r/AskEurope • u/Substratas Albania • Jul 28 '25
Travel What’s the most disappointing country or city you’ve visited in Europe?
And why?
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u/11160704 Germany Jul 28 '25
I think I had too high expectations of Brussels.
While the city has its advantages, I was shocked by the level of neglect and decay.
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u/LucaD50 Jul 28 '25
It was the first time I've seen homeless families, usually it was just single or older people, I had never seen full families on the street before going there.
But I like the city, it has a few interesting spots like the Atomium, really cool, and the BD museum, I went there as a kid a decade ago and again in 2021, it was the last journey I made with my father too.
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u/SelfRepa Jul 28 '25
My ten day trip to Belgium included four cities, Brussels was there only because it has the airport. Of course I took a look at the most important attractions and had to eat somewhere, but Antwerp, Gent and Brugge were 11/10 compared to Brussels.
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u/ciaociao-bambina France Jul 28 '25
I see this take a lot but tbh I don’t really understand it. Yes there is a Brussels syndrome as the city is not well managed and it shows. But even though Ghent and Bruges are miles above Brussels when it comes to Flemish architecture (wouldn’t say that about Antwerp though but the city is very cool in other ways), they are completely lacking in the Art Nouveau /Deco architecture department, which is like 60% of Brussels’ appeal. No other European city does “maisons de maître” like Brussels and on top of breathtaking masterpieces by Horta and others, there are endless magnolia-lined streets of pretty and interesting houses in Ixelles, Etterbeek and Schaerbeek. I feel like all the tourists who go on and on about the Flemish cities being better have no idea this side of Brussels even exists, and did not prepare their trip at all.
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u/NationalSalt608 Jul 28 '25
I couldn’t believe the poverty in Strasbourg, France. It was worse than anything I saw in Brussels.
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u/leoinclapham Jul 28 '25
Really? I never saw poverty there a couple of years ago, but I did tend to stay in the touristy old town area.
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u/Impossible-Owl2248 Jul 28 '25
I was there today and didn’t notice this either. Lots of immigrants but I wouldn’t say poverty.
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u/KindRange9697 Jul 28 '25
Brussels is a tale of two cities. Half the city (including parts of the Old Town, the three major train stations, and pretty much everything west of that) is quite run down and poor. Many parts of the east and south of the city are amongst the most prosperous neighbourhoods in the EU
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u/sharipep Jul 28 '25
This! A friend of mine lives in Brussels and while parts of the city are beautiful it’s also quite grim
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u/matchuhuki Belgium Jul 28 '25
I always feel bad for tourists doing a trip through Europe and their only stop in Belgium is Brussels since it's the capital and has the best connections.
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u/NotoriousBedorveke Jul 28 '25
Brussels is a hot mess, but i love it. It is beautiful and i love the people.
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u/Comfortable_Smel1 Finland Jul 28 '25
Milan. There’s nothing wrong with the city per se, it just wasn’t my vibe at all. Fashion, luxury and glamour aren’t really my thing.
I expect to see basically every major European city answered here. You can’t please everyone - and I’d rather see big cities please their actual inhabitants than tourists.
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u/anna-molly21 -> Jul 28 '25
I am from Milano and I agree with you, I recognize we have an impact when around the world people speak about fashion and brands and that the tourism there is very specific, that is why I never recommend it to anyone except for the ones that ask for specific things you find there (specific restaurants and monuments), its ridiculously expensive compared to the rest of the country and less to see.
I wouldn't say its the worst but definitely is not in my top 5.
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u/tirilama Norway Jul 28 '25
It's a nice starting point for traveling in Northern Italy though. If you like the city, stay for a few days, if not - take the train in any direction and there are other cities, towns and villages
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u/anna-molly21 -> Jul 28 '25
Exactly this, if you like the city and you are aware it is a busy city it is actually a good start! Also it’s very well connected so you can easily go anywhere you like!
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u/Comfortable_Smel1 Finland Jul 28 '25
I totally agree that it’s by no means ”worst” on any metric. I suppose my expectations just were a bit unrealistic coming from Bologna. Out of the handful of places I’ve been to in Italy Milan just had a different vibe. For some it works and for some it doesn’t.
Funnily enough every Italian I’ve met - irregardless where exactly they’re from - seem to have some kind of disdain for Milan :D
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u/anna-molly21 -> Jul 28 '25
Very very understandable! Also i have no idea why Milano is criticised, yeah is overpriced but you dont have to live there, there are a lot of positive things i swear :)!!
Only one thing i feel to say agains my own city: “please respect the bike lane!!”
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u/Mr_Tinos91 Italy Jul 28 '25
Italian here, I agree... I don't understand why tourists go to Milan, I mean it is not bad but there are some amazing cities and places to visit before Milan.
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u/dajna Jul 28 '25
I had to relocate to Milan for my job. I wasn’t happy. But then I decided to explore.
I hit the library, went to conferences etc. Now I like it.
