We put some travel hacks together and tips of exciting activities in London. Learn how to visit London on a budget and safe money without missing out on anything.
Before you go
Organize your tickets in advance
Choose public transport in any case as parking fees will kill your budget literally within a few hours. If you prefer your own transport or you HAVE to go by car, go on Parkopedia to find free or cheaper parking possibilities in London. It’s a very useful link anyway for the whole of the United Kingdom.
- Option 1 for mobility and discounts in the city: Visitor Oyster Card
Buy an Visitor Oyster Card online before visiting London or at the Airport. A Visitor Oyster card is a smart card. You charge it with an prepaid amount to pay for journeys on bus, Tube, tram, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground, Transport for London (TfL) Rail and most National Rail services in London. You get special offers and discounts and save money in some London restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. Paying in cash, single rides on the overground without Oyster Card cost about double the price.
---> Mind: You can't buy the Visitor Oyster Card in town (UK citizen's can buy an Oyster Card in London, though), but at the online visitorshop or at ticketshops throughout the UK and overseas.
London Bus (photo credit: Nikos Koutoulas)
- Option 2 For spontaneous choice of sightseeing days and flexible time, go for the Day Travelcard – The prices depend on daytime and city zones. You can buy it at any ticket machine in London.
- Option 3 for mobility, discounts and sightseeing in the city: The London Pass
The London Pass is a sightseeing city card. If you intent to visit the main tourist attractions and museum go for The London Pass. It covers plenty entrance fees and free public transport. There are several options from 1 to 6 days. One day for an adult costs £ 53.10 (2016), so not quite in our budget.
Organize free accommodation in London
If you don’t have any air miles which pay for a comfortable hotel room or friends and family you may want to use house sitting or couch surfing as an option to stay for free.
During your Stay
Transfer from Airport to City of London
Heathrow (LHR) Take the Underground: The Piccadilly line runs through Central London (45-50 min.)
Gatwick (LGW) Take the Gatwick Express which runs non-stop to London Victoria Station (30 min.). New since Jan 16: You can use an Oyster card for Gatwick airport. For more connections: Train services to & from Gatwick
Luton (LTN) Take a coach or bus. National Express takes you to Baker Street, Victoria Rail Station and Victoria Coach Station. EasyBus runs to London Victoria Coach Station or London Liverpool Street rail station. For more connections: Bus and coach services to & from Luton. Or take the
train: Thameslink or East Midlands Trains will connect you to London St. Pancras Station.
Stansted (STN) Take the Stansted Express which runs to Liverpool Street in Central London (47 minutes) or coach: National Express. Transfer information Stansted Airport
City (LCY) Depending on where you are going to stay in London, there are different options. The airport is located in
Zone 3 and Oyster cards can be used to access the airport.
If you are visiting for a day or seven days and staying within the city (zone 1), a paper Travelcard (valid for single day or seven day journeys) may be a better option for you so be sure to ask a ticket officer.
Save money using Public Transport: - Travel off-peak (after 9:30 am on weekdays)
- Take the bus (the Tube is the fastest but also most expensive way to get around the city)
London Eye (photo credit: Ruben Nadador)
Free or cheap attractions
Brush up your knowledge in free museums
Culture needn’t cost the earth. Here’s our guide to the best free museums in London that won’t cost you a penny to explore.
Architectural masterpieces and historical buildings
- The UNESCO-listed Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich
An outstandingly beautiful architectural site and landscape ensemble.
Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich (photo credit: Paul Wilkinson)
- London’s Forgotten Roman Wall
Set immediately north of the Tower of London stands one of the most substantial surviving sections of the London Wall. - Industrial London at St. Pancras Station and Midland Grand Hotel
One of Britain’s most celebrated Victorian structures and landmark for the Industrial Revolution. The hotel is called St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel nowadays.
St Pancras Station (photo credit: Monica Kostera)
- An Alternative to Buckingham Palace
Fulham Palace which was the home to the Bishopric of London for over 1300 years, although the building you see today is “only” 700 years old - The divided Palace of Westminster
Today it’s called Houses of Parliament. It is the building in which parliament resides.
Houses of Parliament (photo credit: James Blunt)
- The free to enter Westminster Cathedral
Unique building that has its design inspired by the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and St. Marks in Venice. - London’s greatest book collection at the British Library
Throughout the year there are exhibitions on all sorts of themes.
A taste of culture and Art
- The Changing of the Guards
One of the most highly attended free events in London and probably the most British, too. - Get political at Speaker’s Corner
In the corner of Hyde Park is a landmark that over the past one hundred years has been the cornerstone and starting point for many great rallies and movements that have brought a number of changes to the country. - Explore London’s best markets inclusive Camden Town
- Watch the free Open Air Theatre
The Scoop hosts a number of free theatrical pieces during the summer months. - See the best shots at the Photographers’ Gallery
- The Saatchi Gallery Art Collection
contains a number of international and British artists who have either made their name already, or are about to be catapulted into stardom. - Hear London’s up-and-coming classical artists
the church of St. Martin-in-the-fields - See a film at one of London’s oldest cinemas
Regent Street is among one of the oldest cinemas in the UK.
