I appreciate that you don't just skew negative; but have an alternate which provides the intended experience. I've recommended your channel to multiple colleagues and friends and they've all said your content is amazing!
As a Londoner myself I fully agree with everything you suggested. But for a tourist (potentially first time) it’s a bit like telling them not to go to Times Square in NYC or the Champs Elysees in Paris (they are both awful and on par with Leicester square etc imo) these are kind of iconic places and most people want them ticked off even if they are awful haha. Oxford st or Camden Town are definitely. It’s just something u have to do. Also people probably walk through Leicester square on the way to Soho or Covent Garden….
Agreed. You don’t have to but as a tourist, sometimes you just want to see the touristy thing to check it off the box. I’ve been to NYC many times but only went to Times Square once and said, “I’ve seen enough” and never went again haha
Daunt Books is a small chain but my favourite. James Daunt is the saviour of UK bookshops as he took over Waterstones a huge chain that had devoured lots of smaller chains but then went bankrupt. With hours till it collapsed he saved it (and Barnes and Noble). He runs them all including the chain he started. The man is a hero.
Hi thank you for all the informative videos. I would love to see videos about: 1. How to get a SIM card as a tourist 2. Is tap water safe to drink in London? 3. How to eat cheap but nutritious food as a tourist in London? 4. Where to seek help in an emergency if you are a tourist in London?
Your videos are definitely making me want to go to London, so this October I'll be making the trip all the way from Ontario, Canada :) Love the vids. Thank you!
Your videos have helped so much in planning our trip. Also appreciate the updated ones. Just a possible idea to pass along. In my travels, some of my most favorable experiences is walking into a building, not expecting much, but then being overwhelmed by the beauty. This to me are those hidden gems. An example was when we walked into the parisi udvar in Budapest. Nice on the outside, spectacular on the inside. Another is the Cross ness Pumping station.....amazing interior, in the most unexpected place. Would love to get more ideas of London's interior architecture treasures. Looking forward to more, as always.
I used to work just off Pall Mall and we lived in Guildford so I used to meet up with my husband and cross Westminster Bridge to get to Waterloo Station which is right behind it. That was over thirty years ago and it was bad even then.
I really like the Hidden London tours from the London Transport Museum. They take you into the disused parts of the London Underground. I have been to Piccadilly Circus, Moorgate, and Charing Cross. It’s something a bit different to do than the usual tourist attractions. You generally need to book in advance though.
I remember sitting in a pub in Camden Town in the early seventies (was it really fifty years ago?) with my then boyfriend and we marvelled that it was walking distance to Tottenham Court Road but so quiet that it was like being in a market town. That was eight years before Camden Lock destroyed the area.
Wow the last time I was in London (1986) those no go's were where the fun was. Sad to see it all changed...but change does happen and it's nice to see alternatives for my next visit.
My last visit, I had a great day visiting the Imperial War Museum and visited a few pubs on my way back to Kensington. I really enjoyed just wandering around away from the usual tourist spots. I’ll be in London the end of April and I’m planning to follow your recommendation and visit Bermondsey. Thanks for your great content.
Another high quality production! I love your choice of places to visit which all harness the essence of London. I can never quite understand why people want to travel thousands of miles, only then to do things which are fake or could be done near to home.
I tried last time to tell my wife that we should do something different but still we ended up in all those touristy places😂 Mind you, guided tour + afternoon tea at RAH was lovely as well as Greenwich Park! Thanks again for the valuable tips!
I visited London twice near the end of 2022, and I kept getting lost... which worked out very well. It was like "I have no idea where I am, but it looks cool" so I wandered around a lot.
if you can afford it, try london eye, eat early dinner at sky garden for day time and night time view of london. we ate at darwin it was superb! food delicious
Thanks Jess; brilliant as always. We're back down in July and I'd always meant to visit Camden Market, but you've convinced me to bin it and to add Camden Passage to the bucket list instead.
