London is not a cheap city to visit, but there definitely are ways to make it more budget friendly. I used to live in London and have been back to visit many times. Here is how I am saving money while still having an amazing holiday.
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- How to see London on a budget
- Set a daily Budget
- Affordable accommodation options in London
- Transport from the Airports
- Explore London by local bus or by foot
- Exploring the Sights while saving money
- How to find affordable Musical Tickets in London
- Save money on Food
- Walk around in the Markets
- Visit the Museums and Parks
- Go on a Hunt for famous Pop-Culture Statues
How to see London on a budget
To see London on a budget is very possible, it is simply a matter of knowing how. I am here to help you with that, from cheap accommodation to affordable musicals and everything in between. I will not lie and say you can still see and experience it all, some sacrifices will always have to be made. But let me help minimize the sacrifices to as little as possible.
By no means will the trip be any less exciting!
Set a daily Budget
Before I set a budget, I make sure that the accommodation is already paid or I look at what I have after it is paid. If this is before the booking it is important to know how much you can afford per night. The reason why I seperate my accommodation stay is because I like to see how much I have left for fun.
Calculate it how is best for you, but I like to split it into necessities and fun. Food should also go into necessities, but I focus on accommodation, transport to and from the airport here. Food goes as fun since I sometimes go to expensive restaurants while I do not need it, so it is more for fun.
Find one or two things you have to do in London before you leave home! If that is riding London Eye, enter The Tower of London or a fancy themed afternoon tea place. Set money aside for your must do`s. You can also pre-book them at home before you leave.
Look at activities at Get Your Guide here
How much do you realistically need for a day in London?
For London a realistic daily budget is about £50. It depends on what you are planning to do and how far you have to travel, if you follow my other tips it should be possible to do it as low as £35 – £50 as well, but £50 is so you have just a little wiggle room.
I know myself and I always go over, so I add £5-£10 extra per day. I try not to use it, but it is good to know I have it if I suddenly need it.
I know that £70 – £100 is adviced for solo travelers, but if you are in a budget saving mind space, it is definitly possible to spend less.
Affordable accommodation options in London
I know many people who say they will stay outside of the city to save money. Making it so transportation might take 1 hour into where everything is. I do not like this approach as it takes precious time from my holiday, time that I could spend exploring and having fun and not on the train. It also often cost a lot of money traveling back and forth like this. Making it so in the end that you are not saving that much money. Then it is better to stay at accommodations that is a bit further from the stations inside of London.
If I am really money pinching, I will stay at low rated hotels or hostels. As long as my property is safe while I am out exploring, that is often enough for me. This might be the one place where I am willing to sacrifice to save money so I can use more on fun.
When I am planning to save money on hotels I also look at where they are located. Can I walk or is it possible to ride The Tube or bus to get easily to one or two major places where I am going? Around Hyde Park is cheap to stay and many of the places has good connection through buses and The Tube.
Hotels
Royal Park Hotel – Check availability here
Marina Hotel Londn – Check availability here
Hyde Park Radnor Hotel B&B – Check availability here
Hostels are often possible to find cheaper even closer to the center than hotels. If you decide to stay at one my suggestions you might save even more on transportation.
Hostels
Wombat`s City Hostel London – Check availability here
YHA London Central – Check availability here
Astor Oxford Street – Check availability here
If you remove windows and maybe are okay with a very small room here are my last suggestions. They are all located near Piccadilly Circus which is a great place to start your day in London as it is easy to get to a lot of the sights from here.
Hotel and Hostels as central as possible
The Z Hotel Leicester Square – Check availability here
Hub London, Convent Garden – Check availability here
Zedwell Capsule Hotel Piccadilly Circus – Check availability here
Transport from the Airports
4 out of the 6 airports in London has their own Express train and it is by all means the fastest and easiest way to travel to London from the airport you are landing on. But it is also the most expensive way to travel from the airports.
