Travel writer critiques 10 overrated global cities despite repeated visits
Consensus Summary
Two identical articles from THEAGE and SMH, published on June 30, 2026, critique 10 globally popular cities the author claims to have visited repeatedly yet still finds overrated. The list includes Bangkok, Osaka, Los Angeles, Santiago, Shanghai, Florence, Marrakesh, Havana, and Cabo San Lucas. The author acknowledges enjoying specific neighborhoods or aspects of some cities, such as Los Feliz in LA or Santa Monica, but argues that the cities as a whole fail to deliver on their reputations. Common themes include overtourism, lack of local authenticity, and personal discomfort with heat, traffic, or cultural disconnects. Both articles conclude by inviting reader disagreement and asking which cities others find overrated.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The author has visited Bangkok at least 10 times
- The author has visited Osaka at least 10 times
- Dubrovnik, Croatia, is listed as one of the overrated cities in both articles
- Osaka, Japan, is included in the list of overrated cities alongside Kyoto and another major Japanese city (implied as Nara or Hiroshima)
- Florence, Italy, is part of Italyās āgolden triangleā alongside Rome and another city (implied as Venice or Milan)
- The author mentions Los Feliz, Sunset Strip, and Santa Monica as parts of Los Angeles they enjoy
- The author criticizes Bangkokās oppressive heat and traffic as major drawbacks
- The author prefers Fes, Tangier, and Essaouira over Marrakesh in Morocco
- The author prefers Mexico City and Oaxaca over Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Both articles were published on 2026-06-30 at nearly identical timestamps (22:25:43 and 22:25:49)
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The author mentions 'Nordic genetics' as a reason for disliking Bangkokās heat
- The author advises against eating street-food oysters in Bangkok due to food poisoning
- The author implies Santiago is skipped in favor of Buenos Aires, Rio, or Lima by Australian visitors to South America
- The author mentions Shanghai lacks balance between 'old' and 'new' (phrase cut off in the provided text)
- The author criticizes Havanaās locals as unfriendly toward foreigners, attributing it to Cubaās global treatment
- The author praises 'Mexico is the best' (incomplete sentence in the provided text)
- The text is identical to THEAGE, with no unique details or variations
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The articles are identical with no contradictions; all claims are repeated verbatim between THEAGE and SMH
Source Articles
The 10 overrated cities I just donāt get, no matter how many times I visit
I have spent a good amount of time in each of these places, giving them a fair go to reveal the attraction. Sorry, but I still donāt get it.
The 10 overrated cities I just donāt get, no matter how many times I visit
I have spent a good amount of time in each of these places, giving them a fair go to reveal the attraction. Sorry, but I still donāt get it.