I do like Soho but it can get MAD crazy busy at times to the point where it's uncomfortable! If we're talking alternatives, why not try walking a few minutes down the road to Fitzrovia, some fine pubs and places to eat and an altogether more chilled out area! Just a suggestion... 😊
Every year I walk from Belgravia to Westmister, Soho and Borough market. I like walk along Regent canal, and in West London, i love Kensington, Nothing hill, Richmond and Greenwich.
We use Gatwick for a one day layover going places as it’s non stop from tampa to Gatwick So we pick one area each time to see We are now graduated to Phd on the underground!
Whoa, Taiyakiaya for a taiyaki followed by a walk to Soho is _exactly_ what I did on my extended layover last November. (I didn't partake of the nightlife in Soho, but I did get Poppies').
As a Londoner who has now fled London (lol), absolutely avoid all of these areas. Most Londoners happily allow extra time in their day to take the longer route to places just to avoid certain areas, we're used to it!
I can agree with Jesse's suggestions here but if I had the luck of living in London I would never go away! I am always so happy when I am there♥, and I know I might see it through rose tinted glasses and actually living there is surely different but anyway it's an amazing place, I have been there countless times and never tired of it.
@@lorettabertoli3736 London has a lot going for it, but it's also super expensive to live there. I've found my living standards have improved substantially since I moved out of London, life is a bit more affordable!
On one of my visits to London, the concierge at my hotel recommended John Lewis & Partners, saying it was about the most British place we would find on Oxford Street. On my most recent visit, I tried taking my wife and daughter there. They didn’t make it much further than Urban Outfitters, which we have just down the road here at home. They never made it to John Lewis.
Lol to us we think it's just a pretty standard department store! Besides the rooftop, which is great! We prefer Selfridges if you want some dept store shopping.
@@loveandlondon We actually did make it to Selfridges, but after walking in the door, my wife took one look, told me she thought it was too intimidating and suggested we move on. Oh well…
To be honest I HAD to go to the M&M store on my first visit to London as we don't have anything like that in Australia. 😆 I do LOVE the Lego store though.
Tickets become available 3 weeks in advance, so you can’t book too far out. But also don’t dawdle because as the other commenter said they do go quickly.
All the places you mentioned are the ones every tourist wants to visit and not avoid, maybe it's true for a Londoner but not for tourists. When I visited London I spent most of my time visiting all these amazing places and still want to visit them again on my next trip.
I’ve been to London half a dozen times and I do agree with her on most things. I still like Camden Town but I do agree that a lot of the shops are ____. The Eye is overpriced and a waste of time, as is the aquarium and the other things listed in the video. Another place that I would avoid as a tourist is Harrods. It’s VERY expensive in the gift shop and was EXTREMELY busy the last time I went and I won’t go back. The staff was incredibly rude too unless you “looked the part.” As an American tourist, I didn’t fit their bill.
You are not alone as a Londoner they refused me entry because my attire wasn’t suitable , people just want to be seen with the green bag it’s way overpriced.
I always say that, when it comes to London...whatever is in your bucket list - you must do it, esp. if this is your one and only trip. BUT...lower your expectations. You think Leicester Sq is where you want to go? Go. You'll either be in your zone or you'll run like hell but it didn't cost you anything to be there. You think Oxford is great? Go. You'll either be like a kid in a candy shop or you'll say 'WTF did I come here for?" Activities are a bit more iffy because some of them cost. They're mostly for kids to even out having to go to museums, churches and such. I'm traveling with a 10 year old this year. We HAVE the biggest LEGO store in Canada but she wants to go there.
I love Camden Market and have been going for 10 years, so I probably got to it first before it was bought out. Now I just go to get to my fave vendors that remain (the independent ones), and go further toward the former horse stalls, and then I'm OUT! I've gotten some locally designed stuff and one-of-a-kind stuff, but you definitely have to look for these types of vendors, they are fewer these days. .
