Euro Cruisers---Are You Seeing These Crowds at Ports

[DCThunder]

I saw this article today about how packed most European "hot-spots" are this summer.  If you've been on a European cruise, are you seeing this level of crowding on shore excursions.  As least on a cruise, you have a place to go back to at the end of the day and aren't sclepping around a suitcase.

 

Tourists are packing European hotspots, boosted by Americans (msn.com)

 

[Sn0cruiser]

We were in the Med in early May which I bought would be relatively less tourists.  Most locations were busy but not more than I would have expected.  The worst locations were the Acropolis, where getting through the Popylae gate was a crazy bottleneck both arriving and leaving though the actual Acropolis was not bad.  The Vatican museum was ridiculous- a race through crowds and galleries - no time to stop to look at anything.   But the rest of our Rome stop wasn’t bad.   Oia in Santorini was wall to wall people and we walked down the donkey trail because the cable car line was humongous.   

[luvseaside]

Just read that the Acropolis is starting a timed ticket entry beginning in two weeks or so. https://greekreporter.com/2023/07/11/acropolis-crowds-time-slots-e-ticketing/

We have a tour scheduled so hopefully the tour operator will manage that. I may drop them an email to make sure.

 

[LynnSD]

We were three weeks in the Med on the Regal last year, and yes, the crowds and heat were extremely hard to bear.  Our worst experience was Istanbul — long slow lines to get into the sites, and shoulder to shoulder once you did get in. 
 

Fortunately for us we had been to most of the ports.  We chose excursions that did not take us to the major tourist sites, and those were much more enjoyable.  
 

We have a trip to France planned for September and I’m starting to worry about it!

[PacnGoNow]

2 hours ago, DCThunder said:

I saw this article today about how packed most European "hot-spots" are this summer.  If you've been on a European cruise, are you seeing this level of crowding on shore excursions.  As least on a cruise, you have a place to go back to at the end of the day and aren't sclepping around a suitcase.

 

Tourists are packing European hotspots, boosted by Americans (msn.com)

 

The crowds are definitely back for the summer.  You just need to pack patience if you’re traveling in peak season.

 

If you’re going to Athens, most

of the tour Operators go in the morning and it’s a zoo.  I would suggest go in the afternoon on a tour Or just grab a taxi in the afternoon.  There were so many people in the morning that we had 2 people pass out from the heat and crowds and had an ambulance come take them away.

 

Rome is always crazy busy no matter what time you go.  Barcelona isn’t that bad. We always do BarcelonaDayTours for a small group tour or on our own.

 

 

[EDVM96]

It has nothing to do with Europe. Or cruising. Tourist crowds are a worldwide syndrome now.
Make the best of it, try to travel off season.

[Treasure Hunter]

Was in the Greek Islands mid June. Very busy. We were able to get on the Santorini cable car when it opened at 8:00z it was empty by 11:00 there was a two hour wait. Ephesus was almost dangerous because of the crowds and slippery stones. Rhodes was Ok. No problem walking on the Main Street or lunch at a restaurant. We were told that by July tourist will be shoulder to shoulder. Mykonos was jammed. Venice is crowded but not as bad since the big ships cannot dock near the city. The most enjoyable port was Kotor in Montenegro. There is a wonderful restaurant opposite from the entrance to the Acropolis that we had breakfast and watched everyone else do the climb.

[nzOdy]

As many have said,  tourism is up and running with the decline of covid restrictions. We cruised Barcelona -> Rome mid June and saw crowds, but we expected them and booked tours and restaurants well ahead of time.  We stayed in Rome,  Paris, and London post cruise. Crowds and heat were worst in Rome but as long as you plan for it and manage expectations its all workable.

 

The most annoying thing I encountered were social media influences hogging space at monuments and locations. One of the funniest "kids are so innocent" moments was at the Trevi fountain where a young woman was throwing poses at the front of the crowd while another was taking her pictures. A young, 9-10yr old behind me, says to his buddy "Why are they taking so many pictures,  she's not even that pretty". That cracked me up on the inside.  We got to the front snapped our pics and moved on. Just be patient,  as others have said, be confident in crowds and you'll be fine!

 

[Guest ldtr]

39 minutes ago, nzOdy said:

As many have said,  tourism is up and running with the decline of covid restrictions. We cruised Barcelona -> Rome mid June and saw crowds, but we expected them and booked tours and restaurants well ahead of time.  We stayed in Rome,  Paris, and London post cruise. Crowds and heat were worst in Rome but as long as you plan for it and manage expectations its all workable.

 

The most annoying thing I encountered were social media influences hogging space at monuments and locations. One of the funniest "kids are so innocent" moments was at the Trevi fountain where a young woman was throwing poses at the front of the crowd while another was taking her pictures. A young, 9-10yr old behind me, says to his buddy "Why are they taking so many pictures,  she's not even that pretty". That cracked me up on the inside.  We got to the front snapped our pics and moved on. Just be patient,  as others have said, be confident in crowds and you'll be fine!