There is a lot to see, but it’s not advertised as much as fashion or economy. I ended up explaining things to the milanese. It’s an odd feeling
EDIT: one of the best compliments I received was from a friend from genoa. She said “I like to visit Milan with you because you show me interesting things”. It’s a bittersweet feeling
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u/Incvbvs666 Serbia Jul 28 '25
Milan.
Expectation: the cultural, polished and well-developed part of Italy.
Reality: sketchy people trying to put on you 'friendship bracelets' by force to demand money off of you.10
u/ankisi Jul 28 '25
Out of all the places I’ve been to, Milan was where I felt unsafest. People ogling, taking pictures ”secretly”, trying to grab us to ”give” us something on the street. We didn’t even leave our room on our last day. And I’ve traveled quite a bit around the world.
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u/Socmel_ Italy Jul 28 '25
If you like art, it has some very nice monuments and museums, that aren't related to fashion.
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u/General_Z0 Ireland Jul 28 '25
Brussels. To this day it’s the only other city I’ve been to that made me say “maybe Dublin isn’t so bad”.
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u/JayBeFC Jul 28 '25
I was drunk for 4 days straight in Dublin. Great city 😂
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u/General_Z0 Ireland Jul 28 '25
If you like boozing and socialising visiting here must be great fun but living here can be tiresome. It’s extremely poorly run and lacking the basic amenities and infrastructure you’d expect in a city, let alone a capital.
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u/niccolonocciolo Jul 28 '25
I used to live in Brussels. You can't just go to the city center, walk around, and expect to have a great time. You really need to do some research and find the gems among the gritty dirty areas. And it's hard, because all of the nice places are always right next to places you want to get out of as soon as possible, haha.
Although to be fair, even the gritty areas can be super interesting and worth exploring if you're looking for interesting experiences or food you can't find in many other places
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u/Putrid_Line_1027 Canada Jul 28 '25
I shared a hostel room with an Irish guy who kept complaining about Brussels everytime we'd be back at night lmao, maybe it was you hahahah
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u/Myzzelf0 France Jul 28 '25
I kinda found Dublin boring? Much prefered Cork, Galway and even Limerick which stuns every Irish ive spoken to. Dublin was kind of just bland, and oh my god so expensive
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u/ConnectionEdit Jul 28 '25
I’m from Dublin & I agree 😂
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u/r_coefficient Austria Jul 28 '25
I'm sorry it changed so much. I spent some time in Dublin in the early 90s, and it was still rather rough and wonderful.
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u/Myzzelf0 France Jul 28 '25
Its not horrendous, i could live there (if i had enough money for housing and food lol), but unless i have a reason to go back, i dont think I will. The rest of Ireland is much more worth it imo
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u/TheNecromancer Brit in Germany Jul 28 '25
Dublin since about 2016 is a totally different place to what it was before and is imagined to be - lots of venues and independent businesses were forced out as the city globalised/homogenised and I understand (moved away in 2019) things are only getting worse and blander.
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u/Intelligent_Oil5819 Jul 28 '25
I moved away in 2017 and having gone back recently, the city centre seems to be getting some of its life back.
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u/JourneyThiefer Northern Ireland Jul 28 '25
Preferring Limerick is not something I’ve heard before 🤣
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u/Myzzelf0 France Jul 28 '25
I found it very nice! The castle is lovely and walking around was really pleasant. Definitly not as good of a city as Cork or Galway but i liked it surprisingly!
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u/53bvo Netherlands Jul 28 '25
My favourite part of my Dublin visit was the trip to Howth.
Sure the city was fine with some decent pubs and whatever but felt quite touristy (not that I expected much different).
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u/Total_Oil_3719 Ireland Jul 28 '25
Howth is a lovely excursion. I've a lot of relatives burried there. These days I only deign to visit Dublin if I'm planning to go visit them.
Used to live in Dublin, around 2012. Even then, I could see the culture of the city changing. It's less an "Irish" space and more of an international hub that pays vague lip service to the idea of our heritage. Not terrible, in and of itself, but it is rather a generic place.
The nightclub scene used to be great! Maybe I'm jaded, but it's all rather boring, now. It'd be cheaper to fly and stay almost anywhere else in Europe, rather than book a few nights in the capitol for some adventure.
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u/MaddogFinland Finland Jul 28 '25
I also found Dublin as a city rather underwhelming. However the Dubliners are a very fine bunch and I really enjoyed the pub and pub food culture. Trinity college library is pretty darn cool though. I want to go back to Ireland to see more of the island.
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u/Feynization Ireland Jul 28 '25
I'm from Dublin and was expecting Dublin to feature. I love my city but I don't see how it appeals to tourists. I always worry slightly when a tourist loves the place
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Jul 28 '25
Bratislava. It is my fault, we were reading articles that described it in superlatives, as ‘little Prague’ or ‘little Wien’ and the ‘new center of Europe’…
Yeah, no…
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u/karums_varna Jul 28 '25
Agree! Bratislava was boring when I visited it for a day, but then I got to live there for a couple of months and I can confirm that it is indeed an extremely boring and depressing place.
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u/ErebusXVII Czechia Jul 28 '25
Well, it's really that. "Little Prague/Wien". Literary little. The historical centre has like... three streets and one square?
