Barcelona preparing for another stressful tourist season

It's a shithole of a city. Crowded pedestrianized downtown, lousy food, and WAY TOO MANY PICKPOCKETS. You have a better time in Paris. Hell, you'd have a better time in Pyongyang.

I absolutely love Eastern Europe, especially Poland and the Baltic countries. It’s beautiful and clean and most Americans are too stupid and/or ignorant to understand that it’s not 1991 anymore and these aren’t run down post communist shitholes so they stay away. They also aren’t magnets for third world dregs like Somalians so it’s just me and lots of Europeans, and a small handful of incredibly good looking Africans, Asians, and Indians.

The government allowed the assaults to happen, so it’s to blame. There should have been a strong use of force against those attacking tourists, enough to leave some bruises and other injuries.

They just used water guns, R3.

The locals didn't hurt anyone.

[quote] I absolutely love Eastern Europe, especially Poland and the Baltic countries. It’s beautiful and clean and most Americans are too stupid and/or ignorant to understand that it’s not 1991 anymore and these aren’t run down post communist shitholes so they stay away.

They are still Hostel-land and visitors don’t want to be tortured and killed.

[quote] They just used water guns,

That’s like saying, “Well, it wasn’t rape-rape.” Don’t try to minimize it.

Thank goodness I have never had any desire at all, to visit Barcelona.

It's right up there with Disney World in Florida, among places I never want to visit.

Barfelona.

R2, let's not tell other people, but Poland is quite an interesting place. I went two years ago and it was one of my most memorable trips (and I have been on many, Europe especially). I'm thinking of going back.

I prefer Wales, a countryside so remote and bland not even the natives want to sleep there.

Or mid-level cities like Graz, Mannheim, Verona, Sevilla. You can disappear there, and live like a local, and you'll barely ever run into a fanny-pack fat American.

r8 - Barshelona.

R9 I have visited my great grandfather‘s village in northeastern Poland twice and it is absolutely beautiful.

I get how they feel. I live in a city with a lot of tourists and they can be really irritating and get in the way of everyday life.

I was recently in Karlsbad, Czech Republic after fleeing the over-tourism insanity in Prague. It was fabulous.

Sorry but the people who live in Barcelona can just simply move to the countryside. What do they expect when they live in a world famous city? I was also born in a major city which is a tourist destination. I just moved to a village 15 minutes away from it. The rent is even cheaper.

[quote]Sorry but the people who live in Barcelona can just simply move to the countryside. What do they expect when they live in a world famous city?

There is anti-tourism in Athens too, and it makes no sense. The map of Athens shows that it's a huge sprawl. There's a small spot in the middle where the Acropolis is and where the tourist neighborhoods surrounding it are. That's just a small part of Athens. Unless you have an ancestral home in that spot, there's probably no reason why an Athenian must live next to the Acropolis. It's like living in the Orlando area and saying, "I must have an apartment overlooking Main Street in the Magic Kingdom!"

The problem is world overpopulation. The growth has doubled in 50 years from 4 billion to 8 billion and in the next decade it will be 9 billion.

Yeah, this in no way is a problem. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about sustainability or climate change, or anything like that. It will all be ok.

That’s rich coming from such a dump as Athens.

Have they SEEN their city?

I'll chime in for the former Warsaw Pact countries, too. Also the former Yugoslav republics that were communist, but never part of the Warsaw Pact. I've traveled all over including Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia. Beautiful and fascinating countries that cost less and are generally less tourist infested (Prague being the exception with over-tourism).

Best gay sexcation spot ever. Gorgeous locals, horny tourists, and LOTS of options for where to hookup.

Barcelona used to be pleasant to visit in the 80s and 90s. I don't understand its transformation to VIP city for global tourism. I liked it for the sex. I saw everything worth seeing and it wasn't all that much on my first visit. I went back because I was young and gorgeous and it was at that time a gay party city. If it was summer it was just a stop on the way to Ibiza. Back in the day you took a ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza. Some of my friends moved to Barcelona. It was Barcelona or Prague or Berlin back then.

Someone mentioned Seville. I find it touristy not overlooked. It's beautiful though.

