Avoid These Destinations During Their Crowded Holiday Seasons
It can be a real pleasure to visit the country during one of the national holidays. People are in a mood to celebrate and you will be able to see the country in a unique way. It also means that the city you are in can be really crowded, hectic and stressful. Before booking your destination, check to see if there are any national holidays that you may not be familiar with.
It happened to me earlier this year when my fiance and I went to Tokyo. We happened to travel during Golden Week (April 29th to May 5th), and although we knew about it in advance, we did not expect the crowds to be as large as they were. Most Japanese people take a break during Golden Week, so airports, train stations and streets in general were incredibly crowded. I still had a better time, but I should have done a little more research to figure out what we are getting ourselves into.
In addition to Japanese Golden Week, Oyster.com has a few other national holiday destinations to avoid:
- Siena, Italy: Palio di Siena (July and August): This race is held twice a year, on July 2 and August 16. Oyster says rivalries can ruin events during competitions, and visitors are often discouraged. “Add to that the sweltering heat, strong season numbers and over 60,000 visitors, and you might be better off coming to Siena another time.”
- Venice, Italy: Carnival (February): A lot of fun things happen, but the city is also full of tourists. Oyster says the weather is bad and hotel prices are likely to be sky-high.
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Ramadan (June and July): These indicate that many restaurants and cafes are closing, so if you are not watching the holiday, you may want to visit a different time.
- Hong Kong, China: Golden Week (October): I guess Hong Kong Golden Week is probably very crowded as well. Oyster says not only are there huge crowds, airline and hotel prices are skyrocketing and many shops are closing.
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Carnival (February) : Of course, this is a very popular time for tourists from all over the world, so if you are going at this time, chances are you already know about it. however, it’s worth noting that everything is significantly more expensive here (Oyster says hotel prices are three or four times higher than usual) and crime rates are skyrocketing.
These are just a few, and as they mention, you might actually prefer to visit a city based on a national holiday. The key takeaway here is to know what might be happening in your city or destination country and then plan accordingly. Check out the full Oyster post for more details.
5 Vacations You Didn’t Know You Want to Avoid Around the World | oyster