The nine cities that gave me a terrible first impression

April 22, 2026 — 5:00am

I’m trying with Bangkok, I really am. Many people I know and respect love the Thai capital, they rate it as one of their favourite destinations in the world, so clearly I should too.

And it’s all there: the amazing, affordable food scene, the dense culture, the energy of a big city, the edge of a place where things don’t always work the way you would expect. I should love Bangkok.

But I still haven’t got there. It’s always so hot and uncomfortable. The airport – actually, airports – are terrible. I’ve been ripped off by taxi drivers numerous times. The traffic is a nightmare. I don’t love Bangkok. But maybe some day I will.

This is the thing with travel destinations: some you love instantly. Some you will never enjoy. And some just take a while to get under your skin. These creepers can turn out to be your favourite places in the world. But they take some effort.

Lima, Peru

Few people would ever call Lima beautiful. The Peruvian capital is functional at best, often cast under a pall of grey cloud, a city that on arrival seems to have nothing to rival the likes of grand Buenos Aires or beautiful Rio de Janeiro. But I love Lima now. I love its lived-in, entirely unaffected feel. I love its mix of cultures and influences, its buzzing bar scene, and above all else its food, which is some of the best on the planet. I will always look forward to going back.

Madrid, Spain

Much like Lima, at first glance Madrid seems to pale in comparison to siblings such as Barcelona and Seville, San Sebastian and Valencia. But this city is Spain’s sleeper hit, something you discover after you give the capital a little time to impress. Only then do you notice its world-class galleries and museums, its pretty parks, its cosmopolitan atmosphere, and like Lima again, one of the best (and in this case underrated) food scenes on the planet.

Auckland, NZ

Make sure you don’t miss Auckland, said no one ever. New Zealand’s biggest city gets none of the love associated with Queenstown or Wanaka or even Wellington. It’s a place you fly into and out of and leave as soon as you can. Or at least that’s what I first thought. But I really like Auckland now. I like the revitalised Viaduct area, I like neighbourhoods like Parnell and Ponsonby, and I love the fact you’re only a 40-minute ferry from Waiheke Island, one of the best places on the planet.

Singapore

Some people love Singapore immediately. Some people hate it and will never change. I fall somewhere in between. I didn’t much like it to begin with – too hot and sticky, too expensive, too staid and buttoned-up – but I’ve really come around in recent years. The food scene, obviously, is world-class no matter what your budget, and all those rules do give you a clean, orderly and well-functioning society. And the airport is second-to-none.

Munich, Germany

It’s not as if I didn’t like Munich. It’s a beautiful city with a lot of beer gardens. It ticks many boxes. I just didn’t love it. It’s very traditional and even a little boring compared to Berlin and Hamburg. But the longer you spend in Munich, the more it grows on you, the more the ease of life, the beauty of the place, the history and the modern buzz really seeps in. This is a great, great city.

Vientiane, Laos

Laos’ capital isn’t much to look at. Plenty of travellers skip it entirely in favour of UNESCO-listed Luang Prabang or adventure capital Vang Vieng. There are few big-ticket attractions and no renowned culinary scene. But I’ve come to appreciate Vientiane’s subtle charms. It’s a friendly city, easy to traverse, with enough sights to keep you occupied and good coffee and food to sample when you’re not. Exactly what you need when South-East Asia feels overwhelming.

Dubai, UAE

I’m still never sure if I really do love Dubai (which is currently a no-go zone but will hopefully bounce back soon). But I certainly enjoy it more every time I visit, because I know more about what I like there and what I don’t. What I don’t like: mega-malls, soulless high-rise neighbourhoods, trying to walk anywhere when it’s 50 degrees. What I do like: organic neighbourhoods filled with multiple Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures, cheap restaurants serving the cuisines of the region, and taxis.

San Francisco, US

The first things you tend to visit in San Francisco are the major tourist attractions – Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge – and those, to me at least, aren’t that exciting. So my first impressions of San Francisco were: meh, not bad. But then you discover the Latino-influenced Mission District, you check out hippie-era Haight-Ashbury, you head across the bay to vibrant Berkeley and Oakland, and you figure out, yep, this place is truly great.

Cairo, Egypt

Unlike some of the cities mentioned here – Vientiane, Lima, Auckland – Cairo does have some very big and very famous attractions to get you excited from the get-go. Have some pyramids. Try the Grand Egyptian Museum. But I first visited this massive, labyrinthine city on my own, and it was intimidating to say the least. There’s a lot to take in here, to attempt to navigate and survive. It takes time to figure out how everything works so you can start to really enjoy it.