Purse or backpack ?

Go with what you are comfortable with. Just be cautious as backpack can be opened by pickpockets just as easily as purse. I took one the tube but carried it in front of me.

Was back in London in May. My 12th visit to that wonderful city. Saw backpacks, day bags, messenger bags, etc. Me? Used a Sling bag. If you are worried about theft consider purchasing a Pac Safe bag. Have a wonderful trip!!!

I use a backpack while touring, but have a smallish purse that I use at night when I don't want / need as much stuff. It's big enough to hold the money for the evening, a book and a small camera. It's got a long enough shoulder strap that it can be worn across my body. Pam

I used to use a shoulder purse but do so no longer because it hurts my shoulder after a period of time - much better with a sling or back pack - for me.

Most of the time when I'm in London I carry a rucksack (backpack). In it I carry a newspaper, book, map, train timetable, a couple of specialist maps, sunscreen and my Ipod and headphones. And, yes, when on or boarding the Underground or other trains, take it off and carry or hold it. Most people I know do the same.

If I can't fit everything into my pants pockets, I carry my backpack. It will carry rain gear, books, camera, maps, and water bottles. After years of trying, I've finally convinced my wife to wear pants with pockets when we travel. She can keep a few pounds/euros/krona/etc there for what she'll need that day. Credit cards, larger amounts of cash and passports are all in the money belt. She is finally, happily purse free. Having a purse is making yourself a target even if you don't carry any valuables in it. If you pay for something out of it, any thief knows where your money and, possibly, your credit cards are. Somewhere I saw some statistic about how many thousands of purses are stolen in Covent Garden every year.

This year (for the first time, I will be wearing a travel vest with many pockets.

Well , I use a purse at home, and thats what I travel with, I think a almost 50 yr old woman wearing a backpack looks a bit odd,, sorry , my opinion,, unless one is hiking of course. My purse is lightweight but tough nylon weave, it has a wide strap that I wear across the chest and swing purse in front of me on metros etc, it has zippered compartment inside, and a zippered top, AND a flap that goes over the zippered top and snaps closed with one of those two hand operating snaps, in all the years I have done Europe( several times solo) I have never been picked, and I find it comfy and big enough for what I want to carry around in a day. I don't use a back pack at home to go out for the day,, so why do people think they need one on holiday.. a camera fits into purse, so does mini umbrella, maps and sunglasses.
I watch people with backpacks, they are constantly checking the various compartments to make sure they are closed, they have to remove then to open them( great if someone wants to do a run by snatch) , and they also have to remove and carry them in front on trains/tubes etc,, or they wear them in front like they are pregnant or something. They look hot. I guess for men they are better then using pockets though, although europeon men have wisely started to use merses ( otherwise known as man bags) . A vest with pockets,, um, how is that safer, I mean , they do call them "pick POCKETS" right? Plus what about when its 100 degrees in Rome,, a vest,, yikes.

I also wonder if people carry too much stuff too... I mean, cameras and phones are tiny nowadays, they could fit in the smallest of bags,, and heck, just tie the sweater around your neck or waist if it gets hot,,, a map takes no room,, nor does a small change purse, lipstick and mini umbrella. What other stuff do people need to carry that they need a back pack for?? I really don't know so this is a question.

I would suggest that you wear the Rick Steves' moneybelt underneath your clothing, with all the documents and large amounts of cash that you wouldn't want to lose in it. In your front pants pocket, keep a very small amount of cash and change, enough to buy say, a sandwich at lunchtime. That way, you don't have to reveal your moneybelt if you are in line paying for your lunch. Do not ever dig into your moneybelt in public. If you do want to carry a purse for makeup, etc., just be sure nothing is in it that you couldn't live without if it got snatched. Pat is right, you may not have any problem with the purse, but it never hurts to be careful.

Thank you for all your answers! I may decide to carry a sling bag or messenger bag. I should have been more explicit. As I am planning to leave the hotel in the morning and probably not coming back before nightime, I wanted the backpack for carrying a sweater, rain gear, camera, a bit of money and have some place to put any purchases I make during the day. Any suggestion (brand) for a large messenger bag or sling bag ?

Check the Rick Steves travel store (on this site we're on) for messenger bags. If they don't have what you want, try L.L.Bean or Travel Smith.

People steal purses, and they slash backpacks and grab what's inside. I've probably spent a few hundreds of days and nights in London and never felt the need for a money belt. I do use common sense, and move the wallet away from my back pocket when that's appropriate. I'd never discourage anyone from using a money belt, though. They work. I do carry a camera bag in London, typically with at least $4000 of gear inside. It stays over my shoulder, and under my arm. I would guess most purses are stolen after they are draped over the back of a chair, put on the floor, or otherwise forgotten by their owner. Thieves won't bother to steal something if that's a hassle when so many other people make it easy.

A messenger bag, worn cross body is the easiest to wear. Whether you are getting on a train, walking through a store, or sitting in a restaurant, you can have it with you without hitting anyone, like people wearing back-packs often do. When eating, the bag itself rests in my lap, but I don't take it off. Sorry, but the wild stories of people slashing the straps on your purse are overly exaggerated. Who here has had this happen and do you know anyone who has had this happen to them? I certainly haven't. I HAVE seen people have their back packs opened though. Have also seen purses or bags taken from people just wearing it over their shoulder, so do wear them cross body. Have also spent days traveling around with folks wearing back-packs and watched them take it off, put it on, take it off, put it on, about a 100 times during the day. Whether it was to look at a map, pull out their camera, get a drink from their water bottle or grab a tissue, every time it was this whole procedure over again. Wearing a purse does NOT make you a target! Please! Women all over the world wear their purses and they can't all be targets for thieves. Clutching it for dear life as you walk down the street may get you noticed though.

I've used both a small day pack and a cross body purse in Europe, depending on what I needed to carry. Either way, I keep the bag in front of me with 1 hand resting on it when I'm in a crowd (no need to clutch it if you spread out your day's spending cash among several different inside pockets). The problem with a day pack is that some museums insist you check the pack in the coat room. Whichever you choose, at most major sights it will be searched by security personnel, but this typically only takes a minute or two. For evenings out, I will often swap out & use a very small wristlet as all I really need to carry then is some money for dinner or drinks. I disagree that carrying a purse makes you more of a target, unless you are the kind of person who carelessly leaves their purse dangling off a chair, on the ground by your feet or just wanders around with it unzipped all day. I would venture to say the poster above who is carrying $4,000 worth of camera equipment which is obviously being taken out on a regular basis to photograph the sights would make them a way bigger target than me with some non-descript purse from Macy's holding a $120 Nikon digital point & shoot, 100 Euro and a water bottle. If ever there was a bag to slash, it would be that camera bag and not my purse or day pack.