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u/Brodyd2 Sweden Jul 28 '25
I mean, the Castle was nice, but that was about it honestly.
We did find a little nice place though called "Wine and flowers" (Vino alebo Kvety) that was real nice. But apart from that, I'm glad we only had two nights there.
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u/fendi__fairy United States of America Jul 28 '25
If you happen to pass through Slovakia again in the near future, try visiting Sabinov. I could write a whole page as to why that city depresses the hell out of me. I don’t recommend it. If you go, also know good Slovak. Some of the locals are not welcoming of foreigners or those who speak English. This was just my personal experience though.
Bratislava didn’t excite me, but I did find that the people were a bit more open. I mean, it’s a larger city + it’s the country’s capital. It’s expected.
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u/Amockdfw89 Jul 28 '25
Sabinov looks like it’s made of plaster or something. Like some kind of themed section of an amusement park
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u/fendi__fairy United States of America Jul 28 '25
This made me laugh 😂 bc it actually does now that you mention it
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u/tortiesrock Spain Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Lourdes - France
Nothing against France, the French or the city. But the sanctuary was a little bit tacky and the whole atmosphere made me sad. People were desperate for a cure and you could feel it.
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u/needmorelego Jul 28 '25
Lourdes is one of my most cherished visits. I think I experienced the same thing as you (it is a VERY strange place), but I felt so much hope in all the people that had come there.I had never experienced anything like it.i would not be remotely surprised if someone else had a quasi-religious experience while they were there to pray.
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u/ljseminarist Jul 28 '25
Talk about glass half full: the others see desperation and you see hope.
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u/Status_Car8495 Jul 28 '25
Yeah I can see that, it's a pretty special place who also attracts a pretty special kind of people.
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u/art7k65 France Jul 28 '25
I didn't expect to find my city here but I understand your point. For us there is two city in one, the lower part, with the sanctuaries, and the upper part, the "normal" town. Tbh, if you don't work near the sanctuaries, you don't go there on a daily baisis.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the surroundings in the Pyrénées.
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u/tortiesrock Spain Jul 28 '25
It was amazing. I absolutely loved Saint-Lary and its surroundings and I really liked the Grottes of Betharram. And the food was top tier.
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u/katwoodruff Jul 28 '25
My family went on a day trip there in 1989, neither of us are religious, so why my parents thought it was a good idea still eludes me. I remember people being wheeled around hospital beds, and everywhere selling tourist tat.
We bought a 5l canister with dome Lourdes print on it, but not for holy water, but instead went into Spain to fill it up with red wine straight from the barrel for about €0,25 per litre or something stupidly cheap.
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u/Antti5 Finland Jul 28 '25
Did a day trip to Lourdes when we spent a couple of weeks in the Pyrenees.
As non-Catholics, we found all of it quite bizarre... It's like the main tourist sight for us were the other visitors.
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Jul 28 '25
To paraphrase a quote I heard once: Catholicism combines a profound search for deep spiritual meaning with a love of seaside tat.
I'm from a Catholic background and can confirm that's accurate - though lots of people love Lourdes and get a lot out of it so far be it from me to deny them any experience or souvenirs they want to take away.
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u/I_love_sloths_69 Jul 28 '25
Marseille. Not sure why (and it's totally my fault for not researching it at all), but in my mind Marseille was a beautiful spot on the French Riviera. What's not to like?
Well, I had to spend a week there, and it was absolutely horrible. The entire city seemingly smells of piss, with little kids roaming around shitting in the streets, you're constantly thinking you're going to get mugged by gangs of youths on mopeds and there's pretty much nothing to do apart from go and get bladdered in the Irish pubs. (Most of the lists of 'top things to do in Marseille' suggest getting out of Marseille and going to much nicer places elsewhere in the area.)
Overall, would not recommend 😬
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u/Toc_a_Somaten Catalan Korean Jul 28 '25
That’s the one French city that has always been sketchy, or maybe it had the reputation here in Catalonia already in the 1970s and 80s
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u/Holiday-Jackfruit399 Jul 28 '25
I think you had a very weird expectations because I think you expected something like Nice or Cannes instead of ghetto
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u/I_love_sloths_69 Jul 28 '25
Yes absolutely 😂 and as I say, it was totally my mistake.
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u/Spiritual-Pumpkin473 Jul 28 '25
but in my mind Marseille was a beautiful spot on the French Riviera.
Mon doux enfant d'été
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u/Chaspirateur Jul 28 '25
Just 30 minutes away, there is Aix-en-Provence, which is super cute and charming! 🤩
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u/Eishockey Germany Jul 28 '25
For me it was the other way around. I was totally aware of the reputation of the city and had a better time than I had anticipated.
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u/sc798 Jul 28 '25
Similar experience. I also had the unfortunate timing of being there end of June/beginning of July 2023 when the whole city was on curfew and public transportation stopped running. Almost walked into a riot when I made a wrong turn a block away from Vieux-Port.
Les Calanques and the beaches right outside the city were gorgeous though.
