Uncrowded Europe?

Yes, such a time exists when crowded cities and sites are not only not very crowded but simply not crowded. It's my secret. Altruism will make me reveal it. Get up early. Hit the usually most crowded streets around 7 am. I do it in Prague with great success and after 9 am I move out of most touristy areas. This works in other crowded cities, too.
The most crowded museum I ever been to, was Hermitage in St. Petersburg. They don't regulate the crowds like in Louvre and other famous museums.

Thanks Ilja,

Other travelers have told me of this magic time you mention; I think they called it "morning"? I thought it was mythical, but now am inspired to discover it. If only there were some kind of electronic device that could wake me up at a pre-determined time :-)

Seriously, it is nice to be reminded about early rising. I don't take advantage of that as much as I should, because my traveling companion is not a "morning person." But I still hope for uncrowded experiences in museums or other places that are not open early.

best, Joel

I'm usually the first one up and about when we're traveling too so I take pictures of me and my statues on the Charles Bridge, me any my St. Mark Square pigeons, me and the beautiful sunrise over whatever to show my husband when he gets up.

Good move, Mona! My husband likes morning walks at home -- and likes taking photos -- maybe I will suggest that approach.

I managed to lose my passport just before arriving in Paris from the South. So, Monday morning I woke at 6 a.m. and made my way to the Embassy to hopefully be at the front of the line for a new one. That morning is one of my fondest memories of Paris.

When we were in Vernazza we had an electrical problem in our hilltop rental, and I found myself down in the center of town about midnight trying to make contact with the manager. Again, a fantastic time to be out and about.

Try an internet search for: " [Country] + quiet + season". The search should return many ideas of when to see the real and uncrowded Europe. As a for example, searching for "denmark quiet season" I got returns including:
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1071839
Chilled in Copenhagen, Denmark (Pros & Cons of Off-Season Travel)
By Sivarnee | Posted January 2, 2014 | Bangkok, Thailand
who wrote in part:

Off-season vacations in Scandinavia or anywhere could be rewarding if
you plan right.... In tourism industry, the year was divided into 3
seasons: The peak season (mid-June to August), middle season (April to
mid-June and September to October), and off-season (November to
March).... So, if the visitors wanna enjoy having Europe by yourself,
in wintertime in Copenhagen Denmark, Scandinavia or anywhere else in
Europe, then we could feel ‘So alone’ and wonder "Where are the
tourists?

I have been to Europe three times in early- to mid-March on one-week Spring Break trips; twice with a group of students and faculty (14 persons in 2010 in the Netherlands; 18 persons in 2014 in Germany) and once with my family (Italy in 2011). In all three instances, we never waited for any long period of time to enter any museum, church, or other site. However, I offer the caveat that, when possible, for popular attractions that required tickets, we bought them on-line or made reservations ahead of time. Yet, in many cases, the crowds in Amsterdam, Berlin, Florence, and the surrounding towns and cities we visited were nothing like those we encountered on previous summer trips to these 3 cities, or compared to the crowds that we experienced in Paris and Versailles on a late May 2014 trip. As a result, I feel that early- to mid-March is a great time to travel in Europe, both crowd-wise and climate-wise. In fact, in early March 2014, the temperatures in Berlin and northwest Germany (Vechta area) were in the mid- to high-50s F and every day was 'blue sky sunny'. The locals were telling us that it is never like that in Germany in early March, but no one was complaining. Kind of like the weather we have experienced in central PA this winter (up to now).

Well, you're asking about "the most famous cities and sites" being "not very crowded." Sadly but obviously, fame = crowding.

Early morning is a great time to wander around cities (I too had my Charles Bridge experience), even if you haven't lost your passport. ;-) Getting to big museums and palaces as soon as they open helps reduce crowding (though it didn't help us much at Versailles). The best all-inclusive strategy is probably to avoid the high season, usually summer, and time your visit for the low season, usually winter. Depending on where you are, March or November can be good compromises between too-crowded and too-cold-and-wet. December brings its own crowding problems. January and February are probably best for avoiding crowds if you're willing to live with short days and bad weather. That's not a bad tradeoff in a big city like Paris or London.

