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It’s official: these are the world’s most crowded cities

A study has evaluated the number of visitors per square kilometre and population, and European capitals dominate the list

Liv Kelly
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Liv Kelly
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Okay, it can be pretty annoying when you finally reach a city that’s been on your bucket list forever, and all the must-see attractions just make you feel like you’re in a sardine can. But can you really blame everyone else for being as keen to see those world-famous sites as you? Not really.

However, if crowds really aren’t your thing, and you’d rather stick to more tranquil lesser-known destinations, Deluxe Holiday Homes has done some research into the cities that are best avoided. 

The holiday home company researched which destinations have the highest proportion of visitors per square kilometre compared to the population, and Paris took the crown as the most overcrowded city on the planet. With 351,429 visitors per square kilometre and a visitor-to-population ratio of 1708 percent, Paris is by far the most packed destination. 

In second place was Bern – the Swiss city boasts 85,045 visitors per square kilometre but a staggering 3279 percent ratio of visitors to population, the highest on the list. Chicago came in third place, and New York came in fourth, but European capitals dominated the list. 

These are the world’s 10 most crowded cities

  1. Paris
  2. Bern
  3. Chicago
  4. New York
  5. Stockholm
  6. Amsterdam
  7. Budapest
  8. Los Angeles
  9. Rome
  10. Bucharest

Did you see that a brand new train route connecting some of Europe’s most exciting cities is launching next year?

Plus: Venice’s new tourist tax has officially launched

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