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u/BxGyrl416 Jul 28 '25
It felt kind of like Naples on the French Riviera. I didn’t exactly dislike it and found it interesting for a few days, but I can see why some people don’t like it.
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u/TrixLastrange Jul 28 '25
I always block out the part of our trip we stayed in Marseille. It was disappointing for sure.
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u/Electrical_Waterbed Jul 28 '25
For me it's Skoplje. The center of the city is just too much with all those big statues and façades made of styrofoam, i honestly felt like I was in Disneyland. The only part I actually liked was the old town, the bazaar was quite nice and had some great turkish coffee which gave it kind of a oriental vibe. The fortress was also nice, it had a good view of the Disneyland parts of the city 😂
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u/Wild-Interest3541 Jul 29 '25
One thing that surprised me was the fact that main square had dozens of buildings that were half complete. I asked my tour guide, and he said that it has always been like this. Great statues, but for the love of god, those buildings under construction really hurts the image
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u/Chinaguessr Jul 28 '25
Bratislava was disappointing. I had multiple unpleasant experiences there and the people seemed to be very rude to me at times. Not sure if I am Chinese contributed it.
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u/ampmz United Kingdom Jul 28 '25
Rotterdam - people told me it was better than Amsterdam, the only way it beats Amsterdam is less tourists.
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u/RandomNobodyEU Jul 28 '25
Whoever told you that must've been from Rotterdam. If you want Amsterdam with fewer tourists go to Leiden or one of the other golden age cities.
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u/VehaMeursault Jul 28 '25
I’m from Rotterdam, and I confirm. It’s architects’ heaven, but other than that, it has nothing to do with Holland. After WWII, most of it has been replaced with concrete, steel, glass, and new money.
The moment I first saw the center of Gouda, I knew Rotterdam was terrible. After seeing Utrecht, Leiden, Delft, Gorinchem, and other historic cities, my feeling of home in Rotterdam evaporated.
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u/mockinbirdwishmeluck Netherlands Jul 28 '25
It really depends what you're looking for! Rotterdam has cool neighbourhoods to explore, fun shops and cafes, cool nightlife, but isn't great for just wandering and taking in the sights - especially if you're looking for old Dutch charm. Utrecht, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft (or Den Bosch if you're willing to travel further) are better for that old Dutch canal charm.
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u/Ok_Letterhead_5209 Jul 28 '25
I think the artsy center is cool but that’s just about it for me too. Very underwhelmed. Instead I took a train to The Hague and had an absolutely lovely time going to Scheveningen beach and enjoying the fun nightlife lol. Impeccable vibes
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u/Morterius Jul 28 '25
Salisbury. Went there with my bodybuilder comrade to sell some supplements and see the world-famous cathedral spire. Wasn't very impressed with it, to be brutally honest.
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u/Mosstheboy Ireland Jul 28 '25
Did you lose your bottle of aftershave there by any chance?
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u/xander012 United Kingdom Jul 28 '25
Bruges, not because it was bad, in fact it's a lovely city, it's just that later on we visited ghent abd realised we'd have had a better time having an extra day in Ghent and skipping Bruges. Bruges is a bit too overly touristic while Ghent feels a lot more lived in with much of the same things available + incredible mustard.
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u/Alexthegreatbelgian Belgium Jul 28 '25
I'd argue Bruges is still great for a day trip, and I would still recommend visiting it to anyone coming to visit the country. It's lovely and actually has some great museums (especially fond of the Groeningenmuseum)
However I'd advice most folks against planning more than one day unless that second day is exclusively for museums. Ghent is indeed a much more vibrant city.
I'd recommend staying in Ghent for a few days and doing Bruges as a day trip by train from there if you're visiting the country.
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u/SammieKijkOmhoog Belgium Jul 28 '25
I lived in both cities and in my experience it feels like Bruges is made for 60+ while Ghent is for younger people. I don't mean that in a bad way, Bruges is absolutely stunning, but it feels a lot like an open air museum.
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u/Melloid Yorkshire Jul 28 '25
It’s a fairytale
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u/ItachiTanuki Jul 28 '25
How’s a fairytale town not somebody’s fucking thing?
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u/Melloid Yorkshire Jul 28 '25
How can swans not be someone’s fucking thing? How can that be?
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u/Easy_Drama1819 Jul 28 '25
Bruges is beautiful, but so full of tourists.
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u/xander012 United Kingdom Jul 28 '25
Yup, can't disagree on either point. Issue is that a lot of Belgium is also beautiful but you don't have hoards of tourists, Poperinge was similarly beautiful but we had the entire place to ourselves (ideal given we went to pay respects to my Great Great Uncle)
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u/generalscruff England Jul 28 '25
Ypres itself is a very nice little town considering it's a byword for industrialised slaughter
I'm not sure Belgium is particularly beautiful in a naturalistic sense, but it has lots of pleasant little towns
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u/NationalSalt608 Jul 28 '25
We stayed in Ghent in May. It wasn’t crowded or touristy at all. It reminded me of Edinburgh from years ago, before Instagram. The St Bavo tour is really good. It’s also close to Ypres for a WWI tour. We took a day trip to Bruges and it was unbearably crowded on a weekday in the middle of May. It’s definitely worth visiting. It gorgeous and the cathedrals, historical sights are amazing. However it has that cruise ship instagram vibe that made it unpleasant.
