Why London Is Overrated – An Honest Review

I want to open your eyes to the reality that a trip to London is overrated. A lot of people, including me, will run off there “just because it’s London”. But should that be a reason to go anywhere?

I’ll admit right off the bat that this post is a bit of a rant about London, but I think it’s important for everyone to hear. I had such high expectations for my visit, only to be completely let down and realize that London is one of the most overrated cities.

I’m not saying to never go to London England. It still has a lot to offer, and it’s definitely worth visiting at least once. I want to help you rethink your plans – from how long to spend there, if now’s the right time to go, and to ultimately re-evaluate your expectations.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

But First, Why Visit London?

I never like making an argument without first presenting the other side. I know there are reasons why so many people love London England,  I’m not that crazy. There has to be a good reason it’s such an iconic city…right?

London is a city in the spotlight. When people think of Europe, it’s one of the first cities that comes to mind (alongside Paris and Rome). It’s the set of several films and television shows. It’s also home to many famous musicians and actors, as well as one of Europe’s few remaining royal families. But it also has it’s hand in leading high fashion, art, and cultural trends.

Why London is Overrated…

Throughout my travels, I’ve noticed that cities fit into 3 rating levels. You’ll have those that are underrated, perfectly rated, and those that fall short of your expectations to be completely overrated.

After visiting a city you want to leave in awe and excitement, eager to share what you just experienced… those are the underrated cities and I’m sorry to say, that’s not going to be London England.

I realized London is just an over glorified city that has blown up over the years. They’ve acquired a lot of iconic symbols associated with the city. For example, red phone booths, double-decker buses, the Underground sign, the London Eye, Big Ben, and Abbey Road.

But you can only look at these; there’s no history or story behind most of them. I’ll admit, it’s exhilarating when you see the first bus pass by or spot the first phone booth. Then a second bus passes, and there’s another phone booth around the corner. You start to realize they’re everywhere and the magic kind of wears off.

You now must ask yourself: why were you so excited to see a bus or phone booth in the first place? Because it’s red?

When I travel, I want to be able to throw myself into a new culture. I want to learn about their traditions, try the local food, or even discover a new genre of music. This was one of the highlights of visiting Dublin. There was so much to discover. I learned about the folklore, tried Guinness, and listened to Irish music. After visiting cities with this extra culture, you start to notice London doesn’t have much at all.

There’s only so much fish and chips, and bangers and mash I can eat. And other than that, I felt like I couldn’t indulge in their high society culture, unless I wanted to end up broke. London is a city to go out and party every night in clubs, get drunk, and spend your weekly salary.

Which leads me to my next point…

London England Is Also Friggin’ Expensive!!

I like living it up on vacation. I don’t want to limit where I can stay, what I can eat, and what to do. But in London, it’s kind of hard to accomplish. Even though I saved up for this trip, I couldn’t travel as comfortably as I would’ve liked. And on top of all that, the exchange rate from Pounds (GBP) to Canadian Dollars (CAD) is insane.

The Exchange Rate…

London is part of the UK, so, instead of using the Euro, they use the Pound Sterling (£). The exchange rate from CAD to GBP is awful. So on top of London already being an expensive city, there was no avoiding the obscene exchange rate.

The problem is that the number value of everything is the same. So for example, a plate of pasta in Canada costs $15. That same plate is £15 in London England. But it becomes twice the price when converted to CAD. That’s a $30 plate of pasta now!

Cost of Attractions In London Is Crazy

The attractions are way too expensive for what they are. It costs £23 (that’s $40 CAD) to see the inside of Westminster Abbey. That’s £23 to see the inside of a church, A CHURCH! May I remind you that these are all over Europe (and Canada for that matter).

The London Eye and the Tower of London cost about the same. So we felt we had to pick which one to see or look for deals online. The only one that was worth the $40 for us was the Tower of London. It was half a day’s activity which is a lot of value for your money (the London Eye is only 30 minutes for the same price).

Cost of Accommodations

If we wanted to stay in the city, the only place we could afford was a hostel… with 6 other people in the same room… all sharing one bathroom. The only redeeming quality was its unbeatable location. But I’d rather not have to share a bathroom, let alone a sleeping space (with strangers) while I’m on vacation.

Most Overrated Cities: London Has An Overlap In Attractions

Unless you LOVE going to museums, shopping, or standing outside, there’s really not much to do in London.

Museums

There’s no shortage of museums in London England. They’re practically around every corner. But, at the risk of sounding uncultured, there are only so many museums I can handle in one trip. They do cover a range of subjects, so I’ll go to the ones that interest me the most, but then what?

Shopping

If there’s one thing London has covered, it’s shopping. London’s an exceptional city to visit if you love fashion. They have it all – affordable prices (Primark), vintage finds, local markets, and high-end designers.

Even still, you can only do so much shopping. Especially if you’re limited by what fits in your suitcase and what you can afford.

Look Don’t Touch In London England – Overrated Cities In Europe

My biggest disappointment of all was that  London is a lot of looking, and not much doing. Be prepared for a lot of walking through parks and admiring the outside of buildings.

You can’t go inside most of the iconic London England attractions. Big Ben, for example, is attached to the UK’s parliamentary buildings so it’s closed to the public. Buckingham Palace, on the other hand, is actually open for tours… 2 months out of the year…

If your trip doesn’t align with those months you’re stuck appreciating it from the outside… again!

There are only 3 attractions that stand out to me and are worth the ticket price. They are the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and Tower Bridge. London needs more attractions like these.

Bad Weather In London England!

Okay, so this next complaint is out of London’s control, but it still makes a difference. After paying so much to go on vacation, you always hope for good weather… well, you’ll have to pray a little harder when it comes to a trip to London. It rains A LOT there, and even when it doesn’t, the skies are grey and gloomy.

For me, this is a big negative. When I go on vacation, it’s the one time of year I’m not stuck in an office all day. If I have a chance to be outside, I want to actually enjoy it. I don’t want a high risk of rain, or even clouds. I want SUN!!

FYI Most People You Talk To Aren’t Even British

One of the biggest draws for me to go to London England was to soak in the local accents. Hey, can you blame me? There’s just something so appealing about it.

But most of the people you’ll interact with (waiters, attraction employees…etc.) had a foreign accent… not British!  Bummer…right?

Funnily enough, when I was in Edinburgh I encountered more British people than Scottish. So if you want to hear those lovely accents, consider going there instead!

If You End Up in London Anyway, I Recommend…

The best way to appreciate London for what it is, is to not overstay your welcome. Plan for a maximum of  2 days in the city. If you happen to be there for longer, give yourself a break and head out on a day trip.

Make sure to check out my London Travel guides to help plan your trip. I’ll tell you everything you need to know before you go, and I also have a handy 24-hour itinerary planned.

London England Hotel Recommendations

I’ve stayed at two hostels in London England that I’d recommend – both in very good but two very different locations.

SoHo Hostel has it all – breakfast included, clean rooms, private bathrooms – I barely felt as though I was staying in a hostel! It’s located a block away from the hottest shopping street in London and there’s also a tube station to get you anywhere else you need to go! See room rates & availability.

Wombat City Hostel is in Southbank near Tower Bridge so staying here gives you closer accessibility to a whole other set of main attractions in London. If you’re looking for more of a party hostel, this is the place to book! See room rates & availability.

If you’re interested in a more conventional hotel stay at Hux Hotel near Hyde Park. I love the fun trendy vibes of the rooms! Plus you’re still in a great location near all the popular London museums. See room rates & availability

For more accommodation options in London on Booking.com, click here. If you’re interested in the top 3% of home rentals, see Plum Guide here.

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