Surprising Places You Love

Copenhagen, Denmark and also have to agree with Tirana, Albania. Would love to see more of Albania and would go back to Copenhagen in a heartbeat!

I like this question!

For Europe, I would say (North) Macedonia- we went with no major expectations and found the scenery really beautiful and the culture very interesting. Lake Ohrid is probably once of the nicest places I've been in Europe.

Outside Europe, I have to say Nepal- I had a work trip a few years ago around Baglung district (which gets very few tourists) and was floored by the scenery- there's nowhere else like the Himalayas.

I expected to like Hong Kong but never expected how much. I have traveled there three times now and can’t wait to return.
Also Oslo,Norway which I didn’t anticipate liking so much. I will include stop overs there whenever I can.

Vaison-la-Romaine, France and Exmoor, England.

Ghent, Belgium.
Such a chill place with great food and beer, and not over-run like Bruges.

Oaxaca, Mexico.
"Love" isn't strong enough. I can't think of a place that's touched my soul more than Oaxaca.

Kelowna, Canada.
The whole valley is like being able to drive to Europe. It's a wine region that's not full of itself.

Paris, France.
Of course, of course.

-- Mike Beebe

Ireland. I first visited in 1993 and immediately fell in love with the Emerald Isle. The culture -- writing, music, dancing -- is vibrant. The people are genuinely friendly. And the countryside is beautiful. I returned to Ireland four more times. I inquired of my local Irish consulate about emigrating there, but it's virtually impossible for those who don't have documented proof of one grandparent from Ireland.

Others: Turkey in general, especially the city of Antalya; Bamberg, Germany; Pecs, Hungary; Tokyo, Japan.

All of Ireland with a shout out to the magical Gap of Dunloe
London, UK
Havana, Cuba
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Berkeley, California
Bay wood/Los Osos, California
Felton, California
Dingle, Ireland

I travel off season have been lucky not to face hordes of tourists. Over the decades was the only person in the room besides the guard to view Da Vinci’s Last Supper, same with seeing Rembrandt’s the Night Watch. Also saw the statue of David with less than 15 people and attended evensong in Westminster Abbey with only 10 people. Readily admit these travels took place before RS and his videos and books became immensely popular.

Orkney and Shetland! I went to Orkney in 2023 because my favorite tour guide, Mark Seymour, told me I'd love it because of the neolithic sites. I had no expectation (barely did any research) and was completely wowed! Not just because of the Neolithic sites but everything - cliffs, birds, the sea, people, green pincushion tidal islands, new geographic features - was amazing. I never thought I'd love a landscape with no trees!

And Paris....can't believe how a non-city gal like me can just be totally in thrall to a sophisticated world capital. I did not enjoy it in 1973 or 1975 or 1976. I made myself do the RS Best of Paris tour following a 21 Day Best of Europe tour in 2014 because I wanted to see why everyone loved it but me. I found out!

And thanks Cala for the fun thread!

Gothenburg, Kalmar, and Uppsala in Sweden all surpassed my expectations. Bristol, England surprised me by how much I liked it.
Vienna, Austria and Krakow, Poland - I fell in love with both of them.

But I have to say the one that I first fell in love with was Zermatt, Switzerland. Was there on a tour in 1997 (when it was small and not overrun with tourists in the non-ski season) and didn't want to leave. Even asked the proprietor of the place we stayed if she needed any help, told her I'd be a maid or work in the kitchen so I could just stay. Just one of those fleeting pipe dreams but I'll never forget it. Don't want to go back now as I've heard how much it's changed and not for the better.

Veliko Tarnavo, Bulgaria, and also the Valley of The Roses on the other side of the pass. Bulgaria has THE BEST salads - shopska salata - but as with any foods, it’s all about the ingredients. Bulgaria has the worst roads, however, right after the terrible roads here in Colorado.

Paris, France....obviously, Lüneburg, Germany, Fontainebleau, France,

Berlin, Ger., Vienna, Austria,

London, England, Potsdam, Germany,

Quebec City, Canada.

The Dordogne region in France. I'd never heard of it until we went there for a couple of days on an RS tour in 2019. Loved it so much that we knew we'd have to go back. During the planning for the return trip I was nervous that I'd built it up so much in my mind that it couldn't possibly be as good as I remembered. It wasn't as good...it was better.

The entire Mediterranean was my first surprise though. I didn't even know wanted to go until my wife told me I did. That first trip was a cruise from Rome and back in 2014 and we've been hooked on Europe ever since.

