More than 600 protesters took to Barcelona’s streets last week chanting: ‘Your holidays, my misery!’
Many held up banners reading: ‘Tourism is robbing us!’
Visitors looked on perplexed and a little worried, especially when they were squirted with water pistols.
But Barcelona is just one of a series of destinations across Europe currently suffering from the modern curse widely dubbed ‘overtourism’, which is defined by Collins Dictionary as ‘excessive travel to a place by tourists, resulting in a decreased quality of life for local people’.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates international tourist numbers will increase from around 1.3 billion today to 1.8 billion by 2030; the figure was 25 million in 1950. And it’s issued guidelines on dispersing tourists within destinations and improving infrastructure.
Yet with anti-tourist protests spreading across Spain to Ibiza, Mallorca and Granada, and demos also held in Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, and Italian hotspots including Venice, Genova, Palermo, Milan and Naples, it’s clear overtourism remains a European-wide issue.
So here’s our guide to ‘dupes’ (duplicates), to avoid the crowds.
Swap… Barcelona for Girona
Spain attracted a record 94 million visitors last year, almost double its population, with 26 million going to Barcelona (population 1.6 million). Attractions such as La Rambla (the main pedestrianised old town street), Basílica de la Sagrada Família and Park Guell suffered heavy overcrowding.
Dupe: Around 60 miles north-east, Girona is a culturally-interesting city, also in Catalonia, offering its own magnificent cathedral and pedestrianised street La Rambla de la Libertad. There are pleasant cafes and restaurants, as well as the Museum of Jewish History.
How to do it: Birmingham-Girona returns from £94 (jet2.com); doubles from £125 at the hotelciutatdegirona.com.
Sixty miles north-east of Barcelona, which attracted 26million visitors last year, Girona is a culturally-interesting city
Mallorca for Djerba
Placards held by marchers in Palma de Mallorca last weekend read, ‘Mallorca is not for sale’ and ‘Mallorca is not your cash cow… go home!’ One read, ‘Rich foreign property buyers go to hell’. Some tourists were so shocked they took refuge on hotel balconies.
Dupe: For somewhere quieter, yet offering sunny, sandy beaches, consider Djerba, the Tunisian island that was described by Homer as the land of the Lotus-eaters. Expect five‑star hotels plus souks and ancient sights in its intriguing capital Houmt Souk and Roman ruins at Meninx.
How to do it: Seven nights at TUI Blue Palm Beach Palace from £1,160pp all-inclusive with Manchester flights (tui.co.uk).
For somewhere quieter than Mallorca that offers sunny, sandy beaches, consider the Tunisian island Djerba
Ibiza for Formentera
The party island of Ibiza was yet another demo hotspot last week, where protester slogans included: ‘The right to a dignified life!’ A spokeswoman for the group said some hotels and villas were, for example, breaking current water restrictions and filling pools – putting tourism ahead of the local community. Ibiza attracts 21 tourists per resident in the summer.
Dupe: It’s a half-hour ferry from Ibiza to the quieter island of Formentera, with its pretty beaches and smart hotels. It’s the smallest of the Balearic islands, with a population of 12,000 and a pleasant capital, Sant Francesc Xavier, with markets and bars.
How to do it: Seven nights at beachside Insotel Club Maryland from £640 all-inclusive with Bournemouth flights/transfers (firstchoice.co.uk).
It’s a half-hour ferry from Ibiza to the quieter island of Formentera, with its pretty beaches and smart hotels
Athens for Thessaloniki
The centre of Athens, the Greek capital, has a 644,000 population. Yet the city’s wonderful antiquities, including the Acropolis and Temple of Olympian Zeus, attract seven million visitors annually. Campaigners complain that short-term rentals are pushing out local families.
Dupe: Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, is home to the superb, 4th-century Arch of Galerius and Rotunda, plus the Church of St Demetrius, the outstanding Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s birthplace museum and a fine sea promenade.
How to do it: Return flights from Stansted to Thessaloniki from £121 (ryanair.com); doubles at the comfortable Egnatia Palace Hotel & Spa from £81 B&B (egnatiapalace.gr).
Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city after Athens, is home to the superb, 4th-century Arch of Galerius and Rotunda
Mykonos for Tinos
More than 1.5 million annual tourists visit the Cycladic island of Mykonos, plus 1.2 million cruise passengers, putting a strain on the pretty island, with a population of 11,000, known for its nightlife and beaches. To try to counter this, a £17 cruise passenger summer levy is planned.
Dupe: A 25-minute ferry ride away, Tinos is a tranquil island with a 8,900-strong population and small villages with old-fashioned tavernas. Kolibithra Beach is one of the best, while Chora, the main town, is home to the splendid Panayia Evanyelistria Cathedral.
How to do it: Return Gatwick-Mykonos flights from £109 (easyjet.com); return Mykonos-Tinos ferries from £46 (directferries.com); doubles at the stylish Odera hotel from £255 B&B (oderatinos.com).
Tinos is a tranquil island with a 8,900-strong population and small villages with old-fashioned tavernas, just a 25-minute ferry from Mykonos
Santorini for Foledandros
A similar £17 cruise passenger levy is planned on Santorini, an island off Greece which attracts 3.4 million tourists a year (population 20,000). It’s become known as ‘Instagram Island’, as so many people visit to take pictures among its whitewashed hilltop settlements.
Dupe: Measuring just 13km by 5km, Folegandros (population 719) attracts 50,000 tourists annually. It is 28 nautical miles north-west of Santorini, reached by ferry (45 minutes). There are three small villages, with capital Chora on a striking 200m-high cliff.
