Budgeting is one of the most difficult parts of planning a holiday because you’re never really sure how much money you’re going to spend. You also don’t really know the prices of things unless you really dig deep and ask friends or family members. It’s also fairly difficult to budget costs for a day, so it’s usually pointless to try and predict things.
London is known as one of the most expensive cities in the world and this is true both for locals living here and tourists. But if you’re smart with your trip, you can actually save a considerable amount of money.
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Get yourself an Oyster Card or set up contactless
An Oyster Card or a contactless payment card will make travel a lot cheaper. Skip the weekly or monthly passes or any other scheme and just tap your card or phone to make paying for travel a lot easier and cheaper.
Look around for cheaper accommodation options
There are countless accommodation options in London. From hotels near Hammersmith to Airbnbs in Camden, there is no shortage of cheap and cheerful accommodation to be had. Just don’t expect it to be super luxurious with food included.
Eat where the locals do
And speaking of food, we highly suggest that you try and eat where the locals do. Look at where everyone else goes and avoid the tourist destinations or big-name restaurants. If you’re unsure where to go, don’t be afraid to visit some kind of chain restaurant. There are loads of these around London and they usually offer pretty good food at reasonable prices.
Try cycling if you want a cheaper way to travel
Cycling is one of the best ways to get around the city, but it can understandably be daunting to get on a bike in such a busy and congested city. There are loads of bike hire stalls around the city and it’s cheap and easy to hire them.
Sightsee with public transport, not guided tours
Many people enjoy the idea of getting on those big tour buses to go around London for sightseeing. While it’s perfectly fine to do this once or twice for the experience, regular double-decker buses are fantastic for some budget sightseeing. This is especially true if you take bus routes that go across London Bridge and other iconic destinations.
Book well in advance
If you’re going to visit London and want to visit an attraction then you absolutely need to book in advance. Buying a ticket for something like Madame Tussauds at the door is going to cost a lot of money, but you can make huge savings if you plan ahead and buy them weeks or even months in advance.
Unless you’re going to see a show
But the exception to this is if you want to see a show but have no particular preference. Last-minute tickets are usually really cheap because theatres just want to fill up their seats. There are websites dedicated to these tickets, but you can also just go up to a theatre and see what’s available.
*This is a collaborative post