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Have Your European Travels Been Ruined By Over-tourism?

Most of us here have already travelled to Europe. Some many times and some even live there full or part time.

We generally make one or two trips to Europe each year, and often a mix of larger cities and smaller ones or the countryside.

I have yet to return from a trip and say, "I'm done with Europe!" over tourists. I have come back saying, "I should have known better than to visit during time. Next time, I gotta remember to think that through."

A recent example would be in Lisbon and making the RS recommended visit to Sintra. That place was like a hilly disorganized Disneyland, but that was as much our fault (day trip and slightly late start) as Sintra's. While I liked the Moorish castle ruins and wandering up and down between the sites, the crowds were relatively large, and the lines for places like the Pena palace were long (timed entry) and ill-defined/unregulated. To me, the easy complaint would be "over-tourism" caused that headache in Sintra, but digging into it, much more of the problem was the logistics and infrastructure of the location. If the tourism folks there worked out a bunch of the weak spots - like addressing the messy Pena palace lines, maybe reducing entry tickets, and other tweaks - it would vastly improve things. I personally wouldn't recommend copying what we did for Sintra, but with some mods to how we did it, plus Sintra upping their game, it would be a future recommendation.

But having been to most of the current "hot spots" for over-tourism stories - like Barcelona, Venice, Amsterdam, Santorini - I can't say I've ever been flummoxed by my overall experiences there. Barcelona's Rambla? CROWDED. Venice's Piazza San Marco? CROWDED. Amsterdam's Red Light District? CROWDED. Santorini's Fira near the cable car? CROWDED. All to be expected in peak travel season. But we've never not simply been able to adjust our visit by heading away from those areas. Venice has a huge portion of the city that is NOT like that and can be avoided and greatly enjoyed by heading away from the crowds. Same for most/all of the "usual suspects" for over-tourism complaints.

There are absolutely places that - to me - feel too crowded, and that's where I adapt and find the options more to my liking and comfort. For me, it's hard to ruin a trip due to crowds UNLESS I chose to dive into a crowded destination and opted to stick to my guns and not tweak my itinerary. That hasn't happened yet, but occasionally, I am reminded to stick to our "normal" rules of not traveling somewhere in the height of season if we can avoid it or the destination offers easy non-crowded options. And, usually, there are plenty of non-crowded options in almost any destination. Just don't plan on getting the Mona Lisa or the Trevi Fountain to yourself in July. :D But that's on you if you planned the trip thinking that was happening and then feel it is "ruined" by tourists and crowding.

Posted by
725 posts

The only place ruined was the Vatican Museum- NEVER again. It was so crowded as to be and unsafe and that’s just not acceptable imho. I’m not sure if there’s a good way to get away from that unless you pay excessive amounts for a private tour which I normally wouldn’t mind doing but after the rip off first experience, I don’t feel like giving them anymore of my money ever again.

Posted by
4046 posts

I've seen the Sistine Chapel twice. Once in 2015 and once this year... on Easter weekend... eh... it was when my friend wanted to go. In 2015, the chapel was crowded, but we could sit and look at the ceiling. The second time, it was people standing shoulder to shoulder. It was actually quite miserable. and I was eager to get out of there. But... like your post mentions... perhaps some of that was in the planning... Easter weekend is probably not the best time to try to get a good view of the Sistine Chapel.

Posted by
2791 posts

We were in Rome in early May 2023 for two nights. We had spent five nights there many years ago and had no desire to revisit a lot of highly touristed places. My husband did want to see the Roman forum and collesium from the outside so we ventured that way. The Roman forum was fine and interesting to see the changes from more than 30 years ago. When we went you could walk anywhere but now designated paths. But the route to the collesium was unbelievably crowded.
We were able to get beyond it and take the pictures my husband wanted but I can’t imagine trying to see the inside today.

It was the first week of May not July. So it does make me wonder when is viable to visit nightly touristed places. Shoulder season used to be good. But seems now like as busy as summer.

Posted by
20265 posts

Without plan or intention or knowledge, I got all the now complained about places out of my system many years ago. I did recently ignore all common sense and go to Hallstatt .................. only to find it anything but crowded. The weather was starting to turn (just before the Austrian floods) and i guess that kept the day trippers away. But we had one beautiful day followed by the beginning of what was to come.

Now because of interests, not escape from the crowds, my travels take me in another direction and away from the complained about places. But if I had only started traveling a year or two ago I would be in the thick of it because some things must be seen and experienced; and thats why those places are having issues.

