The reason you want to travel to the world-famous city of London is obvious; there is no shortage of memorable attractions. You can get a glimpse of Buckingham Palace, where the late Queen Elizabeth once lived. When you want to be entertained, there is London’s West End for top-tier theatre plays and live musicals.
You can get engulfed in the historic British architecture and marvel at the iconic skyline that includes St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster, and The Shard. Full of flavorful foreign foods, gorgeous royal gardens, and majestic museums, you will be spoiled with options to make every day in the city of Big Ben a big deal.
But before you get overwhelmed with calculating the costs, take notice of these ten tips for planning a budget-friendly trip to London that you can afford and will never forget.
1.) Affordable Accommodations in London
When it comes to where you will be laying your head at night in London, you don’t want a choice that is cheap in price but translates to unpleasant and rough. Staying in the middle of all the action in central London could be tricky when looking for an affordable place to stay.
Consider finding your mix of bargains and comfort by staying on the outskirts of London. If you are concerned about getting back to the hustle and bustle of metropolitan London, keep in mind that this city is properly connected to transportation options. Setting up your accommodations for London in zone 3 and zone 4 areas will drastically drop the price of food and hotels during your trip to London.
2.) Advanced Booking
Save yourself some immediate money by booking all elements of your trip to London as far in advance as humanly possible. This means even booking your daily activities from third-party websites with reliable discount vouchers for everything from theater excursions to sightseeing tours.
3.) Flying to London
Before booking your flight to London, consider exactly what type of London trip you are planning. Are you exploring only London, or is it going to be one part of a broader exploration of the United Kingdom or even other nearby countries in Europe?
If you are coming from far away and you would like to go beyond the borders of London during your stay, then don’t fly to London first. Make it cheaper by first flying into places like Rome or Amsterdam because London has high taxes as well as fares that aren’t always at competitive prices.
After one or two nights somewhere else close by, you can hop onto a budget flight into one of six airports near London instead of flying directly from your distant home country.
4.) Public Transportation in London
London has ideal public transport systems such as the Thames Clipper, which is a public ferry service that is quite cheaper than the cost of taking a tour of the Thames. There are also affordable public red buses with a top deck that you can sit on for the traditional tourist experience.
5.) London Restaurants with Good Value
If you are looking for affordable restaurants in London to stay fed, you can’t go wrong with making stops at Pizza Express, getting some Mexican meals at Wahaca, Padella or Bancone for Italian dining, Bun House for Chinese food, Okan for Japanese dishes, Fish, Wings & Tings for come Caribbean meals., Hawker’s Kitchen to eat Malaysian and Supawan for Thai choices.
Also, if you are in need of some affordable vegetarian food, you can eat at Persepolis.
6.) Luggage Storage in London
You aren’t traveling all the way over to London to watch the BBC news on the television in your hotel room and order room service, are you? The new memories you are trying to make are outside, which means that you will need a place for luggage storage in London to keep your hands free to take plenty of pictures.
As you are accumulating souvenirs and gifts to take back home, you can get them securely stored and protected instead of accidentally leaving them somewhere or stolen when you aren’t paying attention.
7.) Second-hand Shopping
Who says that all the clothes and gifts that you buy in London have to be from high-class designer boutiques that will break your bank account in half? You can track down an eye-catching collection of second-hand items in vintage shops in Greenwich, Notting Hill, Borough Market, Camden, and Brixton that are well below their original prices.
8.) Free Attractions
As a final tip, remember, as expensive as it is to live and have fun in London, you don’t have to let that deter you from planning a jam-packed journey. There are numerous attractions that actually cost absolutely nothing.
You and your family can walk through beautiful parks, the British Museum, Covent Garden, The Tate, and the National Portrait Gallery.
