[asit.kulkarni93]

Whenever a family trip is planned, the following places are off the list-

1. Lonavla/ khandala.

2. Mahabaleshwar/ panchgani.

3. Saputara.

4. Mount Abu.

5. Alibaug.

All the above places are always crowded, unnecessarily expensive and most importantly i never was able to relax at these places.

Asit

[TheDesertRat]

My contribution to this thread would be Bekkal Fort, Kerala. Although the location is good, it isn't a fort per say. I only saw ancient boundary walls overlooking the ocean. On top of that, it wasn't a wise decision to visit this place smack bang in the middle of summer. There is/was (back in 2010) no shade or any other place to get away from the scorching heat.
I have been to other parts of Kerala and they are much nicer and truly reflect the "God's own country" vibe.

[danlalan]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Juhu beach: Been in mumbai for 3 years and the only thing you get to see is the pani puri vendors. My friend played in the water and got her feet all dark and dirty.

Maddy

Absolutely dont visit juhu beach. Everyone here will be doing me a favor. Less traffic

Lavasa : The boring long drive upto lavasa unless your in the Drivers seat of your AMG or M//. Apart from the scenery which will bore u in about 30mins. There is NOTHING to do there. Yes all these games and activities you can do all around india too. Dont have to specially goto lavasa to do that.

[Alvord12]

From my recent trip to Bangalore, Mysore and Coorg I'd say Brindavan Gardens.

They charge you to enter the Dam area with the car. Parking area is a mess and teenagers, 15 - 16 years old come near the car and 'help' you park. Once you get down, they pester you to give them money, for their 'help'!

The Gardens themselves are an utter mess. I was hyped as my grandfather told me that they used to shoot movies over there, but imagine my shock when I saw the whole place was littered with trash and filth. Touts who ask for photos pestered us right from the entrance. These guys just won't take no for an answer. The Music and Light show is complete hogwash! It takes place in a separate part of the Garden which is connected by a NARROW bridge. With the amount of people over there, I'm surprised there hasn't been a stampede! The show itself is just Bollywood songs with some poor light effects. I've seen better light effects in my society's annual cultural events.

I seriously recommend that people avoid this place. There is absolutely nothing to see, it's overcrowded, filthy and you'll be busy ensuring that you don't step in garbage.

Instead, visit the Mysore Zoo. It's really one of the better places in Mysore.

Oh and watch out for the 'Wax Museum' signs placed near the Zoo. It's nothing but a small dingy place with nothing but ugly wax figures holding musical instruments. There's a 'Horror House' beside it which is everything but scary. Needless to say, we wasted ₹600 on that and ended up feeling ripped off. Couldn't even get a refund as my Aunt laughed at the reception lady when we mentioned that the whole thing was crap and we wanted our money back!

[predatorwheelz]

The problem with a thread like this is it allows too much subjective opinion. Please understand there is no perfect destination.

Firstly, everyone has different expectations from travel. Some do it to get away from the madding crowd, some do it because they are history buffs and enjoy seeing what they read about (regardless of crowd). Some just because the place makes good photography.

Secondly, what you'll find also depends on the time and season you visit the place. When I went to Gangotri for the first time, it was in the day in peak season. The place was bustling with Sadhus, naked and doped, and there were people everywhere you looked. One couldn't get into the temple without being elbowed and tossed about. Everywhere people were asking for money. It was a terrible experience.

Some days later, I returned to Gangotri after a long(ish) trek in the hills. That night, while my trekmates were sleeping away their fatigue in the GMVN guest house, I walked up to the temple. It was past midnight. The roads were deserted, not a person in sight. The temple gates were closed, though the bells were ringing incessantly. In the light of the full moon, and with the roar of the gashing Ganges, it made a mystical sight. I just sat there for an hour enjoying the divine scenery I had been presented with.

If god hadn't presented me with the second experience, Gangotri would have found a place on this thread as my contribution!

Originally Posted by Cartman

Even before I get to the mediocrity of the place, let me tell you the "guides" will breathe down your neck and push you to the ragged edge of going insane. You might think I'm making stuff up. YOU WISH I WAS! Chittorgarh and the Fort is heavily heavily over-rated. We bought tickets for the "Lights and Sound Show" at the Fort. One word: BORING. 10 minutes in, you'll find yourself staring at your smartphone.