And you got good advice from another poster about looking beyond the "famous" places to find what really interests you. The Louvre can be pretty manageable if you don't feel the need to see the Mona Lisa or other such icons. Vaux-le-Vicomte is a good alternative to Versailles. Rick Steves' "back door" philosophy makes a lot of sense, even though his well-intended efforts have turned many former back doors into front doors. Take his advice to look for your own back doors, expect some surprises both good and bad, and enjoy the journey.

Definitely morning, the earlier the better, be the first in line!

Also:

• towns like Torino

• the small towns north of the Cinque Terre

• Venice in early December

• Abruzzo

• Evenings at great museums (I find 18:00 almost magical in Rome when the museum is open past then)

I like Emma's recommendation to not do what everyone else is doing.

In summer 2014, I was part of an RS tour visiting the Louvre. The crowds were horrible. The tour guide and I stood in the rear of the Mona Lisa room and watched hundreds of folks trying for a selfie with Mona.

After the guided tour, I went with one companion to see the Albrecht Dürer self portrait in one of the Louvre's galleries. Peace! There was perhaps one other person in the room, and I discovered several other paintings I had no idea I would find there like Holbein's portrait of Anne of Cleves. It was fantastic. We discovered empty elevators and people-free restrooms - just because we moved away from the "best of" sights.

I cherish that learning moment.

PS, I like your blizzard of '78 story.

My favourite city, Venice, is said to be crowded all year round.

I've never found it unbearably so, no matter what time of year.

Dawn on the Grand Canal is amazing. Dawn walking through any Sestiere is not only by yourself but beautiful as the sun begins to put out various and unusual shadows.

After about 20:00 (8pm) walking around the city is fabulous, and riding down and/or up the Grand Canal an hour or so after sunset is a world class experience looking at all the rooms illuminated by Murano glass chandeliers all along the canal.

During the day, get a few calles away from the madding crowd, or go to a Sestiere where they don't go and you won't know that there is anybody in town.

We went to Moscow once I January. -10F. Pretty much had the place to ourselves. Next year we are returning so I can try and find the toes and left earlobe I inadvertently left behind. .

Its been mentioned.. but I will mention it again.. having been to visit many super crowded popular sites in Europe.. I find many of them have crowded "parts" and quieter parts. IE.. the palace of Versailles.. sorry.. always crowded.. in winter only moderately so.. in summer.. a nightmare.. but there are the grounds and outer buildings .. they are never crowded ( plus for a taste of the palace without the crowds prepurchase the Kings Apartment tours.. they are not open to the public, only to those who have purchased the guided tour.. and the groups are small and its only 7 euros on top of general admission.
The Louvre.. someplace everyone complains about.. I have avoided even ticket lines by buying tickets from the machines.. or using a Museum pass.. ( security lines re unavoidable however.. but usually shorter if you use alternate entrances to the Pyramid) .. And as pointed out.. there are many parts of the Louvre that are not crowded at all... avoid the painting galleries .. but there is more to the Louvre then those!
In Rome we prepurched tickets for Vatican.. avoiding long lines.. used a Roma Pass for Forum and Coliseum..

Some crowds are inevitable. personally I just chill out when in a line.. enjoy the amibence of hearing multiple different langauges being spoken around me.

And yes.. early mornings.. with jet lag I am often up by 5 am for first few days.. but while one can enjoy the city streets that way.. many tourist sites do not open till after 9 or even 10.. darn , by then everyone else is up!

The earlier comment about going places deemed "scary" is a good one. My most enjoyable trip to Egypt was during the second Gulf War, and I had a wonderful couple of weeks in New York a few months after 9–11.

Beyond that, I found Ireland in May to be wonderfully uncrowded – although I must admit I did skip Dublin, Cork City, and Galway. A couple of years ago, Venice in mid- to late October was very pleasant. And I've enjoyed a few January/February trips to Rome, with no unpleasantly long lines.

