London Trip - on a budget

[kandeebunny]

Looking at doing 10 days in London in June of 2017. Planning on renting a flat (cooking to help the budget and due to allergies.) I know about the museums being free, and we plan on doing a London Pass (this worked well last time with fast queue!)

Any other hints or tips on doing this on a budget? I'm trying to surprise Mom for her 70th birthday!

 

[kool_kat]

I'm interested in this as well! My dad is working in England this year and his company has agreed to fly family over. So my husband and I have free flights and a free place to stay, only have to pay for what we want to do. I still think it is going to be an expensive trip so I'm looking for any money saving tips.

My dad is actually working in Reading so we will have to take the train into London. One thing he mentioned was buying a companion pass? Somehow, if you are traveling as a pair it saves you 30% and pays for itself quickly. I think there is also a senior citizens pass that achieves the same goal (he's 62 and qualifies) so if you are using the train a lot you may want to check into this.

 

[kandeebunny]

I know last time we did the London Pass (which has a lot of attractions, plus fast entry on the, it was SO worth it the last time and if you buy in advance there are often 15-20% off sales) plus tube pass (all zone 1 stations, unlimited travel.) From what I have been reading kids under 11 ride on the tube free with a paying adult.

I think we'll be staying in Central London for the most part, we may travel out to Windsor Palace, and to Leavesden (HP Studio Tour!) Which I think would be out only actual train trips.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I know there are reduced tickets for theater available on day of performance. Go to Harrods for lunch, tne food court is fantastic and reasonably priced.

 

[DIS_MERI]

Any other hints or tips on doing this on a budget? I'm trying to surprise Mom for her 70th birthday!

I haven't been since 2011, so my info would likely be old, but wanted to say that my Mom and I went to England for her 70th birthday and that trip holds some of the very best memories that I have (she passed away 3 years after our trip).

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

I loved, LOVED London. It is one of my favorite cities.

They have walking tours. They can run about 3 hours, and they work solely for tips. Go watch the Changing of the Guards and Big Ben, of course! Walk The River Thames, it's so pretty.

We had also done a trip to Windsor to look at the castles and also to Stonehenge. But there is so much to do in London. Yes Museums and free and are great when it starts raining, which is frequent! We did the London Eye which isn't bad, like $30? You get some amazing fews. So not free, but cheaper then other attractions.

I am so very jealous! I would love to go back.

 

[ksh1111]

We did 8 days in London, and also chose to cook (food allergies).
We found picking up lunch at Boots worked great for the days we were going to be out. It is a fixed price, I want to say 6 pounds (?), for a sandwich, drink and side or dessert. We managed to get a meal plus out of each one.

We also went to Sainsburys because it was near our flat. There is also Aldi (yes, same as in States) or Asda which is a branch of our WalMart. If close to where you are staying, both have great prices.

We only took the Tube one day, preferring to walk as much as possible. We found it expensive, and we are not averse to walking 3-5 miles in a day sight seeing.

We met the Mayor of London by chance, he was a nice man!

We saw the changing of the Guard, saw the Queens horses many times, walked along the Thames, saw the Tower Bridge, went to many museums, saw Big Ben, etc. The only major expensive tourist attraction we did was The London Eye. It was nice to be able to see the city from above.

 

[kandeebunny]

We did 8 days in London, and also chose to cook (food allergies).
We found picking up lunch at Boots worked great for the days we were going to be out. It is a fixed price, I want to say 6 pounds (?), for a sandwich, drink and side or dessert. We managed to get a meal plus out of each one.

We also went to Sainsburys because it was near our flat. There is also Aldi (yes, same as in States) or Asda which is a branch of our WalMart. If close to where you are staying, both have great prices.

We only took the Tube one day, preferring to walk as much as possible. We found it expensive, and we are not averse to walking 3-5 miles in a day sight seeing.

We met the Mayor of London by chance, he was a nice man!

We saw the changing of the Guard, saw the Queens horses many times, walked along the Thames, saw the Tower Bridge, went to many museums, saw Big Ben, etc. The only major expensive tourist attraction we did was The London Eye. It was nice to be able to see the city from above.

Good to know about Sainsburys and Asda, last time I went, my friends and I stuck with Tesco and Whole Foods (for those must have allergy products lol!)

The London Eye is for sure on our list, I know buying in advance saves.

Never heard of Boots...going to look it up now! Thanks so much.

