London Attractions that are Overrated

There are some sights in London that in my opinion are overrated, they aren't worth your time or money to see. I recommend skipping these London attractions to save yourself time and money on something you might not have enjoyed (again, completely my own opinion!)

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Sky Garden (free views of London)

[jaimetaylor]

You should do a complimentary video to this "popular things to do in London that are worth your money"

[diegoforte]

You can skip london eye too and get the same view for free by reaching the tip floor of tate modern.

[waziotter]

I’ve been a tourist in London and have also lived there for 15 years. This is all great advice. Honestly, the only big ticket attraction worth the money is the Tower of London.

[itsjamjamsmash]

probably an unpopular opinion, but I think the london eye was really cool at night! It's probably only worth doing once though

[iamfrank]

Leicester Square: there is one totally legitimate reason to go there - the TKTS office. It's the only official discount ticket booth in London (despite so many claiming to be 'official' and 'half-price'), and I've had some amazing bargains from there. The staff are knowledgeable about all West End shows, so will point you in the right direction for tickets if they don't have any available. Definitely DON'T avoid TKTS if you're looking to go to a show!

[richardwills-woodward]

One of THE best views of London you get from Greenwich Park - next to the observatory, walk a little to your right of the main view down and up the hill on the other side of the 'dip' and take your camera! I'd also say check out Richmond Hill and river walk, towns in the southwestern suburbs like Farnham + castle (even international students there in this quaint suburbs from the University of the Arts), Virginia Water for boating and Eton and Windsor Riverside for Windsor Castle. Go to the horse racing at Ascot or Red Bull flying days there.

Take the train to Westbourne Park (it will look strange when you exit the station but trust me on this one), turn left out of the station and you will come to a bridge, drop down onto the canalside and keep walking, as it goes from waterside residences to Regents Park and Stratford for the business district and Olympic Park and shopping Mall. Along the Regents Canal that links with the Grand Union Canal, there are lots of different types of eating and drinking opportunities. Canal boats more in various locations with mini communities, multi-million pound houses on the water, riverside pubs and restaurants. When you get to Regents Park, detour to the hill for one of the best views in London, then back, keep going and depending on how long you like your walks, you could get as far as the Olympic Park for lots of shopping and eating. If you're into shopping and want somewhere covered if it's a rainy day (not many in London as people would have you believe - in fact, London is quite dry!), then you can go to Westfield Shepherd's Bush for Europe's largest mall.

Richmond Riverside is a gem, and the hill in the autumn is like a classic painting and many a tourist does find it. There's also great eating, shopping and cafe culture there too. There's so much so I'm going to stop there...but DO take in the view of London from Greenwich Park (remember, the better view is to face to the right away from the observatory and walk down the hill and back up the other side - the views are incredible with Georgian architecture and sail boat Cutty Sark meeting 21st century London's emerging skyline from nowhere in recent years. In winter the view is actually even better once the leaves have dropped - on a sunny morning soak up the view and go down into Greenwich for independent shops and food market - also you can even walk under the Thames to the other side via the Greenwich foot tunnel.

My advice to you in London is - explore, get lost, because so developed is it, you will always have a transport node or option to get home wherever you end up, not just in London but most of the country! London is vast, and exploration of the sum of all its parts may take time, but it's worth it...and you'll get a much better feel for where most of us live and play! Let's be honest, it's always great to get out of touristville too isn't it? Oh, and if you're looking for something different, the suburbs also have several real snow ski-domes in the suburbs too. Much to do, but London makes other European cities look small, so you have to be prepared to get your walking shoes on and push the boundaries of the geographical area your maps tell you to stick to!

[dagenite]

This video is spot on. Concentrate on the Tower of London, Borough Market, Covent Garden and the various museums, especially the British Museum, and don't forget Harrods, especially the food hall.

[johnbrewer]

We visited London in 2007. We did do the Changing of the Guard and were able to get a spot right next to the gates. It was fabulous.

