Places you’ve been which have been insanely busy

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Friends have just come back from Santorini and they said that in one town (I can’t remember the name), they were literally queuing to walk around. They couldn’t actually walk, but just shuffled along behind the people in front. It’s my idea of hell. My parents said similar about the old town in Barcelona and parts of Lake Garda. Where have you experienced this?

Ha, was coming on to answer Santorini to your title! Americans are obsessed with it and, IMHO, it is the worst Greek island I have visited!
Venice can be similarly packed. In fact, anywhere a giant cruise ship disgorges itself into a little town 😥

Lake Louise in Canada

Bournemouth beach. Madness!

Venice. Elbow to elbow on every street.
I do feel a bit like that in London as well, though I very rarely go there. Way too many people up close for my liking.

Venice well parts of, you don’t have to walk far to escape the crowds. Central London can be very crowded ditto Paris, Barcelona in fact most major cities.

Rome and New York, literally gripping the kids’ hands and constantly checking the older two to make sure they hadn’t been absorbed into the crowd. Terrifying!

I'll add West Wittering. Everyone in Surrey seems to thinks it's the only beach to visit

Padstow was ridiculously busy the last time I went. There were queues outside for most of the cafes and restaurants.

I work in central London in a non touristy area and it's never that busy!

Taormina, in Sicily, was packed when I went there about 20 years ago. God knows what it's like now! Avoid.

I also thought Santorini as soon as I saw the title, it was horrendous. Sistine Chapel is another.

St Peter's Pool in Malta. We thought we could do some nice snorkelling there - no chance! Absolutely heaving with young Italians and French bombing off the cliffs. No space on the rocks to put our towels. Loud music blaring. It was not at all what we were expecting.

Dubrovnik was insanely busy. We ended up going in the evening when the cruise ship people had gone. It was still fairly busy. I feel like there are not many places I want to visit anymore as they all seem to be too crowded. I know that’s hypocritical of me as I would be adding to the crowds. We live very near to what was once a quiet seaside place. Since COVID it’s become horrendously busy. Locals have trouble driving and parking outside their own homes due to visitors and camper vans. The camper van owners are the worst. They take over the local cafes moving chairs and tables to suit themselves. They sit for hours with one cup of tea. They contribute absolutely nothing to the local economy as they bring all their provisions with them. I have even seen them emptying chemical toilets into the street drains 🤢.

Bourton-on-the-Water. I love the Cotswolds but this place is nuts! Also Capri, I wouldn’t go back if you paid me.

On the train after the Olympics.

Capri, most specificially the middle of the main shopping area and Piazetta. Absolutely bonkes as it's on the cruise itineraary, as is Santorini.

The small towns on the Amalfii coast in summer are heaving and same for Cinque Terre.

Lots of these touristy places are much nicer if you stay a few nights as most get much quieter after the day trippers leave.

Otherwise, you need to go out od season to see some of these heavily touristed places now, or get off the main thoroughfares and use back streets. Also get up early and go for a walk as dawn breaks. Even Venice can be quite quiet at 6am!

Some of the most touristy shrines in Kyoto were insanely busy, and it was 37c as well which didn't help. But then, the slightly less famous shrine next door would be completely empty, and early morning and late at night even the most touristy areas were cool and quiet! So it wasn't too hard to escape the crowds if you were clever about it.

Piccadilly at Christmas is horrendous

I'll add West Wittering. Everyone in Surrey seems to thinks it's the only beach to visit

Isn't it the only one with pre booked parking?

I stayed in Oia in Santorini & it thinned out on the evenings. Venice - away from St Marks Square isn't too bad. Parts of Whitby get very busy.

We went to Santorini in June a couple of years ago and it wasn’t too bad. There was a period during some afternoons when the cruise ships off loaded people for lunch that was hectic, and the place where people go to watch the sunset was ridiculous, so we avoided. Otherwise, it was lovely.

I think Instagram/TikTok exposure has spoilt it in the last couple of years, perhaps?

As a Londoner, I avoid the museums and main tourist attractions in school holidays. We took some American friends on the London Eye and a a boat to Greenwich last summer, as they wanted to do this, and it was crazy-busy and stressful.

Got to be capri and also sorrento - and that was in May one year .that whole bit of Italy was nuts - luckily we had split the holiday with ischia and that was much better- nicely bustling but not queuing just to get a coffee etc !!

I've been to most of the places mentioned and they were busy but not insanely so. I suppose I'm lucky I'm old and visited places like Venice, Barcelona, Lake Garda, Rome and the Vatican, Santorini, New York etc before mass tourism.

The worst experience I ever had with crowds was Birmingham Christmas market about 15 years ago. It was scary. Someone was trying to impose a one way system and it all got a bit fraught. Couldn't get near any of the stalls. Ditto Lincoln Christmas market 20 odd years ago. Oh and Bath Christmas market. You'd think I would have learnt my lesson 😂

Amalfi coast in June, couldn’t wait to leave!

@KobeghGreen yep - as I live in Bath I was going to mention Xmas market here - I have with of relief the day it’s over ( usually around 13th dec) and start my Xmas shopping

Doesn’t need to be Xmas I went on Saturday it was unbelievable, so busy.