Pat, I went and checked my clock and I was surprised that it did have a 5am as well as 6 and 7am. Never noticed that before. Explain, what are these used for?

But going to the Rivera in February is not really going to the Rivera. There are plenty of places where "off season" can be a high season of a different sort.

As for "dangerous" places I agree as long as one does not expect my tax money to be used in bailing you out. That having been said I will be in the Maidan for the 1 year anniversary. But that's for principal, not enjoyment.

Everyone, thank you for the responses. It is good to know that there are relatively slack seasons at many popular places. As a serious art museum fan I'm committed to many of the most popular venues, but since March can be pretty good crowd-wise (thanks Robert), I'm hoping that February might be even better. The weather should not be an issue, since my wife and I will be retiring to Maine, compared to which most places that we would want to visit would have milder weather.

I appreciate the reminders to get up early--far too commonsensical to be on my radar--and to hit the museums late.

Edgar, thanks for the search suggestion! Very helpful.

In general , it is just nice to hear about peoples' experiences in Venice, Ireland, Rome, Moscow and so on; thanks again.

In Venice, the main crowds are pretty much around the Piazza, Rialto, the Merceria, Bridge of Sighs, and the Doge Palace.

Once you tick off those things, you can escape, look for the small things that still have historical importance. The ice house in the Hotel des Doges in Cannaregio, the inscription marking the location of the last public well in the Piazza.

Or maybe go to San Pietro in Castello. On the path leading from the bridge to the church, there is a single white paving stone. It marks the exact point where the Doge and Archbishop would meet, half way from where the Ducal barge would land and the door of the church, which used to be Venice's cathedral. You can stand on that stone and imagine yourself as Doge, or Archbishop. You can see the stone in Google maps satellite view.

Or go to Sant' Erasmo, watch real Venetians harvesting artichokes, have lunch at the Bar Tedeschi. Getting an understanding of the lagoon is worthwhile - the Lagoon is ultimately why Venice exists.

If you are there at the right time - 1st May maybe - visit the State Archives if they are open, right beside the Frari. Every document created by la Serenissima, from fortification plans to complaints about drainage, is held there. Seventy six linear kilometres of shelves, packed with archive boxes closed with red tape.

DavidRose must just have horrible timing to find a 3 hour wait for the Anne Frank House, or maybe he's not taking advantage of purchasing museum passes? When I went to the Anne Frank House, I had absolutely no wait whatsoever. I did not get up at the crack of dawn to stand in some line waiting for the doors to open so I cold be one of the first to enter. I purchased a Museumkaart (at another smaller, far less visited museum where there is never any lines at all) and showed up around 6PM one night and there was no one in the ticket line. I had to "wait" for 2 women to get through the security checkpoint before the guard finally peeked inside my purse and waved me through.

Sometimes it is actually a good thing to come on the days when there might be later admission hours. I had the same experience at the Van Gogh. I already had a Museumkaart and was able to completely bypass the ticket line and go straight over to the security checkpoint. I went on a Friday evening when they had late hours and walked over as soon as the Rijksmuseum had closed and was fully expecting there to be a line, but there wasn't.

Showing up early isn't always the answer. I showed up at Versailles a good 40 minutes prior to their opening. I was one of the first groups let inside (I already was in possession of my Museum Card), but within 20 minutes after entering, the Palace itself was teeming with many others that had the same idea to go early. I had the same experience at the Eiffel Tower and at the Tower of London.

I do agree with the suggestion to look into doing things that aren't listed in a guidebook if you want to avoid massive crowds. I love looking at Atlas Obscura's website for ideas and have had a great deal of fun finding some of the more off-beat locations they mention which are very often not listed in any sort of guidebook and, as such, are really easy to pop in and visit without being caught up in the tourist mob.

There is no one magic sweet spot time of year that applies equally to all places in Europe when it comes to crowds. The best advice has been given here by several posters:

1 - Travel in shoulder seasons - if you want fewer crowds but need the places you want to see to be 'open'.

2 - Get off the beaten path and away from the 'must-see' sites.

