3 Reasons Not to Visit Europe This Summer

Froma Harrop on Jul 16, 2026

For some reason, many Americans seem convinced they have to tour Europe this summer -- despite the heat, oppressive crowds and high prices all descending on the continent. And if anyone needs a fourth reason, it's to recognize the growing resentment among many Europeans as the tourist hordes turn their town centers into trinket malls, eroding their way of life and, in the process, stripping what made those places worth visiting in the first place.

The mystery remains why so many Americans insist on their grand tour when they, too, are made miserable by the big three discomforts. The heat has become especially brutal. Paris traditionally enjoys a temperate climate. This year, a heat wave has pushed temperatures there well above 100 degrees. Even now, there isn't much air conditioning in Paris.

Spain seems the current ground zero for locals trying to get through the rampart of tourists as they go about their day. Barcelona has become the main battleground for overtourism. The city now has a commissioner for "sustainable tourism." He says his goal is to keep the numbers down, especially among the (unruly) brigades there to party rather than absorb the local culture. The city, he says, still welcomes foreigners coming on business.

Barcelona's La Boqueria was considered one of Europe's greatest food markets. It offered a bounty of vegetables, fish and meat that the locals would buy to cook at home. Vendors selling street food to tourists have taken it over, causing many residents to stop going there.

This dry, hot summer has set off walls of flame now engulfing parts of Spain, Portugal and Greece. There are many deaths. In Spain alone, over a dozen retirees, mainly British and Belgian, have gone missing. Yet the tourists keep pouring in.

Three years ago, we found ourselves in Paris for a family wedding. The wide plaza fronting Notre Dame Cathedral was so clogged with tourists, we had to walk by in the street. The crazy part was that Notre Dame wasn't even open then. It was still closed for reconstruction following a devastating fire several years before.

That reminded me of an unhappy hour once spent waiting in the hot Roman sun to gain entry to the Colosseum. It was a fabulous thing to see, but the discomfort of getting in was as memorable as the place itself.

The European Union now has a process at the border called the Entry-Exit System. What it does is subject non-EU visitors to a more exhaustive identity process. The goal -- to stop foreigners from sneaking into the Schengen visa-free travel area -- is understandable.

But it ends up subjecting visitors from the U.S., Britain and other non-EU-countries to endless waits to get through passport control. One survey found that negotiating the longest airport lines took over three hours. (Then it's off to baggage claim.)

The post-pandemic inflation that Americans complained about was worse in much of Europe, and that's reflected in the prices for restaurant meals, hotels and airfare. Making it still more expensive is a dollar that has weakened against the euro. Its buying power is down about 4.2% from two years ago.

Back home, we have shade trees, a bed of zinnias and cardinals splashing in the birdbath. Life outdoors is good or at least not miserable. When the temps pass 90, we retreat into the AC.

I was once determined to visit part of Europe every year or two. It's now been three since I've been back. Sure, I'd like to see Barcelona. But I'm going to do myself and the Barcelonans a favor by not going, even though I'm a nice person and can speak Spanish. Save the microwaved paella for someone else.

========

Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

----