Posted by
4597 posts

Never a trip ruined, but lessons learned to adapt and plan for future trips. We were in Sintra earlier this week and I agree that it may be out of control. I understand why the locals are frustrated. I also understand your comment about disorganization at Pena Palace. We only had tickets for the terraces and gardens and that was confusing due to lack of signage. We saw multiple timed entry points into the Palace from the terraces with no explanation.

We looooved the Moorish Castle, no crowds, and outstanding views. My favourite site so far. I'm shocked it only gets one triangle in the RS guidebook.

Posted by
4987 posts

There are soooooo many places, so little time. Even in the super popular countries like Italy and Spain, I will never run out of places to go that are not over crowded.

Posted by
431 posts

"You’re not stuck in traffic. You are the traffic."
This. So much.

Posted by
3282 posts

I’ve done a lot of shoulder and off-season travel in Europe and only once was bothered by over-tourism. Ironically, this was in Florence and the tourists were Italian. All Saints Day fell on a Tuesday in 2022 so it meant a four day weekend. Many families visited Florence and the city was more crowded than I had ever seen on 5 previous visits.

In November 2002 there was to have been antiglobalization and antiwar rallies and “tens of thousands” of demonstrators were expected. All the high end shops were boarded up and some even removed identifying signage. We saw no demonstrators and the city remained calm.

Posted by
4180 posts

No, the places I've visited in the past several years (especially post-pandemic) have not really been discovered by international tourists. If nothing else I'm mostly surrounded by local tourists, and that tends not to be as jarring as being surrounded by bus groups from the United Nations lol!

Posted by
413 posts

I went to Florence and Rome in late October last year (or was it 2 years ago? yikes) and they were super crowded - I can't imagine how they are in August. Wouldn't say the crowds ruined anything, but I definitely enjoyed myself more in Firenze when I walked across the river to Oltrarno (which is where we were staying) and could breathe a bit more.

It was actually quite miserable. and I was eager to get out of there. But... like your post mentions... perhaps some of that was in the planning... Easter weekend is probably not the best time to try to get a good view of the Sistine Chapel.

I went in late october a couple of years ago and it was still shoulder-to-shoulder!

Posted by
1519 posts

I believe that there are parallel universes in travel; even in Europe. Only go to your "must sees" if you have to. We usually do road trips and take an old fashion paper guide book and only make reservations if we must. Serendipity is our Friend. We love finding quirky museums, out of the way villages, and castle ruins lost in the woods. Off the beaten trail, not in a high touristed area, we could find quaint owner-occupied B&Bs if we booked by 5pm. Don't know if that is still possible. Do we still have "Europe Through the Back Door?". In USA we live near high demand end destinations with busy Ferry Systems. The traffic keeps getting worse. It is nicer to just stay home sometimes.

Posted by
14980 posts

Not possible.

I go over only in the summer as I did most recently last year and this summer during peak season, the 2 post-pandemic trips. Yes, some sites in Paris and Vienna were pretty crowded or even inundated with tourists, but not even close to affecting me negatively or deterring me from going back in July and August.

On the other hand, I go to towns that can be easily considered not "backdoor" but rather "backwater" in eastern and North Germany, you certainly do not see tourism there, if any,....

Posted by
536 posts

Having almost always been a shoulder season or off season traveler, I've never experienced any of the typically huge crowds in the biggest tourist destinations.

The most startling crowd situation I've ever experienced was in Florence, the last week of January (!!) 2023. I went then because I thought the crowds would be light. The weather was cold but sunny while I was there and I could not believe the crowds. The streets were jammed. The Uffizi was jammed. The Accademia was jammed. I really couldn't imagine being there in high season.

The crowds seemed to be made up of half American study abroad students and half European tourists or Italians. I encountered very few American tourists other than the students.

I occasionally feel some mild guilt, remorse, whatever, being part of the tourist "problem", especially as an American, but low cost airlines have made inter-European travel so easy and affordable that I need to get over that feeling. There are at least as many Europeans traveling to the tourist hotspots as Americans.

Posted by
4987 posts

I occasionally feel some mild guilt, remorse, whatever, being part of
the tourist "problem", especially as an American, but low cost
airlines have made inter-European travel so easy and affordable that I
need to get over that feeling. There are at least as many Europeans
traveling to the tourist hotspots as Americans.

Thank you--those low-cost carriers need to be mentioned in this conversation a lot more!

Posted by
783 posts

I have been pretty lucky so far. Of course, I often plan my visits to work around crowds as much as possible.

The Vatican and the Colosseum were crowded, but not overly so when I visited in 2014. The Sistine Chapel, surprisingly, was not crowded at all. I also found plenty of wonderful places in Rome, such as the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, where I had the place to myself.

When I went to Carnival in Venice (twice), I learned pretty quickly when to go to St. Marks Square and when to stay away. Once, we inadvertently got off the vaporetto at the San Zaccaria stop at midday. Big mistake. The crowds were overwhelming.