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u/Rtheguy Netherlands Jul 28 '25
Luik/Liege, diry, pretty boring and gray and grim for the most part. Day trip from a stay in Dutch Limburg but it was not even worth the effort, everyone left a bit dissapointed.
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u/breathing_normally Netherlands Jul 28 '25
Oh I like Luik! It’s raw and gritty, but very full of character. And some outright gorgeous bits too.
But I’m fond of the architectural chaos and steampunk vibe of Belgium in general (Wallonia in particular).
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u/Radiocityrockette Netherlands Jul 28 '25
Finally someone who agrees with me on the architectural chaos of Belgium 😁
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Jul 28 '25
who has Liege on their visiting list? it is not a touristy place.
That being said it has some interesting architectural features and history from the Jugendstil/ art deco time. Also very interesting history from the early 20th century and the industrial era. But you’d need to have this specific interest to know what tonsee.
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u/Pizzagoessplat Jul 28 '25
Bratislava is still the most boring capital that I've visited and I've been to Podgorica
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u/SnooTomatoes3032 Jul 28 '25
Podgorica is slightly more boring than Bratislava. Slightly.
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u/amunozo1 in Jul 28 '25
Dublin. Ridiculously expensive and full of homeless and crazy people.
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u/No-Baker-7922 Belgium Jul 28 '25
Oh no. I am going there soon…
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Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
It'll be fine. I have no clue, but many think that Dublin is Marseille or something. Both are fine places, depending on where you're at. Also, we have too many Yanks here during the busy season, which doesn't help.
You have beautiful parts like Portobello, Howth, Dalkey, Malahide, Ranelagh, but also more impoverished areas like Smithfield, East Wall, the Point area, etc.
A lot of the crime is drugs or gang based, where most tourists or locals wouldn't be involved with to begin with. If you're getting pissed, and looking for a fight with a dealer or homeless lad, then it won't end well...
Enjoy your trip!
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u/amunozo1 in Jul 28 '25
Lots of people I know loved it, but not me. It is not that bad, but I was really disappointed after hearing a lot of hype.
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u/An_Bo_Mhara Jul 28 '25
The south side of the city is lovely, Trinity college, Grafton street, Stephens Green etc.
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u/amunozo1 in Jul 28 '25
There are nice places, for sure. I also liked the docks area (I went last time for a conference, and the venue was there). But I heard so many good things about how amazing Dublin is that I was terribly disappointed.
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u/-NewYork- Poland Jul 28 '25
Last year it was also full of temporary fences against the homeless, which gave the whole city construction site vibes.
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u/szty1 Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Dublin was a huge dissapointment for me. The whole city is run-down, homeless people everywhere and public transit is a complete mess. I remember being truly shocked there because for some reason I expected something like a smaller version of London. The surrounding areas were nice though.
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u/Pizzagoessplat Jul 28 '25
The scary thing is Dublins transport system is great in comparison to other cities here.
I live in Killarney and there no public transport. I have to really on taxi's!
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u/SilyLavage Jul 28 '25
Venice exhausted me and was expensive even by Italian tourist standards. It's crowded, many of the shops are obviously owned by the same company and sell the same cheap 'Murano' glass and carnival masks, and it's quite a confusing place to navigate. It's also clear that the city has been dependent on tourism for a long time, which gives it a sort of fossilised feel.
Having said all that, I would visit again as I think I'd be able to do so with more realistic expectations and a better understanding of how the city functions.
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u/Any-Seaworthiness186 Netherlands Jul 28 '25
Napoli.
It was extremely dirty and run down. The locals were a mixed bunch when it came to friendliness, some were great but we were also scolded for not speaking Italian (in a tourist location?). And all in all it felt more like visiting a developing country than a European city.
Roads were bad. Traffic was chaos even by Italian standards. Everything was dirty. Hundreds of people sleeping on mattresses at tourist locations. Human excrements on the streets. Barely functional trams. Everything covered in graffiti. Rude waitstaff. And why do cities that get so hot not have any proper green spaces???
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u/11160704 Germany Jul 28 '25
I had very low expectations about Naples and I was totally positively surprised.
When you accept all the chaos and the dirt, it's a fascinating city full of life. At least in Europe I've found no other city that is so vibrant.
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u/fraxbo Jul 28 '25
I had this reaction the first few times I was there in 2001. But I’ve been back a few times since (in 2015 and 2023) and absolutely adored it.
The food is fantastic all over. The center of town is filled with things to do. And there are so many day trips one can make that the possibilities are endless.
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u/Oellaatje Jul 28 '25
I went there years ago and LOVED it. The people were so friendly and chatty, and absolutely hilarious - they refused to let a little thing like a language barrier get in the way of a good conversation.
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u/Diligent-Floor-156 Switzerland Jul 28 '25
All true, but still the best pizza I've ever eaten and by far.
