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Have you visited a city that boasted exciting adventures, beautiful and interesting attractions, and a magical time overall? What about visiting that city and then being utterly disappointed by what it actually had to offer? This is the unfortunate case for many world travelers at some of the most popular tourist destinations.
From ridiculously long lines to overly crowded streets, or a surprising lack of charm, the cities on this list have left visitors wanting more. In this gallery, you’ll find the top 30 most disappointing cities in the world for tourists and why they've earned a bad rep.
Curious about which places you should remove from your bucket list? Click through to find out.
The following cities were picked from the most popular (Western) tourist destinations as found by Euromonitor and Global Destination Cities Index by Mastercard, using Tripadvisor reviews from April 2024 to determine tourist experiences.
Last on the list is Hong Kong. A reported 12.2% of visitors are disappointed and like the Peak Tram the least. Hong Kong dropped three spots compared to last year, from 34th to 30th.
Copenhagen disappoints 12.2% of visitors which puts it at 29 on the top 30 list. The attraction that guests tend to be most disappointed by is the Stroeget city center area.
A decline of 18 spots puts Abu Dhabi at number 28 with 12.3% of tourists disappointed in 2024. It’s said that Ferrari World is the most disappointing attraction.
In Lisbon, 12.7% of tourists are disappointed by the beautiful Portuguese city, and in fact, Lisbon dropped 14 spots from number 39 in 2023 to 24 in 2024. The infamous Tram 28 is cited as the most disappointing attraction.
Home to the Funicular Railway (the most disappointing Zagreb attraction), Zagreb leaves 12.8% of tourists disappointed.
Shanghai leaves 12.9% of visitors disappointed. The city is slowly but surely dropping down the list, having fallen from a rank of 24 in 2023 to 22 in 2024. From an attractions perspective, the most disappointing is the Nanjing Road.
Manchester comes in at 21st on the list with 12.9% of tourists left feeling disappointed. The Palace Theater is found to be the most disappointing attraction compared to other things to do in Manchester.
Ljubljana improved four spots in 2024, moving from a rank of 17th to 20th, yet still having a 13.2% disappointment score. The most disappointing attraction is the Ljubljana Castle.
Stockholm in Sweden fell ten spots since 2023 and now sits at number 19 on the list of the most disappointing cities with a score of 13.4%. Tourists say that the Royal Palace is the most disappointing attraction.
Remaining relatively consistent, Bucharest captured spot 17 in 2024 (compared to 15 in 2023). Apparently, 13.5% of tourists were disappointed, many of them with the Piața Unirii Fountain.
Geneva has had the fastest drop in tourist satisfaction year-over-year, jumping from 6.9% in 2023 to 14.6% in 2024. Many tourists used to love the Jet d’Eau fountain and the Flower Clock, but now feel disappointed by it.
The beachy, Adriatic coast of Italy was once a favorite European vacation spot. Today, the city has the perception of being outdated and reminiscent of a bygone era. A slight rise in disappointment from 14.2% to 14.9% occurred between 2023 and 2024 with the most disappointing attraction being the Fiabilandia amusement park.
Las Vegas was a very popular, highly-rated city. However, in recent years criticism about its unsuitability for families with children and extremely loud noise levels, have dissuaded tourists from visiting. Rising from 11% to 15.3% disappointment, Vegas has seen better days. The most disappointing attraction is the Fremont Street experience.
Since the last evaluation, Amsterdam has dropped 15 positions and is now the 6th most overrated city on the list. Boasting a 15.6% disappointment rate, Amsterdam has been described as “too busy” and “nothing special” with Dam Square being the most disappointing attraction of them all.
Dubai has recently experienced floods which drastically increased the concerns of tourists in terms of the lack of emergency preparedness. Though its beautiful facade once drew people in, the lack of trust in safety is now keeping them away. This is why 16.1% of tourists felt disappointed by Dubai in 2024 and the most disappointing attraction was the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo.
This long-time tourist favorite has recently lost a lot of its appeal. In fact, according to online reviews, one in six tourists leave the city disappointed. A rise from 13.6% to 16.6% of disappointed tourists occurred from 2023 to 2024 and the most disappointing attraction is the Hachiko monument.
In 2023, 10.9% of tourists felt disappointed in Toronto while in 2024 it rose to a whopping 16.8% who were disappointed. The most disappointing attraction to date is the CN tower where long lines and high prices tarnish the experience for those hoping to catch a panoramic view of the city.
Bangkok comes in at the top spot as the most disappointing city! The percentage of dissatisfied tourists climbed from 16.6% in 2023 all the way to 18.3% in 2024. The streets of Bangkok are known to be overcrowded and the river waters quite murky. The most disappointing attraction there is the Khaosan Road.
Sources: (KingCasinoBonus)
See also: Europe's most underrated cities, according to travel experts
These are the most disappointing cities in the world for tourists
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Have you visited a city that boasted exciting adventures, beautiful and interesting attractions, and a magical time overall? What about visiting that city and then being utterly disappointed by what it actually had to offer? This is the unfortunate case for many world travelers at some of the most popular tourist destinations.
From ridiculously long lines to overly crowded streets, or a surprising lack of charm, the cities on this list have left visitors wanting more. In this gallery, you’ll find the top 30 most disappointing cities in the world for tourists and why they've earned a bad rep.
Curious about which places you should remove from your bucket list? Click through to find out.