混雑を避ける – リック・スティーブスのヨーロッパ旅行ガイド – トラベルバイト
I want to talk about avoiding crowds because, you know, crowds are a huge concern these days. Europe is crowded. When you go to Europe, you’re going to find the most famous sites during the most crowded times are almost unworkable. So, we have to decide how are we going to minimize those crowds. Remember, there’s two IQs of European travelers. Those who wait in lines and those who don’t wait in lines. This is the Pantheon in the middle of the day. I stay about a block away in my favorite hotel in Rome for the Pantheon. And man oh man, it’s mobbed in the middle of the day, but I go in the morning when I’m only all I’m all alone there, and I go in the evening and I’m all alone there. So, we need to not go to the famous places when they’re so crowded. It’s kind of elementary. When I look at this slide here, it almost has a soundtrack to it. I can hear the guard blowing his whistle at me saying, “Mister, it’s time to go.” That’s because I’m there during the last two hours of the day on the Acropolis in Athens. If you’re in Athens and there’s three ships in the port, there’s 3,000 tourists on each ship. Every one of them, it seems like, wants to go to the Acropolis. That’s crowded. Why would you go in the middle of the day? I like to go when everybody else is leaving. We can do that. If we’re not on that cruise ship, we can do that. So, find a way to enjoy the sites during a time when they’re not overwhelmed with tourists. These people are waiting in line, not to get into the coliseum, but to buy a ticket to get into the coliseum. You see, and there are ways to get tickets that don’t involve waiting in that line. That’s a good tip right there. Think of the Eiffel Tower. Everybody wants to go to the Eiffel Tower. Last time I went, I used my guide book. I made a reservation. When I got there, there was a long line, but I had a reservation. So, you know, I went through this long I was sort of in a bad mood. I had to walk through all these empty stansions and I got to hear and they said, “Oh, you have a reservation. Come on to the front.” They put me on the elevator. I went up, had a great time, came down before that last person in line got to the front. When I was before I left, I went through this whole line. I looked at each person in this line one at a time. And by the time I got to the end of this line, it occurred to me not one of them had the Rick Steve’s Paris guide [Applause] book. It’s amazing. It’s amazing how many people just they don’t really care about the lines. There are a lot of lines. Make reservations. It’s not something I enjoy doing, but you know, the more I do my research, the more I realize you’ve got to be in you’ve got to be aware of what is requiring a reservation in each city. When I update a chapter for my guide books, it’s almost like we need a a sidebar in the first page of every city that says what you need to have a reservation for. Going to Amsterdam. If you’re a typical tourist, you need a reservation for Van Go, for Annef Frank, for the Rembrandts at the Reichkes Museum, and for a fancy trendy restaurant. Okay? There’s four things you need a reservation for for Amsterdam. That means everything else you’re wide open. You see, but just don’t stumble into Rome hoping to see the Vatican Museum and the Colosseum without a reservation in advance or or you’re going to be very frustrated. Get online, make that reservation, and you read your guide book and find out what needs a reservation in the city you’re going to. This is a serious issue these days, and the information is there. Remember, one way to get around the lines is to buy a city sightseeing pass because there you already have your ticket. And with this, you can walk right up to the turn style and you’ll be in. So, that can be a really good advantage. A pass like this pays for itself in a in a in a few admissions, but the added advantage is you’re saving a lot of time by not waiting in lines. With my U guide mentoring tour, we always go in the winter. And when I’m with that group in the winter, it occurs to me, why aren’t more people traveling in the winter? It’s a beautiful time to go. You just got to dress for the for the cold weather. In Europe, they say there’s no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. Okay, the small towns and the countryside closes down in the winter. But if you’re going to do mostly big cities and city sightseeing, winter’s a great time to go. It really is better and better. And remember, most of Europe never has any tourist crowds at all anyways. So why not spend some time where there are no tourists and then be an extrovert? It’s people that carbonates the travel experience. It’s the extroverts that meet more people. That’s what we need to aspire to. If you see four cute guys sitting on a bench, ask them to scoot over. nothing else is going on. I was doing this ever since I was a kid. I’m still doing it now. And it works. It really does work. And I want to remind you the most grueling thing about European travel, especially if you’re an older travel is traveler, is the heat and the crowds of summer. Okay? We really need to respect the heat and the crowds of summer. Go shoulder season. Uh do what you can to avoid those crowds. Um, but I’m so inspired by the people I meet in Europe traveling this way. Many people whose grandchildren said, “You shouldn’t be doing this.” They were going over there without a lot of reservations, without a lot of experience, without a lot of language skills, without a lot of money, and having a great time.