My last visit to london entailed me staying on the southbank at the premiere inn nearby, simply because it was the hotel closest to the venue my fav band were playing at that weekend, and i loved my time there, right in the thick of it all! For context, i am born and bred in Norfolk, still live here, but i adore london, the buzz of it all, and out of the many times i have visited, i never stayed in the centre, t’was Brixton before that, and i loved brixton so much, so vibrant, but also very out of the way it feels, a whole world away from the embankment. I spent most of my time people watching by the Thames, and searching frantically for decently priced coffee 😆
Surprised at all the brick and mortar. Since Covid So. Cal is mostly online shopping. I don’t know anyone who shops at a mall anymore. I’d love to see outdoor hiking areas. Hyde Park would be nice to see.
Wife got punched in the ribs at the Camden Town tube stop a couple weeks ago. It was weird. At least three people took body blows. It was like a mass shooting here in America, but with a dude’s fist instead of an AR-15. (Fists are preferable.) Very, very weird. As a tourist, I didn’t want the grime of Camden with my young kids. When we visited a decade ago, without children, it’s actually the neighborhood where we stayed during our Christmas trip. Today, though, we only went through there because it was the closest tube stop to (the very delightful) London Zoo. Having your wife take a knuckle sandwich to the gut, along with the advice of this video, makes me feel I might have walked our last stroll through the area. 😂
I had missed my old days in London Dear Jess I hope You had liked My Profile Picture I changed My Profile Pic to put USA Soccer Emblem I'm Pro-USA fan like You Dear Jess.🥰😍🤗
I appreciate that you don't just skew negative; but have an alternate which provides the intended experience. I've recommended your channel to multiple colleagues and friends and they've all said your content is amazing!
We're glad to hear it, thank you ❤️
As a Londoner a boat trip in either direction is a great way to spend a few hours
As a Londoner myself I fully agree with everything you suggested. But for a tourist (potentially first time) it’s a bit like telling them not to go to Times Square in NYC or the Champs Elysees in Paris (they are both awful and on par with Leicester square etc imo) these are kind of iconic places and most people want them ticked off even if they are awful haha. Oxford st or Camden Town are definitely. It’s just something u have to do. Also people probably walk through Leicester square on the way to Soho or Covent Garden….
No one has to do anything!
Agreed. You don’t have to but as a tourist, sometimes you just want to see the touristy thing to check it off the box. I’ve been to NYC many times but only went to Times Square once and said, “I’ve seen enough” and never went again haha
Speaking as an almost lifelong Londoner, her advice is good.
It's like Jess does this for a living or something 😉
Speaking as a typical American tourist, I appreciate your approval!
Daunt Books is a small chain but my favourite. James Daunt is the saviour of UK bookshops as he took over Waterstones a huge chain that had devoured lots of smaller chains but then went bankrupt. With hours till it collapsed he saved it (and Barnes and Noble). He runs them all including the chain he started. The man is a hero.
Hi thank you for all the informative videos. I would love to see videos about:
1. How to get a SIM card as a tourist
2. Is tap water safe to drink in London?
3. How to eat cheap but nutritious food as a tourist in London?
4. Where to seek help in an emergency if you are a tourist in London?
All water in the UK is safe to drink..and of a very high standard.
You would be able to obtain a sim card at the airport. I have no ideas about prices but it's possible
Your videos are definitely making me want to go to London, so this October I'll be making the trip all the way from Ontario, Canada :) Love the vids. Thank you!
Good time to visit
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Will be visiting London this October as well 😊
Also from Ontario 🇨🇦 and headed to London THIS SATURDAY!! 😱😱 These videos have all been so helpful for planning.
Your videos have helped so much in planning our trip. Also appreciate the updated ones. Just a possible idea to pass along. In my travels, some of my most favorable experiences is walking into a building, not expecting much, but then being overwhelmed by the beauty. This to me are those hidden gems. An example was when we walked into the parisi udvar in Budapest. Nice on the outside, spectacular on the inside. Another is the Cross ness Pumping station.....amazing interior, in the most unexpected place. Would love to get more ideas of London's interior architecture treasures. Looking forward to more, as always.
