Major cities that are weirdly overlooked and nobody seems to care about

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by Maldive

Naples earns bonus points for its proximity to the most beautiful inhabited coast on planet earth (Amalfi).

Four trips so far to Amalfi/Sorrento/Napoli including one honeymoon. I've visited almost every slice of Italy which is clearly, by every metric, the most delicious country on the third rock from the sun.

The only thing wrong with Italy, is that dreaded limoncello liqueur... get rid of it and you have a perfect 10.

Get used to it. You'll be almost ready for retsina.

[muppet]

Chongqing is probably the world's most visually epic city -bladerunner carved out of two mountain ranges and 4,500 bridges at the confluence of two giant rivers. We've heard of it of course on this website, but it really is completely unknown outside China, and is probably the greatest Chinese city experientially.

Watch from 5:45

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[saybanana]

I think Suzhou is underrated. It is about 1 hour by car outside of Shanghai, but got there by train as it is along major rail lines and high speed rail now I think. It is known for classical gardens and the grand canal which forms a large rectangle with several smaller canals around the old city. The newer parts of the city is modern. I think many know the giant pants/trousers building, well it is in this city

[Buckeye Native 001]

Funny this was posted since yesterday I was wasting time bouncing around different cities' skyscraper diagrams a little before this thread began.

A few I remember checking out: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bogota, Monaco, San Jose (Costa Rica), Reno (why!?)

Caveat: I'm a fat white American who has never left the continent.

[McBane]

There are so many cities in China with millions of people that nobody has ever heard of. I'm familiar with Chongquing - only because of Szechuan cuisine and Wuhan, only because of the virus. There are surely many more. I think in China, a city that hits the million person mark is equivalent to an American city with 100,000 people as in, they are ubiquitous; though to the average American traveler, I'm sure these cities are fascinating.

I mentioned this in another thread but...Athens. Greece is wildly popular but most people don't spend much time there, other than to check boxes off their itinerary. It's not like a city you go to see the city, like you would in Rome, for example.

Israel gets a lot of visitors but most skip Tel Aviv. I get it that tourists have a limited time and so they want to spend as much time visiting what makes the country unique, i.e., Jerusalem and the holy sites vs a cool beachfront city. But it is really a fun place with interesting architecture and of course, beautiful beaches (and beautiful women).

I'll also add San Paulo, which, on the tourist circuit gets overshadowed by Rio. To a lesser extent you could also say Melbourne (overshadowed by Sydney).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Naples is much sketchier-looking than Barcelona. It looks downright intimidating in parts.

But yeah, Naples is definitely underrated (and I think Barcelona is somewhat overrated, but that's another thread). Naples has ridiculously interesting neighborhoods, museums and historic sites, if you have any love of history.

The first time I went to Naples, after visiting the awesome archaeological museum, I was walking down the sidewalk of a traffic-choked boulevard nearby, and some dude in a small Fiat got tired of being stuck in the jam, and drove up onto the sidewalk, scattering pedestrians.

That (and a few other cues) reminded me how I was on the fringes of western Europe.

I did like the city though. I am fond of places that have that raw humanity.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by McBane

There are so many cities in China with millions of people that nobody has ever heard of. I'm familiar with Chongquing - only because of Szechuan cuisine and Wuhan, only because of the virus. There are surely many more. I think in China, a city that hits the million person mark is equivalent to an American city with 100,000 people as in, they are ubiquitous; though to the average American traveler, I'm sure these cities are fascinating.

I mentioned this in another thread but...Athens. Greece is wildly popular but most people don't spend much time there, other than to check boxes off their itinerary. It's not like a city you go to see the city, like you would in Rome, for example.

Israel gets a lot of visitors but most skip Tel Aviv. I get it that tourists have a limited time and so they want to spend as much time visiting what makes the country unique, i.e., Jerusalem and the holy sites vs a cool beachfront city. But it is really a fun place with interesting architecture and of course, beautiful beaches (and beautiful women).

I'll also add San Paulo, which, on the tourist circuit gets overshadowed by Rio. To a lesser extent you could also say Melbourne (overshadowed by Sydney).

You mispelled, as everybody else, mispelled it show it's really underrated.

It's São Paulo in Portuguese (in English you can do both Sao Paulo or São Paulo). In Spanish would be San Pablo and Italian San Paolo, although today they will say São Paulo in both languages, no translation.

Anyway, domestically it's increasingly became the centre of everything, even in the tourism and culture, the last realms Rio de Janeiro held. Internationally, regarding business, it's where virtually all the multinational branches are located, so we can't say it's overlooked there. It's more about international tourism, but Brazil is not touristy anyway, only 6 million foreign visitors/year.

In any case, São Paulo it's not an obvious citysightseeing city, it's more like an immerse experience. Maybe a bit like Tokyo or Berlin. For an urban enthusiasts, it's a heaven. For regular tourists, not much, unless they are looking for restaurants or nightlife, one of the best in the whole world.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Came here to say the same thing. One of Europe's most urban, historic, beautiful, and authentic big cities, yet inexplicably off the beaten tourist path (a good thing for the city though).