3 - Embrace the early morning and late afternoon/evening sightseeing. Escape the mid-day crowds by using that time to sit in a cafe and people watch, have a picnic in a park, take a nap so you can go later in the evening.

4 - If there's a hot spot site that you really must see, prepare yourself to deal with the crowds. Many popular sites have ways to avoid the worst crowds such as: timed entry tickets, guided tours, etc.

Good luck finding that 'uncrowded Europe' you hope for.

First spend 3 days in Prague in August. Then go where ever you want. You will be so desensitized to crowds in Prague every place will seem like the wide open plains of North Dakota. We judge everything on the Prague Scale. Paris never exceeds a 7 on the scale.

Lots of good advice here. We have had great results traveling in mid-September through the end of October, also April and May. If a person plans trips only around marquee name big cities, they are asking for trouble in terms of crowds. Better to mix things up between larger cities and smaller towns. London-Paris-Rome is a classic itinerary for first timers, but two solid weeks of the crowds that come with those destinations would exhaust the most intrepid traveler. I agree with "don't go where everybody else goes" in terms of country choices, too. Portugal, Ireland, Hungary, France outside of Paris and England outside of London (o.k. maybe Bath too). I barely have set foot in Wales but that's another good one. For every fifty Americans who go to London, I am just guessing but maybe less than half go anywhere else in England and five ever make it to Scotland. Lack of crowd congestion is one major reason why I actually prefer Budapest to Prague (though both are great). Maybe one makes it to the Isle of Skye. I'm making those numbers up but you get the idea. There is a reason why the Vatican Museums, British Museum, Louvre are crowded—because they are really great! You have to suck it up if you want to visit those places, but mix it up so yo won't be doing that your whole trip or on every one of your trips. Even in the major tourist centers you can find experiences that are quieter. Borghese Gallery in Rome has a limited number of entries per window of time. Hard to overwhelm the Palatine Hill in Rome (o.k. maybe at the height of summer, but not in shoulder season). Smaller museums in Paris, like the Carnavalet and the Cluny. I will say that one time I was in London on the tail end of a business trip for a day or so in March, and even then the major museums were plenty crowded. I also was able to stay on in Barcelona for a few days in January and it was refreshingly uncrowded I am pleased to say!

While Charles Bridge in Prague in midday is 10 on James scale, Venice must be 11.

Shhh about Olomouc. Or it will end up like Prague.

How long before you retire? I think it's just going to get more crowded. Travel in Europe is more and more popular with Americans. Europeans can afford to travel much more than they could 20 years ago and so can the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans . . .

In September 1980, I went up the Eiffel Tower (elevator all the way) during the day - no lines. I went back in September 1986 - again, no lines, not even at the newly-opened Picasso Museum (though it was crowded). There was hardly anyone in the Louvre. After Paris I went on to Amsterdam at the beginning of October. I visited the Anna Frank House as a walk-in, no lines, no crowds; same for the Van Gogh Museum.

This past April, I was in Paris - the Louvre was pretty crowded on a Wednesday evening, the Orsay was jam-packed half an hour after opening - even a line at the ticket/passholders entrance. I've been to Rome twice in recent years, in February and the Vatican Museums were crowded.

Kaeleku has a good suggestion. I know that tourism here is down a lot since the latest wave of terrorist attacks. The attacks are all "low-key" - individuals, mostly with knives - and tourists have neither been targeted nor injured.

Let's put things in perspective. What we're actually talking about here is not cities being packed (for the most part), but specific, very popular attractions in those cities. Particularly museums. But oh, is Europe ever so much than a collection of museums!

Debbie and Emma gave the best responses. Do a little more research than simply reading the Blue Book and do some spontaneous wandering off that metaphorical beaten path. You may be pleasantly surprised what you find.

Ah yes - morning - as an amateur photographer, it's one of the best times of day - it was my 3rd trip to Europe before I realized that (and was getting more serious about taking pics so was learning about golden hour). My mom came on a trip with me and hubby in 2014, and like me, is an early riser (even earlier!). She and I would be out at 7am to wander to Amalfi, walk over to the Colosseum in Rome - with almost nary a soul around (and it helped that we were a two min walk away) and to wander Venice - so she could see the difference at St Marks between going at 8am and going at 10am.

