Alternatives to overcrowded destinations
Overtourism has reached the point where several cities charge fees to limit visitors. These are real alternatives, not consolation prizes.
Why consider an alternative
It isn't only the queues. In the most saturated destinations prices are inflated, tourist-facing food is worse, and a large part of the experience is spent waiting. Several cities have also begun applying access fees or capacity limits for exactly this reason.
Instead of Venice: Chioggia or Ljubljana
Chioggia sits in the same lagoon, has canals and a fraction of the visitors. And if what draws you is a small city of water and bridges, Ljubljana offers something similar in scale and feel for considerably less.
Instead of Santorini: Naxos or Milos
Naxos has better beaches and equally pretty villages at half the price. Milos has spectacular volcanic landscapes and coves that simply don't exist on Santorini.
Instead of Dubrovnik: Kotor or Split
Kotor has a striking bay, walls and a medieval old town, in Montenegro and at much lower prices. Split is larger and livelier, with an old town built inside a Roman palace.
Instead of Barcelona: Valencia or Bilbao
Valencia has an urban beach, a historic centre and an enormous park, with half the crowding. Bilbao combines contemporary architecture with a first-rate food scene and very little mass tourism.
Instead of Amsterdam: Utrecht or Ghent
Utrecht is half an hour away by train, has two-level canals and is where the people working in Amsterdam actually live. Ghent has a medieval centre comparable to Bruges with far fewer visitors.
The trick that works everywhere
Almost every overcrowded destination has a quiet version less than an hour away. And if you still want the famous one, changing the date works better than changing the destination: the same city in October or February is an entirely different experience.
Keep reading
Browse every cities destination, or go back to the board and filter by month.