“Loved it” is a bit too strong, but I liked Johannesburg, South Africa despite its reputation as a hellhole. You do need to stay in the right area (such as Sandton) and a good guide helps. In the United States a city that doesn’t get a lot of tourist love but is a great place to visit with some wonderful attractions, is Kansas City.

The Carinthia western Styria region. I knew it was somewhat mountainous, but was surprised by how much. The direct train ride from Salzburg to Portschach is a beautiful stretch that gets no love from the travel community.

Paris, more than I expected
Richmond on the Thames, London
Turin, Italy
Naples, Italy
Stockholm

Stockholm, Sweden during KulturFest - normally I don't love crowds, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the city during this event.

Seville, Spain because it swirls a combination of food, architecture and culture that are favorites from other cities.

I'm looking forward to being in Tirana, Albania in a few weeks to discover its attractions!

I had no idea I'd like Poland so much. Krakow and Gdansk, especially. I also enjoyed my month in Spain much more than I expected to, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it this summer.

While I liked all the hill villages on the Village Italy tour last year, I fell in love with Volterra. No particular reason, but it called to me, especially Palazzo Viti.

No surprise but I love Venice. Three visits so far and I can’t wait to go back. So unique and the locals are nice and friendly.

I’m headed back to Ireland after 33 years. I loved it then, the fuchsia hedges, unexpected historical sight down country roads and the people. I hope the love affair continues (but no car this time).

There’s so many places that I love in Europe but thinking of true surprises from the bunch…

I just booked a place today to sleep in a trullo in Alberobello during my upcoming trip to southern Italy. Yes, that city of trulli where some in the forum say to skip it all together or others say to stay less than an hour. Surprise, I loved it! I stayed overnight there last May and found it very charming in the late afternoon/evening and morning. My upcoming itinerary seemed liked there was something missing until I added a night in Alberobello to it.

Menton, France was a sweet surprise, too. And little Frigiliana, Spain. And Angers, France. And St. Wolfgang, Austria.

Disneyland Paris.
Las Vegas
Missouri
Statue of Liberty
Oklahoma City
Cancun
Wyoming

Surprising …

Coromandel Peninsula and Waiheke Island on (near) New Zealand’s North Island.

Roanoke, Virginia. And, less surprising, Charlottesville, VA and Asheville, NC.

Iceland. Our first trip there was for a short 3 night stopover back in 2015 and we pretty much knew nothing about the country. It was just a stop to get over jet lag before continuing on to Denmark. We fell in love with it and knew we would be back. We tried in 2020, but we all know how that turned out. In 2021 though we went back and have been returning a couple times each year. Even with doing the ring road, the Westfjords etc there is still so much more to explore. So far we have 61 nights there, and will be back again in August.

Fred, I also loved Waiheke Island near Auckland NZ. We went there on a tour and had the most wonderful lunch at one of the wineries.

The Province of Soria.

It checks a lot of boxes, from dinosaurs to Celtiberica to Roman history, Moorish history, El Cid, castles, natural reserves, lavender fields, and much more (like torreznos and black truffles for example).

And, for me, something I appreciate more and more, is that there is no one there. Very few people live there, just 97,000 people in the whole province, and very few tourist.

This is hard because I enjoy so many places.

First and foremost, Paris! I can’t stay away and am very excited to spend a month there this fall. It will be the lengthiest trip so far and I’ve been there 8 times. I have actually enjoyed every place I’ve been to in France and I’ve been in most parts of the country.

Dingle, Ireland. It just calls to me. My many times great grandfather immigrated from there to Colonial Virginia in 1650 and in 2022 I was fortunate to meet a historian who wrote a book about a member of the family. Apparently they were very prominent and in the wine business. He showed me the extensive family tree he had put together. I like the rest of Ireland too.

The California redwoods. I always find it so peaceful to be walking through the forests and only hearing the sounds of nature.

Poland, I was pleasantly surprised when we went there last October and very much want to return to Krakow and Gdańsk.

London never disappoints. We will be there later this year for the 4th time.

I’m in Australia right now. It’s early in my 4 week trip and won’t be surprised if I have wow moments here.

Later this year we will finally (fingers crossed) get to Switzerland. Our 2020 trip was cancelled and last year I had to cancel Switzerland and more of our trip due to a family situation. Hopefully the 3rd time’s the charm. I expect to be wowed by it as well.

