'I've been to 30 countries and these are the five cities I'd never return to' (2024)

Megan Arz has lived in Europe for about five years now and although she loves it, there are some cities she wouldn't bother returning to

Choosing the ideal holiday destination can be a daunting task, with an array of stunning beach resorts in Greece and vibrant city breaks in Rome to choose from. However, Megan Arz, a seasoned traveller who has visited 30 countries, might just help you narrow down your options.

Known as the 'friendly neighbourhood tour guide', Megan has lived in Europe for about five years but admits there are some popular cities she wouldn't revisit for various reasons. Be warned though, her reviews are quite brutal and even include a UK hotspot.

Taking to TikTok (@meganarztravels), she kicked off her hit list with a 'semi-obvious' city which is 'so east to punch down'. "That is Frankfurt, my neighbouring city here in Germany," she said.

"Frankfurt does lack a lot of character, especially when you compare it to other cities in Germany and smaller towns. It’s a banking centre and you can feel that.

"It’s the centre of the European Central Bank and it just doesn’t have that kind of warm and cosy feeling about it."

Furthermore, Megan highlighted the absence of good local beer and the prevalence of bankers - or 'financial bros'. She added: "It just leads to the sense of like 'eh' - it’s not that cool."

@meganarztravels Replying to @karabee3 5 European cities I won't be visiting again (part 2) #traveltiktok #traveltok original sound - MeganArz | Travel Creator

Surprisingly, a well-known Italian tourist spot was next on her hit list. Despite visiting some time ago, she criticised the location for its 'cheap souvenirs' and suggested it was more of a 'day trip place' than a week-long holiday destination.

Megan shared: "Can't wait for some super defensive Italians in my comments here, but Italy made the list this time around with Pisa. Now, admittedly, I only went to Pisa once and it was quite a while ago, but I don’t remember there being anything to do in the town besides see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"And that whole area around there is so mobbed with like cheap souvenirs and people trying to sell you things and pickpockets, and it just like didn’t have a very nice feeling about it."

Third on her list was a city you may not be familiar with. Megan revealed that Kiruna in northern Sweden, which is practically in 'the middle of nowhere' and home to just over 20,000 residents, was one of her least favourite places.

Coming in third was a city you may not have heard of. Megan said that Kiruna in northern Sweden is practically in 'the middle of nowhere' and hosts just over 20,000 residents.

She went on: "You go there to hunt for Northern Lights and you can visit the original ice hotel here. But honestly, other than that, it’s a mining town that’s going through a major transition.

"[...] But it’s an odd place and definitely one of the most forgettable places that I’ve visited, sorry Kiruna!"

Surprisingly, Prague was fourth on her list. Overtourism and far too many stag dos were Megan's main reasons for this and she felt like she saw all there was to see in one trip.

"Prague in the Czech Republic [...] it's a city that has a lot of bachelor [and] bachelorette parties and it’s suffering a bit from overtourism which leads to this feeling of just like: 'what’s going on here?'," she said.

"I’ve only visited once and while I would consider going back, I would only consider going back if I had a local perspective and someone who could show me other parts of it [...] I was there for five days before and I kind of felt like I saw what I needed to see."

Patriots beware, last but certainly not least was a surprising city in the UK. Although Megan enjoyed her time here, she described it more as a 'jumping point' to get to other places.

She revealed: "The last European city that I probably wouldn’t visit again is Inverness in Scotland. I absolutely love Scotland and while I did have a good time in Inverness, it’s quite a small city and doesn’t have that much to offer from a tourist perspective.

"It’s a great jumping-off point for seeing the Highlands or visiting Speyside, but honestly after a couple of days there, I feel like I saw everything I needed to see and probably wouldn’t come back for a return visit."

The review garnered a wave of attention on TikTok, with many viewers chiming in with their own views about each place.

In agreement, one person wrote: "I super agree with you on Pisa! I was staying there for a day and I got soooo bored after seeing the leaning tower and main attractions and even that wasn’t as impressive tbh." Another added: "Just got back from Inverness and I agree! It’s a great place to base yourself to see the Highlands, but the city itself just isn’t great."

However, others entirely disagreed with Megan's outlook, with one viewer writing: "I've been to Prague dozens of times and would be glad to visit it again. Love that city!" Someone else also said: "So sad to see Prague here, it's my favourite city I've seen in Europe so far."

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below