockit454 , Trae Collins / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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ghiant
ghiant
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's got the Winchester Mystery House going for it, though!

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#19

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Barstow. I saw it on the map, remembered it from the song Route 66, and decided that was where we would stop for the night. I was kind of excited about staying there.

Oof. What an awful place! It was ugly. There was just dirt and dust everywhere. No place to eat. No place to hang out. Everybody looked so depressed and worn down. It is definitely NOT a place to stop.

dad_of_anarchy , Ron Reiring / wiki (not the actual photo) Report

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#20

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Not so much of a letdown but I wasn't able to enjoy Kyoto as much as I wanted. I already knew that it would be crowded especially during cherry blossom season when I went but holy f**k the number of situationally unaware tourists blocking others' path for the 'gram (Tiktok hadn't been invented yet when I went). Kanazawa ended up being more enjoyable for me.

coralamethyst , Balazs Simon / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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setsuriseikou
setsuriseikou
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A trip to Kyoto during cherry blossom season? The only thing you'll see a plenty of is tourists. Kyoto is breathtaking, just choose your timing wisely.

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#21

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Panama City. S****y weather, s****y beaches, s****y aquarium, it's where white trash with a little bit of cash congregates.

Edit- the one in Florida.

LtColShinySides , Ruvim Miksanskiy / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Jrog
Jrog
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

TIL there is a Panama city in Florida. I have a feeling this cannot described as "overhyped", simply because no one ever heard of it out of Florida.

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#22

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Naples. Rome had a reputation for being messy and smelly for decades, which I saw first hand. They've since cleaned it up, and it's as beautiful as you'd hope. Naples, on the other hand, feels like a slum for the most part. It's messy, unwelcoming, and doesn't honour its history the way much of Italy does .

uselessscientist , Alina Chernii / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Jack Burton
Jack Burton
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8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Damn two times in a row ? For such an amazing city... I wonder where people disgusted by Napoli are from ? As south east french dude i feel it's a perfect city. For example I was bored as f**k in Vienna the anti napoli.

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#23

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Gonna be a bit different, but Singapore.

I get the hype and I'm sure it's paradise for a lot of people, but you won't get to fully enjoy your time unless you have money.

Like, I've been to expensive European cities and even splurged in big cities in Japan (esp eating A5 steak), so grabbing ye Olde credit card half the time isn't an issue. However, these cities all have ways to be enjoyed for cheap or free!

But because of how small Singapore is as a city, almost every thing you can do there needs money, and the value of the attractions are...well I guess most are not for me.

Again, I love the city and the vibe, but fck it's so expensive.

anima99 , Robert Stokoe / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Jack Burton
Jack Burton
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once visited Singapore right after a 2 months trip in Vietnam and Cambodia. That felt like a jump in the future but yeah so damn expensive !

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#24

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Napoli was foul. The streets stank of a horrible Lysol-type cleaner and the poverty levels were startling.

TeethInTheMinestrone , Francesca De Sario / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Jack Burton
Jack Burton
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8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Naaah that's my favorite city in the world. What a place ! Napoli is alive, pulsing, yelling, singing and yeah dirty. The absolute opposite of Texas cities, pure vibrant place with a real soul. And the food oh boy... Napoli is like Diego Maradona, genius and devil at the same time.

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#25

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Berlin. Most unfriendly place I have been in my entire life, and I’ve been to Paris.

Wafflehouseofpain , Niki Nagy / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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nomnomborkbork
nomnomborkbork
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To an American, Berlin may seem unfriendly but it is really a great city--incredible museums, very walkable, great shops, and terrific restaurants.

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#26

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Istanbul.

I expected hospitable people & a city bursting with culture. I was greeted with extremely unpleasant people who go out of their way to make your stay as miserable as possible. The mosques are impressive, but you couldn't pay me to go back there. Truly horrible experience.

McColanis , Arefin Shamsul / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Iampenny
Iampenny
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8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I absolutely LOVED Istanbul, the people were so hospitable and friendly, the food was amazing, such a vibrant and diverse city. In fact, Istanbul has become my favourite city that I have visited so far.

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#27

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Rome was such a massive letdown after Florence and Venice. I still think some of the sights are incredible, but the city was a lot dirtier than I expected and public transportation really let me down. Rome was the first European city where I genuinely didn't feel safe at night. 

mangagirl07 , Griffin Wooldridge / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#28

"Awful, Awful Place": 28 Tourists Share Cities They Will Never Visit Again Reykjavik, I loved Iceland, but Reykjavik is very touristy. The rest of the country, absolutely amazing.

CheCazzoFaciamo , Peter Holmboe / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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martin734
martin734
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What kind of tourist goes to a tourist destination and then complains about it being touristy?

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