Thanks for watching!
I used to work just off Pall Mall and we lived in Guildford so I used to meet up with my husband and cross Westminster Bridge to get to Waterloo Station which is right behind it. That was over thirty years ago and it was bad even then.
I love your POV, and that you just call it as it is. Thank you! Very helpful.
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I really like the Hidden London tours from the London Transport Museum. They take you into the disused parts of the London Underground. I have been to Piccadilly Circus, Moorgate, and Charing Cross. It’s something a bit different to do than the usual tourist attractions. You generally need to book in advance though.
Nice ❤️❤️
I remember sitting in a pub in Camden Town in the early seventies (was it really fifty years ago?) with my then boyfriend and we marvelled that it was walking distance to Tottenham Court Road but so quiet that it was like being in a market town. That was eight years before Camden Lock destroyed the area.
Wow the last time I was in London (1986) those no go's were where the fun was. Sad to see it all changed...but change does happen and it's nice to see alternatives for my next visit.
I want to live in London and this video helped me a lot: good job, guys.
Thanks for watching !
@@loveandlondon you're welcome
Thanks for the travel to London gave a great weekend to jess and her amazing team always
My last visit, I had a great day visiting the Imperial War Museum and visited a few pubs on my way back to Kensington. I really enjoyed just wandering around away from the usual tourist spots. I’ll be in London the end of April and I’m planning to follow your recommendation and visit Bermondsey. Thanks for your great content.
Another high quality production! I love your choice of places to visit which all harness the essence of London. I can never quite understand why people want to travel thousands of miles, only then to do things which are fake or could be done near to home.
❤️❤️❤️thanks for watching
I tried last time to tell my wife that we should do something different but still we ended up in all those touristy places😂 Mind you, guided tour + afternoon tea at RAH was lovely as well as Greenwich Park! Thanks again for the valuable tips!
I visited London twice near the end of 2022, and I kept getting lost... which worked out very well. It was like "I have no idea where I am, but it looks cool" so I wandered around a lot.
The tour at RAH was an absolute favorite from my last visit.
You're welcome ❤️
if you can afford it, try london eye, eat early dinner at sky garden for day time and night time view of london. we ate at darwin it was superb! food delicious
😂😂 we have had terrible experiences at Darwin
Thanks Jess; brilliant as always. We're back down in July and I'd always meant to visit Camden Market, but you've convinced me to bin it and to add Camden Passage to the bucket list instead.
Jess was nice to catch you walking in London after watched so many of your videos. Love from North Holland !
I do like Soho but it can get MAD crazy busy at times to the point where it's uncomfortable! If we're talking alternatives, why not try walking a few minutes down the road to Fitzrovia, some fine pubs and places to eat and an altogether more chilled out area! Just a suggestion... 😊
I always enjoy going to London and that it is so easy to get about. I will be back there in a few months
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Every year I walk from Belgravia to Westmister, Soho and Borough market. I like walk along Regent canal, and in West London, i love Kensington, Nothing hill, Richmond and Greenwich.
We use Gatwick for a one day layover going places as it’s non stop from tampa to Gatwick
So we pick one area each time to see
We are now graduated to Phd on the underground!
Whoa, Taiyakiaya for a taiyaki followed by a walk to Soho is _exactly_ what I did on my extended layover last November. (I didn't partake of the nightlife in Soho, but I did get Poppies').
As a Londoner who has now fled London (lol), absolutely avoid all of these areas. Most Londoners happily allow extra time in their day to take the longer route to places just to avoid certain areas, we're used to it!
I can agree with Jesse's suggestions here but if I had the luck of living in London I would never go away! I am always so happy when I am there♥, and I know I might see it through rose tinted glasses and actually living there is surely different but anyway it's an amazing place, I have been there countless times and never tired of it.
@@lorettabertoli3736 London has a lot going for it, but it's also super expensive to live there. I've found my living standards have improved substantially since I moved out of London, life is a bit more affordable!