[davidvieira]

London Eye is so overrated. I've been to the upper gallery at St Paul's Cathedral and it's much better!

[benjacobs]

I can't wrap my head around people going to Abbey road, Im British, and when I think of London I just don't think of that, I just see it as going to a crossing on a road at a place with nothing interesting.

[SplatterInker]

As a Londoner I can say... great advice!!

[lukebates]

Massive tip for changing of guards see it at the Tower of London it's very cheap and not as popular as Buckingham but you get to see the crown Jewels there

[calumsmith]

The monument of the great fire of London is really good. It offers great views of the city and is only around £4. Only go up if you're prepared to climb 311 steps though!

[chrisnicholas]

I am planning on visiting in March and these are some of the site I am visiting...Westminster Abbey, British Museum, Tate Modern Art Museum, Tower of London and Big Ben.

[RACHELTAYLOR]

You can get a great view from Guys hospital tower next to the Shard for nothing.Its the tallest hospital in europe.

[doyoumind]

If you want an almost free experience, free apart from the cost of your Oyster card, get on the 176 .. there's a bus stop outside the Garrick Theatre on Charing Cross Road. The 176 has Penge on the front but get off at the Horniman Museum, Sydenham Hill. There's a charge for the aquarium and special exhibitions ..otherwise no charge and great views back to London.

[sherrytodd]

We just returned from our week long stay in London. I watched all your London videos and they were so helpful! We had an amazing time and the weather held out for us until the last couple of days. Your videos were super helpful. We stayed one week in Paris and took the Eurostar to London for a week.

We opted not to do the London Pass. Instead, we utilized the Rails Days Out, and printed out several vouchers, which saved us a great deal on admissions on things from which we could pick and choose. Now, to clarify, this time of year (off season) made that work for us. The London Pass during the busy months would be something to consider. We also added a 7 Day Travelcard to our Oyster Card which made traveling around so easy. Then I went to the train station and bought a set of "throw away" tickets from Vauxhall to Queenstown and one for a week later return from Queenstown to Vauhall. This was about 5.30GBP total and it saved us fortune using the Rails Days Out. Only at the London Eye and Hampton Court did they ask for two sets of tickets and I showed them our Hampton Court ticket set for that. Our Oyster card expired on our last day and we only had to add 3.10GBP to each card to get us to Heathrow.

One topic you haven't covered in your videos is what to do if you get sick. Fortunately, for me it was treatable with over the counter medication from Boots (a store I hadn't heard of before), but was a lifesaver!

Other ideas might be walking tours and food tours. A highlight for our Paris trip was the Secret Food Tours. They have a branch in London, although we did not take advantage of it. We only were able to use one London Walks tour, but it was wonderful having someone walk you around, who knows were they are going and what they are talking about! Our Westminster Abby tour was so much more enjoyable this way.

We enjoyed our trip so much! We took in Sir Elton John's "Radical Eye" at the Tate Modern. (Our Eurostar ticket got us a buy one get one savings, but the Rails Days Out would have also worked.)

Thank you for all your wonderful videos! There is so much city and so little time, but we did our best!

[k]

Only 22 days until we leave for London! I am beside myself!  As I am a crazy Beatles fan we will see Abbey Road as part of our walking tour. Thank you for the Sky Garden tip, I've been on the fence about the Shard or the London Eye so I will cross them off the list. Besides my Beatles stuff (yes, two days in Liverpool) I am most looking forward to the Tower and Westminster Abbey. My husband is ready for his pub tour and Jack the Ripper tour.  We are going to be London Walks best customers for the week.

[rishabh.patel]

I get the the shard is expensive. But I have to disagree. The views from up there are phenomenal. I went on a solo trip with friends and an hour before sunset. I guess I got lucky with no clouds. But I get your point.

[ThuhaWright]

I agree with most of what you've listed but 'Changing of the guards!' I love it!
Although I've been lucky and it was never crowded when I was there, and I once saw Prince Edward being driven out of the palace. I also like watching the guards to see if any of them make a mistake.