8 Destinations You Should Not Visit This Summer According To Travel Experts

Summer is sort of right here, and we all know precisely what everyone seems to be pondering: it’s time to pack a bag, money in these PTO days, and chase the solar. But earlier than you lock in your flights for the massive journey, we have to have a severe chat about the place the crowds are heading.

Summer 2026 is shaping as much as convey record-breaking numbers to the world’s most well-known hotspots, and lots of of them are formally waving the white flag. Between mind-melting heatwaves, locals pushing again in opposition to huge crowds, and sky-high peak season pricing, attempting to navigate these main hubs goes to empty your vitality and your pockets.

You deserve a trip that really seems like a break, not a sweaty battle for a dinner reservation. Here are 8 iconic spots we extremely suggest skipping this summer season, together with some unimaginable, uncrowded options the place you may really breathe and benefit from the view.

PLUS: We’ve constructed an interactive quiz for you on the finish of this text to search out the proper vacation spot various that matches your journey type.

1. Venice, Italy: The Sinking Squeeze

Venice Grand Canal with boats in the water

The Floating City is an absolute architectural masterpiece, however attempting to navigate it in July or August seems like being trapped in an attractive, sinking subway automotive.

The sheer quantity of day-trippers shuffling elbow-to-elbow over the Rialto Bridge utterly kills the romance of the canals.

The metropolis has even introduced again its day-tripper entry charge for 2026 simply to try to stem the bleeding.

When you’re ready in an hour-long line below the blazing solar simply to cross a bridge, the magic fades quick.

Instead, contemplate: Treviso. Just a brief practice experience inland from Venice, this beautiful walled metropolis affords the very same picturesque canals, romantic medieval structure, and unimaginable wine bars, but it surely utterly lacks the overwhelming, chaotic throngs of vacationers.

Traveling to Europe this summer season? Don’t get denied boarding, check entry requirements here.

2. Barcelona, Spain: Tourism Fatigue

The Catalan capital is unimaginable, however the locals are formally at their breaking level.

Barcelona has been the epicenter of huge protests just lately, with residents deeply annoyed by hovering hire costs and public areas which might be utterly overrun.

Trying to stroll down Las Ramblas within the useless of summer season warmth whereas dodging annoyed locals and large tour teams is not the laid-back Spanish vibe you’re searching for.

Instead, contemplate: Valencia. Spain’s third-largest metropolis provides you the final word mix of historic attraction, futuristic structure, and sprawling Mediterranean seashores. Plus, it’s the precise birthplace of paella! You get all of the world-class meals and tradition of Barcelona with a a lot cooler, welcoming vitality.

3. Santorini, Greece: The Sunset Traffic Jam

Panoramic View Of Whitewashed Village Of Oia, In The Island Of Santorini, Greece, South Eastern Europe

We all know the long-lasting blue domes from Instagram, however the actuality of a summer season sundown in Oia includes getting shoved by hundreds of cruise ship passengers all combating for the very same photograph.

The infrastructure on this tiny island merely can’t deal with the summer season surge.

The roads grow to be gridlocked, and every thing from a fast taxi experience to a primary Greek salad turns into wildly overpriced.

It feels much less like a tranquil island escape and far more like a extremely annoying theme park.

Instead, contemplate: Naxos. As the biggest island within the Cyclades, Naxos boasts unimaginable sandy seashores, towering mountains, historic ruins, and conventional villages. It affords spectacular, genuine Greek island magnificence with out the acute crowds and inflated costs of its well-known neighbor.

4. Amsterdam, Netherlands: The Policy Pushback

Many Travelers Walking and enjoying street of Amsterdam

Amsterdam has been actively attempting to push huge crowds away, actually operating world campaigns telling individuals to cease visiting simply to occasion.

The streets and slender canals get so severely congested in the course of the summer season that the town loses its cozy, laid-back attraction.

Furthermore, the native authorities has aggressively cracked down on short-term leases and elevated vacationer taxes, making discovering a budget-friendly place to remain extremely tough proper now.

Instead, contemplate: Utrecht. Frequently described as a “mini Amsterdam,” Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with distinctive wharf cellars which might be lined with unimaginable cafes proper on the water’s stage. It has a historic metropolis heart, a vibrant youthful environment, and all of Amsterdam’s iconic attraction with a fraction of the worldwide vacationers.

5. Rome, Italy: An Ancient Furnace

Famous landmark fountain di Trevi in Rome, Italy during summer sunny day

Rome is magnificent, however visiting the Eternal City in August is actually strolling into an attractive, historic furnace.

The warmth radiating off the traditional cobblestones is fiercely oppressive, and there may be nearly zero shade close to icons just like the Colosseum or the Roman Forum.

Trying to understand millennia of historical past whereas dripping in sweat alongside 30,000 different exhausted vacationers shuffling towards the Trevi Fountain will take a look at the endurance of even probably the most seasoned explorer.

Instead, contemplate: Bologna. Known as Italy’s foodie heartland, Bologna affords wealthy historical past and arguably the most effective culinary scene in all the nation. Best of all, the town is known for its miles of beautiful, shaded porticoes, permitting you to stroll the historic streets and escape the brutal summer season solar whereas avoiding the overwhelming crowds.

6. Amalfi Coast, Italy: Bumper-to-Bumper Coastlines

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This is perhaps probably the most glamorous shoreline on the planet, however the summer season visitors is famous for all of the fallacious causes.

The well-known cliffside street turns into a whole parking zone of huge tour buses and honking scooters. The picturesque towns of Positano and Amalfi grow to be extremely congested, and the tiny seashores are packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

The logistical nightmare of simply attempting to get round utterly shatters the dolce vita fantasy.

Instead, contemplate: The Cilento Coast. Located simply south of the Amalfi Coast, this beautiful nationwide park affords miles of gorgeous, unspoiled shoreline, genuine seaside villages, and the unimaginable historic Greek ruins at Paestum. It provides you the proper Italian coastal magic with clear seashores and respiratory room.

7. Canary Islands, Spain: A System Overload

The Spanish archipelagos have traditionally been the default summer season getaway for thousands and thousands, however the islands have hit their absolute restrict.

Huge protests have erupted throughout the area, with locals demanding a freeze on vacationer arrivals to guard their housing markets and fragile water provides.

When a vacation spot’s infrastructure is that this stretched, and the talk over mass tourism is that this heated, it’s best to present the islands some house to recuperate.

Instead, contemplate: Madeira, Portugal. Often known as the “Hawaii of Europe,” this Portuguese island affords dramatic volcanic landscapes, lush botanical gardens, and world-class climbing alongside its well-known irrigation channels (levadas). It delivers an epic island journey with out the extraordinary anti-tourism friction presently gripping the Canaries.

8. Kyoto, Japan: The Breaking Point

Kyoto Street packed with tourists and tour groups

Japan’s cultural coronary heart is suffocating below the burden of its personal reputation.

The scenario has escalated to the purpose the place native authorities have began placing up bodily boundaries and utterly banning vacationers from getting into sure historic non-public alleys within the Gion district because of persistent unhealthy habits and overcrowding.

Combine that intense native pressure with Japan’s notoriously thick, heavy summer season humidity, and exploring the town shortly turns into an exhausting battle.

Instead, contemplate: Kanazawa. Frequently known as “Little Kyoto,” Kanazawa affords immaculately preserved samurai and geisha districts, beautiful conventional gardens like Kenroku-en, and unimaginable contemporary seafood. You get all the pristine historic Japanese tradition with out the suffocating crowds or restricted entry.