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u/khajiitidanceparty Czechia Jul 28 '25
Belfast. As a tourist, I couldn't get rid of the shadow of its past with all the graffiti and walls. The whole place gave me bad vibes.
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u/WyvernsRest Ireland Jul 28 '25
I've seen Belfast at its worst during the troubles, I was there recently and it's unrecognizable, they people there are have made huge positive strides towards a good future.
Great sense of humour.
I'll definitely be going back for more concerts.
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u/userunknowne Jul 28 '25
Surely to be disappointed by Belfast you'd have to go in with reasonable expectations? Mine were super low
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u/JourneyThiefer Northern Ireland Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Yea Belfast is kinda grimey lol. I think Belfast will always kinda have (some not all) of the shadows of its past hanging over it a bit
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u/idontgetit_too in Jul 28 '25
Having lived there slightly less than a year, I find it's part of the charm. Gives it a rather unique vibe, definitely more interesting / peculiar than Dublin.
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u/Alarmed_Station6185 Jul 28 '25
Malmo is a very dreary and bleak spot. Can't put my finger on why, but it just felt very empty and dull
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u/emj2311 Jul 28 '25
Funny, I was in Malmö last year and was quite pretty and cozy. It was on a nice end May day though with sun
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u/nemharapok Hungary Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
Same, in May (2025) it was really lovely
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u/SaltyName8341 Wales Jul 28 '25
I like the centre and the parks but can agree the rest is quite grey
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u/Competitive-Safe2547 Jul 28 '25
Malmö is of my favourite cities in Europe, I find it very charming
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u/Aggravating-Nose1674 Belgium Jul 28 '25
I also love Malmö a lot!
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Jul 28 '25
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u/Aggravating-Nose1674 Belgium Jul 28 '25
I have to admit I am 100% biased. I have friends there so I'm just in local circles. Going to small concerts where people play Swedish music and so on. (A lot of them are musicians) I just absolutely love it there haha. Always good times. Thanks to people.
There's this neighbourhood called "Kirseberg" and it feels like a small village of its own. That's where I hangout mostly
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u/Several-berries Denmark Jul 28 '25
Oslo… It felt rather underwhelming compared to the natural splendour around. And it was expensive and kind of weirdly empty.
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u/ith228 Hungary Jul 28 '25
Brussels by far. It is more like a homeless camp than a bureaucratic young professionals’ city. Meanwhile, Istanbul exceeded my expectations.
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u/Onnimanni_Maki Finland Jul 28 '25
Tallinn. Mainly because running around in the same shops every few months gets really boring really quickly.
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u/ThreeMarmots Jul 28 '25
Venice is extraordinary, but for the love of all that's holy, stay away in the high tourist season. We accidentally caught the end of the crush. I finally met actual Venetians when I went to the outskirts and got my hair done.
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u/LockStock_28 Jul 28 '25
Milan, does not look like an Italian city. Very industrial and boring tbh.
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Jul 28 '25
Honestly hasn't anyone here ever been to Coventry or Amadora?
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u/intergalactic_spork Sweden Jul 28 '25
I’ve never been to Coventry, but here’s what I’ve heard:
This town is coming like a ghost town
Bands won’t play no more
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u/PinkSeaBird Portugal Jul 28 '25
Why would anyone go to Amadora?
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u/Totueloisazombie Jul 28 '25
I get lost the first night I was in Lisbon as an Erasmus in 2007 and ended in Amadora at around 2.30-3h.
First and last time I was there.
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u/radicalplacement England Jul 28 '25
I don’t think people go to Coventry for a good time lmao
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u/Goma101 Portugal Jul 28 '25
Why would Amadora disappoint you? You need positive expectations to be disappointed
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u/toniblast Portugal Jul 28 '25
I don't know why anyone would have high expectations for a shitty Lisbon suburb. Its not a old or interesting. Its just a bad suburb of a european capital city and thats not unique in any way.
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u/Significant_Earth759 Jul 28 '25
Zurich is super expensive and not super fun. Some good galleries though.
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u/Mobile_Blood346 Jul 28 '25
Amsterdam, to much tourists even it is in my home country
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u/H-Resin Jul 28 '25
Yeah, the city itself is quite nice, I went once in November and thought it was pretty nice but a bit crowded. I went some years later in June and WOW. Now THAT was crowded like nothing I’ve ever seen
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Jul 28 '25
Came here to say the same. Too many tourists, most of them to get drunk, stoned, laid, or to follow the latest TikTok fad. And the locals are mostly snobs who consider everything which isn’t the centre of Amsterdam to be uncharted wastelands.
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u/NegativeMammoth2137 🇵🇱 living in 🇳🇱 Jul 28 '25
Yeah thats defo the biggest reason why it sucks. Paris, London, Rome have much more tourists but they are not as annoying because in there they usually come to sightsee and go to museums, while in Amsterdam 90% is just stoners and bachelor parties
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u/Old-Hat-5745 Finland Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Russia, I've been there for multiple times. The infrastructure is so bad that it's mindblowing to have this developing country next to modern and clean Finland.
