Overtourism has quickly become a problem in many of Europe’s top tourist destinations, including France and Spain.
A new study from the expert team at holidu searched Tripadvisor reviews to find the attractions with the most frequent mentions of “overcrowded” or “too crowded”.
Versailles Palace, one of France’s most visited attractions, came out on top with more than five percent of all its reviews mentioning one of the words.
A former royal residence, the Palace is just outside Paris and is perhaps best known as the home of Marie Antoinette.
Its breathtaking Hall of Mirrors and extravagant gardens attract nearly 15 million tourists per year. But is it too many?
‘Wanderer35996’ wrote on Tripadvisor: “The building was stifling. With the overcrowding (literally could not move, much less see anything), it was miserable.”
‘ATLpch’ wrote: “We were all herded like cattle through the same palace rooms and single passage doorways for about an hour.”
Another visitor opined: “Once inside, there was a conga line of people who moved through the palace like sheep. It was a circus!”
One visitor commented: “The amount of people kills all the pleasure. Even though the place is beautiful, it’s hard to enjoy and admire it.”
Despite this, some visitors still had a fantastic time at the Palace. One person said they “fell in love with the Palace”.
Another described it as a “must visit” saying “it was amazing to see the Palace in all its glory. It was outstanding”.