Alternative Scenes
- London’s most central skate-park
One of London’s best-known skate parks for practicing graffiti artists. Spend some time and you will see some of the best skaters during the day.
Street Art London (photo credit: Simon Mathon)
- Brick Lane’s culture and street art
Brick Lane is one of the best-known and most lively areas of East London. The area is world famous for its street art from artists such as Banksy and Ben Eine. There are a number of galleries that hold exhibitions in this area, including Espacio Gallery.
Close to nature in the city
Get a bit of space and tranquillity in one of the parks of London.
- Wimbledon Common – Ponds, a nature trail and a windmill.
- Richmond Park – Deer
- Park VistaPrime – Prime Meridian line
- Bushy Park- Deer
- Hyde Park
- Kensington Gardens- Peter Pan Statue
- St James’s Park. – Pelicans feeding at 2:30pm every day
Awesome views and walks
- Walk along South Bank
along the National Theatre, the British Film Institute, and the South Bank Centre - Wander the gardens of Hampton Court Palace
- Trace the “Monopoly Board” of London route
Walk the same route as on the board game Google Map of the Monopoly board route.
- See London from the air for free
The Sky Garden is on top of a skyscraper, right in the heart of the city. Reservation required.
Eat out
- Enjoy a ‘Classic Cuppa’ at the Museum of Tea
Twinings Tea Shop and Museum which is one of London’s oldest remaining original tea houses, and the first tea shop from where Twinings first sold their tea in 1706. - Be responsible on a classic British pub crawl
You can join a free pub crawl on Meetup.com and organise to meet both locals and expats whilst exploring some of London’s best classic pubs, and also a number of the best clubs. - Barter in Brick Lane
find a whole new world of food where you can actually set the price for what you’d like.
Colourful London Taxi (photo credit: Darren Johnson / jDJ Photography)
Visit a show
- Laugh at a free comedy night
If your budget for London doesn’t stretch far enough to enter some of the late night comedy shows then be sure to take a look at Angel Comedy who run a free comedy night every day of the week. - Return to Shakespeare’s London at the Globe Theatre
A modern replica of Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre
- Watch a discounted West-End show
You can secure seats for the show at half the normal price, depending on availability.
- Join the audience of your favourite British TV shows
Apply for tickets online via a number of different agencies; or alternatively you can apply via official sites like the BBC’s list of shows with audiences - Each week the London School of Economics and Political Science welcomes a number of the world’s finest minds to give talks on a number of interesting subjects, and attendance to most of their arranged talks are completely free.
---> Here you will find more events under £15. Purchasing your tickets beforehand through websites like lastminute.com’s "tickets Under £15" page.
Shop it
- Buy a book from London’s most unique bookshop
By far the most unique bookshop in London is Word on the Water, a floating bookshop on a boat that is highly loved among both locals and an increasing international fan base.
- Listen and buy the latest of London’s sounds
One of the best places to not only buy the latest sounds, but to also see some of the musicians live is Rough Trade East
Tours
- Download a city tour for London from GPSmyCity
to your smart phone and explore the town at your own peril*
Telephone Box London (photo credit: Pedro Szekely)
- Try an alternative bus tour of London
By using the public transport along this alternative bus route of London you can see the exact same landmarks and interesting places, but with the added experience of taking the local bus. Or hop on London Bus no.453 from Marylebone and take it all the way south (you can get off just before Lambeth North station). You’ll pass through Oxford Circus, Regents Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, Big Ben and The Houses Of Parliament, The London Eye and The Imperial War Museum.
- Discover unseen London with unique tours
A Social Enterprise working with homeless, ex-homeless and vulnerably housed Londoners. - Join a free guided walking tour of London
There are plenty to choose from. One with good reviews is eg. the Sandemans tour. - River Cruise on the Thames
Take a ride with the Thames Clipper – It’s a commuter boat network that goes up and down the Thames that is owned and operated by Transport for London (TFL). You will see the same sights as the Thames cruise.Take your Oyster Card, Day Travel Card or London Pass to get a free ride.
⇒⇒⇒ Here you find the Map Of Free Attractions In London
Update: Don’t miss out on this if you are a Harry Potter Fan!
- Harry Potter Walking Tour
Strawberry Tours run free (tip-based) tours and have 4.9 or 5-star ratings on TripAdvisor for their tours as well as a Certificate of Excellence. Their tours run every day and they’re a great tip for people looking for fun things to do in London, whether they’re looking for low-budget options or for an outing with kids.
(Featured Image; photo credit: Camilo Rueda López)
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