7 French Villages Tourists Love But Are Crowded to the Breaking Point (And How to Beat the Rush)

Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy

Mont-Saint-Michel attracts up to 15,000 visitors daily in summer (2.5M per year), resulting in packed walkways and long queues. Overcrowding ruins the quiet, monastic character, and shops and restaurants now mainly cater to tourists instead of preserving the medieval setting. Tourists flood the narrow streets and create congestion, ruining both safety and ambiance.