“If you’re planning a trip to Croatia, don’t bother with Dubrovnik.
It’s extremely pretty from afar…but far from pretty.
The Old Town is just one mess of tacky cafes, restaurants catering to tourists, and tour agencies.
“Avoid the Heathrow Express in London.
You paya lot morefor only a slightly faster journey to the airport.
Just look online or ask a hotel staff member how to get to the airport another way.
They will help you get the right and much more affordable ticket.”
“Throughout Italy, venture to avoid restaurants on big, popular squares or near major tourist attractions.
If the menu features multiple languages and/or photos of the food, that’s another red flag.
“Hallstatt, Austria.
It is pretty, but it’s overrun by tourists and cheap souvenir shops.
There are so many more authentic villages by lakes in that region.
you’re free to skip Hallstatt altogether.”
“Leicester Square in London.
It’s not justtouristy…it actually is a tourist trap designed to rip you off.
Sure, it might be nice to walk through, but just don’t spend any money there.”
You will likely eat frozen food at an absurdly high price.
Stick to restaurants on side streets and quieter areas instead.”
“If you’re visiting Tuscany, avoid the torture museums that are scattered around the various medieval towns.
They are poor attempts to scare (and scam) tourists.
If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”
Here, we eat lunch between 2:30 and 4 p.m. As a rule of thumb, look for locals.
If no locals are eating there, avoid it.”
“Mykonos and Santorini are just tourist traps shaped like islands.
Greece is filled to the brim with amazing islands.
“In Brussels, avoid the street called Rue des Bouchers/de Beenhouwersstraat and the surrounding neighborhood.
The menus are written in 12 different languages, and the waiters give a shot to hail you inside.
They are totally overpriced, touristy eateries to avoid.”
“Oktoberfest in Munich.
Avoid it, especially the Hofbrauhaus.
Travel to one of the smaller cities in Bavaria instead.
I’d suggest going to the Allgau, where there’s a brewery in every village.”
“I lived in Berlin for a decade, which is home to plenty of tourist traps.
The biggest one, IMO, is Checkpoint Charlie.
“The Bran (Dracula) Castle in Romania is overrated.
“For Iceland, its the blue lagoon.
“Take it from an Italian and don’t spend much time in Venice.
It is extremely overpriced and caters to tourists who don’t know any better.
Don’t plan on doing your shopping there, and don’t eat out in fancy restaurants.
Above all, don’t order fish or seafood a la carte.
“Temple Bar in Dublin is huge with tourists, but it’s massively overpriced.
“In Edinburgh, be aware that the Royal Mile is very touristy.
It’s all expensive.
Also, I don’t think it’s worth the price to go inside the castle.
“In Copenhagen, avoid eating in Nyhavn.
It’s expensive, and you could easily find better food close by.”
“In Spain, walk away from any restaurants that serve paella for dinner.
We only eat paella at lunch, folks, and that is a sign of a tourist trap.
And if there are photos of the food out front, that’s a bad sign.”
“In Amsterdam, stay away from the ‘smartshops.’
They sell products that they claim contain THC, but the truth is that smartshops do not sell weed.
If you’re not buying that THC from a coffee shop, it’s probably a scam.”
“In Paris, don’t pay to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
“In Portugal, the Algarve can be very touristy.
“In Budapest, never, ever hail a cab from the street.
Instead, go with a ridesharing app like Bolt and use that.
I’ve gotten into a lot of uncomfortable and shady situations by hailing street cabs.”
Not to mention, there are tons of pickpockets in the square and the narrow roads around it.
Don’t bother stopping here.”
“When in Barcelona, don’t bother visiting Las Ramblas.
Locals avoid these places like the plague and would never eat anywhere on Las Ramblas.”
“The Champs-Elysees in Paris.
The only reason to go near this street is to see the Arc de Triomphe.”
“Pisa, Italy.
It’s basically just a photo opportunity that is severely overcrowded by tourists and street vendors.
Once you’ve taken the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa picture, there’s not much else to do.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