Villefranche sur Mer, France - We love the charming waterfront area and views from the pebble beach as well as easy access to the French Riviera coastal towns.

Sorrento, Italy - We love the sunsets and views over the bay of Naples from the cliffside, the Centro Storico area, and easy access to Capri and Pompeii

London, UK - always ready to return

Paris, France - an exciting special place for us

Strasbourg and Colmar, France

Monterosso al Mare, Italy

Venice, Italy

Oia, Santorini - We loved the caldera view and early morning walks on the promenade and seeing the windmills, blue domed churches and castle ruins as well as the gorgeous sunsets and relaxing in the plunge pool at our hotel.

Salzburg, Austria

Copenhagen, Denmark

Venice, Italy

In Europe, Norway and it's fjords were special.

Cuzco and Machu Picchu in Peru was amazing.

Of course, for history it is hard to beat Egypt.

Two places come to mind when I think about where I was surprised by how much I liked them:

1) Sougia, Crete in Greece. It is on Southwest coast of the island. A small beach town with a pebble beach and unremarkable architecture it captured our hearts. It is hard to explain why. My son and his girl friend went a few weeks later the same year and had the same reaction. It is unpretentious, friendly, and has fabulous restaurants.
2) Palermo, Sicily in Italy. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had read some negative things but we loved it. It was a little rough around the edges but we really enjoyed visiting a city that wasn’t disneyfied yet. The people were very genuine, the architecture was varied, and the food was great. I remember going in the tourist office to get information on a bus and remarking about all the people visiting (it was 2022) and the woman giving the biggest smoke as she said “yes, isn’t it great!”

Scotland. We went there because my mother-in-law mentioned that she would like to go there. Her mother was born in Dundee. We included a week in Scotland with her and our then teen daughters as part of a three week trip that also included England. It was low on my own travel list, but when we got there it just felt wonderful.

I’d love to return.

I'm not sure that folks are really answering the question that was asked. I mean, OK, maybe you were not really expecting to be completely blown away by Paris or Venice or Florence, and you were...but should that really have been a surprise? These are awfully famous places and their appeal is pretty well known.

I'll offer a few places that actually, you know, surprised me at how awesome they were...and that could not have been easily predicted by most others.

Latvia. Yeah, Latvia. Riga especially, but honestly, pretty much all the places we went in Latvia far, far exceeded my expectations. I went in not knowing much about the place, and it charmed the heck out of me at every turn. I told people I was going to Latvia, most asked "um, where?", some laughed and said "come on, you're kidding". So I had some doubts myself.

Sardinia. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Cagliari especially, but pretty much every day and every place we poked around left me gobsmacked. It just looked good on the map. It's Italy, it's an island surrounded by the sea, it's where Russian oligarchs and corrupt politicians love to hang out. It's Italy. It's named after a fish, I figured at worst there would be decent food. It turned out to be "pinch-me-this-can't-be-real" good.

Hokkaido. Japan's large northern island. We kind of threw a dart, shrugged, and said "sure, why not?" We kept just stumbling into one stunning thing/experience at every turn. We had similar experiences in Kyushu (Japan's large southern island). Given how much we had loved Hokkaido and our previous trips to Japan (and how much my wife kept telling me how cool Kyushu would be), I went in to the Kyushu trip with high expectations - and was still blown away.

[Deleted.] Sorry, locals made me promise not to tell people about [deleted]. I've tried to honor their request. My wife had never heard of [deleted], couldn't find it on a map and went there entirely on her blind faith in my choices, and my telling her I really thought it might be cool and we should take a chance on this place. She now constantly talks about that as our best trip ever and compares every other trip to it. I'm forever looking to replicate that discovery.

The lessons I've learned: Even though I'm a cynic, famous places like Venice, Amalfi, Edinburgh, and Strasbourg quickly won my heart, and I probably should have seen that coming even as I rolled my eyes at what others had told me about their experiences there. But places like Bonifacio, Saaremaa, Koh Lipe, Ait Benhaddou, Rebun, Xwejni Bay, Mykines, Misool, and Mandalay...those places far, far exceeded my expectations, worked their magic and completely blew me away.

Seeking out places that I had never heard of, and never expected would appeal to me, was the big lightbulb-over-my-head take-away. Of course, there's no place like Rome. But there are a thousand other awesome and lovable places waiting to be discovered (and still remarkably crowd-free) that any of us can find and experience, if you are willing to do a little digging and take a few chances. And THAT was the best and most surprising and most delightful thing I've found.

