People will always tell you London is an expensive city but I live here with a young family and I’m not a millionaire. Locals know where the deals can be found, and visitors often don’t, so I’m here to share some tips to show you a trip to London can suit anyone’s budget.
I write the About.com London Travel site and the London for Free pages are some of the most popular with ideas from the unusual ceremonies to the many free museums and galleries.
After accommodation, eating out can be a large part of your vacation budget and London offers excellent options at all price points. Don’t let dining spoil your frugal planning as there are many Budget Restaurants in London and I’ve also got a list of ideas on how to eat in London for under £5.
Walking is an excellent way to get around London and you’ll see so much more but if you need to travel longer distances then make sure you have an Oyster Card, which can be bought before you arrive, as cash fares on tubes and buses are more expensive. There is also daily capping on lots of travel so once you reach the maximum daily fare all your other journeys are free. There’s further good news for families as children travel for free on London transport but you may need to order a photocard in advance.
Then what about London’s West End Shows? You would expect all tickets to be very expensive but I’ve got lots of tips on how to save money on theatre tickets.
If you discover a lot of the attractions you want to visit are not free then consider a sightseeing pass that covers a lot of the biggies so you may want to plan a few days seeing the hard-hitters such as the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral.
As well as these ideas, I like to have some vouchers printed and in my wallet at all times from Smartsave as they can get you discounts at attractions, restaurants and more. These are great is you want to be spontaneous as you do not need to book in advance for a discount.
There are also great offers to be found on the ‘mob buying’ sites which offer amazing discounts and once enough people commit to buy you all get the deal. My personal favourite is Groupon, but others include KGB Deals, Living Social and Wahanda. Sign up as soon as you know you are coming to London and buy some deals in advance.
I hope you can now see London is not prohibitively expensive; it’s all about knowing where to find the bargains.
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Laura Porter writes the About.com London Travel site which is an online travel guide for visitors to London. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook too.
Laura’s other posts include:
- Offbeat Things to Do in London
- Is a One Day London Pass Really Worth it?
- Orient Express UK Day Trips
i first moved to London back in 96 and was always broke (i still am) My advice to people then and now is to “walk” i know its an alien concept to a lot of my friends, but thats what i did, and i discovered some amazing places, things and people, i would sometimes wake up on a Saturday, pick a tube station, travel to it and walk back, never once did i use an A-Z and never once did i get lost, People say London is expensive but i found some of the best bits were free.
@wftristan
I have been lucky enough to visit this lovely city/and country 3 times. My most enjoyable time was the day I told the tour group I wouldn’t be going with them since I had already been there. I put on my walking shoes and started walking. Watched childre sailing little paper ships in Kensington Park and even saw a helicopter landing there. Went to Westminster Cathedral – a group of school boys were there and showed me the many poets I had studied in school. Instead of hugs they shook my hand and wished me well. Walking through another park, a handsome old gentleman was feeding the birds…he shared his bird seed and joy with me. He then led me to the avenue to watch the marchers “changing of the guard.” He laughed and told me I would watch while all the “tourists” stomped on each other’s feet and saw nothing. What a wonderful companion for a brief while – he not only shook my hand but kissed it as we parted. Next stop was to buy a big bag of cherries…sat in Trafalgar Square and shared them with the thousands of pigeons…When next to the Museum and was overwhelmed at how many paintings I saw of our early American statesmen. Wound up the day at St. Martins in the Field Church praying with some of the homeless (we share this in USA) and thanking God for a beautiful day.Rode atop a red bus back to hotel for dinner with my group where they told me how much I had missed. (Secretly I was roflmao) This was one of the most exciting days of my life and cost me one bag of cherries.
The best way to explore Westminster is by foot.
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Great Article! Sometimes I think even London locals and can foeget about all the great, cheap entertainment we have on our doorsteps. You can’t go past a picnic in a London park on a beautiful summer day.
I’ve lived in London for over 10 years now and even though I drive I still decide to walk as much as I can as London is truly a beautiful place to explorer. I often take my children on walks at the weekend and with so much to do, they never get bored.
There are so many great things to do in london for cheap! The main is of course west end theatre shows! London is the Capital for the best theatres shows and Musicals! Can’t be missed! x
I am an Aussie travel agent and I love sharing great tips like this with all my clients – I have just shared your link on my Facebook & Twitter pages – thanks for the info! I lived in London 10 years ago and it is one of my favourite cities because there is just so much to see & do, and you are right, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune!