Respecting residential neighbourhoods
Dear Traveller, A City Is Not a Theme Park
- Reading time
- 3 minutes
Dear Traveller,
The washing on the balcony is someone's washing. The doorway in the photo is someone's front door. The quiet lane where you are laughing at midnight is outside someone's bedroom window.
In many popular cities, residents have protested about overtourism: noise, rising rents, crowded buses and neighbourhoods emptied of shops that serve locals.
This letter is a reminder that cities are homes first.
What we love
♥Ordinary life
The most interesting thing about a neighbourhood is often its everyday life: the market, the school run, the corner shop. Enjoy it without turning it into a performance.
♥Being a good neighbour
Say hello. Keep your voice down. Put rubbish in the right bins.
What we'd tell a friend
- Accommodation
- Check whether short-term rentals are licensed and legal. Consider hotels or guesthouses in areas less affected by housing pressure.
- Photography
- Ask before photographing people. Never photograph inside homes or private courtyards.
- Night-time
- Keep noise down in residential areas after dark.
This is general guidance. Prices, timetables, opening hours and entry rules change, so please check the official sources below before you travel.
Handle with care
If a neighbourhood has signs asking visitors to keep out of certain lanes or to be quiet, follow them. They are there because residents asked for them.
Before you go
- UN Tourism: Global Code of Ethics for Tourism ↗ (opens an external site)
Dear Traveller, let us be good guests. The city will remember.
With love,
The WTWL Team
Written June 2026
Spotted something out of date? Send us a correction.
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