I visited the pyramids at Giza about a week before the great Covid shutdown. It was crowded, but perhaps not quite as crowded as it would ordinarily be.

Pamukkale in Turkey was more crowded that I would have liked. My annoyance might have been because I had visited many other amazing sites on the trip that were emphatically not crowded. The contrast was jarring.

Posted by
7956 posts

Only place has been the Cinque Terre, two years ago, which was very disappointing, although not a total ruined disaster. Our visit in 2001 (June) was magical. The return in October 2022 (shoulder season?!?) was literally packed shoulder to shoulder in Vernazza, we walked instead of waiting for the next overcrowded shuttle bus in Cornelia, and fought mobs in Riomaggiore. Yes, we were part of the problem, and for better or worse, we stayed for several nights, spending money in the area, and didn’t just do a hit-and-run daytrip. Never going there again. Other places, definitely going!

Posted by
7956 posts

In 2015, the chapel was crowded, but we could sit and look at the ceiling. The second time, it was people standing shoulder to shoulder.

The Sistine Chapel’s another place worth mentioning, although it’s not to be missed. Compared to our relatively serene time in December 2012, though, September 2022 was not. The repeated loud announcements for visitors to be quiet was ironic, and how many times did people need to be reminded to not take photos? Apparently not enough.

Posted by
8979 posts

"Ruined" and "flummoxed" are two very harsh words. I'd say disappointed and uncomfortable are more appropriate. But I felt that way at the Sistine in 2012, and Giverny in 2015. Two places I had to see, just dont need to see again. Travel is always new to a new group of people every year, and what's crowded now will seem like the norm for the current generation.

Some of us feel guilt about contributing to the problem, but as mentioned, most of the tourism in Europe is from other Europeans. So I'm not so quick to blame ourselves. I'm not sure the non-American tour groups spend a lot of time second-guessing their decisions.

Posted by
33869 posts

Have Your European Travels Been Ruined By Over-tourism?

No - but they have been well and truly ruined by climate change and awful (and often dangerous) weather

Posted by
4597 posts

There are at least as many Europeans traveling to the tourist hotspots
as Americans.

I can't tell from the post if you're meaning worldwide tourist hotspots or just Europe. But as an example, in 2023 only 4.1% of tourists to Italy were American. The vast majority are other Europeans.

Posted by
1269 posts

It's a few years since I've been I've been to Spain, but I've never met anyone from the US or Canada there. Closest is a Mexican lass once. I was quite surprised at the number of people from Colombia and Argentina I met in Barcelona. They were residents though. That was 15+ years ago mind, when I was on my run of going to Barcelona every year.

Always quite a few Americans in Amsterdam coffeeshops, even since I first went out there early 90's.

Posted by
1411 posts

If you’re in Europe the VAST majority of other tourists will be from Europe. On a recent thread it was shown that more people visit Spain from the Netherlands (17m population) than the US (333m population).

I have not had any trips impacted by over tourism but I went to all the major European cities 20+ years ago when budget airlines first started operating and now go to less busy places.

Posted by
638 posts

Well now I'm a bit worried. I like traveling on the off season since I don't really mind cold weather and like having plenty of personal space, but this year I'll be in Lisbon for Easter and Freedom Day (April 25). I thought it would be unique to see how a big city celebrates. I wonder if staying outside city center is a good idea so I can still get into the thick of it to enjoy what's going on, but also get back out of it when/if I've had enough.

I visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel in March a few years ago and found it rather frustrating that you couldn't really stop and look at what interested you. It was necessary to keep moving with the crowds, which made me feel somewhat claustrophobic. That was my first and most likely my last visit.

OP, Sintra was lovely when I was there in January. I'm going back in April, but will probably avoid Pena Palace, although I do want to explore the park further.

Posted by
559 posts

Managing unrealistic expectations is part of planning travel, IMHO. When I visit Sienna, I expect to see other tourists. My expectations are the same for Venice, the Vatican and especially Agra and the Tj Mahal where being immersed in the mass of people is a part of the overall experience. Would I like to see it without the crowds? Yes, with my camera. That was how I finally figured out how to get clear images of the Forbidden City. I was there when it opened and had it mostly to myself, for about an hour.
If you go to Disneyland, you will not be there by yourself.
If you travel as a tourist, don't get worked up when you find others doing the same. It diminishes the experience.

Posted by
20265 posts

this year I'll be in Lisbon for Easter and Freedom Day (April 25). I
thought it would be unique to see how a big city celebrates.

That is an excellent idea. I love being someplace during their holiday. It’s a totally different side of the destination.

