If you’re yet to go on a Transatlantic trip since the world has reopened for tourism, Europe is likely to be on your radar for the upcoming year.
We get it: it’s the go-to spot for sampling a multitude of foreign cultures in a single vacation, it’s where some of the oldest and most historically significant cities known to mankind are located, and most of it is just outright gorgeous.
Still, there are a few things to consider if you’re country-hopping around the Old Continent, especially if you’re planning on paying a visit to these four hugely popular destinations in 2024.
They have been ranking high on everyone’s bucket lists lately, but a piece of advice?
Just avoid them altogether, starting with the City of Lights:
Paris, France
The French capital is a stately metropolis at the heart of the European continent, dominated by Eiffel’s signature tower, rising high above a sea of Haussman-style buildings and wide boulevards, full of romantic corners and with a scenic, meandering Seine River cutting across it.
Love it or hate it, Paris is an essential puzzle piece your European map wouldn’t be complete without, but trust us when we say you might want to put it off another year: it is set to host the 2024 Olympic Games next summer, and as the French would say, ‘ça va être le bordel‘.
That’s French for saying things might get a little… messy.
From hiked metro fares – €2.10 for a single ticket to €4 – to crowding and inflated hotel rates, owing it to a threefold increase in the tourist tax, which has left local business owners themselves in complete shock, the City of Lights is not somewhere you want to be in the upcoming year.
Instead, you should opt for Bordeaux, a gorgeous ‘mini Paris’ in the French South, famous for its centuries-old tradition of wine-making and limestone edifices, or if you’re the roadtrip type, perhaps the castle-dotted Loire Valley, cropped out of an illustrated fairytale book, could appeal to you.
Venice, Italy
Venice is always busy regardless of season, and if you truly want to check it off the list at some point, you’ll want to face up to your aversion of crowds at some point, but we will let you off for 2024 as we wouldn’t set foot in the canal-traversed Italian gem anytime in the near future ourselves.
The reason for that is simple: anti-tourist sentiment in Venice is at an all-time high, and over recent years, municipal authorities have come up with ingenious ways to push tourists out, be it banning cruise visitors altogether or signing off laws to restrict room availability in the historic center.
Now, in yet another blow to visitors who are simply hoping to marvel at the architectural heritage of this millennia-old former maritime republic, they will have to buy tickets to access all of the most beautiful parts of Venice on certain calendar dates next year.
Though it is only a five euro fee, it will transform all of the Centro Storico, where Rialto Bridge, St Mark’s Square and Doge’s Palace are all located, into a paid tourist attraction.
The goal is to openly ‘discourage’ tourism in certain periods, and don’t be surprised if locals start being unashamedly dismissive of you or plainly hostile should your American accent denounce you in public.
The measure has not been introduced without its share of controversy, as the Adriatic port already has one of the most expensive hotel rates and consumer prices in Southern Europe, but it only goes to show the situation has reached a tipping point.
Let’s put it this way: Venetians have had it with tourists crowding the interconnected islets they call home, and fair enough.
For now, we are choosing to listen to them and wait until the dust has settled (fingers crossed Venice won’t have sunk underwater by then).
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Similarly to Venice, Amsterdam is no longer a place tourists should be overly excited about visiting, as city officials have brazenly told them, time and again, to stay away, at least indirectly, through a series of different measures.
The first one took place some years back when they removed the famous ‘I Amsterdam’ sign from the city center, clearly telling Instagrammers they are not welcome to form lines to take pictures in front of any postcard-ready monument.
Later, Airbnb was hit by a wave of restrictive measures, forcing local homeowners out of the market after Dutch regulations stipulated they could only rent out their entire home in Amsterdam for 30 nights per year unless they hold a short-term stay license.
Now, Airbnb options are more limited, and tourists have to choose between overpriced hostels or increasingly expensive three-star hotels: no three-night stint in town will cost less than $242 on average, that is, if you’re sharing a room in one of the cheapest accommodation providers.
More shockingly even, this year, the city restricted the commercialization of weed and launched a literal ‘Stay Away‘ campaign targeting young travelers and revellers, who often flock into the Dam for the nightlife and lively social scene.
Soon enough, they will be taking it a step further by moving the world-famous Red Light District, where sex workers are based, to an out-of-town ‘Erotic Center’: when these plans materialize, Downtown Dam will look a lot different without its erotic shops and sensual performers.
In sum, Amsterdam is not exactly the most welcoming of cities in Europe right now.
Dublin, Ireland
Cloudy Dublin rounds up the top four, and before we get into the ‘why’s’, listen, we know American love for Ireland runs deep.
It’s where many of you claim heritage from, and Ireland as a whole is a fascinating destination we have only praise for, and have promoted extensively over the years, but we think we can all agree Dublin is a bit overpriced for what it is.
Looking at the cityscape itself, it’s rather flat, with not one single building or historical structure in particular that stands out – you know, like Paris has its Eiffel Tower, or London has its Victorian clock – unless, of course, we were to consider ‘Temple Bar’.
The student-packed Bohemian district, or more specifically, the red-colored pub, is easily Dublin’s most photographed corner, and cute as it may be, this should tell you something about the Irish capital: the most iconic landmark here is… a drunkard’s lair and arguably a tourist trap.
That’s not to say Dublin should be missed entirely. By all means, do visit at some point, as it’s somewhere worth experiencing at least once.
It hosts a number of noteworthy landmarks, including a well-preserved medieval castle and the majestic Trinity College, where the 1223-year-old Book of Kells has found a permanent home, but there are simply not enough jaw-dropping sights to warrant a spot in a European list of most expensive cities.
Though it is great for a weekend getaway, Dublin is no Amsterdam or Copenhagen, two of Europe’s most interesting, beautiful, and culturally relevant destinations, yet it can be just as expensive as the latter two. In fact, it is about just as expensive to visit as London.
Unless pub culture is your thing, you’re willing to pay as much as an absurd $9.94 for a pint of draught beer in a local pub, and you’re really keen on visiting a Leprechaun Museum, we wouldn’t necessarily strongly recommend Dublin as a destination in 2024.
This December, ordinary hotel rooms in central Dublin averaged $331.26 per night. Yep, it’s a no from us, at least until prices normalize.
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