 Budget
Visits to London
London can be an expensive
place to visit but there are ways to save money and stay
within quite a small budget. Here are a few tips.
Travelling
to London
First of all, check your travel arrangements to London.
If you are taking a train, remember that by booking some
weeks in advance you can get APEX fares and save a considerable
amount of money. The reverse can be true of airflights.
Last minute deals can often be cheaper. Check the web and
teletext for cheap flights. When you arrive at an airport
or train station, buses and underground trains will almost
certainly be less expensive than taking a taxi.
Staying in London
A beautiful, luxurious hotel in Central London is going
to cost a lot of money. You should instead book rooms in
a budget
priced hotel or bed
and breakfast guesthouse. After all, you only need somewhere
to sleep and leave your luggage. If you are a family group,
you can often save more money by booking one family room
instead of two or three to accommodate family members in
pairs or individually. If breakfast is
included in the room price, make sure you eat it because
that way you won't have to spend as much money on mid morning
snacks or a big lunch.
Travelling in London
On your first day in London, buy a Travelcard for each person
in the party. This gives unlimited travel on the tube, buses
and even the Thames Clipper riverboat. The Travelcard can
be bought to cover several zones and you can check on the
zones at any tube station. Make sure you decide which zones
you are likely to visit during your stay so that you buy
the correct Travelcard.
If you are planning to visit
several of the major attractions like the Tower of London,
St Paul's Cathedral, Kensington Palace, Madame Tussauds,
the London Dungeon, and many others, you should buy a London Pass 
which gives free entry to more than 50 places of interest
as well as tube, overground trains and bus travel. It also
gives many other benefits like discounted meals in certain
restaurants and free guidebooks.
Free Attractions
- Most state run museums
and galleries have free entry so you can visit the Science
Museum, the Victoria
& Albert, the British
Museum, etc, completely free of charge.
- You can visit the Houses
of Parliament free. There are different rules for
UK residents and foreign visitors and the times and periods
for visits vary so check out the website
first.
- Visit Covent Garden and
watch the street entertainers. These are not ordinary
buskers, they have to have a licence to perform there
and they are all very good.
- Visit London's
beautiful open spaces like Hyde Park, Green Park,
Regent's Park or Battersea Park. Play games there, feed
the ducks or just sit in the sun and watch the passing
scene.
Theatres
Queue for half price tickets for London
theatres at the booth in Leicester Square. This is the
official place for them to be sold so you can buy safely.
Some hit shows sell 'standing'
tickets at a much lower price than normal. These are usually
only sold on the day from the theatre, often only on Fridays
or Saturdays when seats are likely to be sold out. Make
sure you can bear to stand up for the entire length of the
show, though. They are not usually widely advertised so
check with the theatre of your choice.
Food
Don't buy meals in or near tourist attractions because prices
will be high. Instead find the kind of café used
by local people where prices will be much more reasonable
and the food better.
These are just a few suggestions.
If you have any of your own to make, why not send
me an e-mail with them?
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