Europe's most overcrowded city for tourists named - as 600 cruise ships visit
The European city that is most overcrowded with tourists has 27 visitors for every one resident and more than 600 cruise ships docking there every year, bringing close to one million travellers on boats. Overtourism is a hot topic of conversation, but it is also a lived reality for many people across the globe. Certain destinations in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Croatia, for example, get overrun with tourists in the high season.
In fact, travel experts have recently placed the Canary Islands on a 'no travel' list for 2026, due to the huge volume of annual visitors the islands receive, which makes life difficult for locals. However, when it comes to the most overcrowded cities in Europe, one Mediterranean favourite comes out on top. A study by the holiday accommodation rental site Holidu found that Dubrovnik, Croatia, is the most overcrowded city fortourists in Europe. Dubrovnik is a favourite for history lovers and those who want to soak up the sun.
However, Dubrovnik's visitor levels might not be that sustainable. Last year, the city's mayor, Mato Frankovi, announced measures to manage the high levels of tourism in the city with the aim of improving life for locals.
It followed a 2016 warning that claimed the city's medieval stone walls could be delisted if its tourism wasn't better managed. Among the measures taken by the mayor is a cap on the number of cruise ships that can dock every day and limiting the number of people within the city walls at any given time to 11,200.
Additionally, he introduced a rule that meant cruise ships had to dock for at least eight hours. This, authorities hoped, would mean tourists would explore at a more leisurely rate rather than rush through the popular sites.
According to Interreg Europe, Dubrovnik receives more than 600 cruise ships per year, which collectively carry close to one million visitors. Additionally, budget airlines like Ryanair offer cheap flights to Dubrovnik from several UK airports.
"This Adriatic gem has been overwhelmed by visitors, transforming from a tranquil coastal retreat into a bustling, human anthill," Holidu states. "Once celebrated for its architectural splendour and historical allure, the city is now synonymous with overtourism."
The smash hit TV series Game of Thrones might have had something to do with putting Dubrovnik on the map. Much of the fantasy show was filmed in the Mediterranean city, drawing fans from all over the world to see it in real life.
Other popular attractions in Dubrovnik include the ancient Old Town Walls, its UNESCO-protected streets and cathedrals. Although these are considered spectacularly beautiful, it is likely you will face massive crowds while you take in these sites.
Frankovic previously said that the city relied somewhat on tourism, but it needed to be managed. Addressing the Abta Sustainable Travel Conference in late March last year, he said: "We defined three types of visitors - cruise passengers, daily visitors and those staying overnight. Each was important to the economy, but it was easiest to manage cruise ships."
While Dubrovnik was named the most overcrowded tourist city in Europe, a slew of other popular destinations made the list. In second place was Rhodes in Greece, which has 26 tourists per resident, the study revealed.
That was followed by Venice in Italy, with 21 tourists per local resident. The top ten most overcrowded cities for tourists in Europe are: