3 Famous Cities I’ve Visited That Are Highly Overrated
Paris isn’t one of them.
I rarely get disappointed with places because I don’t go with expectations.
But some cities are so hyped up that you have an image of what it should be like and the experience you’ll have there.
One such image I had was about London. I always thought it’ll be so beautiful and has a huge fashion element. And honestly, it swept me off my feet! Nooks and corners are beyond gorgeous with intricate architecture, and the London tube (subway) is a fashion parade of its own. Everyone dresses up exceptionally crisp.
So while some cities surprise you, some take you aback. Here’s my experience with the three most overrated cities I’ve visited.
And no, Paris is not one of them. In the end, I’ll tell you why.
1/ Milan
The fashion district and everything posh, Milan was so dirty and infested with mosquitos. And trust me, my bar is low because I come from India, where it’s dusty and the temperature makes it favourable for mosquitos and other bugs to come in.
It was overcrowded, with nothing substantial to see. The sightseeing and exploring were rather limited. There’s a canal called Navigli which is one lane filled with tourists, and it has a few cafes.
The only good time I had was when I met my local friends there, and they took me to a local eatery which had no tourists at all.
I found four days to be too much, so I did a day trip to Lugano in Switzerland.
Just a 50-minute train ride and everything changes — the cleanliness, beauty, landscape, everything.
From the green dirty water we saw to a beautiful blue lake, fewer people, and experienced a sense of serenity.
2/ Tokyo
I won’t ever understand the hype.
Tokyo felt like a video game with bright lights everywhere. Though I have to say some things stood out, like
- Fashion: Japanese women are truly fashionable, and it’s amusing to see everyone sporting their looks and walking on the streets. It’s beautiful.
- Food: is out of this world.
- Kindness: I’ve never experienced people be so kind and genuine, from their heart. Trust me, you can feel the purity of their intention.
But here’s what shook me:
- Loneliness: everyone looks quiet and alone. The cafes and restaurants have lots of people all alone. And the streets have no chatter, so the noise is filled in by music from trucks or advertisements.
- Expensive: I’ve been to more expensive places, but they had an experience of being surrounded by nature or architecture. I paid the same here to be in a tiny restaurant.
- Social media overhype: of stationery stores or matcha kit-kats and other things. My husband didn’t find a single Naruto action figure, and we found matcha KitKat on Day 13 of our trip. Social media has completely marketed Japan as some paradise.
- English: for a city this international, I was surprised that there were no variations of English menus in most places. It's okay that locals don’t speak English because the world doesn’t have to, but menus would’ve helped.
3/ Interlaken
I was already told about this, so I didn’t plan a trip specifically to Interlaken during the 8 days I was in Switzerland.
But I visited Jungfrau one day and Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen another day. All three are on the same mountain and have a privatised railway system. To reach there, we have to change stations at Interlaken.
On one such day, we planned to explore Interlaken because why not.
And your girl here is a complete Bollywood buff. Lots of Bollywood movies we watched growing up were shot in Switzerland, mainly in Interlaken. So much so that director Yash Chopra has a statue as an honour by the Swiss.
I’m sure he gave a lot of tourism to that country from wealthy Indians of those times.
Anyway, Interlaken is avoidable. It’s pretty, but Switzerland is a country straight out of a postcard and has much prettier places. I’d recommend visiting Bern, Lausanne, or Geneva in place of Interlaken. All three of them are so beautiful.
Here are some postcards from Switzerland; one of them is narcissistic:
Interlaken isn’t as breathtaking as most Switzerland is.
Why Paris Wasn’t Overhyped
For some reason, people find Paris to be extremely overhyped.
I loved it.
So much that I’ve already visited it twice, and I might this summer too, fingers crossed. Here’s why I loved my experience:
- Local experience: I don’t go to any fancy restaurants. The best thing is to sit opposite the Eiffel by the river, carry your fun food, and enjoy.
- Boulangerie: is better than any cafe you can visit. Once you eat the local bread, there’s no going anywhere else.
- People: are not aversive to English. I think they get pissed that they’re expected to speak in English. I always greeted them in my broken French, and they’d automatically speak to me politely in English.
- Shopping: Paris has a smooth system of 10% VAT refunds, and luxury shopping here is cheaper than the rest of the world.
So I believe if you’re not visiting touristy places, you’ll be fine. Paris is beautiful!
Lastly
Don’t take my word for anything I’ve told you.
I was told Paris sucks, the British and Germans are rude, solo travelling is unsafe, and I can get kidnapped. None of it came true, but the opposites did. I experienced kindness and safety everywhere I went.
Like I always say about travel —travel with a blank slate and let experiences fill in the colour.
This is just my experience, but yours can be entirely different. I encourage you that you stay open to it.
Travel with a blank slate and let experiences fill in the colour.