I like Vienna and Paris and London in the summer. London isn't hot. Paris is great if you avoid the tourist hot spots, which are many, but not essential if you already know Paris. Paris empties out and is very relaxing. Vienna is sleepy in the Summer. Again, I liked all these cities for the sex, too.

I used to go to Cannes and do mostly nothing. Read. Ride my bike. Cruise for sex. sit on rocks along the coast. There used to be the wildest abandoned villas between Cannes and Golfe-Juan. Sex a go go all day long then sunning of the rocks and swimming in the sea. No tourists anywhere but on the Croisette. I disliked Saint-Tropez but would go there with my rich friends. For a lark I would go to the public beach in Monte Carlo, Larvotto, and found it sleepy and no tourists, just residents. I mean Monte Carlo mostly only has day tourists and they do not go to a public beach to swim. I would stay with a friend who was a concierge in town.

I like middle class coastal Italian towns like Alassio and Chiavari. There's nothing to do but laze around, eat small meals, and do a bit of people watching.

I don't like the vibes of the beaches in Barcelona.

R2 I hear ya. Something about those peasant-rooted Eastern Euros with their thick.. well EVERYTHING.

R18 Athens is super ugly and provincial but the people are so friendly. Too many refugees and Pakis though.

[quote] Best gay sexcation spot ever. Gorgeous locals, horny tourists, and LOTS of options for where to hookup.

Where are you talking about, R20?

[quote] I don't like the vibes of the beaches in Barcelona.

Why not, R21?

I love how r21 humble brags about how well traveled he is but upon closer examination it’s just a list of places he liked to get his piggy hooves in the air.

I like Barcelona. The Zara is to die for….

THE biggest problem iare the AirBnbs. That changed everything and made it worse. That’s what drives rents up and destroys neighborhoods. Once thriving communities are just turned into empty shells for tourists. I think Spain is planning on getting rid of 10,000 of them by next year. Major cities HAVE to do something about them for their native populations. It’s hard to find places to live anymore - and it’s NOT just in city centers.

Meanwhile, 2 million Spaniards mobbed Morocco last year. They weren't pelted with rocks or donkey shit.

Barcelona is a great city in the Fall and in the Spring and very mild winters. But summer is hell and crowded. Awful. There is a reason so many Americans are living there. There is also a lot of hate towards expats (understandably so, sometimes). The city has problems but it is still pretty incredible. And still the best for restaurants if you know how to choose (most are closed in August)

At first I thought the whole squirting tourists with water thing was what The White Lotus was referencing, but alas, they were making reference to an actual holiday in Thailand! 🤷🏾‍♂️

I wouldn't travel to Europe in the summer because of the swarm of tourists. I was just returning home from the BVIs and connected through Miami. It's Spring Break travel season and every entitled college kid was shuffling around in slippers and lululemon. I made a mental note to take future Caribbean trips in Jan and Feb to avoid a little of that nonsense.

R25 That was blatently the point. A slut on tour of the shady villes portuaires. I thought it was witty to throw in the humble brag.

[quote] I thought it was witty to throw in the humble brag.

That’s sad.

[quote]Barcelona used to be pleasant to visit in the 80s and 90s. I don't understand its transformation to VIP city for global tourism.

I think that Woody Allen movie VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (2008) that won Penelope Cruz the Oscar is to blame.

The film was a hit and afterward it became a popular destination.

Not too many people saw that film, r33.

R29, that’s Songkran, the Buddhist holiday (New Year?), the tossing of water—it’s the hot season—is meant to bring on the monsoon. Of course now it is taken to an extreme with super soaker squirt guns the size of automatic weapons being refilled from plastic trash bins filled with water on every street corner. “All in good fun” but yes tourists are targets, especially those just arriving from the airport with their luggage, cameras (before) and phones fair game. Busses and trains with open windows get bombed with water balloons. Particularly bad is when they mix it with flour. It goes on all day and night for at least a week. Drunk and stoned tourists are the ones most into it though. It’s not good if you need to go to a consulate for a visa because they are strict about dress and looking respectful.

barcelona is the best city for gays in the whole world

I don't go anywhere in the summer. It seems like everywhere is stifling and crowded.

All through the 90s the hype was building and it took off in 2000 with the era of super cheap air travel.

[quote] Barcelona used to be pleasant to visit in the 80s and 90s. I don't understand its transformation to VIP city for global tourism.

