Hey Pandas, Which Travel Destination Totally Surprised You? (Closed)

Ireland! Beautiful views, especially if you visit cliffs of moher on a nice day, believe me, you won't regret it!

Can't say I enjoyed Paris as much as expected to based on the portrayal in media. Saw a lot of homeless people and scammers and that, coming from a smaller country, I wasn't used to. I guess it's much more complex than the romantic and charming image of it and you actually have to look for those cute places and try to appreciate them with hundreds of other tourists by your side.

Georgia. I used it as a stopover when I went to Armenia. I should have swapped them: spend only a few days in Armenia and a whole week in Georgia. They have amazing landscapes, good food, interesting history and they know their wines!

South Eastern Ohio, in the foothills of the Appalachians. 2 lane roads with occasional unobstructed view, rolling hills of giant deciduous trees, dangerously good baking, fresh apples everywhere. A really great place to either cycle or take a convertible.

Big Bend National Park, Texas, US— most people have never heard of the park and it’s one of the least visited national parks, but it was amazingly gorgeous. The views were amazing even from the road and there are so many amazing trails. It’s also a certified dark sky park so it can be even more beautiful after dark.

I recommend going to Tirol in Austria. It's just very homely, and the Alps are just astonishing.

London I thought that it was always raining and yes it did rain but when it didn’t it was great! (This is in summer) and the people, food and sights there are amazing!

The Dolomites (Italian Alps) are stunning. Absolutely beautiful.

I'd have to say McMurdo Station, Antartica. Briefly visited (3 weeks) to replace some equipment. Mac-Town is like a small town that just happens to be on the "bottom" of the world. With weekly alcohol rations. And brunch every Sunday. Good times....

Paris!! Before I went there, I thought it'd be really awesome, but its so good it even turned out to be way better than I thought it would be. The food is amazing, the sights are amazing, the Eiffel Tower is AMAZING. The Louvre Museum was totally worth it. My mom and I had so much fun there, I would 100% recommend it.

Narita, Japan: we landed there and hung for a couple of days to get over our jetlag before moving on to Kyoto. We did some walking around and exploring, and I adored it! We put in over 20,000 steps that day, and I was so interested in the park and the temple that I could barely tell.

Chichén Itzá... it's a surprising, huge place where you'll discover the ancient Aztec Pyramids and their incredible story.

Mexico City- one of the most beautiful, cleanest, filled with the nicest people I have ever been to. So much to explore and i barely scratched the surface. I have gone 2 times and I’m going again this year.

Romania. As beautiful as Switzerland, but a fraction of the cost. Lovely people, good food and such amazing history and architecture.

Alaska. Just drive through the mountains from Anchorage to Fairbanks and then took the other loop/road back. It was a long drive but it was absolutely gorgeous! There were glaciers fairly close and foot a fee, one you could actually drive up to. Then there were the wildflowers along the Highway and the animals. I still have about a week and a half left on my trip and I’m trying to soak it all up before I go back home.

Luxembourg. I was actually on my way to visit my uncle in Belgium but he had to be at Luxembourg for a few days so I met him there. Such a small country that turned out to be the highlight of my trip. I honestly felt like I was Rivendell from lords of the rings.

Ben Nevis, Scotland. I was hicking up the aforementioned mountain (about 20 years ago) on a surprisingly hot summer day, nonetheless further up there was extremely dense fog and then near the top it began to snow.

Istanbul. You can stay at a bed and breakfast in an old Ottoman house for a reasonable rate. The city reeks of history - there is a fascinating find around almost every turn. And the food - the food! Any seafood you eat you know was swimming that very morning.

Lake Charles, LA! Beautiful sights and an alligator park!!

Bali, Indonesia. Was told it was a tropical paradise. Mostly consisted of dirty streets, mediocre food, and old ladies doing yoga. Just not as interesting as it had been portrayed to me.