Residents of Paris’s Montmartre district are protesting against soaring visitor numbers – warning that overtourism is eroding daily life in the historic neighbourhood.
Montmartre, once celebrated as a bohemian village within the French capital, is now one of its busiest tourist spots. Atop the hill, the white domes of Sacré-Cœur Basilica draw up to 11 million visitors a year – more than the Eiffel Tower.
The streets below are packed with tuk-tuks, guided tours and queues for photos, creating what some locals describe as an open-air theme park.
Black banners strung across balconies warn of growing frustration: “Behind the postcard: locals mistreated by the mayor,” one reads in English. Another, in French, declares: “Montmartre residents resisting.”
Protest groups say butchers, bakers and greengrocers are steadily vanishing, replaced by bubble-tea vendors, ice-cream stands and souvenir stalls.
Residents complain that the neighbourhood has been subject to a creeping “Disneyfication”, stripping away the daily life that once made it unique.
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Over-tourism across Europe
Across Europe, similar pressures are reshaping historic cities.
Venice now charges day-trippers an entry fee and caps numbers. In Barcelona, thousands have marched against cruise ships and short-term holiday lets, some wielding water pistols. In Athens, authorities have imposed daily limits at the Acropolis to shield the ancient site from record visitor numbers.
Paris has also felt the strain. Staff at the Louvre Museum staged a strike in February last year over overcrowding, understaffing and worsening conditions. The gallery received almost 9 million visitors in 2024, more than twice what its infrastructure was built for.
Overall, the French capital welcomed just under 50 million tourists last year, a 2 percent rise from 2023. That dwarfs its permanent population of just over 2 million. Sacré-Cœur was the country’s most visited monument in 2024.
Authorities have promised tougher action against unlicensed short-term rentals and are stepping up efforts to regulate platforms.
Yet residents in Montmartre say everyday life is still being squeezed out. Urban planners warn that without careful balance, historic quarters risk becoming “zombie cities” – picturesque but hollowed out, serving visitors more than locals.
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Daily life 'unmanageable'
Among those feeling the pressure is 56-year-old Olivier Baroin, who moved to Montmartre 15 years ago when, he said, it still felt like a village.
Now, he describes a neighbourhood dominated by tourists and stripped of essential services. “There are no more shops at all, so everything must be delivered,” he told Associated Press.
Baroin, who has a disability, said recent pedestrian-only measures have made daily life unmanageable. “I told myself that I had no other choice but to leave, since when you can no longer take your car, you have to call a taxi from morning to night.” He has now put his apartment up for sale.
Not everyone is dismayed. Visitors continue to revel in the atmosphere. “All of Paris has been pretty busy, but full of life, for sure,” said Adam Davidson, an American tourist from Washington DC. “I’d say this is full of life to a different degree.”
With the global middle class expanding, cheap flights proliferating and digital platforms funnelling millions of people towards the same landmarks, experts say the challenges will only grow.
UN forecasts suggest the world’s population will approach 10 billion by 2050, adding further momentum to international travel.
