How to see famous European landmarks without dealing with massive crowds
Popular travel guides often tell people with crowd and overstimulation anxieties to skip major sights entirely for hidden gems. This leaves first-time international travelers feeling shut out from seeing the iconic landmarks they finally have the money and opportunity to visit. You can still experience these famous places near major hubs like Paris by learning how to navigate them comfortably without settling for off-the-beaten-path alternatives.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to see famous European landmarks without dealing with massive crowds
- 1Traveling during the shoulder season or off-season to avoid peak crowdsDid this help you?
- 2Creating a balanced itinerary that mixes famous landmarks with less crowded or niche placesDid this help you?
- 3Visiting major sights early in the morningDid this help you?
- 4Ignoring unsolicited advice and visiting whatever attractions you personally want to seeDid this help you?
- 5flying on smaller regional jetsDid this help you?
- 6using miles to upgrade to first classDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“As a new international traveler, I honestly hate the whole “skip the popular places and go somewhere less touristy” advice.”source ↗
“Now I finally have the money and opportunity to travel internationally, and of course I want to see them too.”source ↗
“But now it feels that every piece of touristic information (blogs, videos, reddit) tells me that I shouldn’t go because of overtourism and that I should visit some hidden gem instead.”source ↗
“You already got to see these famous places. Now it’s my turn, and I won't do it just because I'm ruining it for you”source ↗
“I struggle coping being around a lot of people ideally within maybe an hour or 2 of Paris by train.”source ↗
“didn't feel like I was a sardine jammed into a can like on the 737, and getting on/off was a lot quicker due to the fact that there were fewer people.”source ↗
Where this came up
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