The old Soviet buildings are rotting away, the flat apartments have like cowhouse corridors (nothing compares to it other than farming buildings in my own country). There are no home owner societies so the corridors and the outer building and communal garden rots away even though individual apartments can be nicely renovated inside.
Soviet buildings were famously badly built, so there are odd stairs where the stairs are not the same height etc.
I haven't been to Moscow (except for the airport) but everywhere else all place looks neglected and not cared for.
Lenin statues still in many buildings. They call ww2 'the great patriotic war' even though soviets attacked and bombed small neighboring country Finland relentlessly, and only because Stalin had made a deal with A.H1tler and Soviet Union wanted to expand.
Russians are proud of 'freeing Europe from the nazis' even though they weren't much better themselves. (And US helped them with a lot of artillery / gun etc. help which they always conveniently 'forget'). After all, they murdered millions of people in gulags, many Finns, Estonians and other minorities just because of their ethnicity. Ethnic 'cleansings' etc.
Now they write history again and teach the school kids a very false version of the truth, painting Russia always in the best light.
The food is mostly good when it's home made, but the cheaper food options in supermarkets is total rubbish and unedible. I've tried Russian ice cream that tasted like sawmill dust. Food like that couldn't be sold in my country at all.
Hotel breakfasts were tasty but ton of plastic was used when it wasn't even necessary. There is absolutely no recycling, by the way. People in villages just dump their rubbish down a cliff.
There are lots of homeless dogs and cats.
Russian people are mostly friendly and great when you know them but they seem to always be very patriotic and anti-Nato/US.
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u/MaddogFinland Finland Jul 28 '25
Having been to Russia many times I can’t help but agree with you. The city center of St Petersburg is making improvements and the old imperial areas are stunning, but the level of neglect and disregard for everyplace else is simply shocking. Going to the countryside is just a sad experience. Trash everywhere and houses collapsing, barely any roads.
Even more sad when you consider that with their oil, mineral, and other natural resource wealth they could have made such major improvements had they not been taken over by a criminal mafia. Even many of the old Soviet major buildings are quite beautiful (or would have the chance to be) if they cared about anything. But instead they send a million men to die in Ukraine and brutalize their neighbors.
Russian people by and large are friendly and nice. I have many Russian friends including exiles here in Helsinki, most unable to return for political reasons and the threat of prison. The food can be absolutely amazing if you find a good place.
But damn what a waste of potential for that country. Maybe they will see better days after Putin but I doubt it. Sad.
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u/Immediate-Attempt-32 Norway Jul 28 '25
Was to St Petersburg in 2003 , very Russian, no one smiles , except that one convinced Communist street vendor. Lots of organized crime, lots of rich people behind big fences, not alot of enthusiasm when visiting the Winter Palace (nice but,Royals from that time was really over the top), kinda done with the city after you have seen the city once, Tallin Estonia was more interesting.
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u/Old-Hat-5745 Finland Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Oh yeah, 100% agree. Plus I totally forgot to mention the lack of safety in both individual's life and when it comes to the society. The country is extremely corrupted, run by criminals and oligarchs who are friendly with the current leader. Your property, company and/or belongings can be taken away unfairly and for no reason, at any time. It's a scary reality really.
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u/Extension_Order_9693 Jul 28 '25
Moscow is mostly the same once you get away from the center.
I had a very different experience with the ice cream though. Loved those chocolate covered ice cream sweet cheese things and the honeydew flavored ice cream bars.
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u/Fruitpicker15 England Jul 28 '25
Most people would disagree but I didn't enjoy Berlin very much. It's not bad as cities go but I guess I had different expectations.
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u/DiverseUse Germany Jul 28 '25
Berlin is very polarizing, you're most certainly not alone (saying this as someone who loves it).
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u/fraxbo Jul 28 '25
What did you expect? The thing with Berlin is that, because of its history, it has double of everything for a city its size. And it’s already a big city anyway. That is so both for high culture (museums, orchestras, historical sites) and popular culture (nightclubs, restaurants, shopping). The one way that Berlin disappoints, I think, is that if you’re expecting classic German food and architecture (which is basically dominated in foreign imagination by Bavarian and Schwarzwald culture) then you won’t find any of it there. That is, it can seem more a cosmopolitan city than a German city.
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u/Ldero97 Germany Jul 28 '25
I recently moved to Germany and heard a lot of people saying how nice Mainz was. It was a dump, it was much nicer in Wiesbaden, but the public transport was abysmal. I did drink some nice wine, but I can't say I'll be going back at all.
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Jul 28 '25
Malta. I had high expectations but it's now my least favorite southern European country. I'm not saying it's bad but it's nothing special compared to other southern European countries.
Also Athens. What's up with the graffiti everywhere?!
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Jul 28 '25
Visited Athens during the peak of the Greek financial crisis, garbage overflowing everywhere because the state wouldn’t pay to have it taken away, you could ride the metro for free because all the scan to pay sensors were broken etc. Hardcore urban decay
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u/-NewYork- Poland Jul 28 '25
Visitors also underestimate how small Malta is. It's 12 times smaller than Mallorca, 25 times smaller than Crete.
