Paris voted Europe's most overrated city, London dirtiest

[THUNDERDUCK]

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – Holidaymakers, be warned: London has the worst food, Paris is the most overrated and Brussels is the most boring, according to a survey of what travelers think about European cities.

In the poll of nearly 2,400 travelers, by website TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com), the British capital was voted the dirtiest in Europe, home to the worst-dressed people and the most expensive.

Paris did not come off any better, with travelers saying it was the least friendly city and the second-most expensive.

But both popular destinations redeemed themselves in the online poll, with Paris voted as having the best cuisine and best-dressed people, while London was seen as having the best nightlife, best public parks and most free attractions.

"Europe's capital cities all have their highs and lows, but no other continent offers travelers' such a wealth of culture and sights within such short distances," TripAdvisor spokesman Luke Fredberg said in a statement.

"Despite London emerging as the dirtiest and most expensive city, its fantastic free attractions prove that you don't need to be a millionaire in order to enjoy the capital."

Venice beat both Paris and Rome as Europe's most romantic destination, but it was also voted the third-most expensive, after Paris and London.

Traveler seeking friendly locals should go to Dublin, while the health-conscious may prefer Denmark's Copenhagen, voted the Europe's cleanest city.

Prague was picked as the best bargain destination, while people seeking visual treats should head for Spain's Barcelona, but avoid Warsaw in Poland, which were seen as the cities with the best and worst architecture respectively.

And the most boring city? Travelers voted for the Belgian capital Brussels, with Switzerland's Zurich a close-runner up.

[SomethingWild]

Interesting results.

My experiences:

Paris:
- Enjoyed my stay, but we had a great guide so I never actually had to interact with the locals. Most of the people I've seen were tourist anyway. Many beautiful sights to be seen.

London:
- Had a super time here. Very friendly people, except for a cop who told me not to feed the pigeons haha. The food is indeed horrible and everything was quite expensive. Still, we had a great time here. The good looking people won't come out until nightfall 
The city did look old to me. Old dilapidated buildings.. not sure what I was expecting, but it's not nearly as glamorous as Paris. Even so, it does add to the atmosphere in a positive way.

Brussels:
- I always think of Brussels as a business-type of city, not that interesting for tourists indeed.

Lisbon:
gets my vote for worst capital in Europe. Lived there for a month, but I absolutely hated everything about it. Rude people, horrible food, etc etc. Even the weather sucked when i was there 

[Rick-e]

hmmmm, when I was in paris they were really friendly, though.... I went about the city alone without any french-speaking ability, and they respond nicely when I ask them questions in English.

though I have to admit, everything there IS very expensive...

[Tuffty]

After hearing about some of the expenses MP's are claiming off us taxpayers, can I put in a nomination of London being the sleaziest city too?