Yearly, thousands and thousands flock to Europe’s hottest seashore locations, dreaming of an idyllic escape. However for a lot of, actuality falls wanting the picture-perfect hype.
In accordance with a brand new report from cloud tech firm Cloudwards, European seashores are among the many most complained-about on the planet – particularly with regards to overcrowding. The findings are based mostly on TripAdvisor opinions of 200 of the world’s most visited seashores, analysed utilizing key phrase filters to determine probably the most frequent grievances.
From tightly packed sands in Sardinia to Greece’s round the clock events, the report reveals the disconnect between the Instagram‑worthy pictures we discover on-line and what folks really expertise after they get there.
Europe dominates the worldwide checklist for overcrowding
If you happen to’ve ever walked a kilometre to discover a naked patch of sand or shared the ocean with a flotilla of inflatable unicorns, this received’t come as a shock: eight of the ten most criticised seashores for overcrowding are in Europe.
The UK’s Bournemouth Seashore “topped” the checklist amongst European nations, rating fifth total globally, with frequent remarks about its cleanliness and crowds. However few European nations fare worse than Italy with regards to overcrowding.
Sardinia’s La Pelosa – a surprising spit of sand surrounded by turquoise waters within the island’s northwest – topped the worldwide chart for overcrowding complaints, with almost 87 per cent of damaging opinions mentioning crowd-related points.
“It was a weekday morning in mid-September but the crowds resembled central London/New York/Sydney on New Yr’s Eve,” wrote one La Pelosa reviewer.
Spiaggia La Cinta, a five-kilometre stretch of white sand surrounded by junipers and dunes on Sardinia’s east coast, took second on this class.
Simply behind Sardinia’s beachy jewels got here Portugal’s Praia da Falésia – identified for its golden sands and looming cliffs – and Ibiza’s Cala Comte and tiny Konnos Bay in Cyprus, usually described as “just a little slice of island paradise” regardless of the cramped circumstances.
Greek seashores among the many dirtiest and noisiest – and hottest
Greece fared higher than some locations when it got here to overcrowding however stood out in different classes.
Balos Lagoon in Crete ranked twenty sixth total and seventh globally for dirtiness, with almost half its complaints citing cleanliness, and 40 per cent citing overcrowding.
Elafonissi, one other beloved Cretan seashore identified for its pink-hued sands and shallow waters, got here in because the seventh most complained about seashore globally. Greater than 70 per cent of its damaging opinions talked about overcrowding, although few talked about noise or dirtiness.
Porto Katsiki, a postcard-ready seashore on Lefkada Island within the Ionian Sea, landed within the world high ten for noise and disruption. Maybe unsurprisingly, the World’s 50 Finest Seashores additionally ranked it quantity 36 in 2025, illustrating how surging recognition can create outsized pressures on ecological landmarks.
How the rankings have been compiled
Cloudwards analysed greater than 1.3 million TripAdvisor opinions of 200 seashores around the globe. They filtered damaging opinions for key phrases associated to 4 fundamental grievance classes: dirtiness, overcrowding, lengthy queues and noise.
Every seashore was then given a grievance rating from 0 to 100, based mostly on the frequency of these key phrases. The upper the rating, the extra frequent the complaints.
That makes it much more jarring to see iconic locations like Waikiki Seashore in Hawaii obtain an ideal 100 – for all of the incorrect causes.
A wave of regulation may handle tourism stress
Many of those locations undergo from the identical combine of things: restricted stretches of prime shoreline, peak-season congestion and viral social media fame that has outpaced infrastructure and put pressure on native communities.
A few of the seashores flagged within the report are already taking steps to deal with overtourism and protect their fragile environments – and possibly their reputations.
Sardinia has led the best way in Europe with a slate of summer season insurance policies aimed toward lowering injury to its hottest seaside spots. These embrace every day customer caps, obligatory advance bookings and, in some instances, bans on bringing towels to stop sand erosion.
In Greece, a brand new €20 entry charge was launched in 2025 for cruise passengers visiting congested island hotspots reminiscent of Mykonos and Santorini.
Spain, in the meantime, has banned booze on some seashores and launched fines to curb dangerous behaviour.
It’s all a part of a wider reckoning with overtourism throughout Europe, from its cities to its seas.
This summer season, the golden promise of an ideal seashore vacation is being examined by crowds, chaos and the rising hole between expectation and expertise. In an period of filtered photographs and viral fame, even paradise may need a breaking level.