And that is a good reason to stay in a city center if you are staying in a large city - if you want to get up early and see these places, it doesn't do you any good to stay in Mestre if you want Venice or way on the outskirts of Paris or any other big city where it could take you 20-30 min on a train/metro to get in. Last year in Paris, we stayed in a great airbnb just 10 min walk from the Eiffel Tower - and the blood moon/eclipse was happening, so I got up at 3am and walked over to the ET and got some nice pics. Impossible if I was staying way out of town (which we have done on other trips...). Obviously if you aren't planning to get out early, then city center may not be as important as cheaper accoms.

...and after what I said above about staying in city centers, I do the opposite if we are staying in, say...a coastal area with lots of little places to see spread out. Cinque Terre - well, most people stay in Vernazza or Monterosso - I preferred Corniglia for our two visits as it was the smallest (and yes, least accessible) so pretty uncrowded. Amalfi Coast - you say stay in Positano or Sorrento or Amalfi - we stayed in the tiny village of Atrani, 10 min walk to Amalfi. Yes - a bit more of a PITA for getting luggage over and catching the bus, but very picturesque.

So for me big cities with lots to see = city center. Small towns and villages I like to stay in the less popular choices as they are quieter and still very beautiful.

I think the technique of getting in (and out) of the most popular spots before the tour buses arrive is your best bet. Alternatively, visiting places during the last two hours they are open can also be fairly uncrowded.

One October my family went to Neuschwanstein with no advance reservations. We stayed the night in Reutte and showed up around a half hour before the ticket windows opened. We were within the first dozen or so in line. We got tickets for Hohenschwangau first thing then Neuschwanstein about two hours afterward. After touring a virtually empty Hohenschwangau, we took the bus to the top and kept walking to Marienbrucke and further on the trail past the bridge. By the time we came back to Neuschwanstein, the courtyard was fairly crowded but we had only a short wait for our tour.

Afterward we went back up to Marienbrucke for some more photos, then walked down the hill. By the time we got back to the parking lot it was packed. The ticket line had hundreds, if not a thousand, people waiting and the bus parking that was empty when we got there, was completely full. We left and drove to Wieskirche, where we took a look around and had lunch before driving back to Munich.

On the opposite end, we were in Venice (also in October). The days were fairly crowded in the main squares but not bad at all once you wandered a few blocks from them. At night, the place was nearly deserted. Walking the back streets was completely quiet, all you heard was water lapping against the buildings. San Marco Square had people but not nearly as crowded as it was during the day. Most of the people were in the main cafes, enjoying the music of their competing bands.

And I am not saying not to go to Prague. Matter of fact, I think Prague you are interested in that part of the world, it should be seen. I am glad i went. Fortunately its good in March and October so you can get the Prague scale down to about a 7.

In July in August I suspect the Prague scales are something like this in the region:

Prague 10
Dubrovnik 9
Rest of the Croatian coast 7
Budapest 5
Vienna 7 and any place interesting in Austria maybe a 6
Bucharest 3 and Transylvania maybe a 4
Sofia 2
Krakow 7? Guessing on that one.
Most of Slovakia 3

While most of the great cities of Western Europe like Rome and Paris reach an 8

I visited Prague in July and I have to say it wasn't as bad as I had expected. The main square with the clock and the bridge were the only places where the crowds were an issue, very Disneylandish. The castle district was not that bad and other neighborhoods were not inundated with tourists so you can get away from the crowds there even in summer. On James' scale I would give Krakow in July a 4-5 for crowds, except for Auschwitz of course (which is probably a 7) they were hardly noticeable. I may not be the best source of info on crowds as I don't seem to be as crowd phobic as most other people I know, I know they'll be there at the biggie sites and I just go with the flow.