YMMV. And there's nothing wrong with loving London or Paris, too.

Lake Ohrid is probably once of the nicest places I've been in Europe.

As of today, I completely agree.

I mentioned neighbouring town, Bo'ness, here recently.

In terms of a surprising place I like, I'd say the oil refinery at Grangemouth, Scotland. It's spectacular at night, the way thousands of lights twinkle on the structures.

Salzburg, Austria - after not clicking with Vienna (and I've been several times there), Munich, Augsburg, Memmingen, Ulm and Dresden Salzburg pleasantly surprised me. It's of course beautiful but I also loved the vibe, the energy of the place.

Bratislava., Slovakia - the food is surprisingly tasty, a tad tastier than Czech food (there are some differences). The people are the nicest so far I've encountered North of the Alps (pls note that I haven't been to Scotland and Ireland yet).
Bratislava has not much to see but it feels very home-like to me. I actually lived there for a year. Slovakia is probably the only landlocked country where one of their most famous dishes has an ocean fish in its ingredients - the Treska v majoneze (Cod in mayo) salad which you can buy at any local Tesco, Billa, or Lidl in Slovakia. If you want a really nice old town I'll recommend their second city Kosice.

Stara Zagora, Bulgaria - even drabber than Bratislava, it has not historic old town, except a bunch of Roman ruins that can fit in a tiny studio apartment. And yet they're some of the friendliest locals I've experienced of all main regional cities in Bulgaria so far. As I joke it's the total opposite of Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo that are amazingly beautiful but the locals are generally unfriendly (in Ruse even the customer service is bad, in V. Tarnovo only people lending B&B and hotel receptionists are nice but the locals are generally prone to anger).

Vidin, Bulgaria - there's a lot to see, and much nicer vibe and people than Ruse. Less touristy than Ruse or Veliko Tarnovo so feels more authentic.

Bucharest, Romania - only including it because of the food! So tasty! Even the packaged food you can buy at supermarkets there is actually tastier than packaged food in Bulgaria or most other countries I've been to, with the notable exception of Slovakia. I particularly enjoyed their Green Course Vegan meatballs in tomato sauce. I'm not even Vegan and I loved them! We don't get good packaged food in Bulgaria anymore, too bad many Romanian brands aren't available here!

The small towns from the Promachonas pass down on the way to Thessaloniki - I loved the nature there. The river valleys are so low and wide that the mountains by them look huge by comparison. In Bulgaria the valleys have higher altitude so the contrast between them and the mountains is never so imposing.

Naples, Italy! Everyone warned me about going there on my own but I went anyway. It blew my mind. One day I asked the hotel to send me a taxi. I told the driver where I wanted to go and he offered to take me everywhere on my list for 60 Euros, so I said yes! It was a bumper cars thrill ride everywhere he drove. The city shouldn't bother spending money on lights and traffic signs because people drive there as though the signs all disappeared.

Every other place I visited I expected to like or love. But Naples is a different story. Oh, yes!

The list could be really long, but in short there are three places I would mention. All three are places which get some tourists, but typically not too many (especially not many Americans), yet all three are beyond memorable.
1. Paestum, Italy. Paestum has some of the world's best preserved ancient Greek temples. In fact, the name Paestum is a Latinized version of Poseidon. Just 50 miles south of Naples with direct access by train, and totally accessible for those with ambulatory limitations, so an easy day trip when you're in central/southern Italy. Paestum's beach and museum are equally excellent.
2. Doğanbey, Turkey. Doğanbey is an easy drive south of Izmir and part of the Didek/Menderes Peninsula, which itself is one of Turkey's most beautiful national parks. But beyond the scenic beauty is the town of Doğanbey itself: it is mostly made of stone houses originally built by its Greek inhabitants more than 100 years ago and exudes charm. As if that's not enough, day trips from Doğanbey can include the ancient sites of Ephesus, Didyma, Miletos, Euromos, and so much more. All in all a magical place.
3. Bomarzo, Italy. More or less midway between Florence and Rome and not easy to reach since there is no direct train service, so you have to take a bus after deboarding the train. But it's well worth it. Kind of a nothing town, except it has beautiful views, lovely old buildings, wonderful people, and is famous (in Italy anyway) for its Sacro Bosco, otherwise known as "Park of Monsters". From our modern perspective these giant sculpted rock grotesques in a beautiful garden setting are not frightening, but were intended to be when they were carved back in the 1500s. But the icing on the cake for Bomarzo is the recent (1990s) discovery of a mysterious ancient Etruscan "pyramid" in the adjacent forest. The hike there is relatively short but quite lovely. One of my favorite small towns in Italy, with little if any tourist impact.