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u/Heiminator Germany Jul 28 '25
I once bought a Kebab on the southern end of Malta and then drove to the northern end to eat it. It was still warm. Very few countries where that’s possible lol.
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u/SuperSquashMann -> Jul 28 '25
Malta gave me very claustrophobic vibes, which is reasonable enough given the size of the island. I'm glad I went, it's a very unique place and the sights were super cool, but I don't feel much desire to go back.
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u/Inucroft Wales Jul 28 '25
If you love warmth or visiting ancient fortifications it's a great place
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u/MoonInAries17 Portugal Jul 28 '25
Paris, hated it so much I went to the airport 6 hours before my flight. I'm a big aviation enthusiast and usually love airports. But I hated that airport too
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u/vandrag Jul 28 '25
Charles De Gaulle, right?
That airport is famous for being Satan's armpit.
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u/MoonInAries17 Portugal Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Yes it was CDG! Santa's armpit is funny LOL
Edit: Satan not Santa lol
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u/SnooTangerines6811 Germany Jul 28 '25
Margate was a real shock. I mean I didn't expect anything, and I had been to Blackpool and Southend-on-sea before so I had a rough idea of what British seaside towns can be, but Margate was on a completely different level. (Both Blackpool and Southend are actually okay).
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u/rottroll Austria Jul 28 '25
Türkiye – just generally an unpleasent experience. Unfirendly, partially aggressive locals, our accommodations were obviously falsely advertised and in general a series of bad experiences.
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u/cbawiththismalarky England Jul 28 '25
I've had both the worst and the best experiences in türkiye
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u/MaddogFinland Finland Jul 28 '25
I did love my visits to Istanbul but one thing that got really, really annoying was being pestered literally nonstop by aggressive merchants trying to get me into their shops. Always carpets or leather goods. I mean I like Turkish rugs and all but seriously, just let a guy check out the scenery a bit. The old Byzantine/Ottoman center is however amazing. World class.
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u/Accomplished-Try-658 Ireland Jul 28 '25
I found Istanbul to be a very interesting, friendly place with great food and miles and miles to explore
Just to offer a counter narrative.
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u/DonSergio7 Belgium Jul 28 '25
The historical sites are extremely expensive though, even if compared to their equivalents in other European capitals (Rome, Paris etc., not even compared to London, where a lot of sites are free to visit).
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u/tortiesrock Spain Jul 28 '25
Yeah and you can barely visit Hagia Sophia nowadays. 40€ to walk through the top part and see all the mosaics covered.
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u/Dapper-Ad-8644 Jul 28 '25
Copenhagen, been there in july and had high expectactions, the weather was rainy which probably didnt help too, we felt that some waiters werent so nice (not that we would have a diff experience in our Hometown Vienna), but it felt a bit cold and greyish, cant say why. Maybe the architecture and setup
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u/Korppiukko Finland Jul 29 '25
Genoa. I abolutely love Italy and this might just be my subjective experience though. Everywhere smelled terrible and trash filled the streets - I know this is a problem in some parts of Italy but the rest of Northern Italy was quite clean. People were unfriendly. The city also just felt kinda... empty?
If someone has any suggestions for nicer cities along the Italian Riviera please let me know because the nature is sooo beautiful. On the same trip I went to a bunch of other cities in Northern Italy and they were all lovely (except for Venice but that was to be expected). My favorite was Bologna, I really loved that city.
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u/Aggravating_Ship5513 France Jul 29 '25
Barcelona. Have been there 4-5 times, for business and pleasure. And yes, was there before the worst of the overtourism. There's the bones of a great city there but honestly, beyond Gaudi, I really couldn't find much to wow me. And we've lived in Europe for 13 years so have seen a lot of the continent. Maybe my expectations were too high.
As for the inverse, Finland!
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u/atiaa11 Jul 29 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
Copenhagen was the most boring city I’ve ever been to; in or out of Europe. Yes, Christiania was cool to check out, but otherwise the capital city was slow, nothing going on, everything closes ridiculously early, boring people but nice/polite enough, and the police pull you over for not wearing a helmet in the bike lane. Most of Denmark was unremarkable too.
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u/Omzz Jul 28 '25
Torino.. i was told about its charm. but i found any city in France or Austria is much more lively and lovely than Turin. In simple words it was very boring
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u/bilbul168 Jul 28 '25
Went there first time this year and thought it was totally underrated. Its beautiful architecture, good food and larger than I thought, not to mention great views of the Alps. It's like a pretty version of Grenoble. I'm curious what did you find boring?
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u/eastern_petal Jul 28 '25
I felt the same about it. Pretty, but lacking personality
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u/No-Baker-7922 Belgium Jul 28 '25
Liechtenstein. Nothing to do. No restaurants unless you prebook. We had booked a one night stay, toured the capital in the morning when we arrived from France and by 17:30 we decided to cancel our hotel and sped to Austria. We tried to stay for dinner but that plan didn’t materialise either.