Venice, famed for its stunning canals and rich history, faces significant challenges from overtourism, attracting approximately 20 million visitors annually. Most tourists flock to popular sites during peak months, exacerbating crowding issues. In response, the city has introduced measures such as a fee for day-trippers. The author shares personal strategies for navigating the city more peacefully, notably traveling during the offseason, which offers a more serene experience and highlights how visitor concentration in popular spots fuels overtourism.
For Venice, that's generally considered April through October, with each month drawing well over half a million visitors in 2023... November to March, in contrast, is considered the 'slow' season, drawing less than 400,000 visitors a month in 2023.
The Italian city draws an estimated 20 million visitors each year, with the vast majority sweeping in just for the day to catch a selfie with the Bridge of Sighs and then bounce.
Sustainable tourism experts have previously told me that a key driver of overtourism is not the total visitor numbers but that people often want to visit the exact same places at the same time.
Although I had heard the horror stories of huge crowds making it difficult just to walk over its iconic bridges, I was determined to avoid the same fate.
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