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This article resonates with me after my recent vacation to the Amalfi coast. The narrow roadways are clogged with buses and the buses themselves are so full yo

This article resonates with me after my recent vacation to the Amalfi coast. The narrow roadways are clogged with buses and the buses themselves are so full you often have to wait in line for an extra hour to get on one. I definitely wouldn't recommend it. After Amalfi, we went to a small fishing village nearby and had an experience that was so, so much better. I even got to speak some Italian and buy some homemade grappa from the local shop, which would be difficult in a more 'disneyfied' place. It would be nice if TripAdvisor or Google had some sort of 'tourist jam' avoidance algorithm, letting you pick places like or near the place you want to go, but slightly off the beaten path. Or some kind of warning if you're planning to go somewhere during the peak season.

almost_usual 8y ago
If there was a “tourist jam” avoidance algorithm those places would eventually be crowded as well. Most of these destinations are crowded due to the convenience of tech.
- oh_sigh 8y ago
  Not necessarily, because you might have 30 near-equivalent spots that people can be spread out into
  - Piskvorrr 8y ago
    Fair point - if those exist. Current tourist traps are popular because those are the very-interesting and somewhat-interesting spots, as opposed to "there also used to be a medieval city here, now there's a factory, gee that's interesting". In other words, that's already happening, and it does help, but doesn't scale quite with the demand. There's always diversification ("go see that niche thing if you're into it - old mine, train museum, festival of this and that, power plant, take a bike tour instead"), but the attraction of extremely-popular spots is self-reinforcing.
tozeur 8y ago
I actually just finished having dinner in Amalfi (Positano). After spending the past two weeks in a small town of 800 people in Southern Italy, I was shocked to see so many tourists in Positano; I heard more English than Italian. And don’t get me started on the tourist buses that clog up the roads.
- maccard 8y ago
  Irony warning, I'm writing this from a vineyard in Tuscany. You do realise that you are part of the problem you are complaining about? Why are you entitled to visit there and nobody else? Regarding the tour buses, as someone who lives in a popular tourist city (Edinburgh) given the choice of a bus full of tourists rocking up every day, or the same number of tourists rocking up in rental cars, I'll take the bus any day. There's nothing worse than navigating narrow streets surrounded by people who can barely drive not knowing where they're going.
lozaning 8y ago
I recently had the opportunity to stay for considerable time in a villa on a 100 acre vineyard in the italian countryside. Rode a bike into town every morning and did the days grocery shopping, I was living just like all my italian neighbors where and it was fabulous. The quick jaunt through Rome and Florence I tacked onto the end of the trip was very loathsome in many aspects. I'd bet you have to go at least 3 miles away from the colosseum in any direction to find food of a higher quality than Olive Garden.
- growlist 8y ago
  This wasn't my experience of Rome at all, but then I was there in March and it wasn't chock full of (other) tourists. We stayed in an area called Trastevere which was slightly out of the centre and which I'd recommend.
- dfxm12 8y ago
  Maybe it's just me, but dealing with subpar food or going hungry for a little while is an acceptable price to pay for getting to see the Colosseum. I know, different strokes and all.
- pigscantfly 8y ago
  If you'd visited the Vasari Corridor or tried the Uffizi on a Tuesday morning, I think you'd have had a much different experience. Rome is constantly crowded in the same way NYC is, but you can't really expect to have the entire forum to yourself - it's one of the most famous places in the world! Loathsome is the polar opposite of how I feel about visiting either of those cities.
  - Piskvorrr 8y ago
    Mind you, you couldn't have expected to have the Forum to yourself for millenia now. Rome seems to have plenty of experience with barbarian hordes (/joke) - or more seriously, how to mix the locals with tourists while remaining a city, not a preserved relic to be gawked at.
- paganel 8y ago
Panoramix 8y ago
I went to the Amalfi coast recently. It was mind-numbingly crowded, except for the abundant hiking trails, which were virtually deserted and gorgeous. Back in the city the horde was queuing to eat at the Tripadvisor-recommended shit restaurant and taking selfies at "the attractions". It seems to me that they largely missed the whole point of being there.
- astura 8y ago
  >It seems to me that they largely missed the whole point of being there. Honest question, what do you believe the point of being there is for them? Do you think other people might have different reasons for being there than you?
yifanl 8y ago
Wouldn't that be self-defeating? If the path less travelled becomes more accessible, then it stops being the path less travelled.
- ben_w 8y ago
  Some people want the road less travelled; other people want load balancing to avoid overcrowding. There’s enough room in this world for both.
dfxm12 8y ago
This article resonates with me after my recent vacation to the Amalfi coast. The narrow roadways are clogged with buses and the buses themselves are so full you often have to wait in line for an extra hour to get on one. Sounds like the experiences I had... in 1999 and again in 2009. The Amalfi Coast has been, is and will continue to be popular with tourists for a reason. It's beautiful and it's a ferry ride away from Capri & the Blue Grotto. Good luck finding something similar to the Blue Grotto.
pigscantfly 8y ago
Nonetheless, the last time I visited Paestum (~2 km. inland in modern times), which may be my favorite archaeological site in the whole country, I was literally the only person there, and there was certainly no issue finding a seat on the nearly-empty train from Naples. It's not that hard to avoid the crowds - just plan visits to major sites for weekdays and try to avoid travelling during the high season.
- paganel 8y ago
  > just plan visits to major sites for weekdays and try to avoid travelling during the high season. I visited the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna some time ago during a weekday in late January, which meant that I got to see some of Velasquez's works (including the exceptional "Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_Blue_Dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_...) in a room all by myself. I felt "royal-ish" for those few minutes, as if those famous paintings had been painted by Velasquez especially for me and me only. And then just a couple of rooms away there were a couple of paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which I also got to see alone, by myself.
  - theoh 8y ago
    You haven't told us how the Archimboldo paintings made you feel. Like you were made out of vegetables?
    - paganel 8y ago
      I know that what I've written might have sounded wrong with some HN readers but as others have said, tourism is nowadays mostly about experiences and about what one feels. I've used that word ("royal-ish") because Velazquez was (among other things) the painter of the Spanish royal court and in my imagination, as a tourist (not as an art critic) being left alone with his paintings made me feel part of that royal court. I don't see the wrong in that, to be honest.
      - 8y ago
bishnu 8y ago
'Tourist jam avoidance', as you put it, is built into these products. Just go to places they don't mention.
megy 8y ago
> It would be nice if TripAdvisor or Google had some sort of 'tourist jam' avoidance algorithm, But why, it sounds like it is working perfectly. You would prefer it if a large percent of those people were send to your small town? You are a tourist, you are part of the problem.
- CoolGuySteve 8y ago
  I live in Brooklyn and there's the odd Airbnb tourist out here. They do the same inconsiderate shit as Times Square tourists: block the sidewalk, walk 5 abreast really fucking slowly, stand in the subway doors, leave their huge suitcases in high traffic areas, etc. But the fact that they're not all clustered together like in midtown reduces the frustration factor immensely. I actually don't mind them when they're spread out like this. edit: Why not comment before you censor with your downvote?
alkonaut 8y ago
I was there recently and found it pretty empty, but the key was I think that I didn't go into any of the "famous" towns along the coast such as Positano. Also I think there is a very periodic jump in tourism during specific European holiday periods which are best avoided (Especially for americans the idea that whole countries all have multiple weeks of holiday effectively at the same time is probably easy to forget)
- Piskvorrr 8y ago
  Having synchronized weekends is quite sufficient - doesn't really make much of a difference whether the traffic is 10x or 20x ;)
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