These days Europe is very crowded—everybody seems to be going to the same places at the same times. There are two IQs of European travelers: those who wait in long lines and those who don’t. Savvy travelers avoid the crowds and make reservations in advance when smart. Watch “Rick Steves Experiencing Europe” on American public television — check your local listings.
Visit http://www.ricksteves.com for more European travel information.
*Check out more Rick Steves’ Europe travel resources:*
• “Rick Steves’ Europe” public television series: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show
• “Travel with Rick Steves” public radio program: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/radio
• European tours: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours
• Guidebooks: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/guidebooks
• Travel gear: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/
• Travel classes: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/travel-talks
• Rick Steves Audio Europe app: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-europe
Rick Steves, America’s most respected authority on European travel, writes European travel guidebooks, and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio.
22 Comments
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Rick Steve's is my favorite when im couch traveling
Way to go, Rick🏆 My favorite travel expert. Great tips, so helpful
He should visit all the places he visited in the beginning of the series and talk about the difference
I’m from England, and always love seeing Rick speak. He’s so encouraging and his positive attitude is contagious. A great guy.
You are amazing! It is so true that local people are the heart of the travel experience. Thanks for the great information.
Rick, you are a national (and international) treasure!
Totally agree. Just go. It’s awesome.
ok
I would Never go there if it was like that.
Wise words of a wise man
Ya'll concern about the crowds not the pickpocketers? the Mafia in Italy is now hiring pickpocketers to make money in the tourists spots! Wake up!
The two immediate best things you can do to avoid crowds are (A) find real hidden gems and (B) go at less busy times. Do both, and you're onto a winner. It's that simple.
A great example of this is the Sintra region in Portugal, which I've visited twice. The first time was on a hot, sunny summer weekend day, and we went directly to the most famous local sights that everyone knows best, notably Pena Palace. It was CHAOS, absolutely rammed with people, endless crowds and queues, and honestly hard to enjoy.
The next time I went to Sintra was with my girlfriend at the time, and we deliberately travelled a little outside the peak season, went early on a mid-week day, and headed straight for some of the less well known sights. It was heaven, one of the nicest days I've ever had – we spent most of the day at Monserrate Palace, which is stunning but not high in most people's checklist, and practically had it to ourselves. We sunbathed on the grass, explored, had a picnic for lunch, explored some more… Pure joy.
I live in London and it's the same here, everyone seems to come at the same time and do all the exact same things. There are some gorgeous places to visit that are less well-known though, and if you come in late Spring or early Autumn you can get lucky and get good weather, but without the mad crowds.
Make your reservation for life early, don't wait in line with the others for a retirement. Quit your job now if you like to, become a Lebenskünstler if you can.
Avoid groups of US citizens traveling to the max, unfortunately they are often mean, small, arrogant, unexperienced, traveling on borrowed money they want to max out in and a pest to most of the others.
Very well done Rick, just in time for a most unusual travel season.thank you…
Resulta curioso que quien aporta por la masificación turística recomiende evitar las multitudes con soluciones para gente rica: viajar cuando no es periodo vacacional y reservar entradas que suelen tener un recargo. Muy decepcionante.
Hmmm… I was at the Pantheon early in the morning, middle of the week, shoulder season… it was PACKED.
Good advice, but everyone knows this advice by now. In Rome, the lines begin 1h before opening times at 8am by Colloseum and Pantheon, you already need to line up.
The evening is still a better option, but also many venues now sell timed and dated tickets and online only (which means third party buys them and sells them for more) like Sagrada Familia
So here is a better advice: buy all your tickets 1 month in advance and online, do careful planning and yes come early or late. This works well for overseas travelers like US, but Europeans often come for the weekend, and they don't have tickets on advance
The world has really changed. I remember 20 years ago when I backpacked through Europe and there were basically no online reservations that I would rock up to each of these. There was less tourism then too so I hardly ever had to wait in line.
Nowadays, if I don't book "the sights" a month or two in advance I know I'm not going to see them.
Avoiding crowds, stay home and save money, traveling is overrated and stressful because now you can travel through YouTube from the comforts of your home😄A week after you back, you will be crying because of bills due and disappointed because reality did not meet expectations😭.
Most tourists don’t realize that some of the best experiences in Europe come before 9 AM and after 6 PM — early mornings and evenings often reveal quieter, more authentic moments. Also, many top attractions offer lesser-known side entrances or skip-the-line partnerships with local guides. Planning smart really makes a difference!
Thank you for your rich experience Rick !!