Aren't the residents of Barcelona so kind?

[KostasKouvalis]

They are worried about tourists getting heatstroke, so they've been spraying them with water guns to keep them cool. What kind, caring people.

[Jersey2]

They are a bunch of A-holes who themselves are not native to Barcelona, they simply have an apartment there now. The restaurant owners and workers depend on the tourists for their livelihoods. I have been to Barcelona and didn’t care for it so they can keep it.

[KostasKouvalis]

I've been there too. Very overrated city indeed. I think they have more tourist traps than any other city in Europe

[DryGermanGuy]

No, that would be Venice, Italy.

[KostasKouvalis]

Venice was cool, though I'll admit St. Mark's Square is overrated and it kind of all looks the same after a while

[Jersey2]

Venice is overrated but fun as well. I really enjoyed Rome, Copenhagen, Vienna, Lucerne and some others in Europe. Basically a good walking city at least in the city center is something that is really nice.

[KostasKouvalis]

I didn't find Venice overrated at all, it's just I saw all the iconic sites in just 4 hours. After a while, it all looks the same and it also gets tiring having to walk everywhere.

Haven't been to Vienna and Lucerne, but I've been to the other two. Copenhagen was extremely disappointing except fir Nyhavn. Too modern and too many Muslims and pan-flute bands, and the people are so rude. Most of the sites aren't even that pretty. I found Pisa to be far more interesting than Copenhagen.
And Rome, oh boy! I think Rome is the worst most overrated city I've been to in Europe. Don't get me wrong, it has some beautiful sites of course, but most of the city is ugly, dirty and covered in grafitee. It's so exhausting because everything is so spread out and crowded. So disorganized, no order or system to anything. But mostly, it's the people who live there who completely ruin it. I've never seen so many liars, robbers and con artists in one city. I don't think there is one honest person in Rome. Yet they think so highly of themselves. They're so vindictive and never take any responsibility, it's always someone else's fault.
There seems to be no in-between with Rome, people either love it or hate it and the ones who love it are extremely defensive of it. I personally wouldn't recommend Rome to anyone. There are places with far better churches and ruins. Though I'll admit the Baths of Caracalla were worth visiting

[Jersey2]

I really enjoyed Copenhagen as I spent a year commuting there for a week or two each month and really got to know the city. It houses my favorite museum the Glyptoteket and I have been to many of the best museums in world (The Hermitage is my second favorite).

Rome is special to us. It is a vibe. And while I don’t like that word generally it is true of Rome. Yes, the art, history and stories are amazing but it is the sidewalk cafes, the walking, the gelato, the ease of immersion in all that is Rome that makes it my favorite.

To each his own though.

[Jersey2]

Oh, and I agree with Pisa. Many don’t like it but we did. I have been a couoke of time. I especially like the leather and fashion there.

[Jersey2]

Couple*

[KostasKouvalis]

Yeah, most people just take a picture with the tower then move on the next city, but I think it's worth spending at least a day and seeing the lesser-known sites and local neighborhoods. Once you get away from the Square of Miracles, you get a very authentic Tuscan/Italian vibe. And Tuscany is where the Italian language and Italian culture we know today originated. I didn't go to Florance, but surely Pisa is better. I heard Florance has even more scammers than Rome and is even more tourist trappy. But Pisa isn't so bad even in the tourist area. In Rome, you couldn't walk a few feet at the major tourist sites without being harassed. In Pisa, it wasn't so bad. The Colosseum was kind of disappointing, but the Leaning Tower looked much more impressive in real life. The Square of Miracles was crowded, but didn't feel like a commercialized tourist trap.

Venice and Pisa I would recommend in a heartbeat, but not Rome. But to each their own. Like I said, you either love Rome or hate Rome.

[KostasKouvalis]

Positano was also a bit disappointing, but Pompeii was worth it and Tivoli (a historic hilltown not far from Rome), was also very nice, and a better alternative to Rome.

The thing about traveling to Italy for the first time, is you feel obligated to see the iconic cities. When I told my co-workers I was going to Italy, the first thing they asked me is if I'll be visiting Rome, Venice and the Leaning Tower?
If I ever go back, I'll visit a lesser known region and stick to the smaller towns and villages.
Originally I wanted to either stay on Lake Garda or in Puglia. Then we almost went to Venice but then I ended up staying in Rome, 'cuz Rome was the cheapest and had the best connections and you could go all over the country from Rome. The biggest upside to Venice is you can visit the Alps and other countries from there.
I almost skipped Venice, 'cuz I heard so many bad things about it, but I'm glad I didn't. I almost skipped Burano too, but ended up going last minute, 'cuz I didn't feel like walking about Venice.

We also took an overnight trip to Malta.

The only thing I regret not seeing is the Alps.

[Jersey2]

The Swiss Alps are truly worth going back for if you can. They are stunning. Mount Pilatus outside of Lucern is fantastic. And the valleys are so beautiful.

Florence many years ago was wonderful. I took my family there and it was terrible although I did have the best lasagna ever there. Positano, Sorrento etc are not so amazing but not bad. Pompeii is worth it and I would like to see Herculaneum. Capri is worth it though. Don’t miss the Alps though, it’s a must see.

[KostasKouvalis]

Switzerland is so expensive though and I'm not really interested in Germanic countries. I do want to visit France though, so I can visit their Alps, except the French Alps seem to be the least easily accessible.

Yeah I felt the same about Positano. It neither amazed me nor disappointed me. It looks better from a distance, but when you actually get into the town it's almost nothing but shops and restaurants and it's so crowded. But the coastline is beautiful, though we have similar coast in CA and our beaches are far better.

Yeah, I originally thought about visiting Herculaneum instead of Pompeii, but opted for Pompeii instead as I found a tour that also included a visit to Positano. I would not recommend pairing those two on a day trip from Rome.

I've heard a lot of complaints about Capri, but Rick Steves loves that place.

I know, the Alps are on my bucketlist. I'll try to get them next time I'm in the region