Richard E. Grant has revealed that some of Europe’s most famous cities have become so overcrowded that he explores them only at night.
The actor, who visited eight countries this summer – Morocco, Kenya, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Germany and Austria – said cities like Rome and Venice were so ‘crammed with visitors and tourists’ that he steers clear of going out during the day.
Instead of skipping these hotspots altogether, he goes out when holidaymakers are out for their dinner.
Speaking at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, the Swaziland-born star, 68, said: ‘I found that when I was in Rome and Venice this summer, it was so crammed with visitors and tourists that by going out at night, when people are eating, between 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock, and you see everything lit up, it was a way of getting around being in the crowds in the middle of the day.’
Famous for his roles in cult 1987 film Withnail and I, and the 1997 hit Spice World, Grant has spent much of his life on the move. Having grown up in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in southern Africa before moving to the UK, he opened up about his travel habits in an interview with Business Minister Sir Chris Bryant.
Last week, he was on set filming his upcoming festive movie Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint, and appeared on stage at WTM just hours before attending the London premiere of Nuremberg on Thursday.
And even when filming in different locations he finds time to get out and explore. ‘I’m a constant tourist,’ he said.Â
‘I just finished filming in York, where I was playing a Yorkshire toymaker in a Christmas film that’s coming out next year. The moment I get anywhere, even though I’ve been there many times before, I walk everywhere and I run four miles every morning, so that is instantly a way of seeing stuff.’
Around 30million holidaymakers visit Venice each year and a daily 5euros (£4.35) tourist tax for day-trippers was introduced in 2024 to help tackle overtourismÂ
Richard E Grant, 68, was married to vocal coach Joan Washington for 38 years before she passed away in 2021 following a battle with cancer
The actor has admitted that since his wife he now travels entirely on his own (seen together in 2019)
He also admitted that since his wife Joan Washington died in 2021, he now travels entirely on his own, something he says he’s perfectly comfortable with.Â
‘I like being on an aeroplane, I like getting to a city and just walking and not following a Google map and just finding stuff that I might never have discovered if I was following where to go on Tripadvisor, or Instagram. I find that very exciting and liberating.’
He added: ‘I eat dinner on my own everywhere, in my own country here, so I’m just used to it,’ he said.Â
‘And I think it’s easier. I’ve met other widows, as opposed to widowers, who said that as a woman, they find it much more challenging to be on their own, because they either get harassed and pitied or it’s just a whole different issue, whereas for a man, in my experience it’s very easy.’
And yet, even after a lifetime of filming around the world, there’s one region he’s never set foot in.
‘I’ve never been anywhere in South America. I’ve never had a film that’s been offered there or a TV series, and the closest I’ve got to it is the Caribbean Islands.’
Asked if he would take part in the BBC’s Celebrity Race Across the World in Latin America, Grant immediately said yes, but when he heard that it might involve long bus journeys, he quickly changed his mind.
He said: ‘Of course I would never do that. I couldn’t think of anything worse. Then you don’t see the country or experience anything.’