You mention the three-hour wait for the Anne Frank house. Four years ago, when I visited the Anne Frank house, my wait was three minutes. That's not an exaggeration. I had ordered my ticket in advance. After I arrived in Amsterdam and went to the Anne Frank House on the day I had decided on, I showed up at the site, found the door marked for advanced ticket entry and was buzzed right in. After I showed the clerk my ticket, he scanned it, and I was in: three minutes. This didn't happen only once. Numerous times, I have ordered advanced tickets for popular sites (Eiffel Tower, Prado Museum, Madrid bullfight) and went right in.

The point isn't about how clever I am. Long ago, I learned to order advanced tickets for sites I want to see and things I want to do to help ensure travel with finesse. And more important than that is I read up on the places I plan to visit.

Study is the most important thing to do before a trip overseas. I read -- often large chucks -- a travel guide or even multiple guides. I've noticed people like to plan trips, but they don't do their homework. If you want uncrowded Europe, you should do some homework.

Here's an example: Last summer, I visited Poland, Hungary and Austria. I'm not exaggerating when I say I read between one-third and 40% of Rick Steves's Eastern Europe, a travel guide that clocks in at close to 1,400 pages (with index). Plus, I read a third of his guidebook on just Vienna. After I figured out what I want to do, I ordered advance tickets for five things I was interested in.

Reduced spontaneity is a drawback to planning. I took my first overseas trip in 1993 to Ireland. Back then, I didn't even bother to book my B&Bs before I left other than the first night. Throughout the 90s, I was spontaneous when I traveled and decided where to stay and what to do as I went along. Now, I plan ahead but try to allot time for spontaneity.

I am again and again surprised how many people are complaining about crowds in Prague and not complaining about Venice, Rome, Mt.St.Michel where IMHO it's worse. James is giving Prague scale of crowding number 10 and no other destination on his list reaches that. That's a big generalization and it is not accurate for Prague, not even for neighborhood of Old Town and Little Quarters (Mala Strana). Look at the map of Prague center. What's crowded after 10 am number 10 on his scale is so called Golden Royal (or King's) Way, follow these streets on the map: Na mustku (northern end of Vaclavske namesti (Wenceslas Square), Melantrichova, Staromestske namesti (Old Town Square) around astronomical clock, Male namesti, Karlova Street, Karluv most (Charles Bridge), Mostecka, part of Malostranske namesti, Nerudova, Ke Hradu. I agree. Crowded on scale 8 to 10. If you hate crowds do this particular route before 9 to 10 am. Otherwise take a map of the center and devise your own way still in Old Town and Mala Strana. Crowds miraculously drop let's say to 3 to 7. Famous shopping streets in Prague are Na Prikope, Na Porici and upscale Parizska. Those are less crowded than shopping street Vaci Utca in Budapest. I have been to Prague so many times that I even don't know how many times and never had problems with crowds. Use my strategy and you will never say again that Prague is too crowded to enjoy it. It's a gem. Where else you find these medieval neighborhoods, stone bridge from 1348, so many stunning views, so many towers and spires and last but not least such a good beer for so little money?

You are correct Ilja, its all pretty subjective. I bet if I had done better research I could have worked around the worst of Prague. And some of its style. I am one of those people that is less interested in the monument than I am the setting the monument sits in. Not right or wrong, just me. I liked Prague well enough. Loved Dubrovnik and it was as bad as Prague.

There is no way to do justice to all this good advice other than to save it, as I plan to do; but I do want to comment on a few of the posts. James E., I love the Prague Scale :-) Makes me slightly apprehensive about going there, but then I'll be there in late May (hopefully early enough to avoid the high end of the scale), and will follow Ilja's advice (thanks!) for seeing the most popular streets. Chani, I plan to retire in 3 or 4 years, not too far away. And I agree with Tom that the biggest issue is seeing the inside of buildings, particularly art museums. I am more or less stuck with doing that, as a former art history major who has been dreaming about seeing any number of works of art for 40+ years. It is just so cool to see something like the Ghent Altarpiece after looking at reproductions forever. BTW, I was in the Ghent church just as it opened on a cool, rainy morning (late May), and had a good 1/2 hour with the altarpiece before it became difficult to move around. I just hope I can get a similarly uncrowded 1/2 hour around (quite) a few works in museums like the Louvre sometime.

