Crowds Don't Gather Without A Reason

I've spent today reading "To do" and "Not to do" lists for cities that I plan to visit, and I've found almost all of the latter repeatedly advises not to follow the most popular sight-seeing routes, and do not go where the herds of tourists go. While there are some practical justifications for this -- it's crowded, line-ups are long, and food is expensive -- I have to rebut with "the crowds are there for a reason".

How many times have you walked by a restaurant with a patient crowd milling out front, that turns out to serve great food or offer terrific value? Or there's a circle formed on the street because of a particularly captivating street performer putting on a show? I'm not saying crowds don't gather for silly or negative reasons, but don't be so quick to dismiss the masses.

In Singapore there are many markets with endless food hawkers, the way to figure out what's good is to observe and see where the locals go. The most popular places are the ones with the longest lines. I also found my favourite sandwich and wine lunch spot in Florence that way. I was heading towards the Uffizi art museum from the Duomo one day, looking for a quick bite before an afternoon at the gallery when I saw all these people standing/sitting on the curb on a side street, from students to suits, all of them chatting, eating, and drinking wine. After the line that seemed to stem from a hole in the wall thinned out, I realized it was a sandwich stand and that was the day I fell in love with I Due Fratellini

Even in situations of more questionable enjoyment, sometimes you want to see sights/monuments just for the sake of saying you've seen them. The Mona Lisa in the Lourve for example. She's small, roped off, and that room is always packed and full of cameras being waved in the air. You would think it was Brad Pitt there instead of da Vinci's iconic face, which you can't even photograph properly because there's a pane of glass that causes a glare if you try to use a flash. However would many of you consider going to the Lourve and purposely shying away from the Mona Lisa? Probably not.

Each visitor to a foreign place has a different purpose in mind, sometimes it's a little cheesey or a bit of a guilty pleasure, but no sight/event/monument should be avoided just because it's choke full of tourists. The majority of folks probably want to see it for a reason - probably because it's worth seeing! But what's most important is that you identify the most popular attractions, then research them to see if, in fact, you want to wade into the crowds, or if there is an off peak time when the hordes are thinner. When it comes to eating in tourist areas, look at the menu and prices before you sit down, and google some nearby alternatives just in case. A little research and thinking ahead helps you know what you're getting into.