What tourist destinations do you think are NOT overrated?
We hear a lot about which destinations are overrated, too crowded, expensive, full of scams, suffering from overtourism, etc.
But which ones do you think are deservedly popular? Which ones justify the hype?
Most national parks. Especially Yellowstone is amazing.
You know how the grand canyon always looks kinda crazy in photos? It looks just as crazy in person and it is wild.
Reminds me of the Parks and Rec line from Ron Swanson. Something about only two things that are acceptable for a man to cry over. I forget the first one but the second was the Grand Canyon. I'm in no way ashamed to say that place got a tear in my eye.
Funerals.
It's one of those places where you go and say, "oh okay I get it. This is incredible." Pictures don't do it justice. The physicality of being next to it is hard to describe.
I honestly think the Grand Canyon is even crazier in person. In photos, it looks like a big hole, but in person it is truly a grand hole.
Have you actually been to Yellowstone recently? It's pretty awful now unless you leave the tourist areas.
I went around 2018. Did some research first to determine when was a good time to go to avoid crowds. Spent over a week there, and while some areas and days were quite crowded, it didn't really detract much from the experience, and I still got to enjoy large areas of the park with barely any other humans around.
I went in early 2020 and everywhere had thousands of tourists. Going anywhere took hours because there was always a line of hundreds of cars.
The worst were the Asian tourists that completely ignored lines and shoved their way in front of everyone else as well as ignoring barriers.
Definitely a way different experience than when I went in the 2000s.
How recently does it need to be? I went in like 2018 or 19.
I split my year between my homes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Orlando, Florida. I agree with your sentiment 100%.
The highlands in Scotland. Beautiful in their entirety.
Pictures don't do it justice, I'd recommend a guided tour. Also you get to feed highland cows. They're all pets btw. This is Honey.
Also, sheep are incredibly cuddly, and will happily follow you the whole day just to get more head scritches
Gullfoss Falls in Iceland:
Just stunningly beautiful and close to Reykjavík. It'd be a massive mistake to visit Iceland and not see this
Will be visiting Iceland next month. Can’t wait to see things like this IRL.
If you want some more recommendations I'd be happy to share. I really enjoyed my tour around the country in 2023
Thanks. We just decided to sign up for this self-driving 8 day tour.
I'm sure they'll tell you this when you get there but Icelandic speed limits are a rule, not a guideline. I picked up a speeding ticket in Akureyri just going a few kmh over from a speed camera because of that
Thanks for the heads-up!
The Black Forest in Germany. Although you might want to skip the mass produced cuckoo clocks.
I love the Black Forest in Valheim!
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Not a "nice" or "beautiful" tourist experience, obviously, but an extremely impressive one. I'm not a very emotional person, and have no personal link to the Holocaust, but one of the few times of my adult life I cried was when I visited the memorial site.
Montreal is beautiful and fun. People were always polite, food and coffee was amazing. Can't wait to go back
One of the best cycling cities in Canada too, weather permitting.
Many bike lanes are plowed in the winter. The weather is almost always "permitting" depending on how brave you are.
Machu Picchu. It does get crowded but we went first thing in the morning and it was peaceful. And it is stunning in a stunning place.
Ive been living in Outback Auatralia for almost 14 years. Got to visit Uluru once.
Took my breath away when it came into view. Over 1000km (thibknitsncloser to 1500km) away from the ocean. Middle of nowhere. A massive rock just sitting there. Of course you feel a spiritual connection.
I don't fully understand the cultural significance behind it, but I 110% respect the owners of the land, and what they believe in.
Loch Ness. I thought it was gonna be kinda cheesy and a regular lake beyond that. I can see why Aleister Crowley and Jimmy Page chose to live there now. Absolutely stunning.
For real. As a kid, I was enamored with the idea of Nessie, so when I went as an adult a couple of years ago, I just figured it wouldn’t live up to my childhood ideal. Little did I know that the area around Loch Ness is totally gorgeous. I loved every bit of it and would go back in a heartbeat to spend more time there.
The North Shore of Lake Superior, in Minnesota. You need a car, though.
If you can hike part of the superior hiking trail do it. It's stunning and super nice
The Grand Canyon is pretty sweet. Yellowstone too.
My personal one that's not overrated. Hiroshima in Japan.
It's a wonderful city to visit even after you've been to the Museum, which should be a bucket list item for everyone.
Nice try. I'm not spoiling them by sharing.
Kauai and Maui. Only two Hawaiian island I've been to. Kauai if you want scenic hikes and Allerton Gardens is a must see. Maui if you want great food.
Door County Wisconsin and associated Washington Island when the lavender fields are in bloom.
House on the Rock in Spring Green Wisconsin. I don't care how far away you live, you should see this place. It's either a monument to a man's ascent to brilliance... Or of his decent into madness. Words really cannot do this place justice, it's just insane.
Red River Gorge, Kentucky. One of the greatest concentrations of natural bridges and arches in the world. I have spent years hiking in and around this area and still don't think I've seen all the arches. Come with your hiking boots and be prepared for moderate to difficult hikes that can include some climbing.
Banff Canada: Took a ski trip to that area back in 1999. It's an absolutely spectacular area. Lake Louise is still my favorite place to ski after all these years.
The Roman Forum. The Colosseum is cool but way overrated. The Forum is so huge you can easily spend multiple days just wandering around enjoying its history.
10/10 would recommend.
My own answer that prompted me thinking - French Riviera/Cote d'Azur
I think I somehow expected it to be full of massive resorts like so many seaside destinations.
Don't get me wrong, 100% of that coast is built up, no unused space at all. But in such a way that it's still beautiful.