We have learned so much from your videos. We will be in London in 3 weeks, we will take all your knowledge and advice with us, 😊
We're so glad to hear it! Have a great time.
Love the suggestions! Could you recommend some record shops? I would love to get a UK pressing of some of my favorite records 😊
Check out on time out website 30 best vinyl record shops in London hope it helps
Read Time out online 30 best record shops in London
Ty!
Your videos help me a lot. I will be traveling at the end of the month. ❤
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Heading to London in January so thanks for these tips
You're welcome!
On one of my visits to London, the concierge at my hotel recommended John Lewis & Partners, saying it was about the most British place we would find on Oxford Street. On my most recent visit, I tried taking my wife and daughter there. They didn’t make it much further than Urban Outfitters, which we have just down the road here at home. They never made it to John Lewis.
Lol to us we think it's just a pretty standard department store! Besides the rooftop, which is great! We prefer Selfridges if you want some dept store shopping.
@@loveandlondon We actually did make it to Selfridges, but after walking in the door, my wife took one look, told me she thought it was too intimidating and suggested we move on. Oh well…
@@josephsnearline2022 If you think Selfridges is intimidating, definitely stay clear of Harvey Nichols or Harrods!
Thanks so much for the tips and advice. I'll be coming to London soon.
You're welcome ❤️
I have come to utterly hate Oxford Street. Camden Market is not what it used to be, but my wife and I still go there from time to time.
Leichter square is hideous, BUT needed courseway to my favourite chinese Restaurant Joy King lau at the Chinatown entrance 😋
Just rush through quickly😂
That quick walk 😂😂
Absolutely spot on places to avoid !
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LOVE ALL OF THESE TIPS! THANKS JESS!!!
😘😘😘😘
To be honest I HAD to go to the M&M store on my first visit to London as we don't have anything like that in Australia. 😆 I do LOVE the Lego store though.
This hurts our hearts 🫠🫠🫠🫠
@@loveandlondon hehe sorry
I have tried to book a ticket with Sky Garden but I'm having issues with entering a date. Does anyone have any pointers?
It books up really fast. You can still go and try to get in, you might just be waiting for awhile.
Tickets become available 3 weeks in advance, so you can’t book too far out. But also don’t dawdle because as the other commenter said they do go quickly.
Books up fast, 3 weeks out. You could also try a walk in.
Funny and entertaining. Thanks for the tips.
do we need shower filter for hotel ? how the water quality like
Just what I need to know, where to go and where to avoid. Thank you.
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All the places you mentioned are the ones every tourist wants to visit and not avoid, maybe it's true for a Londoner but not for tourists. When I visited London I spent most of my time visiting all these amazing places and still want to visit them again on my next trip.
Totally, you do you!
I clicked on this video to see how quickly Leiceister Square was mentioned. It was 15 seconds lol
It would be it’s a clip joint
You know us well 🥹🥹🥹🥹
GOOD post, thank you Jess!
We're glad you liked it ❤️
Just curious, does it make you nervous that someday these special places could end up overrun/overflowing with US tourists?
We suggest tons of great smaller places around the entire city, not just like two or three, so no.
I’ve been to London half a dozen times and I do agree with her on most things. I still like Camden Town but I do agree that a lot of the shops are ____. The Eye is overpriced and a waste of time, as is the aquarium and the other things listed in the video.
Another place that I would avoid as a tourist is Harrods. It’s VERY expensive in the gift shop and was EXTREMELY busy the last time I went and I won’t go back. The staff was incredibly rude too unless you “looked the part.” As an American tourist, I didn’t fit their bill.
You are not alone as a Londoner they refused me entry because my attire wasn’t suitable , people just want to be seen with the green bag it’s way overpriced.
To be clear, we like the area of Camden. It's just the market!
