A few months ago we were all bracing for the most crowded summer in history.
Well, maybe some places, but everywhere?
We have enough RS people out traveling to report.
First Report:
Budapest has the expected European City Break long weekend tourists. Friday evening thru Sunday. Mostly seeking evening activities.
But the rest of the week is crazy slow for this time of the year.
Second Report:
Malta .... see Budapest above.
We just returned from Rome, London and Athens. They were all incredibly busy. We've been to most major European cities 4-5 times each. We are just about through with large cities and large crowds of tourists--domestic or overseas.
There are still some European cities out there that have many, many attractions that spread out the crowds. For example, Budapest has never seemed so crowded to us. And there's always the off the beaten path smaller towns and regions to see.
Where we saw it the most on our trip May24- June 18th was transportation. The airports, regional trains in France, the tube and the metro were so much more crowded than last summer. Our (unplanned) day in London was on the bank holiday weekend, so we assumed crowds on the street were related to that, but the British Museum wasn’t especially crowded. In Paris we’ve been fortunate to have already seen the major sites, and didn’t encounter any crowds at the Sarah Bernhardt exhibit at the Petit Palais, but the steps of the Sacre Coeur were more crowded than we’ve ever seen.
I'm looking forward to the day we can travel in September-October. I'll give the middle finger to the summer travel crush.
BigMike, till then a nice mix of the crowded and not so crowded makes sense. Sort of the purpose of the thread. If someone has never seen Paris, and wants to, and July is the only option, go and have a blast but they should consider exploring something different too so they can have a less intense overall experience.
Sounds like there are a few places not swamped.
Albania in May - no crowds. Not Tirana, Berat, Girokastra, Korcë (or Ksamil but I read it’s crowded now for beaches).
Greece in May - no crowds. Not Corfu, Ioannina, Meteora, Thessaloniki (as the biggest places I went).
Weekend in Sofia in June - no crowds.
Dresden in June - no crowds.
Leipzig in June (a really cool city) - no crowds even with the Bach Festival.
Wroclaw in June - no crowds.
Krakow in June - yes crowded, but it was mostly lots of school kids on end of year trips.
A night further south in Poland (Nowy Targ) - I wonder if they have ever see a crowd.
Salzburg and Hallstatt coming up next month - I suspect I will see more people.
I know I went to less traveled places and maybe June versus July & August helped. Or maybe everyone is in Italy and France.
Mister E, I agree. My entire life up to this point has been summer travel, but it will be nice when I'm not restricted to those months. The crowds have grown enormously since the 1980s to sometimes comical proportions at some sites.
It was crowded in Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast in late April and from what I'm reading, it's only getting busier. A couple of our tour guides said it's been non-stop since March with no end in site. Both said the crush started a couple of months earlier than usual.
Late May to early June...
Sofia felt like a normal day in a European city.
I easily had a front row place to watch their (admittedly smaller, but still impressive) Changing of the Guard.
I walked right in to every museum. No reservation required. I had entire museum rooms to myself during my visits.
Popular restaurants did require a reservation, for dinner (not lunch) though I only heard Bulgarian. After repeat visits, I got to know the welcoming staff who smiled and remembered my preferences from a prior visit.
Plovdiv seemed like any normal day. I was annoyed when the one other visitor to the Hindlayan House was in the same room that I was 🤣
For dinner in Varna, we had our pick of outdoor tables at the beachfront restaurant on the Black Sea.
Veliko Tarnovo's craft market street felt empty.
Skopje on my single day, mid week visit was alive but nothing approaching crowded.
BigMike, you know me, I've always stayed off the beaten path. Correction, I have seen most of Europe's Top 10 (and glad I did, and everyone with an interest should), and in the summer for the most part .... then I got off the beaten path.
I discovered I travel to relax, see different kinds of people and sit in different worlds. Those places from the reports I have been getting are not that bad this year. Budapest and Malta are/were pretty much ghost towns Tuesday thru Thursday before 9pm. I'm happy to be part of it.
The worst I am thinking are the old standards like London, Paris, and Rome (and day and overnight trips out of them). And I get it. They are magnificent.
But I just finished a few glasses of White Kadarka at a cafe restaurant next to the Opera House, and out of 20 sidewalk tables, two were occupied (and the wine was $3 a glass). Tonight I will go to a place where I actually had to reserve a table outside (inside will be maybe 50% full).
CW, I had many wonderful days in Plovdiv and Sofia. I envy you.
TexasTravelMom, no crowds in Albania? Who would have guessed. (One of the things I loved about it too)
Mister E, I like the way you think.
This will be the first overseas trip where I've reserved a restaurant for every night we're there. Mary and I used to wander around trying to find a place to eat and that is no fun, generally.
I just spoke to the business owner across the street. It's a tourist business. Sales are down 8% from May. The Formula I is coming in July, and the World Athletics Championships are coming in August so there is hope.
Yesterday I drove down from my quiet mountain town to meet some people on an Adriatic beach. I drove around looking for parking until my patience was exhausted and then beat a retreat back up my mountain without ever getting out of the car. Beach, crowds, heat, no parking...not my cup of tea. But I'm not sure that's different than any other summer Sunday on an Adriatic beach. It's quiet here in the mountains of Abruzzo...and the food is excellent. Not going back to the beach or to Rome until October 🤣
Italy, France, UK seems to be the hot spots while much of Europe is "normal" or even quiet.
I'm free range cycling Brittany and Belgium in a couple weeks, and Booking.com shows plenty of decent accommodations still available. I don't think I'll reserve anything ahead and very likely won't have to sleep outside.
It's a big continent, Europe. Plenty of space as long as you don't need to be in the most core tourist areas.
I discovered I travel to relax, see different kinds of people and sit in different worlds.
Just wanted to thank you for this insight, because you've put into words part of what was conflicted in my brain. On our recent trip (UK, Norway, cruise from Barcelona back to US) we did many amazing things, but my favorite was watching the coast of Africa. Just watching and thinking about where I was on the map and just being in awe.
Exactly. Safe travels.