According to the article at op, it was because of the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona.

The city upgraded everything, from its horrific waterfront, to city mass transit, to walkways, to restaurants.

The Olympics gave an economic boost to the city, and made it a very popular tourist destination.

I think the Olympics put it on the map in a huge scale. I remember thinking why Barcelona? Why not Madrid?

I was last in Barcelona almost 1 1/2 years ago. The only other time that I was ever there was in my youth (1983). I was fortunate not to experience any of the negative things that I'm reading about. I wasn't sprayed by water pistols or pick-pocketed. It was expensive for the Iberian Peninsula. I definitely payed more for lodging than any other city in Spain or Portugal. I enjoyed it and am glad that I made the trip. That said, I'm not in a hurry to go back either.

Barcelona is cooked and done.

Go to South-America, Americans. Your dollars might still be wanted there.

R42 I wouldn't be sure about that. Barcelona last (mid) September was BUSY. Still in the low 80s mid-day and tropical in the evening.

It's an 8 hour flight from the East Coast, 12ish from the West Coast on direct flights. Most South American destinations are a 20 hour flight from the US with a layover in either Atlanta, Miami, or Houston. Plus South America is kind of a shithole right now, more than usual. Argentina is expensive AF, Rio is still a crime magnet, and well Medellin is scopolamine central. Plus Spain is Europe and Americans don't do "LatAm" well.

But Barcelona is not just for Americans. Other Europeans love it. Our flight there from Vienna was nothing but Russians. Asians also like to shop there. Latin Americans also visit.

Barcelona is a victim of its own beauty and success.

R36 Seriously. Hot and horny men from ALL OVER the world. Very few places match its eye candy and sex-positive factors.

When my mother and I were there a few years ago, we were prepared for massive grabs at our stuff at every turn. Not even close, but we went nowhere near the main tourist zones.

[quote] Barcelona is cooked and done.

Dutchie/R42, what's your experience with Barcelona?

I'd love to hear a European take on the city.

The Bcn men are so fucking 🔥. Saunas and sex stores a plenty

Valencia.

Refugees are welcome. Tourists not so much. That's essentially been the unofficial policy of the city for a few years now.

R34 the film grossed $96 million on a $15 million budget.

Adjusted for inflation, that's $143 million and $22 million, respectively.

I am surprised no one has mentioned Sitges just a 25 minute bus ride from the Barcelona airport. That place is a hoot - like a Spanish Provincetown. I went there last summer expecting it to be over run with gays. But it was a great mix of gay bars, entertainment and beaches (nude) and other wise. Actor Andrew Scott was there at the same time. I stayed at Hotel Caliopolis which had the best breakfast spread I’ve had in a long time at a hotel.

R46 Barcelona was a lot of fun until, roughly, 2014/2015. Cheap hotels, few airBnBs (compared to now), and only Ramblas/Plaza Catalunya were truly crowded and overly touristy. It was already a popular destination, sure, but in a “normal” way. Not overhyped, not ridiculously expensive.

I am not sure when it changed, nor who’s to blame, but at some point in the late tens, tourism became hypercharged and now every good destination is teeming with tourists. Barcelona, Santorini, Mallorca. Naxos/Paros, Amalfi Coast.. all just so, so very overcrowded nowadays.

R52 I truly believe the difference is social media and things like Instagram where everything is content driven. Everything gets disseminated to much larger audiences. And this idea would absolutely line up with your 2014/2015 timeline.

I'd do my bit for the locals by sucking off a few hotties

Amazing - R23 used one of the worst racial slurs in its post and 31 replies later this is the first comment on it.

Would you use the N word, R23? Because what you said is equally as offensive.

You’re ignorant trash.

Try Bilbao. They're all too busy hating the rest of Spain to really bother with foreign tourists. Also its easily walkable and the old city is beautiful.

Barcelona is so popular because it rules the European Cruise routes. I believe it is the #2 port in the world for the Cruise industry after Miami. And, surprisingly, the Sagrada Familia is the number one most visited site in Spain (I thought it would have been the Prado).

When I went to Menorca 2 years ago, the local taxi driver was telling us that during the pandemic, the French were buying all the properties and renting them out as boutique hotels (which we stayed in) and AirBnBs, driving up the property values and making it unaffordable to the locals.

