Most overly-crowded tourist site vou've been to (trip, route, bus)
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Before COVID, I had to go monthly to a work dinner event around 50th and 7th, after which I walked to Penn NY about 8 p.m. to catch my train. Walking through TS always felt like being in a bad dream with the flashing lights endless tourists posing for pictures with the cartoon characters wannabe rappers trying to sell their CDs show ticket pushers. And M&Ms. LOL.
Oh, God, the M&Ms. I've mostly been in that area in the evening because I've gone to some plays and musicals and they're all in that area. It's so bright at night; it is very disorienting.
Lake Louise, outside of Banff, Alberta. Fortunately I’d been before about a dozen years ago but happened to be in the area a couple of years ago so thought we’d stop. We would have had to park several mikes away and take a shuttle bus. That was a big nope.
Venice Italy in late summer about decade ago way to many tourists to fully enjoy. Also had the tidal issue which left St Mark's Square submerged so wading boots would have been helpful. Last trip to Prague in 2016 late summer same issue in the old town area.
US sites I generally know when to avoid and prefer off season. Only exception was being in Yellowstone during a "National Parks road trip and driving through in late summer. As a nature type attraction I would expect to go slow and stop and see as many sights as possible, however, the amount of people who treat it more like a zoo are quite annoying. Let the wildlife alone and stay away from them.
I recall as a young child being in Disney World when it seemed very crowded, but I did not care as it was my first trip there. Some of the fun in places like DW is people watching.
We visited Rome during the off season, or so they said. We had 'skip the line' tickets to the Vatican Museums and didn't go with a tour group but it was still pretty crowded. We spend a lot of time dodging tour groups, but at least we could see things between groups. I can't imagine how folks in a tour group could see anything.
The Sistine chapel was bizarre. A large barn like stone room with ceiling and upper walls painted with really big paintings but they still looked like quilt blocks. It didn't feel church like because the walls were pretty stark other than the paintings. The floor was wall to wall folks standing there looking up with sort of a slow current of folks moving through it. Most of the tour groups cut out the back door from there and went to St. Peter's Basilica so the rest of the Vatican Museums were less crowded. The Popemobile museum (a museum for the carriages and cars the popes have had over the years, I'm sure if it has a name it's different than the 'popemobile museum') was almost empty.
St. Peter's was another crowded spot although by not being part of a tour group, we could dodge around them. The line to go through security went about three quarters of the way around the big courtyard but it was less than an hour to get in. No place to sit once you're in, though. Not sure if there's some sort of portable chair that could be carried, but a sit spot sure would be nice at some point when visiting St. Peter's. Also binoculars since the whole place is decorated and a lot of it is way too high up to see.
The Trevi fountain was wall to wall folks although we did find a spot to sit for a bit at the top of the bleachers. One of the amazing things with Rome was where folks weren't looking. The floor of the Sistene Chapel is a pretty amazing mosaic. Across the street from the Trevi fountain is a building with some pretty amazing gingerbread but nobody is looking at it.
So...in essences it took you from palm Sunday to get to the cathedral to celebrate Easter? That is one looooonnng procession
Mine was Sturgis back in 1990's. The port-a-pots were a disgrace. Took an hour to wait and the guys had no problem just going where they pleased. But sardine crowded is how I recall it. And smelled like it too!
If you check, I said processions plural, they have them daily, from different churches to the Catedral de Sevilla, during Holy Week the penitents do between six and nine processions per day.
Looking at some of the horror stories on here, I guess that I’m fortunate to live in central London, Rome is a 2hrs 45m flight, Athens, Greece 3hrs 45m, Barcelona, Spain, 2hrs. 15m, and Paris, France 2hrs 15m on the Eurostar train which goes under the English Channel.
As a self employed London taxi driver, I travelled whenever it suited me, unlike most tourists who could only go at vacation time, so I’ve stood at the Trevi Fountain with maybe 30-40 people around me, likewise the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and at the Acropolis in Athens, also at many of the sights of Paris.
I have had a long wait on line to get into Busch Gardens, Tampa, FL, but let’s be reasonable, with Florida’s weather, people visit all year round.
There is nothing on God’s green earth that could tempt me to go see Mickey in Orlando though.
When my kids were younger, I’d catch the Dover to Oostende, Belgium ferry in summertime, and have a week or two in Blankenberge, or Knokke-le-Heist, both in Belgium, they had lots of kids attractions and sandy beaches.
Like a couple have mentioned above, I've only lived in the largest cities of the world, so contended with throngs of tourists 5-days/wk my entire life.
Of course, any holiday events or large concerts/parades/celebrations made me always avoid those places, so I've never actually been to the 4th Pops concert on the Esplanade, Chinese New Year or NYE First Night events. 1/2-1M people squished into small sections of 1 city is enough to keep me away from anything anywhere on my own time. During working hours... I've no choice.
Back in the old days before co's had fridges, microwaves or kitchen areas for employees (we often ate at our desks) & lunches were 1-hr, when hurrying out to p/u lunch at noon, trying to make my way through the maze of slow, middle-of-the-sidewalk walking, lunch-statue-historic site seeking, black-socks-with-sandals tourists, who'd suddenly stop cold with their giant, unfolded maps to ask directions of (i.e., scare the life out of) a local race-walking at 40mph in high heels, so they can get back to work on time... well, it was a tourist party everyday.
My only complaint back then was tourists should have been prohibited from taking lunch from noon-2pm in large cities (half kidding)... cuz we also had to wait in line behind multiple parties of 6 chatting slowpokes from Iowa, trying to figure out how to pronounce local/foreign foods & engage in friendly banter with the "rude" locals. We're not rude, Blanche, Marge & Gary... we're just trying to p/u our bosses' lunches with far too many substitutions, extra this or less that on half wheat-half whatever-the-Valhalla & get back to the office before being given a written warning for cold coffee or too much cream in the tea.
These were the suits-only office days & pre-drink carrier box generation... you just juggled it all in multiple paper bags. The amazing Olympic jaunts I made, sprinting over sidewalk cracks, fresh tar & puddles with 1/2-dozen hot coffees, sandwiches & salads with dressing & pastries... & never getting a drop on my silk blouse, getting a stiletto stuck in a curb or trampling a tiny tourist to death, deserves some sort of award.
I'm being tongue-in-cheek & know that those tourists keep our big cities economically healthy... but, it's still stressful when all you want is a cup of chili & a bun from Mug 'o Muffin, you have to eat while walking back to work, cuz there's no time or room to sit down in any restaurant & you're walking faster than humanly possible in order to jaunt passed smiling folks who've never seen a bustling city or skyscraper, before they jump in front of you to ask where's the best clam chowder in Faneuil Hall or which letter-color train or series of busses do you take to Fenway Pk or < insert city name here > downtown area.
The phrase, "Lady, I'm walkin' here!" wasn't invented for nothing.
Seriously, the most tourists I've encountered was any large city I lived & worked during lunch time... & that's from Boston to L.A. to NYC to London, Milan & Tokyo. Tourist money drives many major cities... or greatly contributes.
The Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay in Paris 8 years ago. Both jammed to the gills. Some tourists just went up to each painting, took a picture of it with their tablet computer, took a picture of the informational plaque, then moved to the next one. Rinse and repeat. We love Impressionist paintings but in the d'Orsay the major works were in a room where you were routed around the perimeter, which is NOT how to view Impressionists- you get up close and then see the picture emerge form the brush strokes as you slowly back away. Not possible. Fortunately I'd read about an exhibit of Slovenian Impressionists at Le Petite Palais, a small gallery where we were practically the only ones there. Who knew there were Slovenian Impressionists? Much better experience.
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