How to do it: Return Gatwick-Santorini flights from £230 (easyjet.com); Santorini-Folegandros ferries from £28 return (directferries.com); doubles at Gundari hotel from £376 B&B (gundari.com). See fandptravel.com.
Folegandros attracts 50,000 tourists annually and can be reached by ferry from Santorini in 45 minutes
Rome for Bologna
So many tourists now visit Italy’s capital that officials are considering a £1.70 charge to limit access to the Trevi fountain, which could then lead to a general city tourist fee. Overcrowding worsens annually, with more than 35 million visitors coming to see popular sights such as the Colosseum and the Vatican.
Dupe: Instead of the Eternal City, try the laid-back northern Italian city of Bologna. It’s home to an old town with labyrinthine lanes, plus a spectacular 17th-century cathedral. Its leaning towers, one of which rises to 97m, are also worth a visit.
How to do it: Return Luton-Bologna flights from £34 (ryanair.com); doubles at Phi Hotel Bologna from £124 B&B (booking.com).
Instead of the Eternal City, try the laid-back northern Italian city of Bologna- it’s home to an old town with labyrinthine lanes, plus a spectacular 17th-century cathedral
Venice for Trieste
Venice has grappled with overwhelming visitor numbers for years. It’s even come up with a £4 entry fee during peak months and banned cruise ships. The population is 50,000, yet a staggering 30 million people visit annually.
Dupe: Across the Adriatic Sea, still in Italy, and close to the Slovenian border, Trieste has its own canals and grand piazzas. It’s much quieter and some of the architecture has an imposing Austro-Hungarian style that has led to some dubbing it Vienna-by-sea.
How to do it: Return Stansted-Trieste flights from £47 (ryanair.com); doubles at the cosy L’Albero Nascosto hotel from £115 B&B (alberonascosto.it).
Across the Adriatic Sea, still in Italy, and close to the Slovenian border, Trieste has its own canals and grand piazzas
Amsterdam for Rotterdam
More than 22.9 million overnight stays were made in Amsterdam last year, breaking a ceiling target of 20 million set by officials. Protesters have launched a Het is Genoeg (‘That’s Enough’) campaign to block the opening of new hotels. The hope in future is also to attract middle-class visitors, not stag and hen groups.
Dupe: About 40 miles south-east, Rotterdam is Europe’s busiest port and home to vibrant bars and restaurants as well as an interesting maritime museum and first-class art galleries. Its landmark is the spectacular Erasmus Bridge across the Nieuwe Maas.
How to do it: Return Eurostar trains from London St Pancras from £104 (eurostar.com); doubles at the comfortable NH Atlanta Rotterdam Hotel from £71 (booking.com).
About 40 miles south-east of Amsterdam, Rotterdam is Europe’s busiest port and home to vibrant bars and restaurants
Bruges for Antwerp
Bruges attracts eight million-plus tourists a year to its beautiful medieval streets and canals (population 120,000). A ban has been implemented on new hotels in the centre, and the number of cruise ships permitted daily at nearby Zeebrugge port has been reduced from five to two.
Dupe: Antwerp is 55 miles east of the ‘Venice of the North (Bruges’s nickname), with medieval architecture including a cathedral and market square surrounded by guildhalls. Expect old-style restaurants serving Flemish stews and cosy pubs.
How to do it: Return Eurostar trains from St Pancras from £130 (eurostar.com); doubles from £72 at the smart Hotel Indigo (ihg.com).
Antwerp has medieval architecture including a cathedral and market square surrounded by guildhalls – expect old-style restaurants serving Flemish stews and cosy pubs
St Tropez for Menton
In a bid to cut down on over-tourism last year, St Tropez’s mayor Sylvie Siri pleaded to tourists: ‘Don’t come in the summer! Come in spring when it’s like the St Tropez of our childhoods.’ In recent summers it’s estimated as many as 80,000 people a day have visited the glitzy hotspot.
Dupe: Enjoy the warm shallow water of Sablettes beach, close to the old town of Menton, with its narrow ochre-coloured, shuttered buildings and bistros/bars in alleyways. Expect baroque architecture, a charming marina and art galleries including the renowned Jean Cocteau museum.
How to do it: Return Stansted-Nice flights from £70 (ryanair.com); doubles at the stylish Best Western Hotel Méditerranée Menton from £143 B&B (hotel-med-menton.com).
The old town of Menton has narrow ochre-coloured, shuttered buildings and alleyway bistros
Dubrovnik for Kotor
Croatia’s beautiful medieval city, with its ramparts and tangle of narrow lanes featuring 16th-century palaces can be overrun with tourists, especially when cruise ships arrive. Limits have been put on ship arrivals, yet 1.4 million people visited in 2024 and the old town population is 41,000.
Dupe: Kotor in neighbouring Montenegro, south along the Adriatic coast, has a lovely medieval old town, too, featuring squares, narrow lanes, clock towers and St Tryphon Cathedral. One of the local highlights is the Our Lady of the Rocks islet, with a delightful 17th-century Roman Catholic church.
How to do it: Return flights from Luton to nearby Tivat from £157 (easyjet.com); doubles at Hotel Hippocampus from £159 (hotelhippocampus.me).
Kotor in Montenegro, south along the Adriatic coast, has a lovely medieval old town featuring squares, narrow lanes, clock towers and St Tryphon Cathedral
