Ten places in Europe ruined by overtourism (and where to go instead)

Holidaymakers in Europe’s busiest spots face crowds, hostile locals and high prices, but there are excellent alternatives.

The latest European destination to fall foul of over-tourism is Comino, a once-paradisiacal Maltese island that has turned into a “litter-strewn disaster zone” according to recent reports, thanks to its popularity with Instagrammers.

Tourists crowd the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia.Credit: Alamy

But though it may seem as though the whole continent is suffering under the weight of so many visitors, there are still plenty of quiet corners if you know where to look. Below, we highlight 10 of Europe’s most touristy spots and suggest alternatives for each.

The overdone: Venice

Venice has long been a magnet for tourists.Credit: iStock

This city’s overtourism woes are well-publicised, with authorities doing all they can to prevent daytrippers and weekend breakers flooding the streets and canals.

The alternative: Treviso

Treviso, the only real alternative to Venice.Credit: iStock

Journalists have cited many local spots – including nearby Chioggia and Comacchio – as dupes for Italy’s most famous city. But for Monica Cesarato, a local tour guide and author, there’s only one alternative: Treviso.

Adorned with the prerequisite canals, bordered by shady arches and faded palazzos (as well as medieval walls and fresco-trimmed churches), this underrated city is less busy than Venice but shares its cicchetti culture as well as its watery thoroughfares. Stay at Palazzo Bortolan, with its roof terrace overlooking the river Sile. Doubles from €130 ($225), room only.

The overdone: Mykonos

Tourists dining al fresco in Mykonos.Credit: Alamy

Two million tourists per year flock to Greece’s party island for pricey cocktails and posh meals but during summer, you’ll need to book ahead and pay through the nose.

The alternative: Tinos

Kardiani, a village on Tinos.Credit: iStock

A ferry hop from its popular neighbour, Tinos, has been taking off for almost a decade, but it’s never quite hit the big time. Larger, but with less tourists, it’s great for “some of the best local food and wine, excellent beaches and mountain hiking – though for clubbing, you’ll need to head over to Mykonos,” says Peter Marston who owns the meticulously-restored Xinara House and Blacksmith’s Villa, in a car-free village on the island. Three nights cost from $1430, self-catering.

The overdone: Cinque Terre

The once relatively undiscovered cliffside trails of Cinque Terre in Italy are increasingly populated with tourists.Credit: Getty Images

One-way routes and bans on thongs are just a couple of ways the authorities have tried to increase safety on the Cinque Terre’s packed hiking routes, which connect its five cliff-hugging villages.

The alternative: Aeolian Islands

Salina, the second-largest Aeolian island.Credit: iStock

A sleepy Italian secret, this string of seven rocky outcrops is a ferry hop from Sicily. Like the Cinque Terre’s villages, each island has a distinct character – from Salina’s vine-crossed landscape to the wilds of Filicudi, which come topped by Bronze Age ruins. Outside of August, they’re quiet too. Expect peaceful hikes to secret beaches along cactus-scattered cliff-side paths or, for something more extreme, head 400m up fumarole-topped Stromboli. On Salina, Hotel Punta Scario has rooms from about $430.

The overdone: Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is increasingly popular.Credit: iStock

It was already known for its August crowds, but these grew 3 per cent year-on-year in 2024, according to The Dubrovnik Times.

The alternative: Ston

Ston’s old town walls were built in the 14th and 15th centuries, and they are much longer than the walls in Dubrovnik.Credit: iStock

Emma Heywood, founder of Undiscovered Balkans, recommends the town of Ston, on Croatia’s Peljesac peninsula, as a worthy swap for the country’s capital. “It’s known to Croatians as a mini-Dubrovnik, but without the cruise ships and yachts because one side is a protected marine park for oyster farming, and the other is salt pans,” she says.

It’s also surrounded by walkable, rambling medieval city walls such as the Wall of Ston (the second longest in the world after the Great Wall of China). A week-long multi-activity holiday with the town as its base costs from $2455 per person, including activities and some meals, excluding flights.

The overdone: Lisbon

Crowds enjoy the nightlife of Lisbon. Credit: iStock

The once-quiet Portuguese capital has morphed into one of Europe’s busiest cities, where visitors cram the trams and queue around the block for the Santa Justa Lift.

The alternative: Faro

Faro is a peaceful place compared to Lisbon.Credit: iStock

It seems strange to head to the Algarve to escape tourists, but the region’s working towns bear no resemblance to its busy resorts. Faro’s photogenic Old Town is largely pedestrianised, cobbled and surrounded by ancient walls, but its churches and cafes are quiet and calm.