This is a fun thread! There are 3 that stand out to me:
New Zealand-- the WHOLE country. I was looking forward to visiting but wasn't prepared for how much I would love every single piece of it. Truly loved it. Everything, everywhere.
Dingle, Ireland-- can't explain it but I felt a strong connection to this little corner of the world. I am Irish but none of my family is from this area, which makes it more surprising. However, one of my uncle's did tell me I'd love it before I went. He was right!
Jerusalem, Israel-- I'm not a super religious person but I could feel the deep spiritual roots in this city. It is the heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and it can be felt everywhere.

The BMW World and Museum in Munich. I thought I was throwing a bone to my husband when we went there, but I enjoyed them more than he did.

Jerash, Jordan was a complete surprise. Those Roman ruins were way more impressive than all the more famous areas.

Sarajevo and Mostar, Bosnia- lovely countryside, cheap good food, warm people.

Lewis and Harris in Scotland- Luskentyre beach was so pretty it made me gasp.

Not in any particular order:
Dundee, Scotland
Tartu, Estonia
Torun, Poland (well, also everywhere else I visited in Poland!)
Görlitz, Germany
Padova and Bologna, Italy

I knew nothing about Matera, Italy, so had no expectations, but I loved it. We stayed two nights on our RS tour, and I could have stayed two weeks. There's just something mystical about that town.

After hearing lots of bad things about Naples, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved it, too. Dirty and noisy and crowded, and it was wonderful.

@naalehuretiree - I totally agree about Matera. What a unique, mystical and welcoming place. How recently were you there? I went in 2014, just before it hit the tourist radar, and I worry that the vibe may have changed.

Also agree about Naples. I liked it a lot more than I expected.

Great thread ...
Madrid, because I don't much like big cities but I loved our week in the centre of Madrid in January, clean, pedestrianised or with wide walkways, never claustrophobic, fantastic art and architecture.
Trip report here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/spain-in-january-february-madrid-sevilla-cordoba-toledo-valencia-and-coast-n-s-of-alicante
Matera,Italy, because I visited twenty years ago before much of the Sassi are had been restored and didn'r care for the place. We returned because a good friend insisted and were stunned by how beautiful it is now.

I love surprises ! These are my, “wow, I wasn’t expecting that. Can I move here?” Places.
Karlovy Vary, Czechia
Wroclaw, Poland
Baker City, Oregon, USA
Honorable mention to Marrakech, Morocco. (Not sure I could move there.)

Milan - I actually liked it far more than cities like Athens, Munich, and even Vienna

Dublin- I generally don't enjoy cities. We flew into Dublin and took a train straight out of the city. At the end of our trip we spent 3 days in Dublin. I almost felt it was obligatory on a visit to Ireland but I loved it. People, parks, pubs, food, museums, buildings. And a sense of personal belonging and history.

Munich Germany-Everyone told me just to spend a few days in Munich and a whole week in Berlin because it was THE city to visit. While I'm glad I saw Berlin it wasn't my thing, dirty streets, graffiti everywhere and rude/angry people. I went to Munich expecting the snobby uptight and found my interactions with people more fun and nice. The city is clean-not as clean as 20 years ago says my German friend, the public transport was amazing and it was a city that felt livable and manageable unlike Berlin. I'm sorry I didn't opt to spend a whole week there-but there's always a next time.

Nothing as exotic as the other answers here, but a few months ago I took a trip to Maine on a whim. Flew into Portland, rented a car, and drove up the coast. It included some of my favorite things which are rugged coastlines, lighthouses and lobsters and I was surprised how much I loved it.

I also did a tour of lighthouses at the Outer Banks in North Carolina and camped out in the dunes. On the European side I did the Route des Phares on the coast of Brittany and that was one of the best things I ever did in France. I spent a day in a tiny seaside village in NE England picking up sea glass on a windswept beach and it was among the best things I did in the UK.

I'm so glad this thread got resurrected as I missed it earlier. As for being surprised by how much I loved some place, it's got to be Japan. I went there to meet up with friends, but I was amazed at how much I liked it. Another country was Chile - it is absolutely beautiful. I always knew I would love the UK - but I was surprised it managed to exceed my sky-high expectations! And finally, Budapest - a charming city, and my first in Europe.

