The fantasy is a perfectly swept piazza and breathtaking landmarks. The reality, at least according to thousands of online reviews, is that some of the world’s most beloved cities double as the places visitors call the dirtiest.
Luggage storage company Radical Storage analyzed more than 70,000 recent Google reviews for top attractions in 100 cities from Euromonitor’s Top 100 City Destinations Index, scanning for words like “clean” and “dirty” and sorting them into praise or complaints about hygiene.
Budapest took the crown for filth, with nearly 40 percent of cleanliness-related reviews describing dirt or poor upkeep. Rome, Las Vegas, and Florence were not far behind.
Here are the 10 cities that came out looking the grubbiest.
1. Budapest, Hungary
37.9 percent negative cleanliness reviews
Reviewers flagged litter, grime, and maintenance problems at a rate no other city matched. Radical Storage suggested Budapest’s waste-management system is struggling as tourism spikes, with Hungary seeing a sharp jump in visitors and the capital absorbing much of it.
2. Rome, Italy
35.7 percent negative cleanliness reviews
The Eternal City inspires rapture and Reddit threads about trash. Complaints target uncollected rubbish, overflowing bins, and general street filth that clash with the postcard views of ruins and piazzas.
3. Las Vegas, USA
31.6 percent negative cleanliness reviews
The Strip’s 24-hour parties come with a clean-up bill. Radical Storage notes that “given its 24-hour nightlife and enormous visitor turnover, it’s perhaps unsurprising that maintaining spotless streets is a challenge,” and points to local campaigns like Pick It Up Las Vegas trying to keep up.
4. Florence, Italy
29.6 percent negative cleanliness reviews
Renaissance art, narrow medieval streets, and hordes of tourists are a rough combo for sanitation crews. The city has even tested “smart” bins to coax people into actually using them.
5. Paris, France
28.2 percent negative cleanliness reviews
Paris has been racing to clean up ahead of global events, including a major push to make the Seine swimmable again. However, a big chunk of visitors still mention litter and grime alongside the baguettes and museums.
6. Milan, Italy
26.8 percent negative cleanliness reviews
Fashion capital, trash complaints. Reviewers grumble about overflowing bins and dirty streets that undercut the city’s glossy image.
7. Verona, Italy
26.2 percent negative cleanliness reviews
People come for Shakespeare and old stones, then post about cigarette butts and rubbish in the historic center.
8. Frankfurt, Germany
24.6 percent negative cleanliness reviews
A major finance hub with a surprisingly high rate of dirt-related reviews, especially around busy transit and nightlife areas.
9. Brussels, Belgium
24.4 percent negative cleanliness reviews
Between grand squares and EU offices, visitors report litter and neglected corners, particularly near tourist-heavy zones.
10. Cairo, Egypt
23.6 percent negative cleanliness reviews
Dust, traffic fumes, and litter all show up in complaints, even as people gush about the city’s history and landmarks.
The ranking isn’t all doom and garbage bags. The same analysis named Krakow, Sharjah, Singapore, Warsaw, and Doha among the cleanest cities on Earth, with more than 97% of cleanliness-related reviews using positive language. Whether that changes anyone’s bucket list is another story, but at least you know where to pack hand sanitizer and low expectations for the sidewalks.
The post The 10 Dirtiest Cities in the World—and One Is a Dream Vacation Spot appeared first on VICE.
