Overrated / Underrated

[DiegoDiego]

I was chatting with a pal about Hearts' draw in the Conference League. He said Riga would be a great destination whereas I think it's really not that great.

 

So in that vein, which places do you think are over- or under-rated?

 

As far as European capital cities go (I've not been to Bern) I'd say Riga is the most overrated and Zagreb the most underrated.

[welshbairn]

I'd go along with Riga being overrated although it pished down the whole time I was there and I had a hole in my shoe. Kept being approached by young women who thought I looked like the kind of middle aged loner who was looking for a strip club which was dispiriting. Barcelona too, I think there are far more enjoyable Spanish cities to spend time in, for more compact for wandering about and more consistently interesting architecture rather just the odd building like the Sagrada Família. Vilnius is probably underrated, chalk and cheese between it and Riga. Rotterdam was much more interesting and pleasant than I expected, Amsterdam in the summer months is unbearably busy and expensive, much better staying in Haarlem or Utrecht and visiting from there.

Edited August 26, 2022 by welshbairn

[BFTD]

People say all sorts of terrible things about Croydon, but you can't appreciate just how fair they're being until you visit for yourself.

WB, I feel for you. In a crowd of random people, I'll be the one that errant teenagers will approach to buy them fags/booze, or that elderly jakes will assume has a light for their rollie. Been that way since I was 12.

[Paul Kersey]

I thought Budapest was overrated. There are some nice old buildings but the pubs and restaurants just seemed tacky.

Szimpla Kert, the famous ruin pub, was a big disappointment. The walls were covered in graffiti from various Eastern European football hooligan mobs, the beer was pish and they were playing really bad techno music at a reasonable volume so as not to disturb the neighbours. The place was packed out with English stag and hen parties. It's just a tourist trap and nothing like the counter-cultural hub that it may have been at one time.

Antwerp in Belgium is underrated. A beautiful city with good food and beer but less of a "touristy" feel than other places.

Tel Aviv is another underrated destination. Good beaches, wild nightlife and the Bauhaus architecture in the centre is interesting. 

[Ekhibee88]

I thought Barcelona was a tad overated. I prefer Madrid.

[DiegoDiego]

Coastal Croatia is nowhere near the deal it was ten, twenty years ago. You'd be as well going to Calabria. Slovenia remains underrated. Lithuania > Latvia as Mr Bairn Cymry stated.

In general second tier cities are better value than first tier. e.g. Berlin overrated, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hanover underrated.

Any Italian city of 10-30,000 population will be better than the regional capitals. No country in Europe has done a better job of protecting historic city centres and most of these diddy towns are at least 500 years old (my diddy town was a good 1,000 years older than the regional capital).

Nordic countries are massively overrated, except perhaps Norway. The media frenzy over Denmark about seven years ago was inexplicable.

[Paul Kersey]

10 minutes ago, DiegoDiego said:

Coastal Croatia is nowhere near the deal it was ten, twenty years ago. You'd be as well going to Calabria. Slovenia remains underrated. Lithuania > Latvia as Mr Bairn Cymry stated.

In general second tier cities are better value than first tier. e.g. Berlin overrated, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hanover underrated.

Any Italian city of 10-30,000 population will be better than the regional capitals. No country in Europe has done a better job of protecting historic city centres and most of these diddy towns are at least 500 years old (my diddy town was a good 1,000 years older than the regional capital).

Nordic countries are massively overrated, except perhaps Norway. The media frenzy over Denmark about seven years ago was inexplicable.

The only Nordic destination that I've visited was Oslo. It was clean and civilised but expensive as f**k and a tad boring. Up there with Zurich as the most expensive and boring city in the universe.

 

[tree house tam]

New York. 

Absolute shitehole.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

Stockholm. Full of alkies cutting about in sub zero temperatures.

[welshbairn]

On 27/08/2022 at 08:31, Paul Kersey said:

Antwerp in Belgium is underrated. A beautiful city with good food and beer but less of a "touristy" feel than other places.

With you there, also the most spectacular railway station on the planet, that I've been in anyway.

[welshbairn]

14 hours ago, tree house tam said:

New York. 

Absolute shitehole.

Only been to the Port Authority bus station, straight from JFK and away on a Greyhound, but it was like a Seventies cop show dive into the underworld or something, full of beggars and junkies openly injecting. They've probably shunted them off somewhere else by now. It sounds very marmite, people either love it or hate it. Maybe it depends on what your budget's like when you're there, and a fair amount of luck in what you encounter

Edited August 29, 2022 by welshbairn

[MazzyStar]

Switzerland is overrated.

Edited August 28, 2022 by MazzyStar

[stevieKTID]

On 27/08/2022 at 09:31, Paul Kersey said:

Antwerp in Belgium is underrated. A beautiful city with good food and beer but less of a "touristy" feel than other places.

 

 

12 hours ago, welshbairn said:

With you there, also the most spectacular railway station on the planet, that I've been in anyway.

I also like Antwerp, lovely city, when I lived in the centre of Amsterdam I'd go to Antwerp for the day during the yearly Queens/Kings day celebrations to avoid the madness.

[tree house tam]

12 hours ago, welshbairn said:

Maybe it depends on what your budget's like when you're there, and a fair amount of luck in what you encounter

Budget can play a part in any travelling experience I'll give you that but I've been several times with a very decent budget, visiting friends in different areas as well. It's a no, never again from me.

[Paul Kersey]

13 hours ago, Melanius Mullarkay said:

Stockholm. Full of alkies cutting about in sub zero temperatures.

Sounds like Fraserburgh.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

29 minutes ago, Paul Kersey said:

Sounds like Fraserburgh.

It was bad, but it wasnt that bad. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

13 hours ago, welshbairn said:

With you there, also the most spectacular railway station on the planet, that I've been in anyway.

Even Elgin? 

[Northboy]

I'd agreed with Barcelona and New York in the overrated category. I was disappointed with both and find more appealing cities in each of their respective countries.

Antwerp has been mentioned a couple of times as underrated and I'd agree with that. Lovely city as are many places in Belgium. Actually I'd say Belgium overall is underrated as a destination.

[German Jag]

On 27/08/2022 at 09:31, Paul Kersey said:

 

Antwerp in Belgium is underrated. A beautiful city with good food and beer but less of a "touristy" feel than other places.

 

20 hours ago, welshbairn said:

With you there, also the most spectacular railway station on the planet, that I've been in anyway.

 

8 hours ago, stevieKTID said:

 

I also like Antwerp, lovely city, when I lived in the centre of Amsterdam I'd go to Antwerp for the day during the yearly Queens/Kings day celebrations to avoid the madness.

 

1 hour ago, Northboy said:

Antwerp has been mentioned a couple of times as underrated and I'd agree with that. Lovely city as are many places in Belgium. Actually I'd say Belgium overall is underrated as a destination.

Another upvote for Antwerp. Have a cousin, retired interpreter at the EU parliament, who lives there. Prior to Corona would go over once or twice a year for a long weekend.

Still not managed to make it to a Royal Antwerp game. Belgium‘s oldest club and currently managed by Mark von Bommel. 

[The Other Foot]

Vienna is possibly a bit overrated, but then again I’d probably feel differently about my two visits there if I had enough money to pay for the nice hotels/concerts/restaurants etc. 

 

Underrated? Maybe Bucharest. Getting more popular (which means it will eventually do a Budapest and go full tacky) but still, at this moment in time, a good enough mix of grit and grandeur to make a worthwhile visit

Edited August 30, 2022 by The Other Foot