One Of Europe's Most Beautiful Seaside Vacation Cities Officially Banned Some Cruises

A cruise is a wonderful way to see multiple locations on your vacation without worrying about a car or hotels. It's a great way to make new friends, and you can take advantage of the amenities and activities that go along with a city-sized ship. However, there is one location where large cruise ships are no longer going to be an option. In January 2025, Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, France, on the Côte d'Azur, told the French press (reported by Nice-Matin and translated from French), "I don't want floating hotels to drop their anchor in front of Nice. These cruises that pollute, that dump their low-cost clientele who consume nothing, but leave their waste behind them, well I say these cruises have no place here." Nice, the "winter resort city of the Riviera," and its nearby neighbor Villefranche-sur-Mer (where many larger cruise ships dock) are set to ban cruise ships with more than 900 people or that span over 623 feet from disembarking their passengers. The rule is set to begin on July 1, 2025.

The reasons for the ban include environmental concerns and overtourism, as Nice gets over 5 million visitors per year, with a population of fewer than 1 million as of 2024. The influx makes it arguably one of the more dangerous vacation destinations in France. However, this new rule doesn't affect cruise ships with fewer than 900 passengers, and the mayor can't ban the ships from actually coming into the port. However, the ships will be prohibited from allowing passengers to disembark, which, in the end, amounts to almost the same thing.

Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer aren't the only places limiting cruise ship passengers. Other cities have done the same to stop beautiful destinations from being ruined by overtourism. Some cities with cruise ship restrictions include Dubrovnik in Croatia, Amsterdam, Key West in Florida, Venice in Italy, and the popular Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini. Others have instituted taxes on cruise ship passengers.

It might seem strange to be turning away people who spend money in a city that runs on tourism, but if you look a bit deeper, it makes sense. If you're on a cruise, you're likely only there for a number of hours instead of days, meaning that you're not booking a hotel room. You're probably not renting a car at a local place either. You may choose to have a meal, but you're probably not staying for dinner (the average cruise remains at each port between eight and nine hours, and you may be back on board before that time). There are spas on board many ships, so you likely won't be visiting one in town. While the mayor's comments may sound harsh, his concerns are understandable if cruise passengers aren't spending as much money as a traditional tourist. That said, smaller vessels may continue to dock and disembark passengers, and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is reportedly hoping to open a dialogue about other ways to resolve the issue. For now, don't expect to see Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer on many cruise itineraries.