How to avoid huge tourist overcrowded destinations?

In April the queue to get into Shakespeare and co in Paris was huge. Lots of young Asian girls having their photos in front of the store.

I suspect most of them don't even know the story of the bookshop
 
When I was at the Trevi Fountain there were no crowds. Mind you it was 1990 and it was covered in scaffolding. Haven't managed to get back there. Hoping to make it to Rome in May. Might just fly off to Stockholm (Uppsala) instead for that part of the trip.
 
VPS said:
In April the queue to get into Shakespeare and co in Paris was huge. Lots of young Asian girls having their photos in front of the store.

I suspect most of them don't even know the story of the bookshop
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Absolutely
Just read a book FFS - its overcrowded and underwhelming
 
offshore171 said:
Yes agree with this.

The other thing, is to broaden the options to less overtouristed alternative towns and cities.

There's lots of YouTube videos about less travelled hidden gems in Europe.

Ignore the clickbait headline, but this is a good example, that suggests alternatives

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I really agree with you about choosing a destination that is not overrun, and still I worry that once something gets onto YouTube as a "hidden gem" then it is inevitably not too long until it is "discovered" by the masses and in turn becomes untenable.

We have really experienced this in Japan in the past 5 years or so, and we only travel there in winter - ski first and then travel a bit. Even our "off the more popular track" ski resorts are getting busier each year. And places we went only a few years ago where gaijin were a welcome novelty are now overrun and consequently tourists are made to feel unwelcome. We also had the same experience in Prague in December 2022 - vastly different to Prague in December 2005, which was our previous visit - and that felt truly frontier, and foreigners and our cash were very, very welcome.

I do feel very conflicted about this 🤷‍♀️- on the one hand, over tourism ruins what made the place attractive in the first place and spoils quality of life for local people. On the other hand, no one should have a monopoly over a city (to me it's like making whole cities the equivalent of "gated communities"), and I feel quite affronted about being unwelcome, as well as the reality that many people are happy to take the tourist dollar for their living. For these reasons, we have chosen NOT to go to Barcelona on our upcoming visit to Spain.

Great idea for a thread @latawiec . I'd like to ask in this thread how people choose a hidden gem? How do you find them, how do you decide to go there etc. Really interested in this topic.
 
prozac said:
When I am fit to travel again we'll hire a car either April-May, May-June, or Sept-Oct and drive through less crowded parts of Germany, Northern France, etc.. No major cities for us. Just drift around and meet locals.
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Like @Jacques Vert has been doing in France. I like this style of travel. Just have to sort my life out so I can be away for a bit longer. Easing into that with a 7 week trip planned over Nov-Jan to Middle East, Spain and Portugal.

I hope your time to travel again comes around quickly @prozac. My own medical issues have given me the impetus I need to finally decide to retire and so just finishing off a few client commitments that were hanging over from before I was sick, and then in 2025, I hope to be good to go - before the inevitable end of remission strikes me.
 
prozac said:
Just drift around and meet locals.
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Just not the constabulary
...
whats your top speed in a car in Germany?.
...

After the last TR involving a rental car, im intrigued with the TI and legal liability cover when operating a motor vehicle. As you know in AU, third party insurance is attached to the car registration. What happens in other places like EU?
 
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Quickstatus said:
Just not the constabulary
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Leave that to @Flashback . He's been a bit quiet, wot no fights this week Flashback?
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Seat0B said:
Like @Jacques Vert has been doing in France. I like this style of travel. Just have to sort my life out so I can be away for a bit longer. Easing into that with a 7 week trip planned over Nov-Jan to Middle East, Spain and Portugal.

I hope your time to travel again comes around quickly @prozac. My own medical issues have given me the impetus I need to finally decide to retire and so just finishing off a few client commitments that were hanging over from before I was sick, and then in 2025, I hope to be good to go - before the inevitable end of remission strikes me.
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I need to improve my fitness a bit, but mainly I am determined not to have to buy fat pants to travel. ;)
 
Seat0B said:
Great idea for a thread @latawiec . I'd like to ask in this thread how people choose a hidden gem? How do you find them, how do you decide to go there etc. Really interested in this topic.
Click to expand...

