The European Districts You Should Visit To Avoid Tourist Traps, According To Rick Steves

For many of the 747 million visitors to Europe in 2024 (via UN Tourism), taking a trip there is a dream come true. Famous cities like Paris, Barcelona, Rome, London, and Athens can seem like they're straight out of fairytales, and tourism operators aim to bring the dream to life. However, as travel expert Rick Steves points out in a presentation available on YouTube, pursuing the fairytale often means missing the boat of reality. Emphasizing the point, Steves points to a slide of a distinctly tourist-free business district in Paris, noting, "This is reality in Paris. Not the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de la Défense ... To go to Paris and not see a little bit of this reality, you're missing a big part of it." This statement probably doesn't come as a shock, since Rick Steves often espouses advice on avoiding crowds at tourist attractions in France.

Business districts like La Défense are great places to tap this reality. Here, locals go about their day — working, shopping, dining, and living — without a thought of the tourist dream. Sure, it may not have the postcard views and selfie backdrops, but it does brim with authenticity and vibe of Europe today. That matters to Steves. "I think it's really important in our travels to see the touristy stuff," Steves states in the presentation, "But I also think it's really important to just feel the pulse of today's Europe." For Steves, this is one path to elevating the travel experience, saying that "if you can be a little smarter in your sightseeing, you'll have a better trip." It's even easier to avoid crowds at lesser-known European destinations, but that doesn't mean a trip to iconic cities isn't still on the table if you're savvy.

The good news is that this better trip doesn't often require going very far. Take Prague, one of Europe's top destinations and a Steves' favorite (and where this writer is currently playing Rick Steves). "Few cities can match Prague's over-the-top romance, evocative Old World charm...and tourist crowds," write Steves on his website. And he's right. Highlights like Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and Prague Castle are saturated with tourists. However, walk mere blocks aways, and the torrent transforms to a trickle. Hop a 15-minute tram ride to neighborhoods like Vinohrady or Holešovice, and it becomes all local, yet full of fantastic experiences like DOX Centre for Contemporary Art and Reigrovy beer gardens.

Rick Steves encourages travelers to do their homework beforehand — but it's not difficult, he stresses. "You don't need to be a scholar. You just need to be curious enough to do your reading ahead of time," he said in the presentation. Thankfully, the internet provides an endless supply of guides, blogs, maps, and videos that can point you in the right direction. Hoodmaps, for example, covers many European cities — Prague and Paris, included — showing tourist, business, hipster, student, and districts full of "normies," aka locals. On YouTube, channels like Honest Guide in Prague does the same, and similar ones can be found for other European cities. For further motivation to smarten up, remember one other observation Steves makes. "There are powerful forces that would find it more profitable and more convenient if we're all just dumbed down, and tour guides have very little incentive to smarten you up." For more wisdom, here are the destinations Rick Steves visited on his favorite trip to Europe of all time.