Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

TOURISM

The ‘tourist traps’ in France that might leave you disappointed

It's hard to think of a country with more to offer tourists than France, but some of the country's most famous sites and a good few in Paris have been slightly tarnished by tourist trade. That's not to say they are not worth visiting though.

Published: 22 August 2018 11:50 CEST
The 'tourist traps' in France that might leave you disappointed
Photo: Dan Taylor /Flickr

Mont-Saint Michel, France's most popular attraction outside Paris, (read more below) was slammed last year by an official report for basically being a tourist trap that offers a poor welcome to its guests and as a result leaves many disappointed. 

But there may be a few other well known sites around the country and especially in Paris that could do with a telling off too.

Eiffel Tower

Rejecting this eternal symbol of Paris may sound like sacrilege, but climbing to the top is something to avoid. Queuing for hours or booking months in advance are the only two options to secure a place on one of the elevators that will take you skyward. Instead you should spend €15 euros on a ride to the top of the equally impressive Tour Montparnasse or the Arc de Triomphe.

Nice Old Town

The old town of the Mediterranean resort of Nice is a must see for most who venture to the Côte d'Azur but be warned you may not find exactly what you were expecting.

Here is one review on Tripadvisor: “You may think you need to experience the old town, but you really do not want to spend more time there than necessary. Crowded restaurants, noisy with too many sources of music (some live appearances as well, of poor karaoke quality), and filled with “souvenirs” that were probably manufactured in China.” Although it must be said, negative reviews are vastly outnumbered by positive ones.

The tourist train of Montmartre

It'll cost you €6 for the privilege of climbing aboard this cheesy little train that will then creep through the crowded streets of Montmartre, which you could have walked on your own for free. In fact walking is pretty much always the best option in Paris because it allows you to properly wander and find the really interesting stuff.

Moulin Rouge 

It's not much like the movie, that's for sure. Between the tourist buses parked several deep out front, to being herded in like bovines and finally treated to what passed for family fun in 1986, there ain't much authentic about Moulin Rouge. And all of this for the modest sum of €215 (if you opt for an all-inclusive deal)! Better to just snap a pic of yourself in front of the sign and enjoy the incredible people watching opportunities in the area.

Mont-Saint-Michel 

Yes, it’s beautiful. But it is also the second most-visited place in France after Paris, with 2.5 million tourists per year. So don’t expect to have a spiritual experience. Two recent and very critical reports sum up all the problems with Mont-Saint-Michel, notably the poor quality of shops and restaurants on offer, the traffic problems, the overcrowded shuttle buses and the basic strategy of trying to get the tourists in and out as quickly as possible.

Disneyland Paris

It's a fun place for the whole family (or at least for those not paying the triple-digit entrance fees). But you better be very patient if you do decide to visit the 'Magique' Kingdom. Queues for the rides can be hours long, especially the attraction where you get to meet (actors playing) some of Disney's famous ladies like Snow White. For a slightly cheaper and more French theme park experience check out Parc Astérix which is just north of Paris.

Château de Chambord

It’s not that the place is not beautiful, but shuffling through the exceptionally golden and tacky interior with a crowd may not be what you had in mind. Fortunately France is absolutely overflowing with châteaux, especially in the Loire Valley. For example, the Château de Chenonceau may be equally touristy, but you can appreciate the beauty of the water flowing beneath it without having to go inside.

Saint-Tropez

It's THE place to be in the summer for the rich and famous. But if you want to enjoy the gorgeous beaches and turquoise water of the French Riviera without the bling-bling mafia, there are plenty of other places which are just as good or better. And most of them have fewer people and are cleaner. The New York Times described the Saint Tropez restaurants as a “gastronimic scene full of tourist traps and obscenely priced see-and-be-seen restaurants”.

Consider the La Mala Beach in Cap D'Ail or La Paloma beach on the Cap Ferrat Peninsula.

Braderie de Lille 

If you are into flea markets then you've probably heard of the Grande Braderie de Lille in northern France. It happens every year on the first weekend in September and draws mobs of bargain hunters and sellers of old-ish stuff alike. But as the market has boomed in popularity and renown it has gone from being charming and authentic to being a great place to get pickpocketed. Consider it a must-don't.

Fête de Bayonne 

In addition to great food and warm people, Basque Country is home to an annual tradition of outdoor festivals or 'ferias' in its various towns. One of the most famous is in Bayonne, yet sadly many accidents and much violence are reported every year in the wake of the event. Smaller 'ferias' like the one in the town of Guethary can be a lot more fun.

Chamonix

Of all the places in the Alps you can go to is Chamonix really the best? The price of the ski passes and the runs on offer have led many to complain about feeling ripped off. The town nestled under Mont Blanc is spectacular, no doubt, but you can almost certainly find equal beauty and better value for money elsewhere in France.

Grands Magasins, Paris

Local Parisians don't really go to Galeries Lafayette or Printemps, instead they leave it to the tourists. That should tell you enough about what kind of stores they are. Although the roof top cafes are worth a visit.