EDIT: The guide also gave me interesting gyaan on how Shivaji Maharaj and Maharana Pratap were brothers. Yeah, right!

This I take strong objection to. Chittor is a place without which the history of Mewar (and indeed Rajasthan) is not complete. As I said in the first para, if people who don't bother with history much go to a place like this, and expect to learn from illiterate guides, they will be disappointed.

Not publicizing anything, but I have myself written a travelogue on Chittor on this forum, which I believe is well-researched. Would suggest you read it. Maybe your impression of the place will change.

Originally Posted by ak916

Kumbhalgarh fort: Now don't jump on me. The fort itself is superb and we were awestruck looking at those huge walls going around till your eyes can see. The problem is this - When you enter the fort, you have to walk straight up to see the "palace". It is a good 15-20 minute continuous walk to reach the top. It is quite steep too. Once you reach there, there is absolutely nothing to see. It looks like you are in old government office. The view from there is great though. We stayed there for 15 minutes and just about every visitor said the same words "is that it?". Avoid this, particularly if you are with older people. Do visit the site though.

You ever thought about taking a guide there? Or, read up about the history of the fort before going, so you knew what (more importantly, what not) to expect when you're there? As always, you can consult my travelogue (or SS-Traveller's travelogue) on the place for historical reference.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by SDP

Shani Shinganapur near Shirdi - Multiple things. First, no women allowed. Second, you have to take off your shirt-pants-vest and wear a safron colored piece of cloth and then you have to walk bare-feet on slippery roads to offer oil to the deity. Ughhh.

Times have changes SDP, ladies are allowed now and you don't have to change your clothes any more.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by SDP

3. Shani Shinganapur near Shirdi - Multiple things. First, no women allowed. Second, you have to take off your shirt-pants-vest and wear a safron colored piece of cloth and then you have to walk bare-feet on slippery roads to offer oil to the deity. Ughhh.

I am not sure when you last visited, rules have been changed now. You no longer have to remove clothes and women are allowed till outside of platform where deiti is situated.
I visited it during 15th Aug weekend while coming back from Nagpur but didnt go inside the temple because of crowd, crowd and corwd.

Shubhendra

[arun_josie]

Very nice thread but I think If I go through this thread after a month almost every tourist place in India will be listed here as avoidable tourist spots. Already I see many major tourist spots mentioned here.

I am sure that every place has something unique and hence they are tourist spots. In my opinion, if we plan during off season and outside long weekends, we can avoid the mad rush in most of the crowded tourist spots if not all.

[ajitkommini]

Agree with many of the entries on this list as posted above. Add to this:

1. Almost all "religious" places. Without exception I find them filthy, overcrowded and absolutely avoidable
2. Ooty. If you want traffic jams, loud honking, diesel fumes and garbage save yourself the long trip from Bangalore and go to M.G. Road instead. At least you'll find it easier to park! Rather, smaller places like Red hills, Kotagiri etc. are far better
3. Glad to see someone saying Baga beach - I first visited some 20 years ago and even then it was super crowded. About the only attraction for me there is Britto's but lately even that has declined into a sorry state. I predict Palolem will go the same way pretty soon

[SDP]

Originally Posted by latentpotential

....The slippery (#spellingfail again?) path remains slippery ...

Originally Posted by latentpotential

Some change SDP, women are allowed, just they are not allowed in a small region inside the temple, but they can view everything. Further, no need to take off your shirt and change anymore unless you are doing the puja.
....

Originally Posted by Sommos

Times have changes SDP, ladies are allowed now and you don't have to change your clothes any more.

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

I am not sure when you last visited, rules have been changed now. You no longer have to remove clothes and women are allowed till outside of platform where deiti is situated.
...

Thanks for the correction.
I have been there ages back, may be more than 12-15 years ago. Because of that one experience, never went there again. Didn't find anything special about the place anyways.

In general I have been avoiding temples where the temple-management puts unreasonable prerequisites for the darshan.

[ani_meher]

I think some of the suggestions here are really good, while other are just misguided adventures. A non-religious person visiting temples, a person uninterested in history visiting historical places, these are obvious mismatches.

A religious person's view will be much different than a non-religious one. I am not a bird watcher, so I never get how some birders love some remote places and stay there for days. But that is my problem, not of the places.

Reading some views reminds me of one saying 'it's the journey that matters'. The places will not have much to entertain anyways. The journey to reach that place will make it more interesting. For example in Kanyakumari or Leh, the points are not much. But the journey you take to reach them adds to the experience.

