Visiting London On The Cheap

Many people think they cannot visit London because a trip to the city would be too expensive.  Yes, it can be expensive.  But, it doesn’t have to be.  Here we look at how to visit London on a limited budget.

Getting There 

London is very popular, and is the most visited city in the world.  This means, that from a business perspective, it is also the most competitive, as a tourist, it means that you can get some of the best deals in the world.

Flying
Many budget airlines fly direct to London from all over the world.  The cheaper flights tend to be those flying to the smaller airports, located a little further from the city than Gatwick and Heathrow. When looking for flights, visit the websites for Luton Airport, Stanstead Airport, and even Southampton Airport, Bournemouth Airport, and Birmingham Airport.  

Some of these airports, like Southampton, Bournemouth, and Birmingham, are over an hour away, but have regular buses to the capital, and certainly have the cheapest flights.  These airports are better if you are staying more than a few days, as the extra travel won’t encroach too much on your time. 

Train
You can always find cheap train tickets to London; check out the Eurostar website for the latest special offers.

Staying There
There are thousands of budget hotels in London, most of which you will find around the Paddington/Hyde Park area.  This is because both Paddington and Hyde Park are extremely popular with tourist, and tourists have all manner of budgets, and are well catered for.

The hostels are the cheapest type of accommodation, costing as little as £6 a night.  They are the most budget of hotels in London, and you get what you pay for, but they can be great fun, particularly if you’re young.

If travelling out of term time, enquire at the London universities about possible budget accommodation, as they often rent their student rooms during the holidays.

Doing It

It’s fine getting cheap flights and cheap accommodation, but is there anything to do free?  Yes.  There are many things to do, including:

• Watching a free theatre performance in one of the West End theatres.  The National Theatre is most known for this, so check with them for any free performances during your stay.
• Free comedy shows:  On any given night in London, there is a comedy show somewhere in the city that is free to watch.  Ask at your hotel of any details of free comedy nights, failing that, the local newspapers should have information – you will find these in most newsagents.
• Museums: most of London’s museums have free entry.  These are not the boring museums of childhood, they are amongst the best in the world, and have all kinds of interactive activities.  Favourites with tourists are the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the British Museum.

Getting Around

The cheapest way to travel is on foot, but if you do need to travel further afield then public transport is the next best option.   For around £7 a day, you can get unlimited access to the London Underground and London buses.