Noctourism – Should you do as the locals do on your holidays ?
episodePreviously titled “Noctourism – Should u do as the locals do on your holidays ?” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 4, 2026
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
With high temperatures across Europe and potential heat waves on the way, is NOC tourism the way to get the most out of your holiday this summer? NOC tourism is where you head out once the sun has set, along with the rest of the locals, to see what your destination has to offer. I'm joined by travel writer Nicola Brady now to tell us more about this. This is a trend which sounds appealing, actually, because I think a lot of people now are worried about going abroad. particularly to the Mediterranean, to some spots in Europe where it is really, really hot during the day.
For sure. When you're seeing those temperatures climb into the 40s, the thought of doing anything in the middle of the day is just horrendous. I remember being at the Coliseum years and years ago when it was nudging 40 and we went in the middle of the day and you just don't care.
What is Noctourism and why is it relevant this summer?
You're like, I just want to be anywhere but here. Whereas if you're going out in the evening, like you say, it's mimicking the sort of local patterns and you're seeing the bars and restaurants come to life, people out for their evening stroll, like kids playing in the street up until sort of 10 or 11, where it's just cool enough to go outside. It's a lovely way to see a city, I think.
And are the cities adapting to this or were they just doing it all the time, you know, being open a little bit later and welcoming later?
I think there were some elements like the bars and restaurants where the locals would have gone. But now they're really adapting to it in some cities like Seville. They're putting up canopies. They're going to be planting trees. And they have those misters for the outdoor dining that I really love. You see them in American desert cities like Palm Springs, Scottsdale. And it's just beautiful. So you can sit out and you're getting gently misted by water. and so how does this work then in practice so you would leave your accommodation at what nine o'clock at night that's what some people are doing i mean i my personal preference i would want to go out at sort of sunrise see a lot of places then and then you've also like sunset as well you've got that beautiful light you can see those those sort of famous sites where there's no one around and then the idea is those sort of
midday hours that are getting longer and longer now. You know, it used to be avoid the sun between 12 and 2, and now it's sort of 10 and 4. You go back, enjoy some air conditioning, if you've got a pool or something like that, and then head out in the evening, have a later dinner, see some of the sights then. And I mean, speaking of cities adapting, now more and more places are doing specialised nighttime tours. So I think the Acropolis is in the summer opens a little bit later. But you can also go in after nine o'clock with a private tour group that show you by night and they're doing opera performances in the Roman Forum as well. People doing night biking, night photography tours in Lisbon. So people are really set up for it now in a way that I don't think they were 10, 15 years ago.
You're also getting great bang for your day because you're getting two days in one. You're getting up at five. Maybe you're doing your morning business. Then you're having your little siesta or your break time during the day and heading out again and having a whole other experience in the evening time.
It's like two days in a day if you can have your little your little midday siesta as well. Is it safe, though? Will people have concerns around that? Well, this was my first thought. I do a lot of solo travel. So there's a concept around, oh, you can just go out at night. And a lot of people don't feel comfortable or it's just purely not safe. But doing those kind of guided experiences, they really facilitate that nighttime sort of adventure without you having to do it on your own. And then there are some cities as well that just have that natural family-friendly nighttime environment that you would be safe.
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