Free and Cheap Things To Do/See/Eat/Drink In London (Challange)

[florida sun]

I go to London quite a lot as my daughter works there but lives about an hour away. This Easter I have booked myself into a Travelodge for a week, and as my daughter wont be around I have decided to give myself a challange and only do things that are free for the week and eat and drink with a low budget.
I am saving for my Disney Trip in November as well as Portugal in May, so really want a budget week.

Hotel is paid for and to keep with this being a budget, I am going up and back on the Mega Bus instead of train as I normally do, which has cost me £9.50 return.

So what can I do on a budget? Any Ideas? Im also following a Slimming World diet at the moment, so what ideas can you come up with to help me with eating and drinking as well that wont cost the earth.

I have a few things already planned which are.

Mega bus tour of london - Cost £1.00
Tickets For Prime Minister Question Time at the Houses Of Parliment - Cost - Free
Tickets to See Matt Ford at the Other Palace Theatre - Cost Free (gift)
Tickets to Sky Garden - Free

I will need to use the tube on times, however I love walking around London, so I think it will only be twice a day to and from my hotel which is 8 stops by tube from Oxford Circus.

I look forward to your suggestions! Thank You

 

[BadPinkTink]

Get an Oyster card and load it with Pay as you go money. You will then have unlimited travel on all tubes and buses for approx £6 per day as it is capped at that price point.

The number 11bus route from Liverpool Street is the best route for tourists , sit at the top at the front and you will see everything from The Royal Courts of Justice on Fleet Street, To St Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Horseguards Parade, Westminster, Victoria and right down to Kings Road and Slone Square.

Musuems are free, so take your pick, there is a huge variety.

 

[Jon84]

I work in the City and love just walking around staring at the Skyscrapers lol

 

[BadPinkTink]

Another free thing to do is visit Westminster Abbey BUT go to a service. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship-music Services are free of charge BUT outside service time you have to pay £20 to enter.

 

[A Small World]

A couple of years ago I spent a week in London as well while DD was doing a work experience and set myself a similar challenge.

One day I spent the day walking along the Thames from Westminster Bridge along South Bank as far as the Tower of London stopping several times to just watch the world go by
I spent time another day exploring the National Gallery and sitting people watching in Trafalgar Square then up to Covent Garden

When DD and I go to London one of our favourite things is to walk through Hyde Park and into Kensington Gardens

One year we bought Royal Palace annual tickets which although not free were really good value and gave us access to The Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace. (plus a couple of other places) for 12 months. I still had this ticket when I walked to The Tower so was able to go in and just sit in the grounds and enjoy

As already mentioned a lot of the museums are all free so explore them and also the British Library near St Pancras is worth a wander round.

I find I walk miles when in London as I explore different areas and just enjoy and never have time to do everything I want

As for food a couple of days I just popped into Tesco or Sainsburys at lunch time and grabbed a meal deal and sat and enjoyed in one of the parks

 

[florida sun]

Another free thing to do is visit Westminster Abbey BUT go to a service. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship-music Services are free of charge BUT outside service time you have to pay £20 to enter.

This is a great idea, thank you, Im there for Easter Sunday, so I am going to the Easter Sunday morning service

A couple of years ago I spent a week in London as well while DD was doing a work experience and set myself a similar challenge.

One day I spent the day walking along the Thames from Westminster Bridge along South Bank as far as the Tower of London stopping several times to just watch the world go by
I spent time another day exploring the National Gallery and sitting people watching in Trafalgar Square then up to Covent Garden

When DD and I go to London one of our favourite things is to walk through Hyde Park and into Kensington Gardens

One year we bought Royal Palace annual tickets which although not free were really good value and gave us access to The Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace. (plus a couple of other places) for 12 months. I still had this ticket when I walked to The Tower so was able to go in and just sit in the grounds and enjoy

As already mentioned a lot of the museums are all free so explore them and also the British Library near St Pancras is worth a wander round.

I find I walk miles when in London as I explore different areas and just enjoy and never have time to do everything I want

As for food a couple of days I just popped into Tesco or Sainsburys at lunch time and grabbed a meal deal and sat and enjoyed in one of the parks

Brilliant ideas here thanks lovely lady, I am def going to look at the royal palace tickets, I bought the Buckingham Palace tickets last year and had them extended to a yearly ticket but of course the palace wont open until late summer. Last year I also bought the Merlin Pass for the Eye and Madam Tussards and Variuos other things so Ive done that.
I have already done so many of the gallerys and museums but there are still a few I would like to see.

