17 Formerly Peaceful Travel Destinations That Have Been Absolutely Ruined By Tourism

The other day I was minding my own business when I stumbled across this TikTok of Santorini during peak travel months:

terrastravels / Via tiktok.com

It was once a place I really wanted to visit. But now, thanks to its popularity among tourists, I'm not so sure.

The video left me wondering...what other (once peaceful) travel destinations have become absolute mob scenes due to tourism? Thankfully, Reddit user SomebodyNope had the same question for the Redditsphere. Here's what people had to say:

1."When you plan a weekend in Lucca, Italy, as the romantic end to your honeymoon, double-check and make sure it doesn’t coincide with one of Europe’s largest comic conventions held there. LOL. It didn’t ruin the trip, but it definitely wasn’t what we planned. At least we got a great story out of it."

2."Versailles. I knew it would be busy, it was summer, but it was a massive bucket list visit for me. There were SO many people inside the palace that I could barely see the actual rooms and treasures (the Hall of Mirrors had no magic for me due to the crowds), and we felt like cattle being herded. However, we absolutely loved the gardens and other buildings (Petit Trianon, etc.), so overall, we still really enjoyed the whole day."

3."Santorini. Went in October, and it was still packed! Some tourists were super rude, too."

4."The Vatican inside St. Peter's Basilica. This was pre-COVID, so the experience may be different now, but there were sooooo many people. I wanted to stay inside the Sistine Chapel to admire the ceiling paintings, but I was being pushed along, and it was so noisy."

5."Yosemite. You go there for the peace and calm of a national park, only to be greeted with filled parking lots, illegally parked cars blocking others, TikTokers going way off marked trails, and bad human behavior everywhere."

6."As a Canadian, tourism in the Banff National Park is destroying the environment. Hard to enjoy when you're seeing such disrespect for it constantly around you."

7."The Time Out Market in Lisbon. Thousands of people packed cattle-style into a food court. People walking aimlessly or stopping abruptly in front of you while you try to carry a tray with drinks on it around, looking for a free space at a table that doesn’t exist."

8."Christmas in Singapore. It was the lines and waiting that killed my experience going to touristy things."

9."Angkor Wat. First time I went there in 2001, and monks were all over and the locals were genuinely friendly. Now you’re a number, and it’s so crowded and full of rules that it’s hard to enjoy."

10."Rio, Brazil. Actually, most of Rio was fine, but when we went to the Christ the Redeemer statue…holy crap. You could barely move, it was awful. I usually don’t go see things like that, but we had family with us who wanted to go."

11."Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland. I walked down the path to the shore, thought to myself, 'This would be really cool if there weren’t so many people,' then walked back up the path."

12."Phi Phi, Thailand. Amazing scenery and waters completely destroyed by vast seas of floating tourists in orange life jackets. The island is tiny and completely packed with hotels and bars. In the town, you cannot see anything except three-story buildings. The streets are packed; the beaches are packed. It is about as far from 'island paradise' as one can have nightmares about."

13."Nothing was as bad as Prague in September. Wall-to-wall tourists, and all the shops sold cheap tourist crap. The main square was full of bad street performers that had nothing to do with Prague. It felt more like medieval Disneyland than a real city. We didn't like it at all."

14."Kyoto. Just left the other day. I imagined Kyoto was some peaceful provincial antithesis of Tokyo. That is how it is marketed, anyway. But the crowds are absolutely intense. I’m talking tens of thousands of people amassing at the popular sites: Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Nishiki, Kiyomizu-dera, and Ninenzaka/Sannenzaka. Nowhere to move. Nowhere to escape. To me, Kyoto is the poster child of how Instagram (and the mass affluence of society) ruined nice things."

15."Machu Picchu. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely beautiful, but way too many people. And nearly all of them just there to take photos of themselves."

16."Mount Rushmore was packed with morons. Issues with parking, people just standing in everyone’s way, rudeness, kids screaming and running around. Had I not already been in the area, I wouldn’t have bothered."

17.And finally, "Santa Monica in California. Used to be cool, but now it’s just so packed it’s hard to even enjoy."

What are some travel destinations that you think have been overrun by tourists? What was it like when you were there? Tell us in the comments for a chance to be featured in a BuzzFeed Community post or video!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity