Every summer, Insta-lovers and TikTok aficionados alike take to social media to highlight their best moments during Euro-summer. For viewers, these posts provide a glimpse into these popular vacation destinations—and all the aesthetic possibilities they boast. Though dreamy pictures in front of the Trevi Fountain or videos promenading along the Seine are undoubtedly beautiful, are they real? The answer: probably not.
Not to ruin the Euro-summer aesthetic, but the romanticized view of countless cities around Europe is not only largely inaccurate—it also creates disappointment in prospective travelers. Visiting extremely touristy destinations, especially during summer, is never going to be perfect. It’s going to be uncomfortably hot, uncomfortably dirty, and, most importantly, uncomfortably crowded. Though you can still enjoy the aesthetics and beauty of a new country, be prepared for some hiccups.
I—like many of you—have participated in the romanticization of countless travel destinations. From celebrity Instagram posts and explorative TikToks, I have traveled overseas prepared to immerse myself in the beauty of Europe and its magical gems. And often, though not always, I left feeling hoodwinked by reality.
This summer, for example, I visited the city of Palermo in the Sicilian region of Italy. Admittedly, I fully heard of the beauty of this destination through Hulu’s The White Lotus season two. I was ready to have my Alexandra Daddario beachy moment and shopped for the perfect wardrobe to accompany my seaside look. Though I did have a few of those moments, the majority of the city was just nowhere near what I expected.
For one, trash was literally everywhere. There was seemingly no sort of effort to clean up the city, apart from within the historical center, causing pests and insects to swarm the streets. As well, stray cats flocked in groups all over the city, hiding under cars and seemingly sickly (though they were fed by locals) and without owners. Apart from those somewhat unhygienic elements, though the crowds were less large in this slightly less-known destination, there were still tourists everywhere. And, as in any tourist destination, all of the locals knew it.
With that being said, having an immersive, cultural experience is hard in these destinations—and not for a lack of trying. Shops and restaurants knowingly prey on tourists, claiming to boast an authentic experience but upselling often inauthentic food or merchandise. For foreigners, navigating what is or isn’t authentic in an unknown place is virtually impossible, leading them to think they experienced culture but really experienced a watered-down interpretation.
Staying within Italy, Rome is another extremely popular tourist destination among Americans. With Vatican City, the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum, Rome is home to thousands of years of history and culture. And to experience it, you have to be ready for the thousands of other tourists ready to experience it right along with you. For me, moving through the Sistine Chapel made me feel like I was herded cattle, and cramming to catch a good view or flick of the Trevi Fountain was nearly impossible. Though I didn’t quite enjoy the hundreds of people blocking the view with selfie sticks and cramming through too-hot corridors, I wasn’t disappointed because I expected it.
Paris is another popular heavily romanticized travel destination. Known for its picturesque views of the Seine, the sparkly shimmer of the Eiffel Tower at night and the story-book charm of Montmartre. Millions of tourists flock to Paris every year to catch a glimpse of the so-called most romantic city on Earth. Though it certainly has its charm, Paris is similar to Palermo, it’s covered in trash from being overpopulated and filled with tourists, it has a massive rat problem, and quite frankly has a jarring stench of urine everywhere.
One TikTok creator, @malfoy_drayco, famously highlighted this in 2023, creating discourse over the city and what tourists expect versus the reality. Malfoy pointed out the trash and graffiti all over the city, calling it “ghetto” and saying it looked like the “east side” of any city in America. Malfoy isn’t the only person who’s made these comments—I’ve personally heard dozens of people express distaste for Paris for similar reasons. Though it’s certainly true that Paris has a trash problem and could work on their public hygiene, is it the city’s fault for essentially being a city, or is it the tourists’ fault for expecting far too much?
Few Americans would ever be surprised about these issues in huge cities like NYC, so why does going overseas change anything?
I am certainly not trying to burst anyone’s bubbles and say that any of the above destinations aren’t worth visiting, or that they’re even bad vacation spots. In fact, I adored my time in Palermo and have visited Paris numerous times and had amazing trips. My point is that tourists need to stop treating these people’s homes like they are supposed to be immaculately tailored to them. These aren’t resorts where the entire experience is artfully crafted for your enjoyment—these are cities where people live, work and go about their everyday lives. Even if they have amazing monuments, picturesque gardens and enough insane architecture to give any American a heart attack, they still function as home for millions of people. So yeah, they might be dirty, and maybe the locals won’t be thrilled to see flocks of tourists on their morning commute, but that doesn’t make them bad.
Before you write off a travel destination because it wasn’t everything you dreamed, consider that it is those very expectations that are crushing them in the first place. It is okay to romanticize a destination you have dreamed of visiting, but your dreams must be anchored somewhere in reality. The romanticization of Euro-summer in popular cities all over Europe is well-deserved. These are beautiful destinations with amazing history and unique cultures, but just like anywhere, you have to be prepared for some things to not be perfectly aesthetic.
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