8 Destinations Travel Experts Say to Skip This Summer

Venice Is Charging Just to Walk In

Venice has been trying to manage overtourism for years, and now it’s putting a literal price on entry. In 2026, the city’s access fee applies on 60 days, up from 54 in 2025. That includes most Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, plus peak spring dates from early April through late July. The cost ranges from €5 ($5.50 USD) to €10 ($11 USD), depending on how far in advance you book, and you’ll need a QR code just to enter the historic center. Show up without one, and you could be fined on the spot up to €300 ($330 USD).

The idea was simple: fewer visitors, less pressure on the city. But in practice, it hasn’t really worked that way. On the busiest days, around 25,000 people still paid the fee to enter, which is more than half of Venice’s resident population. In other words, the city is collecting money, but the crowds aren’t going anywhere.

That’s where the criticism comes in. Some argue Venice is starting to feel less like a living city and more like a ticketed attraction. UNESCO has already warned that the combination of mass tourism and environmental pressure could lead to “irreversible damage.” The fee may help generate revenue, but it hasn’t solved the bigger issue of too many people trying to experience the same fragile place at once.

Better option: Treviso

A short train ride from Venice, stunningly beautiful, and it doesn't charge you to show up. You get the canals and the charm without the chaos.

Barcelona Is Pushing Back Against Tourists

Barcelona has been feeling the strain of overtourism for years, but 2026 is the moment it’s really coming to a boil. The city has raised its visitor tax and is moving toward phasing out short-term rentals by 2028, part of a broader effort to protect housing affordability and ease the pressure on local neighborhoods.

On the ground, the frustration is hard to miss. Under the banner of the “Southern Europe Against Overtourism” alliance, thousands of residents have taken to the streets, chanting “your holidays, my misery” and carrying signs that read “mass tourism kills the city.” Some protests have even spilled into tourist hotspots like Las Ramblas, where demonstrators have sprayed visitors with water guns. Not exactly the welcome most people have in mind when they book a trip.

Better option: Valencia

Spain’s third-largest city has the food, the architecture, the Mediterranean beaches, and the actual birthplace of paella, but it still feels lived-in rather than overwhelmed.

Santorini’s Famous Sunsets Come With Crowds

Santorini delivers on the visuals. The blue domes are real, and the light at sunset really is that good. But in peak summer, actually experiencing it can feel like a competition. The island simply wasn’t built for the volume of cruise passengers arriving each day, and Oia’s famous sunset viewpoint often turns into a shoulder-to-shoulder standoff.

Better option: Naxos

The largest island in the Cyclades offers long sandy beaches, ancient ruins, mountain villages, and a fraction of the crowd. You'll actually be able to hear the waves.

Amsterdam Is Campaigning for Fewer Visitors

Amsterdam has been running global campaigns telling party tourists to stay home, and the city has put real policy behind the message. Short-term rental crackdowns and significant tourist tax hikes have made budget accommodation increasingly difficult to find. In high summer, the famous canal neighborhoods lose the quiet, navigable quality that made them worth visiting in the first place.

Better option: Utrecht

Often described as a "mini Amsterdam," Utrecht has the same stunning canal architecture with a genuinely different atmosphere, one where you can actually sit at a waterside café without fighting for a table. It remains one of Europe’s most underrated cities and still feels like a place people haven’t quite caught onto yet.

Rome in August Is a History Lesson in Suffering

Rome is magnificent. Rome in August is magnificent and absolutely brutal. The heat radiating off ancient cobblestones near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum is oppressive in a way that’s hard to describe until you’ve felt it, and the Trevi Fountain at peak season often means standing in a dense crowd just to glimpse the water from a distance. The city has also started enforcing tighter controls around the fountain, including a €2 (about $2.20) access fee to get closer, which adds another layer to the experience.

Better option: Bologna

Italy's food capital has history, architecture, great universities, and an energetic local scene, plus miles of shaded porticoes that let you walk the city in summer without losing your mind to the heat. Genuinely one of the best cities in Italy that most Americans still haven't visited.

The Amalfi Coast Trades Beauty for Gridlock

Few coastlines in the world match the Amalfi Coast for sheer drama. Few road systems are less equipped to handle the summer tourist buses that try to navigate it. The cliffside highway turns into a parking lot of tour coaches and mopeds, and the towns of Positano and Amalfi fill up to a degree that makes the beach feel like a commute.

