Venice has become the very symbol of overtourism: clogged alleyways, giant cruise ships and residents fleeing. But the charm of walking among stone and water survives elsewhere: Venetian harbours, walled cities on the bay, mill villages and towns suspended over rivers offer the same lagoon magic, without the crush.
Venezia in high season: → the alternatives below are far quieter.
On the Gulf of Corinth, Nafpaktos is a fortified Venetian harbour with walls that run down to the sea: quiet Greece with no queues.
Very quiet Jun 21, 2026
In Kotor, beyond the cathedral stormed by cruise passengers, the inner lanes remain a silent maze of stone and cats.
Very quiet Jun 21, 2026
A Byzantine fortress on an islet off the Peloponnese: Monemvasia stays invisible until you round the final bend, into a maze of stone alleys.
Very quiet Jun 21, 2026
In the Karlovac region, where the Slunjčica tumbles into the Korana, a village of mills and waterfalls offers the magic of the Plitvice Lakes without the crowds.
Very quiet Jun 21, 2026
Berat, Albania's city of a thousand windows, is an open-air museum of Ottoman architecture, Byzantine churches, and authentic neighbourhood life.
Very quiet Jun 21, 2026
Camogli and Boccadasse: two fishing harbours near Genoa, with pastel houses and beached boats, to experience authentic Liguria without the crush.
Not very crowded Jun 21, 2026
Perched above the river Guadiana, Mértola weaves together Roman, Islamic and Christian history in the deep Alentejo, amid stone, silence and golden light.
Almost deserted Jun 21, 2026