R23’s posting history shows him for the fucking ugly racist that he is.

The French descended en masse to the peninsula during the pandemic because French restrictions were soul killing

Cities are being destroyed due to over tourism. They have a right to defend themselves especially cities that are major ports. Combine this with global warming and I can’t imagine anyone enjoying a trip to Southern Europe anytime between March and October.

[quote] Cities are being destroyed due to over tourism.

They need to carve out a tourist zone and just accept that that spot will be full of tourists. The greater part of big cities are places that tourists don’t want to go to.

That's essentially what's already happened in Barcelona R62. It's not so difficult at all to avoid the tourist herds, even in summer. They stick to a very well-traveled route. The biggest issue for locals is skyrocketing rents due in large part to tourist rentals. This is happening all over southern Europe, even grungy Naples. Berlin has also been seeing dramatic gentrification. It's a shame, but not sure what can effectively be done about it.

R63, to add to that, it’s not just driving up prices, it’s the lack of inventory, homes for the people who live in the city. I am an expat who lives in a popular European tourist city. When I was looking for a place, all the rentals were holiday homes, or had landlords who didn’t want to rent more than a year, year and a half and that’s it (rentals are usually. 3/5 contracts). All the apartments are furnished like temporary living spaces. It’s hard to find a home. In the end I lucked out by finding a landlord who specifically wanted a long term commitment because they didn’t want to add to the problem.

Expats are the worse because they use all the public services (hospitals, bus/metro....) and pay no taxes in the city they are living in. This is creating a lot of anger. Also about the bus/metro.....unfortunately, the cities are not investing in infrastructure. Try to get on a bus in Barcelona going to Park Güell or Sagrada Familia; if you are a local going to work you will hate tourists. Same in NYC and any other popular city.

Well, The Price is Right just gave a trip to Barcelona away as a showcase prize 🏆.

R65, I don't know how you figure I pay no taxes in the city that I live in...

I'd love to visit Poland, Romania and Croatia. I think it would be fabulous!

But I'm older now and my days of trekking for hours are long past. I'd have to stay in a town instead of out in the countryside somewhere.

Are you in Barcelona R64? It's become all but impossible to find rentals with more than 11-month contracts where the landlords don't price gouge like crazy. It's really an enormous problem for anyone making local salaries.

No, R69, but all large European cities are the same on some level with that. Locals and foreigners buy up properties ONLY to turn them into vacation rentals. But people would rather make 1500 euros a week than 1000 euros a month. So you not only have prices driven up, not only do you have less inventory, you also have neighbourhoods, where locals sustained the businesses in the past, completely gutted. When you have a transient population, there is no community. And the irony is that people staying in Airbnbs because they "want to live like a local." Long standing mom and pop shops that relied on people living in the area close and are replaced with souvenir shops and lugguage storage facilities.

Yes, R70. Absolutely. The one saving grace in Spain is that there's never been much of a renting culture (80% own in Barcelona), so neighborhoods outside of the Gothic District haven't been totally decimated. Still, it's a sad and, for residents, incredibly stressful situation.

R18 keep the fuck away from Athens and the whole of Greece, we don’t want racist scumbags like you.

To be fair, Athens IS a dump. The centre of the city is ghetto, with “internet shops” and everything. I was there in 2023 and it was definitely not what I expected.

The area around the acropolis? Breathtaking.

Can't the Barcelona city council change the zoning so only permanent residents can live downtown?

Is something like that even a possibility?

That would suck

R74 I suppose they could. In Budapest, the Terézváros (6th) district residents successfully voted to ban short-term rentals like Airbnb. It's only for that district so far. I don't think it includes actual hotels, but they are only allowing long term leases or owner occupancy for apartments/condos or houses.

If they can't do that, what they can do is tax it very heavily to make it a lot less desirable to own a vacation rental. Right now the vacation homes kind of print money for people. But if you taxed the stay the same price as the rate or a large percentage of that, people would be trying to sell or get permanent residents in their places right quick. A city really should only have to handle the number of tourist that its hotels can sustain.

r66 LOL. I was just channel surfing and saw that.

Yes, I know Budapest is Hungary and not Spain, but the point is that countries and municipalities have the power to set rules or zoning restrictions to protect citizens and residents. You may help one problem and create another one so it is important to think it through. Many businesses now count heavily on tourism so it might not be a good idea to run them all off.

