‘I went to 17 European cities – but I’d never go back to these three’

Picking the perfect holiday destination is no easy task.

But Sooyeon, a travel influencer from San Fransisco, US, may just help you narrow down your options.

Last year alone, she ventured to 17 cities across Europe but claimed that three in particular didn’t impress her so much.

“These are three cities I probably would’ve skipped,” she explained on her TikTok @soos.foods account. “Doesn’t mean these are bad destinations, I just didn’t enjoy them as much as other cities.”

You may be surprised to know that Madrid was her first. In 2023, she stayed there for two-and-a-half days after a short stop in Barcelona, but admitted she preferred the coastal city to Spain‘s capital.

She explained: “The main reason is because I went to both Madrid and Barcelona on the same trip, and I feel like Madrid didn’t have as many interesting things to do for me at least, other than the palace and museums.

“…If I were to do this trip again, I would probably skip Madrid and spend more time in Barcelona.”

Next up was Catania – an ancient port city on Sicily’s east coast. When booking the trip, Sooyeon had hoped for a ‘nice Italian vacation’ but admits she was disappointed with the reality.

Controversially, she said: “…The city just felt a little run down and not the safest. People were also not afraid to stare at you – I’m sure they weren’t trying to be rude or mean, but it felt a little uncomfortable as a female traveller.”

And last but not least was Berlin. Sooyeon’s complaints about the German capital differed to those of Catania and Madrid. She didn’t feel unsafe or bored here, praising the city for its ‘welcoming’ atmosphere and ‘cool cafes, shops and roads’. But something was missing.

“Don’t get me wrong, I would love to live in Berlin,” Sooyeon said. “But, as a tourist, I feel like the main attractions are history muesums which I personally am not the biggest on, especially because at this point on my trip I was getting severe museum fatigue.

“The food scene was also pretty international, so I didn’t find as many options for authentic local food, which is something I try to eat everywhere I go. Again, this is just my experience – what doesn’t work for me, could work for you.”

Unsurprisingly, Sooyeon’s opinions triggered a wave of reaction on TikTok, with various users in two-minds about her perceptions on these tourism hotspots. One person wrote: “I will not accept any Madrid slander! I’ve been like four times and it’s an incredible city.”

Meanwhile, another added: “Everyone here pls don’t skip Catania,” as someone else chimed in: “Berlin is clean??? What girl???”