My wife and I are also crazy about birding, so we are very happy to go off the beaten track. This is possible even in cities, as when we took one look at the line for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and kept on walking to the Vondelpark, which has tremendous city birding (BTW this is also a great way to meet locals). But outlying areas are obviously better for birding, and we are happy to explore them; best place so far was the Inner Hebridean Isle of Mull, just stunningly beautiful.

I agree with Nicole about the desirability of staying in city centers. We do that, and I plan to do a lot more early walking from now on. I'm normally out foraging for coffee and rolls anyway. And we do buy tickets in advance whenever possible; that really does help. FWIW when we "did" Versailles we used the fat tire bike tour, and this got us onto the grounds with literally no line at all, just bicycling through an opening in a fence. This was worth it to avoid the entrance line, and to see the grounds, but the Chateau itself was right up there on the Prague Scale.

I could not agree more that Europe is full of wonderful places off the beaten track. I think if I were to throw 30 darts at a map of Europe, then visit them all, I would probably want to retire to about 26 of them; at least that is my standard reaction to almost every place we have been.

Thanks again, and happy travels to everyone!

Joel, as birders you should consider visiting Israel - we have about 500,000,000 feathered tourists every year.

Thanks Chani, I was dimly aware that you are on a migration route, but did not realize the enormous magnitude of the migration. Another reason to visit Israel :-)

I have climbed the pyramids in Mexico at mid-day and at midnight (can't do that anymore no matter the time you might pick). Me and my traveling companions were the only ones there. Had a perfect beach in Thailand entirely to myself and my wife for a whole day - not another human in sight. I know people who went to Stonehenge before the fences, and had the place all to themselves (I missed that). I have a good list of special travel experiences like this, too numerous and too personal to share here. These are some of the most magical moments of my life. I'm sure others here could add hundreds of their own examples.

Travel has changed. The world has changed. Billions of people have found their way into expanding middle classes in places from China to India to Mexico and lots of other places where only a generation ago, international travel was a dream just available to a tiny wealthy elite. Millions who previously couldn't now want to - and can - see the Mona Lisa, Venice, and a hundred other places you want to see. Can't really hold that against them (even if you might feel, like I do, that crowds ruin the experience).

If you want amazing places uncrowded like they were 10, 20 or 50 years ago, you either need a time machine, or you need to find some other way to be OK with sharing them with thousands of strangers. Or, go someplace that mass tourism hasn't yet discovered (and perhaps for some, ruined). That's not easy - tourism has become a giant, worldwide industry. Finding someplace where there aren't a hundred (or a thousand) people waving selfie-sticks is not easy. It generally takes some effort, lots of time to get there, some inconvenience, maybe some discomfort, in many cases a bunch of money, and an investment of your time to figure out where to go. It's still possible. Not easy, but possible. Places that are famous, easy to get to, inexpensive, and make instantly recognizable backgrounds for photos posted to social media - they're going to be overrun.

The lesson I have drawn from watching things change so much over the years: get off your duff and go as soon as you can (wherever it is you want to go). Don't put it off, go NOW. You wait 5, 10, 20 years and it's not going to be as good as it is today. Just my opinion, from someone who hates crowds. Places with no cruise ships, no tour buses, no crowds with selfie-sticks...they do still exist. Go and get there quick (but not until after I blow through there, please).

David. I sort of agree. But one way to beat it is choosing places not yet on the radar. Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro, Serbia, etc. In just a few years they will not be what they are today. Rome will always be Rome and Paris will always be Paris, but Plovdiv very soon will not be the Plovdiv we have visited twice now.

James, I agree completely. Many of my most memorable travel experiences have been in places that are not well known (or at least they were not well known when I was there). The trick is finding them. And of course, timing is everything.

I see I need to put the second-largest city in Bulgaria near the top of my list (along with lots of Eastern Europe) - thanks for the tip there (shhhhh).