In this case, when you are on a budget the slower ways are the cheapest. Some of the airports are connected to The Tube line, it will have a lot more stops, but it is the cheaper option. Buses are also cheaper than the express trains. You can read more about each airport here.
Explore London by local bus or by foot
When using public transportation in London, buses are cheaper than The Tube. Therefore you should take the bus if possible.
By foot is the free way and at many places it is actually easier to walk than to wait for public transportation. While walking you have the possibility to discover a cute hidden shop or a interestingly named pub. If you are planning to see Big Ben, you can plan in the other sights in the area, such as London Eye, Buckingham Palace, The King`s Life Guards, Westminister Abbey, Downing Street 10 and end at Trafalgar Square. It is also not far to Covent Garden or Leicester Square if you made it to Trafalgar Square. If you look at what is around where you are visiting, it is possible to save money each day.
Walking is my personal favorite as I love to try walking new roads and seeing new things.
Go by the bus, I have already said, but go on the public bus over the hop-on-hop-off bus. The public red buses are iconic and a lot cheaper, they will take you to the sights as well. Plus you get a lot more options compared to the-hop-on-hop-off bus tours. This will cut your waiting time, not only are you saving money, but also time. Yes, there is a bit more to look up of options and navigation, but in the long run it is what is best when you are on a budget.
Exploring the Sights while saving money
London has a lot of sights to see, but many of them you will be satisfied watching from the outside and save money on the entrance ticket. There are a lot of sights that are free to see and do in London, but you still might need a booking. I have noted down my suggestion for free activities below. If you are happy to see the sights and not enter you can look at my 10 Must-See sights in London here.
Changing of the guards does happen at two locations, both Buckingham Palace and The King`s Life Guard. It is free, but they happen at the same time and I urge you to come early so you get a good view. Take a look here to see what day and time it takes place.
Sky Garden has free entrance for all it`s visitors, but you have to book your tickets in advance. This is a great option instead of paying to go up in The Shard, they both offer great views that you can enjoy. It is just that one of them is free.
St Dunstan in the East is the ruins of a Gothic-styled church. It has fewer visitors which allows you to forget when you are standing in the middle of it that you are in Central London.
Horizon 22 is also a free viewing platform over the city. They do host events you have to pay for, but in the day it is possible to enter free of charge. You still need to reserve tickets in advance for your visit.
Platform 9 ¾ at King`s Cross Station is a must for any Harry Potter fan and the best part is that it is free. There is often a long line there and when it is your turn you will be given a scarf before you get ready to pose. The people working there might also offer you to buy a picture from them, but just take it with your phone and then it is free.
How to find affordable Musical Tickets in London
Let`s be honest, a musicalis a must to see while in London. There are so many to choose from, so maybe this is one of your must do experiences and you have already put money aside for it. If not, here is how you find cheap tickets.
TodayTix App is one way to get cheap tickets and getting a discounted price. Download the app, maybe even before you arrive in London. The app offers digital rush tickets and lotteries daily for various shows in London. If you are lucky you can get tickets for as little as £25, even the most popular shows sometimes has tickets on sale through them.
TKTS booth in Leicester Square has a high discount on the shows on the day off. So you can walk to them and see if they have tickets for you on the same day.
If there is a show you want to watch, I do recommend to book it in advance as it might not show up in the app or at the booth. It is a little bit of a gamble, but if you are just happy to see any show, these are great ways to save money. Also, not all shows run every day, so this is definitly worth double checking before planning what day you will see a show. Sometimes Get Your Guide has deals on musicals as well.
Get your ticket from Get Your Guide here
Save money on Food
I just said earlier I splurge on it, but that is one or two meals. The rest of the time I try to save on it. One way is to make sure the hotel you are staying at has breakfast included. I am not a breakfast person and often go until after noon before I eat.
I never expect people to be like me when it comes to breakfast, so here are tips on how to save while in London.