I always say that, when it comes to London...whatever is in your bucket list - you must do it, esp. if this is your one and only trip. BUT...lower your expectations. You think Leicester Sq is where you want to go? Go. You'll either be in your zone or you'll run like hell but it didn't cost you anything to be there. You think Oxford is great? Go. You'll either be like a kid in a candy shop or you'll say 'WTF did I come here for?" Activities are a bit more iffy because some of them cost. They're mostly for kids to even out having to go to museums, churches and such. I'm traveling with a 10 year old this year. We HAVE the biggest LEGO store in Canada but she wants to go there.
👍👍👍👍Thank you Jess
I love Camden Market and have been going for 10 years, so I probably got to it first before it was bought out. Now I just go to get to my fave vendors that remain (the independent ones), and go further toward the former horse stalls, and then I'm OUT! I've gotten some locally designed stuff and one-of-a-kind stuff, but you definitely have to look for these types of vendors, they are fewer these days. .
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My last visit to london entailed me staying on the southbank at the premiere inn nearby, simply because it was the hotel closest to the venue my fav band were playing at that weekend, and i loved my time there, right in the thick of it all! For context, i am born and bred in Norfolk, still live here, but i adore london, the buzz of it all, and out of the many times i have visited, i never stayed in the centre, t’was Brixton before that, and i loved brixton so much, so vibrant, but also very out of the way it feels, a whole world away from the embankment. I spent most of my time people watching by the Thames, and searching frantically for decently priced coffee 😆
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Loved the video…do you know you look like Krystal Ball from Breaking Points? 😊
9 3/4 platform in St Pancras station isn't worth it
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Very beautiful 🌺👍
Jess, You’re becoming more ‘London’ than a born and bred Londoner haha! But I will say this, you really do know how to get the best from London.
Trafalagar Square St. Patricks Day Parade 17 March, yea or neay?
There's also a lot of thieves operating around these locations
as a person born in London, and having been raised elsewhere, Ill take the advice.
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Surprised at all the brick and mortar. Since Covid So. Cal is mostly online shopping. I don’t know anyone who shops at a mall anymore. I’d love to see outdoor hiking areas. Hyde Park would be nice to see.
Oxford St in Summer or Christmas is a no go it’s horrendous.
Hyde Park is nice early morning, although I prefer Regents Park
There's no proper hiking in London ❤️ and we show Hyde park in quite a few of our videos so be sure to have a watch. Thanks ❤️❤️❤️
Even as a tourist in London you learn to avoid those places : )
I'll go to Camden market but I probably won't buy anything
Just beware of pick pockets
@@terrym3837 thanks I will
Wife got punched in the ribs at the Camden Town tube stop a couple weeks ago. It was weird. At least three people took body blows. It was like a mass shooting here in America, but with a dude’s fist instead of an AR-15. (Fists are preferable.) Very, very weird. As a tourist, I didn’t want the grime of Camden with my young kids. When we visited a decade ago, without children, it’s actually the neighborhood where we stayed during our Christmas trip. Today, though, we only went through there because it was the closest tube stop to (the very delightful) London Zoo. Having your wife take a knuckle sandwich to the gut, along with the advice of this video, makes me feel I might have walked our last stroll through the area. 😂
poor pigeon 6:16
Long live Jess!
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Avoid Leicester Square Leicester Square and Leicester Square
Great advice
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I had missed my old days in London Dear Jess I hope You had liked My Profile Picture I changed My Profile Pic to put USA Soccer Emblem I'm Pro-USA fan like You Dear Jess.🥰😍🤗
Shh! Stop giving away our secrets.
Areas to avoid in London? London.
The most uncreative comment we get, hundreds have come before you.
@@loveandlondon There's a reason for that.
I feel like Leicester Square is the Times Square of London, no self respecting New Yorker goes there (unless it’s to see a Broadway show). 😊
Sorta, yes!
It is bloody grim
I want to go on the London eye. This channel seem so negative and bias
You do you!
Hahaha you really don't like LeiCHETER Square do you. You're becoming too British :)
As a company we are all anti!
@@loveandlondon as a Londoner I’m anti it’s a clip joint