London is the apple of England’s eye. It’s a ‘one-stop shop’ for most international visitors. With so much history and oozing with tourist attractions, London offers a bevy of sights. Guidebooks and websites suggest multiple must-see attractions, it can be hard to choose which will give you both an enjoyable experience and the best value for money. Some famous attractions may fall short of your expectations. Here are five popular attractions that you might want to reconsider thanks to their overrated tags.
Crown Jewels
The Crown Jewels are housed in the Tower of London. Whilst they are spectacular, you will probably find much more enjoyment elsewhere in London. After all, to see them, you will need to queue for a long time outside, queue along roped off corridors inside. Eventually, when you get close to them, you will be swiftly chaperoned past them on a human conveyor belt. All that queuing for a few minutes viewing just doesn’t seem worth it.
Tate Modern
It is argued that the Tate Modern, one of the best-known museums of modern art in the world, is in fact one of the most overrated. Your enjoyment of modern art plays a huge part in your enjoyment of the place. With so many museums dotted all over London and so little time, it’s really your prerogative as to which museums you choose to visit. If modern art isn’t your forte, consider going elsewhere for a dose of culture.
The London Eye
The London Eye is another attraction that involves too much queuing. It also has the added extra of an expensive ticket price. One you get into your glass pod, the entire revolution will take around half an hour. If you have kids in tow, it could well end up being the longest half an hour of your life. There’s only so many times you can point out the well-known sights below you. Sky-high views of cities are excellent, but when you have to pay a high price and you’re essentially trapped, it’s not so fun. A worthwhile alternative might be a visit to Christopher Wren’s monument to the Great Fire of London. You have to climb around 300 steps up and down, but, it’s considerably cheaper and you can choose how long you spend up there.
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is one of the best-known squares in the capital, and similar to Times Square in New York, although on a smaller, but still head achey scale. It’s one of those places that you feel you should go to because it is a classic landmark, but when you get there, you’ll find that there really isn’t much at all to actually do….hmmm?
London Zoo
London Zoo was probably one of the ultimate attractions back in the day, but these days, some of the most exciting animals have moved home to greener pastures; the likes of Longleat and Whipsnade. The array of animals which remain are still great to see but it is argued that their enclosures are a bit tired and small. It might be worth saving your pennies and taking a day trip to a zoo outside of the city instead. Hopefully, the animals which remain in London Zoo may then be moved to a new home too.
Of course, everybody’s opinions are different and your biggest hate could be somebody else’s idea of perfection; that’s what makes the world interesting! With so many visitors suggesting that this particular pick of attractions are severely overrated however, it might just be worth giving it second thought before you cough up the entrance fee or spend hours of your precious time queuing!