Breakfast included at the accomodation is always good, but sometimes you will be charged for it. I have seen hotels charge over £20, but this is for the whole stay and as long as it is not only for one or two nights, you might save money by adding it.
Tesco, Boots and Sainsbury`s Meal Deals is also a great way to save money. You get one sandwich, one drink and one bag of chips for £3 – £4 (2026 prices), depending on where you buy it from.
Ask for Tap Water at the restaurants instead of bottled water as it is free. Restaurants in London is required to have safe tap water for you to drink and they are held to a high standard within this area.
Eat at markets, such as Camden or Borough Market. They are generous with their portions and you will often be offered samples when passing by. It is almost possible to get full on the samples you receive.
All you can eat places are becoming more popular and is to find around London. The cheapest ones will be further from the city centre, but Chinatown among other places has restaurants with this offer.
Be aware of the Service Charge!
I want to underline when you eat out in London there will be a service charge of 12,5% added to you bill. This is stated on the menus as well and it is calculated by the total amount that you spent. So when eating out your bill will go up by 12,5%, sometimes it is less and sometimes it is more, but this is rare. The standard number is 12,5% of your final bill. This is where you can suddenly spend a lot of money without planning to.
Walk around in the Markets
This is already a great way to take advantage when you want to save money on food, but the markets has a lot more. It is worth spending some time at one or two of them just walking around and exploring. Depending on which one you visit it will give you a different vibe to the next one.
Visit the Museums and Parks
A lot of the museums in London have free entrance, which gives you a great opportunity to save money. I visited a lot while I lived in London, but there is also another upside to free museums and that is you can use them for bathroom breaks. For emergencies only, of course.
Most museums also has events that you can pay to experience, such as National History Museum and their sleepover. I will admit that this is something I really badly want to do, but has yet been able to experience.
Here is a list of some museums worth your visit:
The British Museum is one of the iconic museums and has a lot of artifacts for you to explore while you are visiting.
Natural History Museum is my favorite as it is very memorable, specially as a child. Though I dream of the sleepover here, I would not mind going back in the day as well.
Tate Modern is definitly for the arts lovers and they have a range of different art you can look at.
The National Gallery is the one I have been to the most as it is in the middle of Trafalgar Square, but it also host works by some of my favorite painters.
If the sun is up and it is not too cold outside a park visit is another way to save money while visiting. This is usually free in other countries as well, but here are the parks you should visit in London.
Hyde park is for feeding the squirrels, taking your time while walking slowly around and maybe watching people taking horse riding lessons.
Regent`s Park is for walking between Baker Street and Camden Town, while enjoying the quiet.
The Green Park and St James`s Park is for a break after you have already visited or on your way to Buckingham Palace.
London has a lot more parks, but these are in the central area and is the ones I personally visit more than the others.
As a bonus if you want a unique experience
London has a lot of famous auction houses that you can visit for free. As long as you are not planning to bid on the art being sold the entrance is free. A few days before a large auction, the auction house will have the art on display and it is open for visitors.
There are exceptions, such as marquee sales or special gala events, but other than those you get to save money and have a unique experience.
Go on a Hunt for famous Pop-Culture Statues
London has a lot of statues and you will be able to see them all over the city. However did you know that they have some famous pop-cultures made into sculptures?
Here are some of the statues you can find spread throughout London:
Paddington Bear is waiting for you at a bench eating his marmalade sandwich.
Mary Poppins and her iconic umbrella landing.
Peter Pan is a figure many people know, but you will not find him flying past Big Ben.
Sherlock Holmes is ready to solve a new case where he is standing.
There are also statues of pop-culture icons that are not from United Kingdom, such as Batman and Wonder Woman. You will also be able to find Amy Winehouse and Bob the Street Cat statues in London. This can become an amazing hunt and some of the figures even have multiple versions.
These were my tips on how to save money in London and I hope it helped.
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