Crowds are unfortunately a feature of many European holidays now with top destinations often receiving thousands of visitors in summer.
While large cities such as Paris and London can often absorb crowds of tourists, smaller destinations aren’t quite so lucky.
In Hallstatt, the Austrian town said to have inspired Frozen, residents even erected a fence to block one of its most iconic views.
Anjali Chalwa, a travel expert and blogger at Travel Melodies, told Express.co.uk there’s one Turkish destination she wouldn’t consider returning to.
She said: “I’ll never forget the Instagram-perfect shots of Pamukkale’s gleaming white travertine terraces that drew me to add it to my Turkey itinerary.”
Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey which is known for its thermal waters which flow down a hillside. The spectacular white formations seem like the perfect spot for a new Instagram photo.
However, Anjali said: “But upon arriving on a summer weekday, the overwhelming crowds took me by surprise.
“Thousands of tourists crammed the narrow pathways, making it impossible to walk without jostling others or see over the endless sea of phones angled for that picture-perfect moment.
“Furthermore, without the beauty filters of social media, up close, the travertines appeared more eerie – coated in a yellowed crust in spots from all the foot traffic over time.”
Pamukkale saw over a million visitors in 2023 and it’s expected that number will continue to grow.
Anjali added: “While I don’t regret seeing it, Pamukkale was a lesson for me in taking Instagram with a major grain of salt. The reality rarely lives up to overly curated scenes.”
