A British tourist who has visited 23 cities in Europe has revealed which one was the worst. Different tourists have varying criteria for what makes a good city break. But for the most part, a city needs a good atmosphere, plenty to do, and great places to eat and drink. For this reason, city breaks in the likes of Barcelona, Paris, Prague and Vienna are popular choices for many tourists travelling around Europe. But some people opt to try other, less-visited cities – but it isn’t always what they hoped for.
One British tourist took to TikTok to rank his European city breaks from worst to best, explaining that the one at the bottom of the list wasn’t that enjoyable at all. Newcastle native Kieran Buchanan, who boasts thousands of followers on TikTok and regularly shares his travel recommendations, named Oslo as his least favourite European city that he has visited. Oslo is the capital of Norway and is a relatively small city with a population of below 800,000 residents. In a viral post on the video-sharing platform, Kieran described Oslo as having a “flat atmosphere”.
He also blasted the city for being expensive and having “not much to do”. Oslo is considered one of the most expensive cities to visit in Europe. In fact, Radical Storage dubbed it “Norway’s Costly Capital”.
However, its high prices reflect its strong economy. The wage rate and standard of living in Oslo are considered particularly high, but this can translate to high prices for visitors from abroad.
Among the top-rated things to do in Oslo are the Fram Museum, Norsk Folkesmuseum, Vigeland Park, and the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, to name a few.
Despite its Nordic location, temperatures in Oslo can reach highs of 23C in the summer months. But in winter, it can be as cold as -5C.
While Oslo didn’t impress this TikTok user, others did enjoy their time in the city.
One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote: “There is a lot of sightseeing to be done in Oslo, such as visiting the new ski jump, going to museums. There is also a lot of outdoor activities in Oslo, such as strolling through Frogner Park, swimming at Frogner Park’s swim area, hiking or walking along the Akers river, where you will pass some small waterfalls.”
Another said: “Oslo offers a huge variety of museums and sightseeing. Thoughout the past years, Oslo has built up a growing nightlife scene, which I can highly recommend to everyone. From Jazz to Electro, everyone is going to find a nice place to be.”
For Kieran, it is the most boring European city he has visited. Also ranked low on his list were Milan, Krakow, Dublin and Riga. Meanwhile, some of his top picks were Paris, Rome, Valetta, Barcelona and Amsterdanm.
His number one favourite European city to visit is Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. He described this city as “super affordable” and “really safe”.
He also pointed out the “cute” tram system, the thriving nightlife, the vibey cobbled streets and a sunset boat trip he did, which he called “stunning”.
Different tourists look for different things when they enjoy a city break. So it is no surprise that this TikTok post caused a stir in the comments sections.
One user wrote: “Krakow being so low is criminal”. Meanwhile, another said: “Loved Oslo! Perfect mix between nature and city! One of the places I visited that I would consider moving to.”