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People Describe The Most Disappointing Cities They've Ever Visited

Panoramic picture of Cairo
ferries along the city river banks near bridge with crossing cars
Photo by Ahmed Ezzat on Unsplash

Reddit user TheStylishInsider asked: 'What city disappointed you the most when visiting?'

Many people dream of traveling the world and visiting famous cities.

Determined to get pictures of themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, at Big Ben in London, or in the Colosseum in Rome.


When your expectations to visit certain places are sky-high, it's almost inevitable that some things about certain cities will disappoint you.

In some cases, however, you might leave a vacation you've dreamed of going on all your life wondering if it was even worth it.

Redditor TheStylishInsider was eager to hear which of the world's major cities proved the biggest letdown to travelers, leading them to ask:

"What city disappointed you the most when visiting?"

"See The Pyramids Along The Way...

"Cairo."

"This was 2009 so some important things have changed but the country and people were so desperate for tourist dollars that it felt impossible to go anywhere or enjoy anything without feeling like you were being scammed."

"Also everywhere smelled like cigarettes and there was trash all over the streets."- Jer_Diamond

Egypt Cairo GIF by Arab American Heritage MonthGiphy

Vegas Of The East... Or Is It?

"I blame a significant portion of my depression on Atlantic City."- GreenCity5

Simply Tragic

"Port au Prince, Haiti."

"Was taking a leak at an outhouse (plumbing was a luxury) beside a cantina -like dive and a kid popped up through the hole and begged for a quarter."

"This was before the earthquake made it worse."- Ohiostagecoach

Not Exactly Known For Their Nightlife

"That's hard because I usually know what I am getting into but I'll say Jackson, MS."

"I went to Jackson for work and stayed at a nice hotel downtown."

"Figured I would walk somewhere and get dinner."

"Got to my hotel and enjoying a few cocktails and it got about dusk and I looked out my window and it was 'I Am Legend' deserted."

"Like scary AF deserted."

"No people, no cars....nothing and it was like 7pm."

"I ended up getting room service."- MartyVanB

I Got It Mississippi GIF by Dear SilasGiphy

Here's NOT Looking At You...

"Casablanca Morocco."

"It was just really boring with nothing to really do."

'Which was nothing like the rest of Morocco where the people were super friendly with amazing food and lots to see."

"Marrakech was literally the complete opposite experience."- austic

One And Done

"Jamaica."

"The tourist experience was so bad as to make me never want to go back again."

"An unending horde of locals constantly hounding you for dollars."- JimTheJerseyGuy

But Did You See The Tower?

"Pisa, Italy."

"Aside from the tower and Cathedral, there is nothing to do."

"Pisa is a day trip, don't be like me and book three nights there."- andimacg

episode 8 GIFGiphy

A Mirage in The Desert, Maybe?

"I know this is a cliche at this point, but Dubai was just awful for too many reasons to list."- gobackclark

"Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York Or Rome..."

"Gary, Indiana."

"I drove through it to get to Chicago."

"Didn't even get mugged once."- PhreedomPhighter

Not The Splurge You Were Expecting...

"Not a city but the hotel district in Tulúm, Mexico."

"It’s known for beautiful beaches with a jungle-to-urban interface, but the whole area was monetized to the max, making it hard to enjoy without spending outrageous money."

"I was half expecting it but sad to see it reduced to that."- Frequent_Yoghurt_92

Travel Mexico GIF by Caribe MexicanoGiphy

Did You Remember It Was The Capital?

"Topeka."- genzgingee

"My husband is from a small town outside of Topeka."

"The first time we went to visit his parents there I was like 'what do you mean the state capital doesn’t have an airport?'"

"It’s small and boring but the people are nice."- itsjustmeyasee

Money Isn't Everything...

" Weird reasoning, but Monaco."

"I went there for gratuitous displays of vulgar wealth and snobbishness, but all I got was a small dull city by the coast."

"It’s disappointingly bland."- Repulsive-Secret5914

Aloha...

"Waikiki."

"I’m from Hawaii, and grew up along the beach."

"Went back as an adult with kids (haven’t been back since I was 19), and I was so heartbroken and disappointed by how much everything declined or stagnated."- WifeOfSpock

Island Life Rainbow GIF by Nikki Elledge BrownGiphy

Little Rock, Big Disappointment...

"Little Rock, AR."

"My expectations were low, but f*ck, what a dump."

"Even the Clinton library looked like a double wide trailer."- SweetSexiestJesus

Objects Might Be Smaller Than They Appear...

"I drove passed Mt Rushmore once and as I approached I thought to myself 'Oh look, they have a mini Mt. Rushmore, too' only to realize that it was the actual Mt. Rushmore."

"A bit smaller than I expected."

"So I guess Keystone, South Dakota."- NoClipHeavy

Sometimes, we have such an idealized idea of what certain cities must be like, from famous books, movies, or TV shows, that we're simply bound to be disappointed upon arrival.

While some cities just might not be worth visiting...

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