Article Detouring, avoid OVERBOOKED places and try OVERLOOKED places

[Pauline]

When I first read this article I thought it was a list of OVERBOOKED places, not realizing that for each OVERBOOKED place they offered an OVERLOOKED alternative. I have listed the places in the article below. A group in Venice came up with the term Detourism - a movement that urges visitors to avoid beaten-to-a-pulp routes and to behave like a local. I like that term!

Washington Post - Detouring, by Andrea Sachs Nov. 16, 2018
Top world destinations are overrun. Take our suggestions for roads not taken.

Overbooked - Venice (Italy)
Instead try - Verona

Overbooked - Machu Picchu (Peru)
Instead try - Choquequirao

Overbooked - Barcelona (Spain)
Instead try - Seville

Overbooked - Reykjavik (Iceland)
Instead try - Baffin Island (Canada)

Overbooked - Mount Everest
Instead try - Moutn Toubkal (Morocco)

Overbooked - Camino de Santiago (Spain, pilgrimage route)
Instead try - St. Cuthbert's Way (Scotland, long distance walk)

Overbooked - Dubrovnik (Croatia)
Instead try - Rovinj

Overbooked - Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Instead try - Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Overbooked - Rome
Instead try - Turin

Overbooked - Cinque Terre
Instead try - Porto Venere

 

[joe]

Aw rats, I wanted to keep Turin to myself (Ian's OK too)....

 

[Pauline]

Overbooked - Cinque Terre
Instead try - Porto Venere

I disagree with this one. Instead of Cinque Terre, try Levanto, the next town north. We spent 10 nights there in May. There is good hiking from Levanto, you can get into the Cinque Terre by train and avoid much of the crowds by hiking up from the villages to the higher level hikes. Levanto is a great town with a good selection of restaurants, hotels and vacation rentals. You don't need a car to stay there, it is on the main train line.

I like Porto Venere, but you need a car to get there (not on the train line) and there is only one hike from the town, and that is a long and difficult hike along the coast to the Cinque Terre. You can get ferries from here, but you can from Levanto as well.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Aw rats, I wanted to keep Turin to myself (Ian's OK too)....

Turin has certainly awoken to tourism, but is far from being beholden to it. Back in 1995 a kindly local gentleman compared us visiting to him going to Coventry (a place similarly known for car production, but not tourism). Most of what I like was there back then, and has survived the journey, though a few good food shops have closed, which is a shame. Still plenty around, but they are a resource I will use whenever I can, because another year might see others close.

For Cinque Terre, it can be as simple as saying use the high (inland) paths. The coastal ones (when open) are too much like a conveyor belt of people for my enjoyment. The higher paths much quieter.

Likewise for Amsterdam, venturing out beyond the Museum Quarter reveals an altogether more relaxed and refined city, such that our visits into the centre are now fleeting.

Verona is already touristy, no doubt especially so in opera season. Hardly 'a road not taken'! Perhaps Comacchio is the overlooked alternative to Venice.

 

[joe]

Verona is already touristy, no doubt especially so in opera season. Hardly 'a road not taken'! Perhaps Comacchio is the overlooked alternative to Venice.

I agree about Verona. We spent almost a day there for the first time in October. The city is a gem, the vibe is great, much to see - but I would not return there without a good reason. Simply because of the number of tourists, which has crossed my personal threshold.
Instead of Reykjavik, Baffin Island - never would have thought of that one, I didn't even know that the latter is any type of tourist destination.

I think that "over-toured" is a situation we'll have to get used to one way or another - travel has become easier, and the world is becoming more accessible. For some travelers the crowds will be a big issue, so they will leave behind their beloved destinations, for others it will be what they are used to.

 

[veronicafrance]

I have to say Seville is very touristy too, but I do prefer it to Barcelona, just because it feels more "Spanish" (or rather Andalusian).

 

[Lisa in Ottawa]

Well I bet Baffin Island has many less tourists than Iceland! And probably for good reason. But, hey I haven't been to either.

 

[joe]

Another thing that brings tourists to over-looked places is a disaster. The cave in Thailand that was the site for a dramatic rescue of schoolchildren trapped inside, has now brought increasing numbers of visitors to the place. The locals are happy.
https://qz.com/quartzy/1477391/tham-luang-cave-site-is-now-a-booming-tourist-attraction/

 

[JustTravel]

We find that even an "OVERBOOKED" place like Venice can be enjoyable when you know when to visit certain areas. We normally avoid Piazza San Marco during the day but this photo shows it at ~4:30 pm two days ago.

Also many of the churches as well as the scoule where there are wonderful paintings and sculptures are almost empty, maybe a handful of people. I have posted many photos under Venezia 2018.

 

[Lisa in Ottawa]

This reminds me of a trip I took to Cape Cod years ago. We went to what appeared to he an incredibly crowded beach. No room. Noisy. Kinda depressing. We walked a little ways beyond and blissful silence. A quiet beach.
People like to congregate in the same places but just beyond the masses are undiscovered treasures
While harder to find, these places near well and over travelled spots exist.
I was in San Marco several years ago in November I think about 4 pm. Quiet. I even got to treat myself at that well known cafe(name escapes me but it's famous) and I had a lovely experience.

 

[Lisa in Ottawa]

Another thing that brings tourists to over-looked places is a disaster. The cave in Thailand that was the site for a dramatic rescue of schoolchildren trapped inside, has now brought increasing numbers of visitors to the place. The locals are happy.
https://qz.com/quartzy/1477391/tham-luang-cave-site-is-now-a-booming-tourist-attraction/

How gruesome.