Shhhh won't help. Plovdiv is high on R.S. radar as number one city in Bulgaria and Ricknicks noticed. So go there now - before it's too late.

Well, I'm guessing that it's not about to be turned into the Las Vegas of Eastern Europe over night. Consider how long it took Rick extolling the virtues of Cinque Terre before the streets became so packed you needed to bathe in olive oil to allow you to squeeze through the crowds. Besides - unless my map is badly broken, I don't see any cruise shop ports anywhere near Plovdiv. That should delay the biggest impact for a while. Still, I'll consider myself on notice - time to get going. Thanks for the motivation.

My secret? Take teenagers with you. You'll never get anywhere before noon. You will arrive at Versailles at 4:00 just as all the tour buses are leaving, and actually see the mirrors in that hall. You will climb the Arc de Triomphe one half hour before closing, to watch the light show on the Eiffel Tower and see all of Paris sparkling at your feet. You will see the Louvre only on the nights they are open late, when 2/3 of the usual crowd is out hunting for dinner and you can see an entire wing one evening and another the next open evening.

And, when you're tired of telling them how much of your money and time they are wasting, you and the other parent can enjoy the Italian bars for coffee and cornetti, and early morning market days, while they sleep the day away. 😝😝

I am as unfamiliar with the hours after 9:00 pm as some of you are of the hours before 9:00 am. It changed my perspective seeing late evenings, so it wasn't a bad thing.

Love it Nelly! We actually laughed out loud last year when we read the response to a parent telling them again and again to hit the main tourist sites before the opening hour to avoid the crowds. Some teens may be morning people but the vast majority of them aren't. The first year we took our 13 year old to Europe he came downstairs and surprised us during breakfast. I had tears in my eyes because I hadn't seen him up before 11 am in the summer since he entered middle school. It lasted for about 3 days and then it was over.

Mona, that's so true. Ours were 16 and 13 the first time. And it's another benefit of home exchanges. We were comfortable leaving them in the house for a few hours while we wandered around. No need to get them out before the maid arrived, and no need to worry about how many others might have room keys. and they could feed themselves if they did get up (that never happened).

Vacation? Kids? Some people actually find enjoyment with that combination? Amazing!

David, I love Bulgaria. Plovdiv is a simply an amazing town with a mix of Roman and Ottoman and Orthodox treasures. But amazing places pop up all over the country. We've been back twice and will be going back for a third trip in the next year or two.

I'll be in Amsterdam myself in April and have researched the Ann Frank Museum. I found that you can beat the long lines by making reservations online or purchasing one of the tourist cards; I believe it was IAmsterdam; with these you by pass the line and go right in (at least that is what I read). I believe the same applies to some of the other popular museums in Amsterdam.

The sentiments posted by Joel are good ones and I think tap into the next wave of effective travel knowledge with respect to Europe. To me, it is about having realistic expectations about crowds (and the 'costs' associated with them to you personally) at the outset and compiling a travel plan that can appropriately factor the 'costs' of the crowds in.

Personally, I have no desire to go to Paris, Rome, Venice, etc. in July. I simply know through experience that when I factor in the costs of crowds into the planning stage, these destinations will score lower than other less-crowded places. As an example, there are many cities with canals in Europe. Venice is the most magical is many ways, but given the crowds (and all peripherals associated with the crowds) I have found greater personal enjoyment in Annecy (which is by no means 'uncrowded' either, but to a lesser degree). This is highly subjective but I believe something that should be discussed more.

People are limited to when they can travel and (rightly so) feel compelled not to miss certain things that they haven't seen. However, I see so many proposed travel plans that are something like London-Paris-Barcelona-Florence-Rome in July. I think a subset (perhaps more) of folks would benefit from diversifying the trip to include cities, sites, and towns ranked lower on the travel priority ladder in lieu of some of these greatest hits - especially in high season. This temporal nuance is missing from most travel books and colloquial discussions of travel and I think that there's a sweet spot that can be achieved (a while ago - not sure what it is like now - would be Umbria instead of Tuscany, for example) that would maximize the overall travel experience.

-Matt