And while hundreds of Instagrammers take the ferry across Lisbon’s Tagus River for social media-worthy dinners in waterside restaurants, from Faro you can hop to the breezy, white-sand beaches of the Ria Formosa islands and sunbathe in relative peace. Near the Old Town, Lemon Tree Stay has doubles from about $200 via booking.com.

The overdone: Mallorca

The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, overlooking the beach in Palma de Mallorca.Credit: Bloomberg

In 2024, well-publicised anti-tourist demonstrations proved that Mallorca had had enough. This year’s campaign has already kicked off, with an open letter from seven local organisations urging visitors to “stay home”.

The alternative: Santa Maria, Azores

Santa Maria: tame and sunny.Credit: iStock

For island life without the animosity, fly further. The tamest and sunniest of the wild islands of the Azores, Santa Maria is a place of empty beaches, clifftop viewpoints and a lovable 15th-century island capital, Vila do Porto. Here, the cobbles of Main Street are rarely troubled by more than an occasional ambling maxi-taxi while the handful of restaurants are mum and dad affairs. In the town, Charming Blue has rooms from about $270.

The overdone: Comino

The ‘once-paradisiacal’ Blue Lagoon in Comino, Malta.Credit: iStock

The aforementioned Comino made headlines recently for its rat-infested beach and crowds of influencers.

The alternative: Lampedusa

Unspoiled ... Rabbit Beach on the island of Lampedusa.Credit: Getty Images

It may be Italian, but Spiaggia dei Conigli, or Rabbit Beach, on Lampedusa is a mere hour from Comino by hydrofoil and regularly called the most beautiful beach in the world. Its A-list looks understandably draw holidaying hordes – but their numbers are now controlled by a bookings system in an effort to maintain its pristine perfection, as well as the loggerhead turtles who lay their eggs here. Nearby four-star Cupola Bianca has roms from about $230 a night.

The overdone: Barcelona

Tourists walk along Las Ramblas in Barcelona.Credit: Bloomberg

Violent (if you count water pistols) protests showed tourists exactly what city dwellers thought of them in 2024, but there were still 15.5 million overnight stays.

The alternative: Girona

The colours of Girona.Credit: iStock

It’s only 40 minutes away by train, but Girona has escaped much of the tourist traffic. Far more walkable, it’s a place to mooch along the river Onyar towards lunch at one of its increasingly lauded restaurants or spend long nights putting the world to rights in bars in ancient squares. There are museums and churches too (don’t miss the Museu del Cinema). The city’s chicest stay, Palau Fugit, has rooms from about $350.

The overdone: Nice

The crowded beach of Nice.Credit: iStock

This Riviera city’s mayor recently announced new legislation that he hopes will halve AirBnBs in its busiest neighbourhoods, stating “I will not allow the people of Nice to be prevented from living in Nice!“.

The alternative: Toulon

Toulon has an image problem but is worth visiting.Credit: iStock

An hour-and-a-half drive’s west along the coast, Toulon has a long-standing image problem thanks to some ill-advised post-war architecture and its home as France’s largest naval base. But visiting reveals Haussmann boulevards, a buzzy harbour lined with restaurants and a string of city beaches at Plages du Mourillon. Overlooking the port, L’Eautel has rooms from about $200.

The overdone: Ibiza

These days, Ibiza’s coastlines are packed with tourists and party-goers.Credit: Alamy

The party island has come a long way from its hippy roots, when pioneering ex-pats took pilgrimages to Es Vedra and traipsed into the interior to make calls from its only pay phone at Bar Anita. Now, only multi-millionaires can afford property and party goers pack the coastline.

The alternative: La Graciosa

Caleta de Sebo is a town on the island of La Graciosa.Credit: iStock

Head back in time to the Canaries, specifically the lesser-visited island of La Graciosa, half an hour by ferry from Lanzarote. There are no paved roads on this tiny dollop, just long sweeps of sand bordered by neon blue water and linked by meandering hiking and biking trails.

Don’t expect glam hotels either. Instead, holidaymakers rent apartments in the island’s two teeny towns, Pedro Barba, with its cobalt shutters and looping paths of palms, and slightly bigger Caleta de Sebo, where neat white terraces line sandy pathways towards the sea. Evita Beach has apartments from about $520 a night for a two-night minimum stay.

The Telegraph, London