 

[njpyro]

Following along for some more advice. We just booked for this August, 6 nights. We are staying in an apartment, so we have a kitchen as well. We are planning on taking the tube whenever possible, doing the HP studio tour, and possibly flying to scotland for a day (to visit family).
It's good to know about the grocery options. It would be great to save wherever possible.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Maybe look into a travelcard instead of an Oyster for the Tube. It's a daily pass and there's a bunch of 2 for 1 deals with it. Google London 2 for 1 and you'll find a website with all the details.
Basically if you have a vaild train ticket (travelcard counts) you can print out the vouchers and get 2 for 1 at some attractions and tours.

 

[Sparkly]

Some tips from a Londoner:
-Get an Oyster card for travelling on the tubes & buses. Costs £5 and is available from tube stations, train stations and corner shops around London. Simply preload it and go! It auto caps at the price of a day travelcard so if you'll be travelling a lot it's very useful.

-Some of the best fun I've had in London was simply just wandering around! I once walked from Victoria Station to Piccadilly Circus and took in the sights along the way. There's heaps of free things to see and do amongst the paid for activities. Harrods is an amazing department store (Kensington High Street, you could do it on the way back from the museums) which is fun to wander around. Hamleys is worth seeing if you have kids or just to indulge your inner kid! The Museums at South Kensington- the V&A, the Science Museum and my favourite, the Natural History Museum are free and well worth a day trip.

-I agree with buying a Boots meal deal for lunch. It's around £3.29-£3.79 and a great deal. To max it out I reccommend a triple sandwich, a cake/flapjack and a smoothie.

-Renting an flat/apartment and buying groceries is indeed a smart choice. Food in London is very very expensive! The main grocery stores here are Tesco, which is fairly cheap and cheerful. Asda, which is cheaper then Tesco. And Waitrose, which is quite expensive but has some good stuff.

 

[Ladyw/theTramp]

following ...

 

[Nettlelondon]

Similar meal deals can be found in Sainsbury, Tesco and Marks and Spencer all of which have branches all over the place - Sainsbury & Tesco are large supermarket chains that have Express/Metro stores in city centre locations selling a limited range but ideal for grabbing lunch or a few groceries.

Consider arranging an online grocery delivery to your apartment on the first day so you have some basics early on without having to worry about what is available locally.

The TFL journey planner www.tfl.gov.uk is very useful for working out routes - and makes bus travel easier. Busses are cheaper than the tube and have the advantage of providing free sightseeing. Use Oyster to pay for busses too - they count in the same daily cap or, if you only use the bus, there is a lower cap.

If you are on the Southbank consider popping in to the Royal Festival Hall - worth seeing for its unusual architecture alone - there are often free events going.

Instead of the London Eye, or as well as, The Sky Garden has great views and is free ( you need a ticket which are released a few weeks ahead) but apparently the garden is a little immature at present.

As as I think of more I will come back and add.

 

[teller80]

Have you visited the forums on Rick Steves website? It was my starting point for Italy last year. Have a great trip!

 

[DisneyWannabee]

If you don't mind a bit of travelling staying on the outskirts can prove much more cost effective both for accommodation and food. We used Staycity apartments which were a short train ride to the centre, with a supermarket at the entrance and some restaurants near by.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Following along for some more advice. We just booked for this August, 6 nights. We are staying in an apartment, so we have a kitchen as well. We are planning on taking the tube whenever possible, doing the HP studio tour, and possibly flying to scotland for a day (to visit family).
It's good to know about the grocery options. It would be great to save wherever possible.

you probably already know this but it is worth mentioning - you have to purchase the Harry potter studio tickets in advance.

I agree with Sparkly - get the Oyster card and if your kids are over a certain age (11?) you can jump through a few hoops in advance and get them a kids (ages 12 -16?) oyster card they travel for a much cheaper rate than adults.

 

[holycow]

Thank you for the great info

 

[EdiePA]

Following

 

[Nettlelondon]

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/travel-for-under-18s/zip-oyster-photocards#on-this-page-1 is the website with the information on how to apply for a Zip Oyster for 12 - 16 year olds.

Wifi is very widely available in London - most coffee shops, restaurants, pubs and many shops and museums will have public access wifi which makes planning / checking on things easy and convenient without worrying about fees.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/travel-for-under-18s/zip-oyster-photocards#on-this-page-1 is the website with the information on how to apply for a Zip Oyster for 12 - 16 year olds.

Wifi is very widely available in London - most coffee shops, restaurants, pubs and many shops and museums will have public access wifi which makes planning / checking on things easy and convenient without worrying about fees.

yes! I have stood outside of a Starbuck on multiple occasions using their wi-fi. Also remember most museums are free. When we lived in London for a couple of years (DH was English is now American) - we were in what we called the young and impoverished newlywed phase and we did not spend money on things like tube fares (except for getting to work ) so we walked all over central London. You can really find a lot to see by walking