London is huge and is home to almost nine million people. So, as with many cities, if you’re planning a trip here, there are some areas you should try and avoid and other areas that are way more worth visiting, especially if you want to experience a more local side of the city. In this article about areas in London tourists should avoid, we’ve listed a few mega-popular parts of London that (in our opinion) are overrated and have suggested a handful of alternatives to consider visiting instead.
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Avoid: Leicester Square
First on our list of areas in London that tourists should avoid is Leicester Square. A couple of centuries ago, this area used to be the cultural hub of London, where people used to come to watch shows and get their fill of entertainment. These days it’s overrun with tourists and, quite frankly, we’re not fans, and neither is any Londoner. It’s full of overpriced restaurants serving terrible food, weird casinos, M&M World (a big no), expensive American candy stores and other tourist traps. Londoners do not come here unless they have to, and it’s probably one of the least local areas of the city.
Swap for: Chinatown and Soho
Leicester Square might be blacklisted for us, but that doesn’t mean it’s not close to a handful of other excellent parts of the city that are well worth visiting. If you’re a foodie, go and eat in Chinatown. There are a bunch of places here serving all kinds of delicious, affordable street food, like Taiyakiya, where you can try the famous fish-shaped pancake filled with a sweet or savoury paste. Once you’ve had your fill, walk two minutes up the road to Soho, a super buzzy area, especially at night, where locals like to hang out, eat, drink and dance well into the early hours. It’s also the LGBTQI+ epicentre of London, and lots is going on here at all times. Check out our video about things to do in Soho in the evening to get some inspo. It’s also included on day two of our London itineraries, so it’s worth purchasing one if you want to make sure you’re checking out all the worthwhile places and not wasting any time.
Image Courtesy of Camden Passage Islington
Avoid: Camden Market
Next on our list of areas in London that tourists should avoid is Camden Market. If you read any travel guide not written by a local Londoner, they’ll probably tell you that Camden Market is this super cool, eclectic part of the city. Shock, it’s not. This area lost its cool around ten years ago when it was bought out by a bunch of rich people, driving up the rent prices and pushing out a lot of the great independent traders. Now, it’s basically a maze of shops selling overpriced junk with far too many people, especially in the summer and on the weekends. Generally, Londoners avoid Camden Market, and you should, too.
Swap for: Camden Passage
Instead, check out Camden Passage, which, despite what the name suggests, is not in Camden. It’s located just a 30-second walk from Angel Station (which is also a lovely area) and is basically an alleyway lined with tonnes of amazing independent shops and cafes. It’s maintained its charm over the years and hasn’t been overrun by big commercial chains, unlike Camden Market. Londoners love to hang out here, particularly during the week when it’s nice and quiet or on a Wednesday or Saturday when they have a pop-up antique market chock full of affordable items you can purchase.
Image Courtesy of Marylebone Village
Avoid: Oxford Street
If hanging out on the busiest shopping street in Europe, full of huge fast fashion chains, is your idea of fun, head to Oxford Street. This hectic part of the city sees around half a million people pass through it every single day, so just walking on this street can be chaos, especially on a Saturday during December before Christmas. For this reason, Londoners do their best to avoid this part of the city, except to maybe visit Selfridges once in a blue moon. The rest of the shops here are mostly big global brands that you can find anywhere else in the world anyway, so you may as well spend your time doing something you can only do in London.
Swap for: Marylebone High Street
If you do plan on doing some shopping while you’re over this side of the pond, you’ll find Marylebone High Street just a two-minute walk away from Oxford Street. This is one of our favourite places to shop in London because it’s full of a nice mix of mid-range boutique chain shops as well as independent shops, cafes, restaurants and charity shops with a really nice selection of things to buy. You’ll also find that it’s way less crowded, and the vibe is way more relaxed and village-like. Spend the day strolling around, sipping coffee, popping in the shops and stopping for some lunch – we love Granger & Co. for their sunny Aussie-inspired dishes.
Avoid: Westminster Bridge and South Bank
Last on our list of areas in London that tourists should avoid is Westminster Bridge and the South Bank area near the London Eye. So many Londoners go out of their way to avoid these areas, and the reason is that Westminster Bridge connecting the two sides of the river gets so incredibly crowded and overrun with tourists taking pictures of the landmarks scattered around, like Elizabeth Tower (with Big Ben inside), the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. We get it; the views are pretty nice, and maybe you just have to get that Elizabeth Tower pic, but the area is a hotspot for pickpockets and scam artists doing the ball and cup game, which we talk about in our article about scams to avoid in London and is generally best avoided if possible.
Swap for: Bermondsey
Instead, one of our favourite areas of London that’s pretty centrally located and actually not too far from The River Thames, London Bridge, and The Shard is Bermondsey. This part of the city has a super historical, village-like feel to it and is full of traditional London pubs, cool cafes and restaurants, and old buildings that serve as a reminder of its heyday as an industrial and warehousing area a couple of centuries ago. Also, if you’ve ever read Oliver Twist, this is the area in which it actually takes place. Be sure to stop into the Fashion and Textile Museum and cafe/bookshop Morocco Bound while you’re there.
If you’re planning a trip to London and want to make the most of your time here, leave the planning to us and grab one of our London itineraries.
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