England's 'busiest tourist attraction' slammed as visitors say it's 'chaotic'

27 May 2024 , 07:27

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Tourists gather to watch The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

From Barcelona to Venice, many of the world's top holiday destinations are struggling to cope with over-tourism.

While Europe's most overcrowded tourist destination has 30 times more visitors than locals, several of the continent's busiest attractions are in the UK. According to research from luxury travel company, The Thinking Traveller, British attractions are among Europe's most crowded.

Edinburgh Castle was the continent's busiest attraction, with Buckingham Palace taking second place on the list. The team scoured review sites for mentions of "crowds". Buckingham Palace, London's most famous Royal residence, is recognised around the world as the home of the monarch.

In 2019, before the pandemic, a whopping 578,000 tourists visited the Palace while even more stopped outside the gates for a photo, reports the Express. A tourist 'Denise127' who visited the palace in August wrote on Tripadvisor: "Try not to visit during the school holiday if you can. Very busy."

Another tourist 'Emma' said she didn't go inside the Palace but added: "The whole area was incredibly busy with visitors from all over the world." Some tourists choose to enjoy tea in the Palace gardens as part of their visit which one visitor said was a "bit chaotic" as the "palace was extremely busy".

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However, despite the crowds, many of reviews for Buckingham Palace are very positive. The attraction has an impressive 4.5 rating on Tripadvisor. 'Martyn R' said: "What a great day out. Make sure to try the care, busy, but the afternoon tea box is delicious and the coffee is worth the wait."

'P R' said: "Having visited Buckingham Palace from the outside many times, it was lovely to be able to go inside. The stateroom tour was amazing. The Palace is truly beautiful inside and out." If the crowds are too offputting, tourists could head to one of the UK's lesser visited castle attractions. According to one survey, Hever Castle is the UK's most underrated.

The castle, located in Kent, was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Perhaps Henry VIII's most famous wife, Anne had a huge impact on the UK. King Charles III's favourite castle is reportedly 120 year old Kinloch Castle on Scotland's Isle of Rum. The Castle is currently closed but the search for a new owner is underway.

Rom Preston-Ellis