However, specific comments regarding views from some places or general ambiance are really helpful. Keep it coming.

[shobhit.shri]

I get the spirit of this thread but for me, a tourist place is like food or relationship, you have to be in the correct frame of mind to enjoy the place.

You shouldn't visit a fort to watch sunset! One of my best moment of travel occurred when the guide at Gwalior fort explained me the reason for putting pipe-hose to horses. They used to do it to confuse elephants of opposing army to believe that these are "baby elephants"!!! Our historical sites can very reasonably complain of avoidable tourists .

As Emerson said: “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.”.

Cheers!!!

[SDP]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

I think some of the suggestions here are really good, while other are just misguided adventures. A non-religious person visiting temples, a person uninterested in history visiting historical places, these are obvious mismatches.

A religious person's view will be much different than a non-religious one. I am not a bird watcher, so I never get how some birders love some remote places and stay there for days. But that is my problem, not of the places.
.....

ani_meher, looks like there is some confusion. The thread is about "Avoidable Sightseeing Places" and not "Avoidable pilgrimage/religious Places".

So I don't see anything wrong (or obvious mismatch) with a non-religious person visiting temples. A non-religious person may like to visit temples because may be the temple is beautiful or may be there is some interesting history associated with the temple. I belong to that category. So I go to temples not to wash away my sins or to feel blessed, but because it is a sightseeing place. I have visited more mosques in Ahmedabad than temples. I love to go to the churches in Goa. I liked Jain Gomteshwar temple in Sravanabelagola. Point is, when I look at a temple/mosque/church from a sightseeing perspective, there are some expectations about the asthetics and the ambience. I personally don't like to see filth at any sightseeing place, irrespective of how highly religiously important that place might be. Similarly I dislike it when a religous place makes 'unreasonable' demands about who will be granted the darshan. So I would definitely list such places under "Avoidable Sightseeing Places". From a religious/pilgrimage place perspective, the place still may be a "must-visit" and people with those inclinations should do so.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

The problem with a thread like this is it allows too much subjective opinion.

Firstly, everyone has different expectations from travel.

Those statements, IMO, succinctly sum up the essence of this thread.

Whether a place is avoidable or not, depends entirely on one's appetite and tastes for travel, sights, food, photography - and more importantly, finding a middle path where other members of the family also enjoy the holiday as much as you do (as well as remain safe).

Most young readers here would be thrilled to visit Walking Street at Pattaya, but for those travelling with family and young kids, perhaps the place is entirely avoidable. OTOH, my family is used to spending 20 hours at a time in a car covering 1500 km across the country, but most families would want one (or two) overnight breaks to cover the distance.

I liked Kumbhalgarh, others don't. So what?

I think living in a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala is an avoidable experience. So what?

For my vegetarian friends, enjoying the delicacies of wazwan cuisine in Kashmir or trawling the lanes of Lucknow for kebabs is an absolutely avoidable experience. But I have been to Daman specifically to gorge on chicken bullets. So what?

I have spent many nights at many places which are considered utterly boring by others - yet, the solitude and silence is what attracts me to such places. So what?

There are a few issues that I avoid when on holiday and sightseeing, and wherever these are perennially present, I tend either not to go back, or visit again if and when the situation is better. Here's a list:

• Extreme crowding / tourist traffic
• Touts and other locals trying to charge unjustified money
• Extremely hot and humid regions / seasons
• Serious safety & environmental issues
• Serious moral issues
• Prohibitive costs

I would think most of the places listed by members here as avoidable have one or more of the above reasons to explain why.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

I get the spirit of this thread but for me, a tourist place is like food or relationship, you have to be in the correct frame of mind to enjoy the place.

You shouldn't visit a fort to watch sunset! One of my best moment of travel occurred when the guide at Gwalior fort explained me the reason for putting pipe-hose to horses. They used to do it to confuse elephants of opposing army to believe that these are "baby elephants"!!! Our historical sites can very reasonably complain of avoidable tourists .

As Emerson said: “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.”.

Cheers!!!

Completely agree here. You travel to get new experience and the experience will always teach you something. I love most of the places listed here - Nainital, Mussorie, Simla, Elephanta Caves, Gateway of India, Ooty...and the list goes on.

For me, mostly a visit at right times with right company makes any place lovable.