European Cities Ruined by Tourism
Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re talking about some of our travel experiences in Europe and the impact we’ve seen from overtourism. As you know, Mark has worked and studied in different areas of Europe for the last 30 years, so he’s seen first-hand how some cities have gained more popularity than they can handle. This list contains some of the coolest cities in the world, so we don’t recommend skipping them, but find a way to visit that lessens your impact. And be prepared for crowds!
Venice, Italy
Venice is famously overcrowded and was one of the first cities to try to put measurements in place to slow the growth of tourism. Venice has a population of around 250,000 people but welcomed nearly 6 million tourists in 2023. They have limited when and where cruise ships can come in, and have instituted visitor taxes, but you will rarely find solitude in Venice.
Amalfi Coast, Italy
Another Italian destination that’s been overrun with tourists is the Amalfi Coast. It’s not just popular with international tourists, but Italians love vacationing on the Amalfi Coast as well! The cities are wedged between the sea and the cliffs, so there’s really no room to spread out. While the Amalfi Coast is beautiful, we recommend visiting Puglia as an alternative.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona has become extremely popular, too. Barcelona’s beautiful weather means that this is a popular destination year-round; there’s not really an off-season. The crowds of tourists are one of the reasons why Barcelona is known as the pickpocket capital of the world. To combat over-tourism, Barcelona is starting to promote alternate destinations outside of the city.
Paris, France
Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world and has been for years. The mix of culture, food, history, art, and architecture draws tourists from all over the world. Paris has done a pretty good job mitigating the crowds. The Metro system makes it easy to stay outside of the city and commute in, which helps a bit. But if you are visiting any major Paris attraction, you better have advance tickets and a lot of patience.
Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is packed with tourists in high season. It’s a super popular destination for international travelers, and cheap flights make it a popular weekend getaway for European travelers. If you can, pre book your tickets to popular attractions like the Book of Kells and Kilmainham Gaol, the Dublin jail.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
20 years ago, Croatia was a hidden gem. Tourism in Croatia more than doubled from 2006 to 2019. Between tour buses and cruise ships, Dubrovnik is packed in the summer! If you can stay overnight, it quiets down considerably after the buses and boats depart. It can actually be quite a nice city to enjoy if you wait until all the other tourists leave. Split Croatia is a fantastic alternative to Dubrovnik, with far fewer tourists.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam was an early victim of over-tourism, thanks in part to its reputation as a party city. They are starting to implement some changes to slow the impact of tourists. For example, the famous I <3 Amsterdam sign was relocated to a less crowded neighborhood in order to draw visitors to other parts of the city. They’ve also stopped advertising widely and are being more thoughtful about the tourists they want to attract.
Athens, Greece
We’ve been visiting Greece for at least 20 years, and Athens has become insanely crowded. It’s gotten so bad that they have to close the Acropolis during the heat of the day in summer because people were passing out while waiting in line. There is no breathing room in Athens!
Mistakes to Avoid When Visiting Greece
Santorini, Greece
Another popular Greek destination that has become very crowded is the island of Santorini. The photogenic white buildings with blue roofs crawling up the hillside make Santorini a very popular place to go in Greece. You cannot visit Santorini on a whim; you have to plan your accommodations far in advance because it’s an island with limited facilities.
Lisbon, Portugal
I love Lisbon. I lived there for five years and got my PhD there. My youngest son was born in Lisbon. So I’ve seen first-hand how tourism has improved the economy, but it’s also not been able to keep up with the growth. Locals have been priced out of living downtown, thanks to short-term apartment rentals. If you can, visit Lisbon in the shoulder seasons and avoid summer in Lisbon.
Florence, Italy
Florence has been so overrun by tourists that they are implementing laws that are not friendly to tourists. They have considered laws like outlawing eating ice cream while walking, or impromptu picnics in the park, just to cut back on the tourists. Fortunately, Florence is nice year-round, so if you can avoid summer crowds, you’ll love Florence.
Mykonos, Greece
Mykonos is another Greek island that has been overrun by tourists. Like Santorini, Mykonos has become “Instagram-famous” and just gets incredibly crowded in the summer. It is a seasonal destination, meaning a lot of things close down in the off-season, so that’s not a great option, either. We recommend visiting any of the other Greek islands. There are plenty to choose from.
Hallstatt, Austria
Hallstatt is an adorable village on a lake in the Austrian Alps. It’s super quaint and charming, but it was one of the towns that inspired Frozen. The town has about 800 residents and it gets around 10,000 visitors per day! Salzburg and Innsbruck are equally beautiful but much better prepared to handle throngs of tourists.
Toledo, Spain
Toledo is one of the most popular day trips from Madrid, and it’s the Catholic capital of Spain. It gets super crowded in the daytime. So maybe stay in Toledo and enjoy it before and after the day trip crowds, and then visit Madrid on a day trip from Toledo.
Mallorca, Spain
Mallorca has been a popular destination for decades. When Mark lived in Germany 20 years ago, they called Mallorca the 17th German State, because so many Germans retired there. Summer is the busiest season to visit, but spring and fall are still nice but with fewer tourists.
Iceland
Most of the destinations on this list are cities, but in this case, we’re going to say the entire country of Iceland has been overwhelmed by tourists. The overtourism of the most popular sites is taking a toll on the natural beauty of Iceland. The roads are narrow and not adapted for the volume of international drivers.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is a beautiful city and well worth visiting, but it’s so busy. It’s a fairly large city, so you have tons of locals trying to get around alongside the tourists. Scotland is so easy to get around; make Edinburgh a day trip and spend the rest of your time exploring the rest of the country. Similar to Dublin and Lisbon, short-term apartment rentals have displaced locals who can no longer afford to live in the city center.
Munich, Germany
Munich doesn’t often come to mind when talking about overtourism. It’s a huge city, so it can absorb a lot of visitors more easily than smaller towns. However, if you’re in the main square in Munich, watching the Glockenspiel, it’s definitely going to be crowded. Explore other parts of the city and other areas of Germany. There are so many great day trips from Munich where you can escape the crowds!
Prague, Czechia
Prague is one of my favorite cities. It’s affordable and easily accessible from all over Europe, so it’s become the go-to spot for bachelor and bachelorette parties. It can be obnoxious on the weekends. But it’s also a place where you can venture just a few blocks off the main square and find a bit more peace. Bratislava is a great alternative to Prague if you want to avoid crowds.
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All of these cities are fantastic places to visit and they are popular for a reason, but they do have their problems as well. This is why we also visit places like Ouro Preto, Brazil or Polignano a Mare. We want to show you other places in the world you can visit, where you can feel like a local and not just another tourist. Places need tourists for their economy, but it has to be more spread out, or more conscientious tourists. Visit in the off-season, and plan your day trips during the week.
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