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Going up the Eiffel Tower. Walking along the Champs Elysées. Drink wine and eat croissants in quaint street cafes.
It’s easy to see why so many people dream of Paris. It is the cultural capital of Europe and is often described as the most romantic city in the world.
But Paris in the summer of 2023? It may not be worth visiting!
Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t visit Paris this summer:
paris is full
Paris will become one of the biggest European victims of excess tourism this summer. In fact, Paris is so crowded that the French Minister of Tourism, Olivia Gregoire, has asked tourists to stay away of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.
Ms. Gregoire believes that this approach is to the benefit of the « environment, the quality of life of the locals and the experiences of their visitors ».
According to Ms. Gregoire, 80% of tourists in France visit only 20% of the country. And the most popular tourist destinations in France? They are all in or around Paris!
Statista research shows that the top five most visited attractions in France are Disneyland Paris, the Louvre Museum, the Palace of Versailles, the Eiffel Tower and the Pompidou Center.
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Unless your dream vacation involves standing in line or pushing through crowds, you may want to avoid Paris this year. The city is full.
Why not take Mrs. Gregoire’s advice and explore a lesser known part of France?
demand is high
If you arrive in Paris, you may be disappointed to find that some of the city’s top attractions are difficult to access. This is because the demand is high, but the number of tickets available is low.
To improve the visitor experience, for example, in February, Lourve limited the number of visitors that can enter the gallery to just 30,000 people per day.
Visitors have often complained that overcrowding in the famed gallery has made it difficult to explore art in a significant way. But now tourists face a different problem: it’s hard to get tickets!
Similarly, tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower are published only six weeks in advance. But as of this writing, high demand means that e-tickets to the top and second floors of the Eiffel Tower by elevator are already sold out through the end of July.
However, if you’re visiting Paris in the off-season, it’s possible to buy a ticket at the gate and ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower on the same day.
travel trauma
Workers across France have been on strike throughout 2023 to protest low wages and poor working conditions. Unions in France have taken part in an ongoing protest against government plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The strikes have been ongoing since January and have had a major impact on travel to and around France. The last strike, on June 6, saw more than 400 flights cancelled.
Unless an agreement is reached between the unions and the government, more strikes are expected across the country over the summer, but the dates for these have yet to be announced.
The combination of the impact of the strike with already crowded airports due to the increased number of passengers visiting France this summer means that for many people, flying to France this summer will be nothing short of a nightmare.
High prices
Demand drives prices up. And because the demand for flights, accommodation and attractions is so high this summer, visiting Paris will be expensive.
Hotel prices are consistently higher in the City of Lights than in many other European capitals, thanks to a combination of high demand, limited supply, and the city’s popularity with tourists. But the problem will be much worse this summer.
According to a Bloomberg report, average hotel prices in Paris are rising due to free-spending, deep-pocketed American tourists who want to explore Europe no matter the cost. This is good news for the French economy, but bad news for travelers hoping to see the world on a smaller budget.
For this reason, consider traveling to a French destination with a less iconic reputation and you’ll see your dollar stretch even further.
The smell
During the summer months, Paris has a very unpleasant smell.
National Geographic even completed a study about why Paris smells so bad and what the Parisian authorities are doing to counter it.
When the weather is cooler the smell subsides and is barely noticeable, but during the heat of summer it is unavoidable in some parts of the city.
Conversely, if you visit Provence in the summer, you will be greeted by the overwhelming smell of fresh lavender. A much more pleasant olfactory proposal if you want to spend the summer in France.
traveler alert: Don’t forget travel insurance for your next trip!
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
