People Are Calling Out The Most Disappointing Cities They've Visited, And I'm So Sorry If Your Hometown Is On This List

"The whole experience felt like biting into an apple, only to realize it's an onion."

This week, Reddit user u/0_7_0 posed the question, "What city disappointed you the most when visiting?"

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And there were quite a few responses that caught me by surprise! Here are some of the top-voted answers:

1. Paris

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"Paris was so dirty, and I was not prepared for the disdain of the French toward a stupid American. I believed the American rom-com movie version of Paris."

—u/Idontknowthosewords

"Every time I go to Paris, I learn how to say, 'I'm sorry, I don't speak French. I am a stupid American' in French. Parisians love it. Without that phrase, I'd have a miserable time in Paris."

—u/nabbitnabbitnabbit

2. Hollywood

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"I always imagined it was a city full of glamour. It is not."

—u/rubbersou

"Just really dirty, really expensive, and too many people."

—u/RealBrownPerson

3. Marrakesh, Morocco

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"It would have been amazing before about 2000, but now it just feels like a Disneyland version of their culture to cater to Western tourists. Costumes for pretending to be desert nomads. Half of their 'handmade goods' are just cheap shit from China. And you can't walk 20 feet without being approached by scammers, like, literally every block. The entire city just feels like a facade to attract tourist money."

—u/legshampoo

4. Atlantic City

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"It's waayyy dirtier and rundown than I thought it'd be."

—u/User_492006

"I was so disappointed by this city, and my expectations weren't even high. It was just nasty there. The whole experience felt like biting into an apple, only to realize it's an onion."

—u/plz-pm-me-your-boobz

5. Manila

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"Traffic was horrible, and it was so dirty. Nice buildings, but the entire experience was stressful."

—u/Bigjay_37

6. Niagara Falls (New York and Ontario)

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"I didn’t know the falls would be in a city. I thought it would be a national park. The whole place just felt like a giant shopping mall."

—u/youburyitidigitup

7. Beijing

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"I arrived at the end of a trans-Mongolian rail trip, seeing so many incredible places, and I think it was just a huge anticlimax. I was intimidated by the level of armed security everywhere, had to fight off so many scammers, and didn't enjoy being touched and laughed at on the subway (I'm a very white European with curly hair). Overall, I just found it really challenging, despite some amazing sights."

—u/Teapigs1984

"I’m Black. I stepped out of a train in Beijing with my brother, and everybody was staring at us like we slapped their mums. At least 10 people didn’t even ask and just started taking pictures of me. Such a fucking weird experience, considering I was 14."

—u/thisis2022

8. New Orleans

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"The food was great, the music was great, but the city was awful. It smelled of piss and vomit everywhere we went."

—u/Drulock

9. Dubai, the United Arab Emirates

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"Decided to spend 10 days there while passing through. Had enough of it after 24 hours. Too many freaking malls. No culture."

—u/wric84

"Horrid place. Fancy malls and hotels for the Westerners, but the streets are full of the poor. You really see what misery the whole place is built on. I went there for work; I can't imagine how people can go there for fun."

—u/c19isdeadly

10. Las Vegas

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"I hated Las Vegas so very fucking much. So dry, so trashy, so smoky, ugh."

—u/themeanlantern

11. Brussels

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"Everything cost money, even if I wanted to piss or drink water. And if I opted for tap water to drink, the waitstaff would behave rudely to my friends and me."

—u/Strand-Aldwych

12. Cairo

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"The pyramids and museums there are amazing, but holy hell, the rest of that city is ROUGH."

—u/PiagetsPosse

13. Philadelphia

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"No offense to the folks who live there, but I felt like everybody was angry, the traffic and parking were worse than Manhattan, and it had none of the redeeming qualities of New York City."

—u/YOLO_SWAG_SATAN

14. Athens

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"I couldn’t wait to go because I’m Greek. It’s filthy with polluted air, and all of the famous ruins are right near city buildings, which are poorly constructed."

—u/imatiredwoman

"Historical sites are nice, but it was really dirty, especially when the rest of Greece is so beautiful."

—u/misaakame

15. And Finally, Naples, Italy

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"I did a big European trip after college and spent about a month in Italy. Naples was EASILY the worst place we visited. Seedy, rundown, trashy, unsafe, you name it. Would never go back."

—u/wanna_meet_that_dad

"Naples was scary traveling as a single woman, and I don't scare easily. I was more confident in Bangkok and Bogotá alone at night than Naples."

—u/animalia80

Have you ever visited a city that totally disappointed you? LMK in the comments below!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.