Despite 250 euros for a bus parking space Click and go - Insta-tourists storm the Alpine village of St. Magdalena
St. Magdalena is considered one of the most beautiful villages in South Tyrol.
Image: dpa
The village is picturesquely situated in front of the Geisler peaks, some of which are more than 3000 meters high.
Image: dpa
After a 15-minute walk you can take photos.
Image: dpa
In China, the panorama is familiar from advertisements.
Image: dpa
Even signs do not deter tourists.
Image: dpa
St. Magdalena is considered one of the most beautiful villages in South Tyrol.
Image: dpa
The village is picturesquely situated in front of the Geisler peaks, some of which are more than 3000 meters high.
Image: dpa
After a 15-minute walk you can take photos.
Image: dpa
In China, the panorama is familiar from advertisements.
Image: dpa
Even signs do not deter tourists.
Image: dpa
Overtourism is no longer just a problem for traditional travel destinations. Secluded communities in the countryside are now also suffering. Which gives some mayors ideas.
02.02.2026, 06:23
05.02.2026, 06:28
dpa
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- Sankt Magdalena - voted "probably the most beautiful village in South Tyrol" by "Geo" magazine - is being overrun by tourists.
- Like several municipalities in Switzerland, many of the tourists are Instagrammers.
- Buses regularly clog up the narrow streets of the valley.
- The 250 euro fee for a coach parking space is hardly a deterrent for any tour operator.
- In search of the perfect motif, some tourists abandon all inhibitions: they climb over fences, trample meadows and leave their garbage lying around.
- For some, even the 70 cents for the toilet are too much.
It has snowed again overnight in Sankt Magdalena. The village church with its bell tower and the graves in the cemetery have been powdered with the finest fresh snow, although this would not have been necessary: the village of 500 people in the Dolomites, the very last at the end of the long Villnöss valley, offers a picture of a pristine Alpine world. Day after day, all year round. Which is increasingly becoming St. Magdalena's undoing.
The municipality - voted "probably the most beautiful village in South Tyrol" by "Geo" magazine - is now being overrun by tourists. They even come from China, like Han Gengai and Li Shangxi, two students from Beijing. The two of them saw the photo of St. Magdalena's church, as it lies so picturesquely against the peaks of the 3,000-metre-high Odle group, on the Internet. Han (24) says: "I knew immediately: I have to go there."
In the old days, when people still sent vacation greetings by post fairly reliably, this would have been called a great postcard motif. With people like Han, it's now called "instagrammable". The hunt for the perfect picture for the Instagram account is no longer limited to classic city destinations such as Venice or Amsterdam, which suffer badly from "overtourism". Photo tourists are now increasingly drawn to the great outdoors. It can also be remote.
Tens of thousands of photos on the internet
Instagrammers can be found at the lonely lighthouses of Brittany, at the Dynjandi waterfall in Iceland with its many cascades or on Ireland's coast at the spectacular Cliffs of Moher. Or in the Dolomites, even in the furthest valley. Most people don't spend much time in St. Magdalena: up to the church, a few photos with their cell phone, maybe a selfie, then off to the internet. Click and go.
Tens of thousands of pictures can be found on portals such as Instagram, TikTok or Flickr. St. Magdalena is particularly popular on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese counterpart to Instagram. "Everyone here knows the picture," says Han, the student. According to the mayor of the main municipality of Villnöss, Peter Pernthaler, this has to do with the fact that a Chinese telecommunications company advertised with the Alpine panorama a few years ago. "That's where the whole mess started," says the 56-year-old. People are now suffering greatly.
Coaches block the roads in the narrow valley
It starts with the fact that coaches regularly block the narrow roads in the valley. Even travel agencies in Verona, 200 kilometers away, now have the church on offer: Romeo and Juliet in the morning, St. Magdalene in the afternoon. The 250 euro fee for a coach parking space hardly deters any tour operator. The situation is similar for cars. If the parking spaces are full, people park wildly in the village. These are often cars with German license plates, many of them rental cars.
However, the worst place to park is at the top of the church, which is situated on a hill. It is a 15-minute walk from the village. Although there is a barrier, some people are not deterred from driving up in their cars. This is actually only permitted for local residents, weddings and funerals. In search of the perfect motif, some let go of all inhibitions: climbing over fences, trampling meadows, leaving their garbage lying around. For some, even the 70 cents for the toilet are too much.
For some time now, a handwritten sign in three languages has been hanging on the Obermesner farm next to the church: "Privatbesitz - Privät - Privata". The farm's daughter, who prefers not to give her name, complains: "Even that doesn't stop people. They come to our kitchen with their cell phones." Or into the barn: the cattle from the Fallerhof below are now probably among the most photographed in Europe. They have now put up ropes to cordon them off.
Barrier to provide relief this year
The mayor says: "It's worse than in Venice. People have no decency. Privacy is no longer respected at all." However, the municipality wants to put an end to this soon: For 20,000 euros, the access road to the church and the village will be blocked with a state-of-the-art barrier system that is also equipped with cameras. It is due to go into operation in May at the latest. "We hope that we will get to grips with the matter," says Pernthaler. "But we're not sure."