almost_usual 8y ago

If there was a “tourist jam” avoidance algorithm those places would eventually be crowded as well. Most of these destinations are crowded due to the convenience of tech.

oh_sigh 8y ago
Not necessarily, because you might have 30 near-equivalent spots that people can be spread out into
- Piskvorrr 8y ago
  Fair point - if those exist. Current tourist traps are popular because those are the very-interesting and somewhat-interesting spots, as opposed to "there also used to be a medieval city here, now there's a factory, gee that's interesting". In other words, that's already happening, and it does help, but doesn't scale quite with the demand. There's always diversification ("go see that niche thing if you're into it - old mine, train museum, festival of this and that, power plant, take a bike tour instead"), but the attraction of extremely-popular spots is self-reinforcing.

tozeur 8y ago

I actually just finished having dinner in Amalfi (Positano). After spending the past two weeks in a small town of 800 people in Southern Italy, I was shocked to see so many tourists in Positano; I heard more English than Italian. And don’t get me started on the tourist buses that clog up the roads.

maccard 8y ago
Irony warning, I'm writing this from a vineyard in Tuscany. You do realise that you are part of the problem you are complaining about? Why are you entitled to visit there and nobody else? Regarding the tour buses, as someone who lives in a popular tourist city (Edinburgh) given the choice of a bus full of tourists rocking up every day, or the same number of tourists rocking up in rental cars, I'll take the bus any day. There's nothing worse than navigating narrow streets surrounded by people who can barely drive not knowing where they're going.

lozaning 8y ago

I recently had the opportunity to stay for considerable time in a villa on a 100 acre vineyard in the italian countryside. Rode a bike into town every morning and did the days grocery shopping, I was living just like all my italian neighbors where and it was fabulous. The quick jaunt through Rome and Florence I tacked onto the end of the trip was very loathsome in many aspects. I'd bet you have to go at least 3 miles away from the colosseum in any direction to find food of a higher quality than Olive Garden.