Better option: The Cilento Coast

Just south of Amalfi, it offers unspoiled beaches, real local seafood, and the remarkable ancient Greek ruins at Paestum, all inside a national park where the water is clear and you won't be waiting an hour to park.

The Canary Islands Are at a Breaking Point

The Canary Islands have been a go-to European escape for decades, but summer 2026 is shaping up to be a difficult one for visitors and locals alike. Fodor's 2026 Travel Guide placed Tenerife and Lanzarote on its "No List," citing unsustainable tourism levels and growing environmental concerns, with local authorities now considering caps on tourist arrivals for this summer. Water scarcity from consistent droughts, a strained housing market, and skyrocketing costs of living for residents have all been linked to the islands' 16 to 17 million annual visitors.

Better option: Madeira

Often called the "Hawaii of Europe," the Portuguese island has dramatic volcanic scenery, world-class hiking along its famous levada irrigation channels, and lush gardens that feel genuinely surprising. All the Atlantic island magic, none of the friction.

Kyoto Is Running Out of Ways to Ask for Respect

Kyoto remains one of the most beautiful cities on earth, and one of the most complicated to visit responsibly right now. In response to persistent bad behavior, including tourists harassing geisha and entering private properties, local authorities banned tourists from private alleys in the Gion district entirely, with fines of ¥10,000 (around $65) for anyone who ignores the signs. That's on top of heavy summer humidity that makes extended sightseeing genuinely exhausting.

Better option: Kanazawa

Often called "Little Kyoto," it has preserved samurai and geisha districts, the spectacular Kenroku-en garden, outstanding fresh seafood, and no physical barriers telling you where you're not allowed to walk. Everything Kyoto was before the crowds arrived.

The destinations above aren't bad. They're extraordinary. But extraordinary places in high summer can stop feeling like travel and start feeling like logistics. There are better moments to visit most of them, and there are better places to go right now. The alternatives listed here aren't consolation prizes; seasoned travelers would quietly tell you they prefer them anyway.

Frequently Asked Questions: Places to Avoid This Summer

Is Venice actually charging tourists an entry fee in 2026?

Yes. Venice's day-tripper access fee applies on 60 days between April and late July 2026, covering peak Fridays through Sundays. The fee ranges from €5 (around $5.50) to €10 (around $11) depending on how far in advance you book. You'll need a QR code to enter, and showing up without one can cost you up to €300 (around $330) in fines.

Are the anti-tourism protests in Barcelona and the Canary Islands dangerous for travelers?

The protests haven't posed serious safety risks to tourists, but they do reflect real local frustration. Demonstrations have involved chanting, water guns, and blockaded hotel entrances. Being aware of the mood is the sensible approach. These are communities pushing back against being overwhelmed, not anti-tourist violence.

When is the best time of year to visit these destinations?

For Venice, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast, late September through October and April are significantly better: cooler, less crowded, and often cheaper. Santorini in May or early June is a different experience entirely. Kyoto is at its most manageable in late autumn and early spring.

What makes Kanazawa a good alternative to Kyoto?

Kanazawa has preserved historic districts, traditional gardens, and one of Japan's most celebrated seafood markets, all without the overtourism pressures that have forced Kyoto to restrict access to its own streets. It's comparable in cultural depth and far more navigable in summer.

Is the Cilento Coast easy to get to?

It takes a bit more effort than the Amalfi Coast, which is part of why it's still uncrowded. From Naples, you're looking at roughly 1.5 to 2 hours by car. The lack of mass tourism infrastructure is the point: this is what coastal Italy looks like when it hasn't been packaged for a busload of day-trippers.

Why is Madeira a better option than the Canary Islands right now?

Madeira receives far fewer visitors than Tenerife or Lanzarote, has a more stable local economy, and offers a more varied landscape: volcanic peaks, subtropical forests, and coastal cliffs. It's also a year-round destination with genuinely mild weather.

Is Naxos significantly less crowded than Santorini?

Yes, considerably. Naxos doesn't attract the same volume of cruise ship traffic, which is the main driver of Santorini's peak-day chaos. It's larger, has better beaches, and costs less across the board.

Should I avoid these destinations entirely, or just avoid them in summer?

Mostly the latter. Several of these cities, Venice, Rome, and Kyoto among them, are genuinely among the world's great travel experiences when visited at the right time of year. The case against them is specifically about peak summer. If your schedule is flexible, shifting your trip to shoulder season transforms the experience.