I'm headed to Athens and Barcelona for the tennis in a couple of weeks (if the world doesn't end), I'm staying in the Gothic Quarter and I can't wait to be squirted on as many times as possible. Have you seen the men in those towns? They're 24hr sex buffets. All you can eat of every ethnicity. There's a sauna and bar for every type Hamman/Twink/Rentboy/Eldergay.

I have 2 days booked with professional guides and I plan on avoiding crowds as much as possible, I don't even mind bad weather as I learned from a German, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

If anyone has current tips for either place I'd love it. TIA

R79 Athens is great you will love it, I was there last week. It’s one of the most affordable cities in Europe, hotels and tavernas are very affordable.

I pass through Athens every few weeks, Psiri is a nice area with lots of tavernas and cool bars etc. Gazi is the arty and cool, definitely worth exploring. The great thing about Athens is that the areas you will want to see are very close to each other.

I have posted a link to a great website/blog for your reading. If you are into saunas there is one called Alexander which is in the Gazi area, I haven’t been for a few years but it is a very clean and modern place over three levels, again very affordable. It has a website, or did when I last checked.

When I lived in Paris, I learned quickly to blend in keep a low profile. It was easy to spot tourists by their appearance and the volume of their conversations. In NYC, I still notice the disinhibited behavior of tourists and can almost tell which ones are going to get into some form of trouble. It’s hard to feel bad for someone who is loud, drunk, or swanning through crowded areas flashing expensive “snatchable” items. Situational awareness is a really big deal right now. Don’t be noticed. You will have a better, safer time anywhere that way,

I’m glad they don’t allow Air BnB or VRBO in my co-op in Manhattan. My friends’ buildings are getting bashed up by some sketchy guests, sometimes in packs of three, stumbling in late and plastered. A bad deal all around.

R82 it’s good that they don’t allow them in your building. What is VRBO?

R83 Vrbo is another company like Airbnb. It stands for Vacation Rentals By Owner. They tend to rent out entire houses while Airbnb offers a lot of apartments/condos.

I don’t know any Spaniards personally, but in videos I’ve seen of them (not counting videos of their festivals or their Holy Week processions) they seem like normal people, not like the French or the Germans.

I recommend watching the movie Barcelona Bound, starring Rafael Carreras and Lucas Fox, for anyone thinking of going to Barcelona. It’s a great film.

Now you can book the late Tim Kruger's penthouse sex terrace for overnights. For an extra fee, you can watch a live sex scene taping, and for an extra extra fee you can clean up afterwards with your mouth.

[quote] They seem like normal people, not like the French or the Germans

The French and Germans don't seem like normal people?

Let's not mention the Swedes. A dirty, sexual people.

- Mrs. Mary Jane McCaffree (née Haffner), Social Secretary to First Lady Mamie Eisenhower

[quote] The French and Germans don't seem like normal people?

True.

Here you go for your lovely Warsaw pact shitty Slavic cunts, we have a problem here, but I bet the pollack torturers get away with almost anything, can you say horse burgers? Quality control is not their priority. Nevermind that you NEVER slaughter a sick cow. Let Putin have them.

“Tourists go home”: Inside the angry protests on Spain’s holiday islands

[quote]I truly believe the difference is social media and things like Instagram where everything is content driven. Everything gets disseminated to much larger audiences. And this idea would absolutely line up with your 2014/2015 timeline.

This is my theory as well. IMHO Instagram is one of the worst things that has happened to our society in recent history.

Tourists are annoying asf but you can ignore them

It is a balance for sure, but if tourism were to drop by say 40% there would be shrieking and gnashing of teeth by all the business owners who rely on the crowds and the tax revenue they drop in the city's coffers.

People removing rental apartments to use as often illegal AirBnBs is the real culprit.

"Five countries in Europe that I would never spend another Summer..." - Luke Patrick Travel Stories

1. Croatia - too expensive

2. Spain - too hot to enjoy anything

3. Finland - too much daylight

4. Italy - too crowded

5. Belgium - bad in Summer, in Winter, and everything in between

Croatia too expensive?

As opposed to the delightfully affordable Paris and London?

Go complain to Luke, R97.