Europe's Most Overcrowded Cities

It's no secret that Europe's top tourist destinations are crowded with residents and visitors throughout the year but you might be surprised by just how populous some of the most sought-after cities have become.

The team at SchengenVisaInfo.com recently crunched the numbers to reveal which top destinations within the European Union are the most overcrowded with residents and tourists.

London and Paris lead the list, with each areas home to as many as 12 million locals and hosting roughly 19 million and 18 million annual international visitors, respectively. Paris has seen a jump in prices for food, accommodations and other services as a result while officials in London have introduced limits that prevent a shortage of housing supply and rent increase for locals to combat the mammoth people numbers.

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Spanish metropolises Madrid and Barcelona have also been impacted by overcrowding. Madrid's annual visitor count (6 million-plus) nearly matches its population of 6.6 million and Barcelona's concerns regarding the ill effects of overtourism have been well-documented as the city's nearly 9 million visitors per year almost double its population of 4.6 million.

In Italy, Milan and Rome are also quite jam-packed with residents and tourists in 2019, each hosting approximately 9 million visitors per year on top of local populations in the 4.4 million to 5.1 million range, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.

Berlin's case is especially unique in that the German capital's annual visitor count (13.5 million) is nearly triple that of its population (5 million). The influx in arrivals has prompted some less than friendly greetings from residents.

If you've got plans to visit one of these popular cities, consider traveling during off-peak or low seasons when you'll have fewer crowds to contend with and are more likely to snag a deal.