In Switzerland Sonogno and the Valle Verzasca.
I had seen photos in an old Swiss hiking book. We booked a night and caught the bus, ended up staying 4 nights and would have stayed longer if we had half a chance. I thought it might be worth a visit but we fell in love with it.

South Stack and Holy Island in Wales. We had a ferry crossing booked from Holyhead the next day. We drove out there for something to do with no real knowledge about it. Magnificent spot. We stayed there again after returning from Ireland.

Carcassonne France. Always wanted to visit but read lots of poor reviews. It was a great. The real town of Carcassonne is a great spot and not full of tourists. The Cite is amazing, yep gets packed during office hours but try it at 5 am or 9 pm. We had a wonderful bnb with a fabulous hostess. We also were lucky enough to have the TDF finish a stage in town. I was hard up on the railing right near the finish line.

Barr in the Alsace in France. It had an affordable hotel and was a convenient location to start a visit to the region. So we booked a night with a plan to move on to better known Alsace towns/villages. I knew very little about Barr before arriving. Another one we fell in love with and just kept booking another night.

Mt Gambier in Australia. Mum and Dad loved their visit there years ago. I thought it would be a nice drive and a pleasant few days away. Goodness me it is an absolute stunner and heaps of fascinating history.

Doubtful Sound New Zealand. I thought maybe Milford Sound's "poor cousin". I loved both but Doubtful was the extra special one.

Hobbiton New Zealand. My wife was very keen but I'd never seen any of the movies. It was not cheap and I am not big on commercial tours. But Hobbiton was a winner, winner chicken dinner tour. Now I am working my way through the movies.

Kathmandu Nepal. I don't do big crowded cities well. I knew I would love the Himalayas and I did, my favourite trip of all time. But I was dreading the stay in Kat at either end of the trip. Increadibly crowded, noisy, polluted littered, poverty everywhere, traffic chaos. Maybe because it was just so so crazy I loved it.

Västra Hamnen, Malmö, a newer residential area by the water, not far from the railway station, with semi-circular concrete jetties, a gelato place and otherworldly natural scenery. Never had I expected to become so entranced by a place with so few trees and so little greenery. But the promenade is wide and the small piazzas inviting, all heated by the late summer sun. One of the few places in Scandinavia where the Mediterranean unexpectedly rears its enthralling spell. Far away in the distance, the miniature silhouette of Copenhagen. One of the best swims of my life. The sun sets in a shimmering September haze. Could it be magic.

Western Australia has everything anybody would want in this world. Coastline, vast deserts, vast oceans, curious stone formations and a city at the end of the world. Here the horizon is endless.

Phrygian Hierapolis was known in ancient Greece for the thermal waters,used to restore health, and they are still there, situated not too far from the Turkish west coast.

I have looked at this thread several times and nothing has ever come to mind, until now. I tend to be fine anywhere I go and almost always can entertain myself and find something to love. Case in point, I like stinky tofu and love durian. Thats out of bounds for many Americans.
There was a place in Paris. It was not a typical destination for locals. too touristy.... A restaurant with a bit of a medieval cave feel , self-serve wine in pitchers, self-serve charcutier with lots of cheese and sausage, large tables and people having a blast due to the lack of formality. It was by definition the exact place a Parisian should hate and also the kind of place I tend to avoid. Our French office and our visiting headquarters team converged there once and had an absolute blast. Not constrained by the formal opening of the perfect bottle or the formality of properly tasting the courses of a French meal, bread and cheap wine ruled. My programmer and otherwise brilliant manufacturing process genius, so reserved and "tight", was reduced to bopping people over the head with a stick of celery. We all were absolutely entertained. This was a sort of French Heurigen. It is and was the exact sort of place that I cannot stand, and yet, last time my wife and I were in Paris, we found this place and went there for dinner. As before, we had a blast although celery stick wands were not part of our routine. I won't list the name of the place but if you search for it, you will find it and if you go, hopefully it will be fun. As with Heuriger, a few pints of crappy wine goes a long way towards making the wine and food taste better.

Mack, the place in Paris you describe sounds like the “Taverne du Sergent Recreuteur” in the Ile St. Louis. I had a wonderful time there back in 1983 — a perfect splurge night out for hungry (and thirsty!) college students on their semester abroad program. I just googled it to see if it’s still there and unfortunately it looks like it’s now a fine dining restaurant, which I’m sure is good, but not the same kind of fun.

Valle Verzasca

Oh yes, you can only love this. So fantastic.