Banff, Jasper, and all the Canadian Rockies in between. Especially if you like hiking in out-of-the-way locations.
Also New Zealand’s South Island.
Venice. Nothing close to it anywhere on earth.
I did not enjoy Venice personally. You're right that it's unique, but I preferred the walkable areas of other European cities more.
Also, fuck the mosquitos.
Venice would be my pick too. I was there to see the Vogalonga, which was spectacular. I spent a week wandering the canals, toured the Fenice and a hundred churches. I also had a lesson in rowing Venetian style, in the canals and out on the lagoon. The locals I met (mostly while food shopping) were gracious and friendly. . Magic city.
My spare bedroom. It's great and can be yours for the low low price of £200 per night. Breakfast included!
^but if its a Friday night you have to put the bins out.^
Gaudi architecture is legit amazing and worth the wait and crowds. Didn't even have time to see the sagrada familia, just the hotel and the park. Then we had the worst meal of my life in a tourist trap resteraunt on las ramblas. Even including that, so worth it.
Jiufen, taiwan - the village that people falsely claim inspired miyazaki's spirited away - is also just incredible. The views, the winding lantern-bedecked staircase, the teahouses. It's crowded and full of touristy knick knacks but i still took everyone who visited.
The sagrada familia is really cool. I highly recommend people get a guide (either the audio version or a real one) because the amount of detail is overwhelming.
for me the best part was the museum below. the method of how it was designed is just as impressive as the (near) finished product.
It's one of the most mind blowing man-made things I've ever seen. The only thing I can think of that was similar to walking into it was walking into the building at Kennedy space centre with the Saturn V in it.
Honestly La sagrada familia is my second favorite Gaudi work, the first one being La casa Batllo. Hope you get to see it next time, and if you do pick up either dawn or dusk, the light through the windows is awe inspiring. Also, yeah, the Rambla is mostly tourist traps, also every single restaurant around the park Güell is an extra nasty tourist trap. There are some good places nearby, but realistically you're probably better off eating at a Tapa Tapa (the McDonald's of tapas) than a random place at the Rambla.
Prague! Went there last September and had a great time. Beautiful and very walkable city, friendly people, and very affordable too. The city castle is an impressive site to behold, and one of the most touristy ones, but very doable if you go in the morning. But there are many other notable things to do and visit, such as the cold-war bunker under the Yalta hotel and the alchemy museum in the Jewish district. If you decide to visit, I would also recommend branching out for a couple of days to visit other cities like Pilsen (where pilsner beer comes from) or Liberec.
I've got a friend in Prague who wants us to visit, really annoyed that I haven't taken him up on that yet.
Milford Sound, especially when it’s raining, especially if you an trek there.
I've heard the Grand Canyon is impressive as hell and worth a look.
Hiking it was fun! Looking at it was mostly a "Hmm that's big!". But the hiking was nice!
Jacksonville. Never heard a good thing about it.
Ahh, but which one? LOL, I'm just kiddin', they all have serious issues.
I grew up in the suburbs of the Florida one. It's... fine? Go Jags!
And what is good about it? I lived there as a kid and driven through it numerous times. I'd consider it an armpit except I don't want to insult armpits. Don't care if I ever go back.
Halloween Horror Nights is too crowded and expensive, but it's one of the coolest things our country does. If you're a Halloween person, you should go some year.
Which country is "our country"?
The one with Halloween Horror Nights.
US defaultism
All of them, they're all so wonderful
fair question, I've never been to the one in Japan. I've heard it's more of a day time event there.
Didn't know we all had some communally owned country.
I haven't been to Florida for it, but the one in CA is great. Knott's Scary Farm is also great.
For both of you want to have a great time. Pay for the front of the line passes. Halloween horror nights can have 3 plus hour lines for an event that only lasts like 6 hours.
We went one year where it rained. We got pretty wet, but the lines all disappeared. It was amazing.
I split my year between my homes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Orlando, Florida. I agree with your sentiment 100%.
you..... have multiple homes?? Damn. I can barely afford the one I'm in now.
Its the privledge of having been around before prices went crazy and being accustomed to smaller spaces. I know it seems crazy now, but a little over ten years ago you could buy a one bedroom condo (what we live in) for about ~$120k and at a low interest rate.
EDIT: To be clear, this isn't luck, good or bad. In the past ~15 years, homes have become unaffordable mainly because funds and investors are gobbling them up and turning them into rental (short or long term). Younger generations are getting fucked and no regulatory action has or will be taken by either party anyntime soon...if ever.
The Alhambra is just majestic. By far my favourite palace in Europe and that counts the ones in France (I haven't explored the German ones yet though). Spain as a whole is a very culturally rich country.
I went to the Meiji Jingu in Tokyo on a rainy day (so less crowded) and... Yeah, wow. Didn't even take any photos, I was just enraptured the whole time. Beautiful environment, beautiful shrine.
EDC Vegas ✌️ fantastic time, everyone's so thrilled to be there.
https://lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com/
Mt. Fuji was beautiful. Ideally you should hire a car and drive around it, theres a series of small lakes, and each time you round a corner you get another beautiful view of the mountain over a different waterfront.
Kentucky as a whole. Ignoring the politics, the place is beautiful.
The reason any tourist destination is overcrowded or expensive is because it is awesome.
Tourist Destinations that are awesome:
I remember telling someone my sister and I were going to the Dordogne in France. He said, "Oh but it's so touristy."
We went anyway, and it was awesome! The cave paintings alone made it worthwhile, but there was also beautiful scenery, great food, interesting towns. Highly recommend.
Bonaire. Small island off the coast of Venezuela.
Basically, the only industry is tourism/scuba diving. Been three times and I'd go again tomorrow.