Rough Guides
  • Rough Guide to
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Kenya
      • South Africa
      • See all destinations
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
      • See all destinations
    • Australasia
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
      • See all destinations
    • Central America & the Caribbean
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • Dominican Republic
      • Guatemala
      • See all destinations
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Scotland
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Turkey
      • Wales
      • See all destinations
    • Middle East
      • Jordan
      • Oman
      • See all destinations
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • USA
      • See all destinations
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • See all destinations
  • Rough Stuff
  • Gallery
  • Shop
    • Books
    • eBooks
    • Apps
    • Travel Insurance
    • Hostels
    • See all products
  • Community
Inspire Me
FacebookTwitterNewsletter
  • Register
  • |
  • Log in
  • Choose Slideshow
    • Strange and surreal abandoned places
    • 50 inspirational travel quotes
    • The 40 most stunning national parks in America
    • The world's best sunset spots
    • Our favourite remote and isolated islands
    • The world's best beaches
    • Where to see in the new year
    • The bucket list
    • Ten great dive sites
    • The top ten places to visit in 2013
    • Ten awe-inspiring architectural wonders
    • Extreme settlements
    • 20 fantastically romantic places
    • The world's friendliest countries - as chosen by you
    • Top skiing and snowboarding destinations
    • The world's greatest road trips
    • The most overrated places in the world - as voted by you
    • The most stunning rivers in the world
    • 20 world class walks
    • Slow travel - take your time on your trip
    • Formidable fortresses - 20 imposing castles
    • 20 top animal encounters
    • The world's least-visited spots
    • The best beaches in Europe
    • Fantastic food markets
    • 20 Breathtaking Lakes
    • Unforgettable Train Journeys
  • View By Destination
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania & Zanzibar
      • Tunisia
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Nepal
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Vietnam
    • Australasia
      • Australia
      • Fiji
      • New Zealand
    • Central America & the Caribbean
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Jamaica
      • Panama
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Montenegro
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Scotland
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • United Kingdom
    • Middle East
      • Dubai
      • Israel
      • Jordan
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • View By Theme
    • Activity
    • Architecture
    • Beaches
    • Belief
    • Coasts & islands
    • Discovery
    • Everyday Life
    • Food & drink
    • Leisure
    • Mountains
    • National parks & reserves
    • Nature
    • Novelty
    • People
    • Structures
    • Tourist Trail
    • Tradition
    • Transport
We asked you which places in the world are the most overrated, and your responses encompassed everwhere from Skegness to Sydney. Here's the top ten, beginning with Bali, summed up by @Reevole thus: “terrible, expensive, polluted, full of hassle, terrible food, and then they even charge you to leave”. Venice was an opinion-splitter. For every hater the Italian city had a defender. Luke Dady remarked on Twitter, “There's a couple of touristy bits, but nothing else apart from grime. Hugely unimpressive”. What happens in Vegas is vacuous, irrelevant and of no concern to most of you - the Nevada playground slots into 8th place. Madrid got off lightly in our poll but Spain's second biggest city didn't fare so well. The weather, food and architecture weren't enough to save Barcelona from a bit of a drubbing online. The Big Smoke was too much for a lot of our Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Prices, crowds and traffic were all cited as reasons for skipping over the capital city. Bangkok got a bashing in our poll. Chris Rushton was one of the Thai city's critics on Twitter, although he did also admit, “I have heard it takes a few visits to totally appreciate Bangkok”. For a lot of you, price is a factor in determining how overrated a destination is, and the supposedly romantic city was not feeling the love this month. Tasha Preston was one of many who felt that Paris was “overrated and overpriced”. The City of Angels is a diabolical place according to you, and came third in our poll.  Claire Toomath was succinct in her appraisal of the Californian behemoth, declaring ”what a dump”. Lyndsay Lorraine had no love for the Irish capital on Facebook. “Sorry but Dublin was crap” she said. ”Everyone tells you to go to Temple Bar but it's full of smelly old mans pubs!” The runaway winner as voted by Rough Guides readers was Dubai. “'I'll never quite understand why people pay to go there,” Ryan Wiggington remarked of the desert eyesore. Head over to Rough Stuff to join the debate and have your own say on the world's most overrated destinations.