growlist 8y ago
This wasn't my experience of Rome at all, but then I was there in March and it wasn't chock full of (other) tourists. We stayed in an area called Trastevere which was slightly out of the centre and which I'd recommend.
dfxm12 8y ago
Maybe it's just me, but dealing with subpar food or going hungry for a little while is an acceptable price to pay for getting to see the Colosseum. I know, different strokes and all.
pigscantfly 8y ago
If you'd visited the Vasari Corridor or tried the Uffizi on a Tuesday morning, I think you'd have had a much different experience. Rome is constantly crowded in the same way NYC is, but you can't really expect to have the entire forum to yourself - it's one of the most famous places in the world! Loathsome is the polar opposite of how I feel about visiting either of those cities.
- Piskvorrr 8y ago
  Mind you, you couldn't have expected to have the Forum to yourself for millenia now. Rome seems to have plenty of experience with barbarian hordes (/joke) - or more seriously, how to mix the locals with tourists while remaining a city, not a preserved relic to be gawked at.
paganel 8y ago

Panoramix 8y ago

I went to the Amalfi coast recently. It was mind-numbingly crowded, except for the abundant hiking trails, which were virtually deserted and gorgeous. Back in the city the horde was queuing to eat at the Tripadvisor-recommended shit restaurant and taking selfies at "the attractions". It seems to me that they largely missed the whole point of being there.

astura 8y ago
>It seems to me that they largely missed the whole point of being there. Honest question, what do you believe the point of being there is for them? Do you think other people might have different reasons for being there than you?

yifanl 8y ago

Wouldn't that be self-defeating? If the path less travelled becomes more accessible, then it stops being the path less travelled.

ben_w 8y ago
Some people want the road less travelled; other people want load balancing to avoid overcrowding. There’s enough room in this world for both.

dfxm12 8y ago

This article resonates with me after my recent vacation to the Amalfi coast. The narrow roadways are clogged with buses and the buses themselves are so full you often have to wait in line for an extra hour to get on one. Sounds like the experiences I had... in 1999 and again in 2009. The Amalfi Coast has been, is and will continue to be popular with tourists for a reason. It's beautiful and it's a ferry ride away from Capri & the Blue Grotto. Good luck finding something similar to the Blue Grotto.

pigscantfly 8y ago

Nonetheless, the last time I visited Paestum (~2 km. inland in modern times), which may be my favorite archaeological site in the whole country, I was literally the only person there, and there was certainly no issue finding a seat on the nearly-empty train from Naples. It's not that hard to avoid the crowds - just plan visits to major sites for weekdays and try to avoid travelling during the high season.

paganel 8y ago
> just plan visits to major sites for weekdays and try to avoid travelling during the high season. I visited the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna some time ago during a weekday in late January, which meant that I got to see some of Velasquez's works (including the exceptional "Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_Blue_Dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_...) in a room all by myself. I felt "royal-ish" for those few minutes, as if those famous paintings had been painted by Velasquez especially for me and me only. And then just a couple of rooms away there were a couple of paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which I also got to see alone, by myself.
- theoh 8y ago
  You haven't told us how the Archimboldo paintings made you feel. Like you were made out of vegetables?
  - paganel 8y ago
    I know that what I've written might have sounded wrong with some HN readers but as others have said, tourism is nowadays mostly about experiences and about what one feels. I've used that word ("royal-ish") because Velazquez was (among other things) the painter of the Spanish royal court and in my imagination, as a tourist (not as an art critic) being left alone with his paintings made me feel part of that royal court. I don't see the wrong in that, to be honest.
    - 8y ago

bishnu 8y ago

'Tourist jam avoidance', as you put it, is built into these products. Just go to places they don't mention.

megy 8y ago

> It would be nice if TripAdvisor or Google had some sort of 'tourist jam' avoidance algorithm, But why, it sounds like it is working perfectly. You would prefer it if a large percent of those people were send to your small town? You are a tourist, you are part of the problem.

CoolGuySteve 8y ago
I live in Brooklyn and there's the odd Airbnb tourist out here. They do the same inconsiderate shit as Times Square tourists: block the sidewalk, walk 5 abreast really fucking slowly, stand in the subway doors, leave their huge suitcases in high traffic areas, etc. But the fact that they're not all clustered together like in midtown reduces the frustration factor immensely. I actually don't mind them when they're spread out like this. edit: Why not comment before you censor with your downvote?

alkonaut 8y ago

I was there recently and found it pretty empty, but the key was I think that I didn't go into any of the "famous" towns along the coast such as Positano. Also I think there is a very periodic jump in tourism during specific European holiday periods which are best avoided (Especially for americans the idea that whole countries all have multiple weeks of holiday effectively at the same time is probably easy to forget)

Piskvorrr 8y ago
Having synchronized weekends is quite sufficient - doesn't really make much of a difference whether the traffic is 10x or 20x ;)
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]