When will Napoli happen?!?! This Covid thing and all transformations indicate we'll have rough times ahead, but Napoli will be discovered one day.

We should be the first, let's get apartments there, enjoy it while it's fun and not spoiled by mass tourism and when gentrification arrives, we'll become rich!

[bossabreezes]

Oh, I forgot São Paulo. Highly underrated and often misunderstood, but offers one of the most intense urban experiences around. Spent most of my teen/early twenties living there and it was often a love/hate experience but this was also during a very different period of public safety there. Nowadays, it's about as safe as New York and has definitely developed even more of an identity since.

[kool maudit]

Some of those alleys off the Naples central station square are straight up '70s NYC at night. Scale and architecture helps the impression.

[Kngkyle]

Can anyone even name a Russian city other than Moscow and St. Petersburg? There's 13 others with 1m+ people.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Can anyone even name a Russian city other than Moscow and St. Petersburg? There's 13 others with 1m+ people.

It's a personal perspective, but given how regressive Russian and Eastern European societies in general have became, I don't think there's much exciting things about their cities nowadays. I'd definitely pass.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Can anyone even name a Russian city other than Moscow and St. Petersburg? There's 13 others with 1m+ people.

Sure. Yekaterinburg is kind of my favorite name . . . at least after Krasnoyarsk.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

It's a personal perspective, but given how regressive Russian and Eastern European societies in general have became, I don't think there's much exciting things about their cities nowadays. I'd definitely pass.

I've actually always wanted to go to Leningrad/St. Petersburg. The one time I had the chance was when I was still in the Navy and had a secret security clearance so they wouldn't let me go (the Russians were happy to give me a visa).

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I've actually always wanted to go to Leningrad/St. Petersburg. The one time I had the chance was when I was still in the Navy and had a secret security clearance so they wouldn't let me go (the Russians were happy to give me a visa).

I confess, I'd like to check it as well, in different circunstances of course. We mentioned Naples, and without those horrible social and political issues, St. Petersburg could also be the next Barcelona and Berlin.

[Maldive]

"To a lesser extent you could also say Melbourne (overshadowed by Sydney)."

One might suggest that Melbourne (would literally) overshadow Sydney now... Mel ain't got no fear of height.

[isaidso]

Philadelphia, Montreal, Osaka, Chongqing, and a ton of cities in India. Amongst Canadian cities Toronto, and increasingly Vancouver, are the cities people focus on but Montreal is still Canada's showpiece in many respects. It was the nation's premier city economically, socially, culturally, and politically for most of our history. Evidence of its former status/prominence are everywhere.

Montreal


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[wg_flamip]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Salzburg, by the way, doesn't get talked about here a lot but it's a gem.

Absolutely. It's a lovely city with a rich history and beautiful natural surroundings. However, it's relatively small for a Central European/Germanosphere city and hasn't really seen much in the way of notable modern development, so it's not really surprising it's not mentioned around here much. I think a lot of English speakers also pigeonhole it as the The Sound of Music city, which turns a fair few off who'd otherwise be interested.

Within Europe, Ukraine's cities seem to be among the most overlooked. Although I haven't had the chance to visit yet, Kiev looks absolutely fascinating. Odessa and Lviv also appear quite charming. Across the border in Belarus, I've heard Minsk is quite lovely, though strange to travel in given the country's political situation. It certainly doesn't register as a city roughly the size of Amsterdam or Vienna.

As for North America, Mexico's cities—especially those off the coasts—don't get nearly as much love as they deserve. While Mexico City gets some attention in some quarters, it still flies under the radar for most. Guadalajara and Puebla are also extremely underrated.

In Asia, Delhi often gets overshadowed by Mumbai, but it's got a lot going for it that the latter lacks, including its Mughal legacy and expansive modern rapid transit system. However, it won't reach its full potential until it takes care of its terrible pollution problem. Aside from Kolkata and possibly Bangalore, other Indian cities aren't really on the radar in the West (although Amritsar might register as larger/more important than it is, especially in Canada and the UK). Part of that might be due to relatively recent name changes: For example, while not particularly well-known under either name, the name Madras is still likely better recognized in English-speaking countries than Chennai.

[Shawn]

Nagoya: the Chicago of Japan

[Zeej]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Philadelphia, Montreal, Osaka, Chongqing, and a ton of cities in India. Amongst Canadian cities Toronto, and increasingly Vancouver, are the cities The Anglosphere focuses on on but Montreal is still Canada's showpiece in many respects. It was the nation's premier city economically, socially, culturally, and politically for most of our history. Evidence of its former status/prominence are everywhere.

Permit me the quick edit, but I wouldn't put Montreal in the "weirdly overlooked" category. While English Canada has turned its attention elsewhere, the city is arguable more global now than it's been in recent memory.

For one, it's consistently a top-5 immigration city in North America by sheer numbers, which counts for something when much larger metropolitan areas are lower on the list.