I wonder if staying outside city center is a good idea so I can still
get into the thick of it to enjoy what's going on, but also get back
out of it when/if I've had enough.

Every place is different. Some cities, like where I live, you only have to go one block up or one block over to feel the local atmosphere without the tourists; but the sights are still very close. Other places like Prague or Rome even, it can be more of a challenge. Get too far out and you spend all of your time traveling.

Posted by
14980 posts

I would say based on experiences and observations of last summer and that of this summer, a total of 21 weeks , most of the tourists I saw in the very crowded sites, eg, Versailles on a Saturday , twice the Louvre, Stephanskirche in Vienna, Schloss Schoenbrunn on a Sunday, the State Opera in Vienna, overwhelmingly the tourists were European or from Spanish speaking countries, Asians, or if they were American, as pointed out above , they were college student groups.

In going to these packed sites where you expect teeming crowds, I as an individual don't feel guilty at all. I'm not interested in the guilt issue.

Posted by
91 posts

We went to Florence in May 2022, for 2 weeks, and while it was crowded in places, for example the line to get into the Uffizi Gallery was a mile long, in many places it was not crowded at all. Ponte Vecchio Bridge was very crowded at midday, but it didn't ruin our enjoyment of it. The Oltrarno area was not crowded at all. We bought a tour of the Uffizi and got to skip the line. We didn't go to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David, because all the tickets were booked, but that doesn't bother me at all. I don't need to check that box.

We went to Venice in May 2023, for two weeks, and while Rialto Bridge was gridlocked with tourists at midday, we came back at other times when it was not crowded. One morning I got up at dawn and St. Marks Square was totally deserted, just me and some pigeons. One day we wandered to the outskirts of the city and discovered an incredible church, Church of Santa Maria Assunta i Gesuiti. There were only a dozen tourists in the place.

We went to Barcelona in May 2023, and while La Rambla was too crowded and touristy for our taste, we found lots of beautiful and interesting places and things that were not crowded at all. La Sagrada Familia was very crowded, but I wasn't going to skip that.

In general, we don't go to Europe in June, July, or August, and if we encounter a very crowded place, we usually skip it. We didn't go to the Colosseum in Rome, and I don't care. We didn't go to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and I don't care.

So my answer is, no, none of our travels have been ruined by over-tourism.

My advice to anyone who is concerned about this is to get up at dawn and see the places that are likely to be crowded at midday, and at midday, wander away from the tourist epicenters and discover something else. Also, don't go in the summer. And, be willing to skip some things entirely, because wandering through like a herd of cattle just to check a box is not worth it.

Posted by
3009 posts

In Norway it is really no fun when cruise ship pasengers are in Flåm and Geiranger.

Define "over-tourism", define "ruined".

Posted by
315 posts

Interesting twist to see folks adding "Americans" to the much broader and general tourist group that makes up "over-tourism". And "guilt". Not sure where those two injections come from relating to my original posting, but maybe that does shed some light on things.

But nice to see, despite the "summer that broke travel", no one seems to actually have had their travels ruined! That's great news.

Posted by
1882 posts

Ten years ago before the phrase over crowded became over-tourism, I experienced huge crowds in the Vatican Museum, the Louvre, La Ramblas, Parc Guell, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Venice and a couple other sights.

There is no such thing as over-tourism. Sights are just really crowded at certain times of the year. When Hallstatt is crowded in February or Nantucket is jam packed in February, let me know, I'll reconsider believing in the new term, over-tourism.

Also, the answer is NO. My trips have never been ruined. I know where places are over crowded and I just plan as best as possible to work around them.

Posted by
565 posts

There are some political dimensions to the over-tourism debate. I will not go there.

My answer is no. I have had a few experiences that were less than exceptional because of the crowds. The Vatican, especially the Sistine Chapel, quickly comes to mind. Cinque Terre is a distant second. But I have never had a trip that overall was diminished because of too many visitors.

And I too feel no guilt over any trips. I doubt that I have ever stayed in a hotel, or eaten in a restaurant, or taken a walk or tour where the owner or operator regretted my presence and felt uncomfortable accepting my payment; or that I acted so poorly that anyone on these forums would blush.

Posted by
684 posts

No.

I have traveled to hyper-crowded events, such as Oktoberfest, Carnival and Forumla 1 races. By definition most of the participants are tourists.

Posted by
9238 posts

The only thing ever to ruin a trip was food poisoning in Florence.

Sweet hotel staff would check in on me and provide hot tea.

Slept through New Year’s Eve fire works. Miserable on the train back to Rome.

However this was the trip where I was the only person besides the guard in the room with The Last Supper.

So great and never eat gelato again!