Also although not very exciting, I like quirky things and I have discovered on a street around Paddington there are a row of houses where everything is not as it seems, apprently 2 of the houses are just fake facade's and behind them when you walk around the back you can actually see an area when certain tube trains that cant be electrified need the open air to let out steam?? So ill be taking a little look at that.


Thank you so far for the suggestions, please keep them coming.

 

[Dimplenose]

Another free thing to do is visit Westminster Abbey BUT go to a service. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship-music Services are free of charge BUT outside service time you have to pay £20 to enter.

The services there are lovely, sadly I timed my visit with a choir school holiday so no boys voices. You are very restricted within the abbey so only a limited sightseeing experience.

Other things I have found recently include near St Paul's there is a shopping centre with a viewing terrace - not very high but nice views and free. (Also good, free toilets in basement for when you are at that end of the city.) https://onenewchange.com/roof-terrace-one-new-change

And not far from there is Postman's Park - http://www.postmanspark.org.uk/ not a big attraction but a fascinating memorial.

 

[florida sun]

The services there are lovely, sadly I timed my visit with a choir school holiday so no boys voices. You are very restricted within the abbey so only a limited sightseeing experience.

Other things I have found recently include near St Paul's there is a shopping centre with a viewing terrace - not very high but nice views and free. (Also good, free toilets in basement for when you are at that end of the city.) https://onenewchange.com/roof-terrace-one-new-change

And not far from there is Postman's Park - http://www.postmanspark.org.uk/ not a big attraction but a fascinating memorial.

Thanks Libby, I know I wont see much but it will be nice just to be a part of it on Easter Sunday. Thank you for the other tips as well

 

[finchy3]

As previously mentioned it's a great City to just walk around and soak up the sites.

 

[Dimplenose]

Also remembered that I get a reasonably priced hot meal in Debenhams Oxford Street at lunchtime (BHS was better value but sadly no more )

I've used the walks from this website https://www.londonforfree.net/walks/ a few times.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I just booked two rooms for 8 nights at hub hotel Westminster for 649.00 pounds , I stayed there in February and it was great .. not nearly as small as the website made it out to be and pretty new
The London pass was a good deal for us ( paid for itself the first day ) and we got 3 days which is not even then enough for that pass for 109.00 pp .
We spent a Shockingly small amount for a bit over a week and we were trying to spend the money we took lol
The oyster pass was easy and fairly cheap and was able to get left over money and the 5.00 deposit back when we left , and remember if your outside the U.K. they give you back the 20% VAT on purchases so I think we got back around 400.00 total just from our purchases there are so many free and fun things to do so definitely take advantage of the parks and museums !

 

[oufpat]

Is there a walkway along the Thames from the Tower Bridge to the Millennium Bridge? We'd like to visit The Tower of London, cross the Tower Bridge, then walk along the Thames on our way to St Pauls.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Is there a walkway along the Thames from the Tower Bridge to the Millennium Bridge? We'd like to visit The Tower of London, cross the Tower Bridge, then walk along the Thames on our way to St Pauls.

Download a app called city mapper, it was a great app to have for planning AND to use while there .

 

[Mortie]

I recommend London Walks

I know you want free but they have a great variety of walks for £10 and you don’t pre book you just turn up. Even though though I used to live East London still would do them as they were fun and I learnt a lot from them

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I recommend London Walks

I know you want free but they have a great variety of walks for £10 and you don’t pre book you just turn up. Even though though I used to live East London still would do them as they were fun and I learnt a lot from them

Yes! I know a few of these tours were a part of my London pass , we are going back for thanksgiving and taking the kiddos who would love to do some of these what was your favorite?

 

[Dimplenose]

How was your trip?

 

[fuse04]

Some good tips here. I like going to Borough Market, top notch food market both in terms of street food and buying speciliasts chesse, meats etc. Great Atmosphere. Look at the Sky Garden which is free.

 

[ErinC]

Can you provide me with a link to the hotel. I want to see if I'm looking at the correct one. I'm not seeing anything this reasonable, but we are going the first week of April.

 

[finchy3]

We visited the Mayflower pub on the bank of the Thames, this is where the pilgrims set sail from its well worth a visit.
The fish and chips were lovely