 

I must confess I have been known to just walk up into the middle of their picture when someone hogs an area for an unreasonable amount of time preventing others from taking their pictures.

 

The influencers or the people trying to copy influencers and have to take 20 or 30 posses do get a bit annoying.

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

Summer in the Med is very very busy. If I was travelling to the Med, which I’ve done frequently, and I had a choice, I’d avoid July & August & 1st half of September. But we have to travel in summer holidays.

 

queues to get into main attractions can be many many hours long, such as entrance to   Sagrada Família In Barcelona. & Uffizi Gallery in Florence (from Livorno). Always pre book tickets to attractions you don’t want to miss if travelling in the summer

[PurpleHays]

On 7/14/2023 at 8:27 PM, ldtr said:

I must confess I have been known to just walk up into the middle of their picture when someone hogs an area for an unreasonable amount of time preventing others from taking their pictures.

 

The influencers or the people trying to copy influencers and have to take 20 or 30 posses do get a bit annoying.

When were walking the Brooklyn Bridge last September, the hubby would walk behind the influencer and scratch his @$$. He always laughed, saying "they'll have to edit that out." Dangit, don't block the pathways or sites to take your stinking gazillion pictures.

[charliedalrymple]

Fortunately, we managed to see most of the typical tourist destinations in Europe in the 1980s and 90s, when travel was still rather civilised.  At this point in our lives, we are not interested in fighting crowds while racing around European capitals to see landmarks, churches and museums.  We would much rather spend ten days or so at a cute B&B in the Tuscan hills or a small village in France. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

There were major crowds. We were thankful that we had done most of the major tourist sites already. For instance, the part of Rome we toured was calm and uncrowded. We made reservations for restaurants or arrived right when they opened to avoid waits. We pre-booked timed tickets for sites to avoid lines. They’re manageable; you just have to plan ahead and have a good attitude.

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 7/13/2023 at 7:32 PM, PacnGoNow said:

 

If you’re going to Athens, most

of the tour Operators go in the morning and it’s a zoo.  I would suggest go in the afternoon on a tour.

I can't imagine how bad the heat would be in the afternoon at the Acropolis!  Both times we have gone it was pretty rough on those morning tours.

Edited July 27, 2023 by Rick&Jeannie

[Guest ldtr]

11 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I can't imagine how bad the heat would be in the afternoon at the Acropolis!  Both times we have gone it was pretty rough on those morning tours.

Off season just keeps getting better. We visit Europe before June and After Sept 15.  Though May is starting to get increasingly crowded as well.

[PacnGoNow]

2 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I can't imagine how bad the heat would be in the afternoon at the Acropolis!  Both times we have gone it was pretty rough on those morning tours.

Yes, this time of year and relentless heat, even afternoon is bad.  We always go Spring and Fall to Europe.  
All the excursions were in the morning and so crowded.  The next time we grabbed a taxi in the afternoon and it was half the amount of people and no one was passing out.  But, this time of the year, IDK if I could handle the heat.

[fpsphil]

Just off the Enchanted and everything was crazy packed. Going back in late May 2025 to get a jump on the crowds

[LibertyBella]

Just returned from Europe cruising Rome to Athens.  The heat was scorching in some places--and the sites like the Acropolis were closing from late morning until 5:00 PM to avoid the intensity of the sun.

Rome was absolutely PACKED--the Trevi Fountain was a joke with people everywhere.  We took a day trip to Villa D'Este and sometimes found no one else around anywhere when we posed for photos at all those gorgeous fountains.

 

The Vatican museums were shoulder-to-shoulder and the Sistine Chapel allowed visitors to pretend they were sardines.  Our guide told us that Vatican City makes its own rules for tourism, and does not limit numbers at all.  It is quite a different experience at the Borghese Gallery, where visitor numbers are strictly enforced.

 

I do enjoy hot weather, and the opportunity to cool off in the cruise ship swimming pool and air conditioning is a welcome relief. I try to prepare for sunny days with light clothes, a hat, sunglasses, and water.  I have been to Europe other times of the year, and sometimes the constant rain and cooler days can negatively affect touring for me more than the heat.  I have also seen tourists knee-deep in water in flooded Venice, which completely ruins the walking experience.  The prices may be better and the crowds much less, but often for me low season is not always an improvement.

 

One other thing to note--the number of American citizens who have passports has increased exponentially, and young people today are more inclined to spend their money on experiences like travel, versus things like new cars.  Yes, I recall with some nostalgia my travel days of the past, but I continue the journey to complete my ever-expanding bucket list.