Never again! Tourists name European cities they would NEVER return to – from a destination so ‘boring’ it’s a ‘pensioner’s dream’ to a capital that’s a ‘shadow of its former self’

Florence, Dublin, Venice, Milan, Dubrovnik.

The consensus? They’re top city-break destinations. Worthy of crossing the globe to visit.

But try telling that to the travellers on Reddit contributing to a thread about Europe’s worst cities.

They hurled critiques at the aforementioned destinations and more besides in response to poster ‘friendlyflee’ asking: ‘What cities in Europe are not worth coming back to?’ 

One city is derided as being a ‘shadow of its former self’, another as a ‘pensioner’s dream’ and one renowned spot is, apparently, a ‘tourist trap’. Read on for more… 

Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratislava has a striking bridge with an observation deck that looks like a UFO. Despite this, many Redditors were left unimpressed by the capital of Slovakia.

One contributor described it as ‘the most boring city I’ve ever been to’, and user ‘Blue1994a’ wrote: ‘The UFO bridge looks unusual but isn’t worth a special trip for.’ 

‘Bkittred’ remarked: ‘Had a two-hour tour. It was 1.5 hours too long.’

‘ConfidentLem0n’ replied: ‘Agree! Also the people were really cold and everyone looked a bit angry or depressed.’

However, ‘OneNo7285’ pleaded for understanding, commenting: ‘That is just how Slovakian people are. Don’t take it personally. We love holding grudges.’

It might be the centre of Europe’s fashion world, but it wasn’t the right fit for Reddit user ‘Rustywings’, who remarked: ‘Milan was fairly underwhelming. I wouldn’t rush back other than as a gateway to the lakes.’

Venice, Italy

The Floating City didn’t float user NArcadia11’s boat, who said: ‘After spending five days in Venice, I see no need to go back. 

‘It’s an incredibly beautiful, unique, architecturally artistic city and I’m so glad I saw it. But also it’s incredibly annoying to get around, the food is not as good as in other parts of Italy and it’s a little too “fake touristy” for me.’

Oslo, Norway

Oslo, Norway’s capital (pictured above), was described as ‘not that spectacular’ by one traveller

While there is plenty of love for Norway in the thread, its capital city, Oslo, is widely disliked.  

User ‘Schlawiner’ says: ‘While I am a big fan of Norway, I found Oslo to be very boring. No interesting architecture, small, not much to do. The nature around it is also not that spectacular compared to other places in Norway.’

‘SingleBackground437’ concurred, stating that the city is ‘underwhelming’, with Norwegian ‘Coolbeans_97’ chiming in with ‘could not agree more’. 

Barcelona, Spain

It might be Spain’s top tourist destination but Barcelona’s not for everyone. One traveller, ‘SSG669’, says: ‘Beautiful city and amazing food but just filled with street hustlers and the constant harassment was a damper on the trip.’

Another tourist, ‘dont_fwithcats’, writes: ‘Gave it two chances and still feel the same way. Overpriced and very gimmicky. The locals also don’t want tourists there right now – can’t blame them, everything is expensive and some tourists are just a******s – so just go literally anywhere else in Spain.’

Basel, Switzerland

Basel (above) in Switzerland was slammed as ‘very expensive’ with ‘nothing to do’

It’s situated on the banks of the Rhine River, but Basel didn’t make a splash with ‘Lumpy-Rub-9125’, who said: ‘Although the landscape is pretty, it’s a very boring city. 

‘It’s like a pensioner’s dream relaxing location. Dead after 8pm, not allowed to have music in suburban areas after 8 or 9pm. Also very expensive – nothing to do.’

Dublin, Ireland

An Emerald Isle gem? Not for Reddit user ‘Queenoftheducks_’,  who wrote: ‘Modern day Dublin is a shadow of its former self. Its charm has been so heavily diluted by the amount of office blocks and multinational corps that it’s not much different from so many European cities.’

‘Modern day Dublin is a shadow of its former self,’ said one traveller

Even domestic tourists aren’t impressed, with ‘Major-_-Funk’ saying: ‘I’m Irish, live in Ireland and really don’t like Dublin. The Guinness in the storehouse is some of the worst Guinness I drank, surprisingly.’

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dreaming of Dubrovnik? It’s a nightmare, according to user ‘Auximines_minotaur’, who commented: ‘Boring. Expensive. Mediocre food. Crammed with cruise ship tourists and tour guides with flags. 

‘No locals actually live there. And half the locations from Game of Thrones don’t even exist because they used CGI for most of it.’

Athens, Greece

Athens is ‘overpriced’ according to one traveller, who added that you can see everything interesting in the city ‘in a couple of days’

Greece’s capital isn’t worth more than a weekend trip, according to one visitor, ‘Gzrfox’, who writes: ‘Dirty, hot, overcrowded, everything’s overpriced and the few points of interest you can get to in a couple of days.’

Andorra la Vella, Andorra

It’s the capital of one of Europe’s smallest countries – and failed to turn the tables and make a big impression on one Redditor, who remarked of Andorra la Vella: ‘Quite possibly the most boring place I’ve ever been and I’ve been to some really dull places. 

‘We went in summer so there was absolutely nothing to do except shop (duty free so great if you want an expensive watch or something). No cultural sites, museums, or architecture of note. There weren’t even any restaurants open until Spanish dining hours [typically post-9pm], and we were on a day trip.’

Florence, Italy

Florence, one of Italy’s most popular destinations, is a ‘tourist trap’ according to one traveller

The consensus is that Florence is one of Europe’s top cultural destinations.

But the consensus meant nothing to user ‘Goin_Commando_’ , who remarked: ‘The Ponte Vecchio has to be the most utterly and completely overrated tourist trap in Europe. It’s filled with about 50 yards of gold vendor kiosks and then… you’re across it. The Statue of David is worth seeing. For maybe five minutes if you’re really stretching it. I do enjoy art. And the stunning talent that goes into it. But you can view it all online, including virtual tours.’

Brussels, Belgium

Belgium’s capital wasn’t a capital spot for ‘Queenielauren’, who wrote: ‘Brussels. Lots of garbage on the streets, lots of construction work everywhere and lots of beggars and scammers.’

Tourist ‘Coffeewalnut05′ added: ‘Came to say Brussels. There are aspects I like, such as the central architecture, the excellent public transport and the food is so good (especially the desserts). But I felt unsafe all the time and I had to stick to a few streets in the centre in order to not feel on-edge.’