That's an excellent question. Often it's a case of finding a lesser known "little sister" of the overtouristed place.

A good start is to simply search on "alternatives to ..."

For Prague for example, this result came up: The European town that's a ‘prettier’ Prague alternative — without the stag dos

eg: Instead of Amsterdam consider Utrecht, for every Lake Como, there is a Lake Orta, for Hamptons there's Cape Cod, for Tuscany there is an Umbria, for Japan there is Korea, And so on

Just on that last one, you mentioned:

Seat0B said:
And places we went only a few years ago where gaijin were a welcome novelty are now overrun and consequently tourists are made to feel unwelcome.
Click to expand...

The Japanese are definitely getting jaded and weary of foreign tourists. On our last trip, we dedicated more time to Korea. This was quite a contrast. Korea is still in the emerging phase for western tourists, only getting a fraction of what Japan sees. They are incredibly welcoming.

Great country and will go back
 
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offshore171 said:
That's an excellent question. Often it's a case of finding a lesser known "little sister" of the overtouristed place.

A good start is to simply search on "alternatives to ..."

For Prague for example, this result came up: The European town that's a ‘prettier’ Prague alternative — without the stag dos

eg: Instead of Amsterdam consider Utrecht, for every Lake Como, there is a Lake Orta, for Hamptons there's Cape Cod, for Tuscany there is an Umbria, for Japan there is Korea, And so on

Just on that last one, you mentioned:



The Japanese are definitely getting jaded and weary of foreign tourists. On our last trip, we dedicated more time to Korea. This was quite a contrast. Korea is still in the emerging phase for western tourists, only getting a fraction of what Japan sees. They are incredibly welcoming.

Great country and will go back
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these are all great suggestions - the little sister approach is one we have already used a few times, and will dust off again.
 
Quickstatus said:
No I meant dont get in trouble with fhe constabulary after what happened to the Rons while roaming in a rental car.
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Oh, yes. I am still stunned by that episode. In 1976 we berthed in a Japanese port and some of the crew went ashore. A young Geordie seaman, about 6'4" got drunk and was arrested. When 2 policemen placed him inside their car he went ballistic and basically tore it apart. I can't recall how he was released but it was early next morning. I think they were very happy to get rid of him.
 
latawiec said:
In June there was a very long queue to Pantheon, the Temple of all gods and also the marvel with a dome of the Roman Concrete ....

I have been inside Pantheon a number of times on previous visits to Rome, and wanted to see it once more but give it up seeing this queue 😞 View attachment 406637
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Lucky you

The day we idled by the ticketigg by system had broken down so they had stopped letting walk ups in !

Also currently in Tangiers Morocco
Seems there’s precious few tourists around …. The cruise ships don’t visit
But it’s night times of ponies, horses and loads of locals on the sea-front!
 
Seat0B said:
these are all great suggestions - the little sister approach is one we have already used a few times, and will dust off again.
Click to expand...
I often do little sister because they are often (not always) intrinsically more interesting

EG: I love Antwerp and have spent lots of time there /never really busy and lots of good food/laneways to explore/gorgeous buildings and squares including the station. Brussels not so
much

Despite my earlier photo from Oslo (castigating cruise ship tourists) it was not overcrowded even in July and so many more parks and galleries I want to see. Happy to go back

Lucca is a great alternative to Florence. (Even though I love love Florence)

Cernobbio instead of Como /Bellagio

I would never go back to Barcelona - not the crowds or hostility - but apart from Gaudi apartments/Sagrada found it filthy and unappealing

Loved Lisbon - was not too crowded and it was gorgeous - but the area now ‘discovered’ especially Sintra/Cascais/Estoril

If I see a place targeted with lots of accommodation to hens/stag/package with ‘full English’ — I look elsewhere
 

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