Everyone loves travel, and everyone looks forward to visiting new places. But, unfortunately, trips do not always live up to expectations - just as they did not live up to them for netizens who decided to share their stories.
Calanques de Sormiou, Marseille, France
“Calanc de Sormiou is called one of the best beaches in Marseille. I expected to see a wonderful, spacious and quiet beach with white sand and crystal clear blue water. In reality it is just a very narrow strip of sand, dirty and full of people. It turns out you can’t always trust idyllic photographs.”
Plitvice National Park, Croatia
“Plitvice National Park in Croatia disappointed me. I was expecting a stunning natural wonder and hoped that on a Monday in September (not peak season or weekend) it would not be crowded. Reality: A perfectly nice national park was chock-full of some of the world's most pushy, loud, and selfish visitors. I felt trapped on the boardwalk, rushing around just trying to find a spot to see the falls.”
Masaya Volcano National Park, Nicaragua
"Masaya Volcano National Park in Nicaragua. I've wanted to see it in person ever since I saw photos and videos online, but it didn't live up to the hype at all. I hate to say it, but I wasn't impressed."
Lake Bled, Slovenia
"I'm no longer a fan of Lake Bled. In photographs it looks so majestic surrounded by nature. However, in reality the entire shoreline is covered with hotels, businesses, overpriced restaurants and tourist shops. I spent a lot of money to row a small rowboat to the island boat, wander around for a few minutes, eat another ice cream cone and come back. I would recommend visiting Lake Bohinj because it is much calmer."
Ha Long, Vietnam
“Ha Long Bay was disappointing. Judging by the photos, I was expecting incredible beauty, but there was so much garbage in the water that it looked like a garbage dump. In addition, on the boat they kept trying to force us to buy some tourist trinkets. I'm glad I went and experienced Halong Bay, but I wouldn't go back."
Lima, Peru
“Restaurant Central in Lima was a big disappointment. It's ranked as the fifth best restaurant in the world and I was expecting amazing food, especially for such a high price. The ingredients were prepared in interesting ways and beautifully garnished, but the taste was simple and ordinary. It wasn't nearly as good as many other lesser known restaurants I've eaten at."
Prague, Czech Republic
"Prague. This may be controversial, but I was underwhelmed. While Prague definitely boasts beautiful architecture, I felt like this was the only highlight. As a tourist, there was nothing for me to do there. I visited four other countries on the same Eurotrip and we had incredible food everywhere, but I found the food in Prague to be very lackluster. We haven't encountered anything particularly tasty in three days. I don't think you should spend a lot of time there because you can see the whole city in 48 hours."
Versailles, France
“I know many will disagree, but I didn't really enjoy my day trip to Versailles. Don't get me wrong: it's certainly impressive. But it's not that. I booked my ticket in advance, but I still had to wait in line for over an hour. And inside the palace was so packed with tourists that I felt like I couldn’t really enjoy the beauty without anyone pushing me. The gardens were really beautiful, but I would have preferred to stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens or the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. If you're looking to take a day trip from Paris, I'd personally recommend Monet's Garden at Givency over Versailles."
Venice, Italy
"Touristy floating mall with mediocre, overpriced food."
Palawan, Philippines
"It's consistently touted as one of the best islands in the world, and judging by the endless crowds of people, it's a popular idea. But I have to disagree. Palawan is definitely overrated. The coral reefs were ordinary compared to what I've seen in other places." the beaches were overcrowded and overpriced."
Dubrovnik, Croatia
“This was the last stop of my two-week trip to Croatia and it was by far the most touristy place I visited. I've stayed in many smaller towns and less populated places before, so ending my trip in a city with so many travel agencies and souvenir shops on every street was a little sad. It's still a beautiful place, but it was a disappointment from the pristine city I imagined from the Game of Thrones scenes."
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
“You may have seen this iconic photo. Don't get me wrong - it was pretty cool to see it in person, but it was a lot more touristy than I expected (I guess I was naive). After I went down into the canyon, I was ready to leave.”
Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California
“If you've seen photos of the attractive views of this beach, I can assure you that they have been photoshopped. There was probably a time when it looked like popular images, but I'm told people have been hauling glass from this famous beach for years. Unfortunately, nowadays it is just a dirty, grayish-brown beach with some of the sea glass that made it famous. Save time."
Guinness Brewery, Dublin
“It's just a tourist trap. Now they don’t even brew beer there.”
Mount Rushmore
“Mount Rushmore was not impressive at all. Many years ago, my family traveled around the United States. Along hundreds of miles of road, you see huge signs counting down the distance to Mount Rushmore. And what? These are four faces on the mountains. There's nothing else there. Just four faces that you've seen a million times in pictures, textbooks and movies."
Terracotta Army
“The Terracotta Army in Xi’an did not impress me. The carved warriors themselves look cool, but this place doesn't add anything to the experience. It's just a tourist attraction. I could have just watched a documentary about the sculptures and saved myself the visit.”
Sky Bridge, Grand Canyon
“The Sky Bridge at the Grand Canyon was uninteresting and overpriced. I don't understand why so many tourists go there. The whole damn Grand Canyon is there and you can access it for free. The park offers thousands of breathtaking views throughout. And exploring the trail with its ledges and views is fun. Walking across the bridge is far from the best experience you can have there."
Casablanca, Morocco
“This is the least interesting place in a charming country. It looked like a dirty business district on the coast. Apart from one obscenely expensive mosque built by the previous king, there is nothing to see here. But the rest of Morocco is the most beautiful places I've seen. Fez, Essaouira, the High Atlas Mountains and Marrakesh were all great.”
Atlantis Hotel, Bahamas
“Everything here is created to suck money out of you. You cannot purchase any food without an additional 15% tip. The food is already so expensive and the quality certainly doesn't justify the price. The water park is nice, but again, it costs $200 to touch a dolphin.”
Tegalalang Rice Terraces, Bali
“All the travel blogs kept telling me this place was a must see in Ubud. And those lush terraced hills were truly stunning, but the place had lost its magic with the crowds of tourists dressed to the nines trying to get the perfect photo."
Blue Lagoon, Iceland
“Now it’s just a place where tourists get drunk while sitting in dirty water. There are many natural thermal pools scattered throughout Iceland that are much more beautiful and authentic.”
London Eye
“It’s monstrously expensive, and there are long queues. If you want a good view of London, I'd recommend checking out St Paul's Cathedral (even if you're not religious). It's a lot cheaper, and if you can climb the stairs all the way to the top, you'll get an even better view."