How to avoid huge tourist overcrowded destinations?

[dajop]

So last September we spent some time in Puglia and Calabria. Plenty of holidaymakers but not so many tourists if you get what I mean by this. Not many foreigners TBH, apart from a number of Australians (and the odd American) visiting their cousins.

Enroute back to Rome to fly home we did a half day trip from Salerno to Amalfi. OMG is all I can say. Stark contrast the the previous visit 14 years earlier (almost to the day - early September). Never again. The ferry ride was enjoyable though.

Rome , apart from the crowds at the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon which were crazy wasn’t all that bad. We walked pass the Trevi fountain late at night and it was much more relaxed. But been there twice before.

My over riding rule js that in most places you can wander away from the main “drag” or main sites and within a few minutes you’ll be free of the (tourist) crowds and often have a more interesting experience anyway.

 

[burmans]

'How to avoid huge tourist overcrowded destinations?'

Stay at home.

I would have thought just travelling out of peak periods is a good start. Never really understood why so many people go to Europe in July/August when June/Sept/Oct are so much more pleasant and much less crowded.

 

[SYD]

I’m at the back end of a 6 wk Euro trip (including cruising around the Med). Normally you couldn’t pay me to come to Europe in July/August but the specific cruise controlled the timing.

My chief complaint is the weather. Hot as hell and nothing is really geared up for it - despite having hot summers every year…

BCN didn’t seem any more busy than previous visits but it has been heaving with visitors since the Olympics - a very long time ago. They are victims of their own success - especially cleaning up the beaches.

Haven’t been to Rome for ages and even back then, I was shocked to see a conga line to get into St Peters. 10 years earlier, same time of year - just waltzed in - no line, no crowd.

 

[ols]

friend in Rome in March and said it was wall to wall people

as it was in May this year.

 

[Catweazle]

I prefer to avoid overcrowded destinations by going out of my way to avoid tourist destinations.

Bali? Nah.

London? Never mind.

Singapore? Boring.

Join a group of incompetent tourists? My worst nightmare.

Stand in a queue for ages? Shoot me quick.

My favourite travel destinations have always been the further-flung places where I don't seem to know of others who have visited. Places like Barrow (AK):


Or Molokai (HI):


Or Papua New Guinea:


Or Palm Island (QLD):


Or the Azores islands:

That said, I'll admit that I do like Paris and Venice.

 

[Scr77]

I prefer to avoid overcrowded destinations by going out of my way to avoid tourist destinations.

Bali? Nah.

London? Never mind.

Singapore? Boring.

Join a group of incompetent tourists? My worst nightmare.

Stand in a queue for ages? Shoot me quick.

My favourite travel destinations have always been the further-flung places where I don't seem to know of others who have visited. Places like Barrow (AK):
View attachment 406584

Or Molokai (HI):
View attachment 406583

Or Papua New Guinea:
View attachment 406586

Or Palm Island (QLD):
View attachment 406580

Or the Azores islands:
View attachment 406593
That said, I'll admit that I do like Paris and Venice.

Put Christmas Island on you list then.

 

[latawiec]

I have a photo of me sitting at Trevi fountain in 1988 with one other tourist - and noone else

....and it looks like this in 2024....

In addition the Piazza Navona is closed due to renovations.

 

[RooFlyer]

My over riding rule js that in most places you can wander away from the main “drag” or main sites and within a few minutes you’ll be free of the (tourist) crowds and often have a more interesting experience anyway.

I visited Nassau, the Bahamas one weekend a few years ago while I was working I in Canada.

Two cruise ships were in. The main drag was crowded beyond comfort. It was just a strip of gay food joints, jewellers and souvenir shops but that's where everyone was.

I was on my way to see Government House, about 5 blocks walk up a moderate Hill. Just one block of the main drag there was hardly anyone. After two blocks - not a soul. Needless to say I was the only tourist at Government House.

 

[ols]

I prefer to avoid overcrowded destinations by going out of my way to avoid tourist destinations.

Bali? Nah.

London? Never mind.

Singapore? Boring.

Join a group of incompetent tourists? My worst nightmare.

Stand in a queue for ages? Shoot me quick.

My favourite travel destinations have always been the further-flung places where I don't seem to know of others who have visited. Places like Barrow (AK):
View attachment 406584

Or Molokai (HI):
View attachment 406583

Or Papua New Guinea:
View attachment 406586

Or Palm Island (QLD):
View attachment 406580

Or the Azores islands:
View attachment 406593
That said, I'll admit that I do like Paris and Venice.

I reckon you would like Lombok

 

[latawiec]

I have a photo of me sitting at Trevi fountain in 1988 with one other tourist - and noone else

....and it looks like this in 2024....

In addition Piazza Navona is closed due to renovations.

 

[clifford]

I would have thought just travelling out of peak periods is a good start. Never really understood why so many people go to Europe in July/August when June/Sept/Oct are so much more pleasant and much less crowded.

I was just spreading out my trips to Europe. I had visited in Mar/Apr and am going again next month, so July seemed to be a reasonable mid point. But, lesson learnt, I'll avoid Europe in July/August in future (apart from the UK, which is relatively quiet then).

 

[clifford]

I prefer to avoid overcrowded destinations by going out of my way to avoid tourist destinations.

My favourite travel destinations have always been the further-flung places where I don't seem to know of others who have visited. Places like Barrow (AK):

You could always try Barrow-in-Furness then. Would suit you to a tee I think.

 

[Quickstatus]

Get rid of instagram

 

[drron]

Get rid of instagram

And Tik Tok.

 

[prozac]

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.

 

[Lynda2475]

The trick to not being crowded out is to avoid days when cruise ships are in port; if the city in question has a port.

I had 3 days in Dubrovnik, first 2 were wonderful no large cruise ships, the last a total nightmare but had planned ahead to do trip/activity which was not offered to cruise passengers on that day.

Personally I wouldn't travel offseason and suffer terrible weather, rather just work to optimize itinerary to avoid cruise ships.

Instagrammers and TikTok~ers have some blame, but cruise industry much bigger offenders in drowning cities in unsupportable tourist numbers.

 

[latawiec]

Rome , apart from the crowds at the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon which were crazy wasn’t all that bad.

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

 

[p--and--t]

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

Haven't been there in June (April nearly 20years ago) which I expected would be much busier. But those queues look horrendous . Not something I would wait for.

 

[latawiec]

Yes agree with this.

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

Agree, that there is a lot of beautiful places to visit in summer.

We have been to a number of them like:
Finland with Helsinki
Estonia with Tallinn
Svalbard or Spitsbergen north of Norway
Norway with many fjords
Denmark
Germany, Austria & Switzerland Greenland
Canada
New Zealand

And I am sure that there are many other interesting locations and countries to discover.

 

[Blackadder]

Southern US in Summer tends to keep tourists away for some reason, so the perfect time to visit the deep South for me.