Ten popular European experiences you could skip

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This was published 1 year ago

Ten popular European experiences you could skip

By Brian Johnston
Updated
Versailles' extensive gardens.

Versailles' extensive gardens.Credit: Vladislav Zolotov/iStock

From copycat palaces to shabby capitals, here are 10 European experiences you can drop from your bucket list.

PALACES

Don't bother visiting any palace built after 1634, when Versailles was completed. This template for all subsequent palaces remains the best, while in the rest you're doomed to the same-same gilt, frescoed ceilings and endless chandeliered corridors. Audio-guides nearly always induce a coma. See chateauversailles.fr

LIECHTENSTEIN

Credit: iStock

While it's tempting to tick off another country, you'll die of boredom in this tiddly principality. It has mountains, but neighbouring Austria and Switzerland's are better. Capital Vaduz has no appeal apart from its picturesque castle, which is closed to the public. See tourismus.li

FAMOUS ART MUSEUMS

Credit: iStock

The Louvre, Rijksmuseum and their ilk exhaust with their vastness, and key rooms are so overcrowded you glimpse paintings through thickets of camera-phones. European cities have myriad less-visited galleries whose small size, focus and lack of queues make them greatly rewarding.

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GIBRALTAR

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This British Overseas Territory is a big rock inhabited by nasty monkeys, surrounded by unappealing apartment blocks and sealed off from glamorous Spain by a chain-link fence. Motley history and architecture provide scant interest. The only reason to visit is to say you've been. See visitgibraltar.gi

FRENCH WINE

Okay, expensive bottles from Bordeaux or Burgundy are among the world's best, but supermarket or restaurant wine is often more palatable in Spain. If you're used to big Aussie reds, you'll find French reds thin and unexciting. As for French cellar doors, they lack imagination.

BARCELONA

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What does this much-lauded Catalan city offer? Not much unless you're an aficionado of architecture. It's expensive, has few significant sights and is so wildly overcrowded that it has lost all atmosphere and made locals cranky. Which way Madrid? See barcelonaturisme.com

MEDITERRANEAN BEACHES

One glance and you realise how spoiled Australians are. Hobble-inducing pebbles, a tired slosh of waves and legions of lobster-pink people on sun loungers don't appeal. To add insult, you're often asked to pay for your scant elbowroom beneath a pink parasol.

STONEHENGE

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Why this circle of standing stones in southern England is so famous is a mystery only hippies or alien-watchers can explain. Tickets are $36 (ouch) for which all you get is a short bus ride to a stone circle within earshot of a busy highway. See english-heritage.org.uk

HERITAGE HOTELS

Don't let thatch and rambling roses fool you. You're better off in a modern hotel room unless you enjoy drafts, cramped spaces that induce bruised elbows, and plumbing that clanks like a poltergeist. Good luck hauling suitcases up the stairs, and enjoy the sagging bed.

LISBON

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The shabby-chic Portuguese capital needs a good renovation rescue, and lacks the big sights of other capitals. Hilltop outlooks are pleasant but the city turns away from its waterfront. Even the custard tarts are ho-hum on a continent of sumptuous pastries. See visitlisboa.com

See also: Beyond the crowds: Europe's most underrated destinations

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