Champs Elysees

For the same reasons as above. Overpriced cafes, fast food restaurants, traffic, expensive stores means Parisians in general stay away. Don't fall into the trap.

Carcassonne

The medieval old town of Carcassonne is one of the most spectacular sites in France. But type the words “Carcassonne” and “tourist trap” into Google and you'll see what many people think of it. One reader complained about all the rubbish Cassoulet restaurants around  the old town while others complain of the tacky tourist shops.

Here is what one Tripadvisor commenter wrote: The Medieval City was absolutely beautiful to look at. The views of the city as you walk over the bridge are great and it looks straight out of a fairy tale. However, it felt like a bit of a tourist trap once you get inside. It was full of shops selling trinkets and postcards as well as cafes. We went to a cafe there and it was the most expensive cup of coffee of my entire trip to France.”

And finally…
 
The Mona Lisa

I think the pictures tell you all you need to know about why the Mona Lisa might be worth giving a wide berth to, even if she is the world's most famous painting. There are plenty of other worlks of art to see at the Louvre.

(Ken and Nyetta/Flickr)

(StephenRMelling/Flickr)

(Dan Taylor/Flickr)

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Almost 800,000 fewer UK holidaymakers have visited Spain in 2023 when compared to 2019. What’s behind this big drop?

Published: 23 August 2023 11:36 CEST
Updated: 26 August 2023 18:32 CEST
Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Spain welcomed 12.2 million UK tourists between January and July 2023, 6 percent less when compared to the same period in 2019, according to data released on Monday by Spanish tourism association Turespaña.

This represents a decrease of 793,260 British holidaymakers for Spain so far this year.

Conversely, the number of Italian (+8 percent), Irish (+15.3 percent), Portuguese (+24.8 percent), Dutch (+4 percent) and French tourists (+5 percent) visiting España in 2023 are all above the rates in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. 

German holidaymakers are together with their British counterparts the two main nationalities showing less interest in coming to Spanish shores.

Britons still represent the biggest tourist group that comes to Spain, but it’s undergoing a slump, with another recent study by Caixabank Research suggesting numbers fell particularly in June 2023 (-12.5 percent of the usual rate). 

READ ALSO: Spain fully booked for summer despite most expensive holiday prices ever

So are some Britons falling out of love with Spain? Are there clear reasons why a holiday on the Spanish coast is on fewer British holiday itineraries?

According to Caixabank Research’s report, the main reasons are “the poor macroeconomic performance of the United Kingdom, the sharp rise in rates and the weakness of the pound”.

This is evidenced in the results of a survey by British market research company Savanta, which found that one in six Britons are not going on a summer holiday this year due to the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.

Practically everything, everywhere has become more expensive, and that includes holidays in Spain: hotel stays are up 44 percent, eating out is 13 percent pricier, and flights are 40 percent more on average. 

READ ALSO: How much more expensive is it to holiday in Spain this summer?

Caixabank stressed that another reason for the drop in British holidaymakers heading to Spain is that those who can afford a holiday abroad are choosing “more competitive markets” such as Turkey, Greece and Portugal. 

And there’s no doubt that the insufferably hot summer that Spain is having, with four heatwaves so far, has also dissuaded many holidaymakers from Blighty from overcooking in the Spanish sun. 

With headlines such as “This area of Spain could become too hot for tourists” or “tourists say it’s too hot to see any sights” featuring in the UK press, budding British holidaymakers are all too aware of the suffocating weather conditions Spain and other Mediterranean countries are enduring. 

Other UK outlets have urged travellers to try out the cooler Spanish north rather than the usual piping hot Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol destinations.

Another UK poll by InsureandGo found that 71 percent of the 2,000+ British respondents thought that parts of Europe such as Spain, Greece and Turkey will be too hot to visit over summer by 2027.

There’s further concern that the introduction in 2024 of the new (and delayed) ETIAS visa for non-EU visitors, which of course now also applies to UK nationals, could further compel British tourists to choose countries to holiday in rather than Spain.

READ MORE: Will British tourists need to pay for a visa waiver to enter Spain?

However, a drop in the number of British holidaymakers may not be all that bad for Spain, even though they did spend over €17 billion on their Spanish vacations in 2022. 

Towns, cities and islands across the country have been grappling with the problem of overtourism and the consequences it has on everything from quality of life for locals to rent prices. 

READ ALSO: ‘Beach closed’ – Fake signs put up in Spain’s Mallorca to dissuade tourists

The overcrowded nature of Spain’s beaches and most beautiful holiday hotspots appears to be one of the reasons why Germans are visiting Spain in far fewer numbers. A recent report in the country’s most read magazine Stern asked “if the dream is over” in their beloved Mallorca.

Spanish authorities are also seeking to overhaul the cheaper holiday package-driven model that dominates many resorts, which includes moving away from the boozy antics of young British and other European revellers.

Fewer tourists who spend more are what Spain is theoretically now looking for, and the rise in American, Japanese and European tourists other than Brits signify less of a dependence on the British market, one which tends to maintain the country’s tourism status quo for better or for worse.

SHOW COMMENTS