Unexpected London road named among world’s best streets to walk in your lifetime

London often conjures up visions of Oxford Street, Whitehall, Tower Bridge Road, and the like.

If you’re a local, you might raise your eyebrows at such touristy hotspots, and instead favour a waltz down Crouch End Broadway, Islington’s Camden Passage, or Camberwell Church Street.

Now, one particularly tourist-ridden destination in the capital has topped a list of the world’s must-visit streets.

Any guesses? It’s the Strand, which, according to The Telegraph, is one of the 20 streets you need to walk down in your lifetime.

Sure, it’s right in the heart of the West End, but the selection might raise a few eyebrows.

Whenever I’ve walked down the Strand, it’s purely been for practical reasons – on my way to Charing Cross, or dipping into Covent Garden. I’ve never stopped to nip into the shops there (mainly just a load of chains, like Boots and Mountain Warehouse), or suggested it’s coffee houses to friends as a meeting point (there’s a GAIL’s and a Blank Street).

And, frankly, I’ll never be able to afford to check into The Savoy, no matter how fun it is to sneak a peek at the guests and wonder what they do for a living.

That said, the Strand does have plenty of history running through its veins.

With a length running at just over three-quarters of a mile, it’s the major connection between Fleet Street (the traditional home of the printing press), Trafalgar Square, and Temple Bar, which still stands directly opposite the Royal Courts of Justice.

The Strand’s name comes from the Old English word, strond, meaning the shore of a large river or sea. Fun fact: it was formerly the closest water-side road to the Thames, before the building of Embankment.

In the 17th century, the street slowly started to become home to London’s upper classes, with historic mansions including the likes of Savoy Palace and Old Somerset House.

These days, though, neither of these buildings has survived, so they’re not exactly adding to the Strand’s current street cred.

Fast forward to the 19th century, and the Strand started to build up a bit of a music hall scene – and many of these venues, including the Adelphi Theatre and The Savoy Theatre. Later on, in 1909, a song was even written in tribute to the street’s strong music scene – Let’s All Go Down The Strand.

It’s also been home to a few famous names in literature, including Charles Dickens and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and still houses King’s College London’s Strand Campus, which was founded in 1829.

However, I’m not the only one who feels that the Strand is a strange choice for a must-visit place in London. To locals, many of the restaurants feel touristy, and it’s constantly buzzing with traffic.

Over on the r/AskUK Subreddit, @But-ThenThatMeans described the Strand as ‘tourist central,’ adding ‘nobody really lives there – it’s shops and hotels.’ Fair play; there’s not much to dispute there.

@tmstms said that it’s ‘busy with tons of tourists,’ while @Klutzy_Draw4662 wondered why there are ‘so many abandoned and dilapidated properties’ in such a central area.

Looking to the future, though, there are major plans underway for the Strand to get a bit of a facelift, with revamped restaurants and shops. So, there could be another heyday on the horizon.

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