Is Moscow that bad?
A recent survey suggests the Russian capital is full of mean people, crappy hotels and the unfriendliest taxi drivers on the planet.
Travel website TripAdvisor questioned more than 54,000 travelers on their views of 37 major tourist cities in the world and Moscow ranked at or near the bottom in all 16 categories.
From the helpfulness of locals and friendliness of taxi drivers to the quality of hotels and value for money, Moscow was the worst. Beijing, Punta Cana, Mumbai and Marrakech weren’t much better.
The Chinese capital was the second worst city for helpfulness of locals and friendliness of its taxi drivers. It also scored poorly for shopping and nightlife.
Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic was at the bottom of the heap for solo travelers, shopping and restaurants, while Mumbai ranked as the hardest city to get around and the one with the dirtiest streets.
Marrakech is the worst for public transport, nightlife and family friendliness.
Tokyo, however, received high marks across all categories.
The Japanese capital was No. 1 for overall experience, friendliness of locals, taxi service, cleanliness of streets and public transportation.
Here's a snapshot of the worst performers, and some of the best so you can compare.
Unfriendliest locals: Moscow
Worst taxi service: Moscow
Least family friendly: Marrakech
Worst attractions: Punta Cana
Worst overall experience: Mumbai
The following cities got positive reviews from tourists.
Friendliest taxi drivers: Dubrovnik
Best nightlife: New York City
Cleanest streets: Tokyo
Best shopping: Dubai
Easiest city to get around: Vienna
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?