5 Tips for a Cheap London Vacation Escape

A London vacation is a dream for many, and although considered as an expensive vacation that can eat your budget faster than you can finish a meal, the reality is quite the contrary, that is, if you’re equipped with the right information. If you do some homework and planning ahead of your vacation, you can really manage to fit in a nice time-out into your budget along with the perks of having a fine vacation in London. Here are 5 tips for a cheap vacation in London:

Find the Best Accommodations

Booking a hotel is certainly not your only option; London offers plenty of other budget-friendly accommodation options. There is an abundance of hostels, dorms, and cheap hotels that offer competitive prices. Consider the fact that, if you’re there to explore London, you should hardly be staying in much, which means you should prioritize practicality over luxury when choosing accommodations to make the best of your great London vacation escape.

Also, make sure that you choose the neighborhood carefully when deciding on accommodations because some like Bayswater or Hammersmith offer good value for money along with cheaper food and shopping that allows you to cut corners on your budget and instead focus on sightseeing.

Use an Oyster Card for Transportation

The oyster card is a great way to save on your transportation costs. It will cost up to £6.6 on average each day compared to the £15 tube ride. You will have to pay a refundable £3 fees for the card, and after charging it with a reasonable amount, you’d be good to roam around in the underground and choosing your destination.

A perfect alternative to the Oyster Card for transportation is to hire a bike, which you can easily get and will be fun on its own to explore the city.

Explore the Free Attractions

You can limit your travel expenses by sticking to the free attractions for the most part – attractions are where most people splurge without thinking much beforehand, regretting it later. When planning for the attractions, you want to cover and mix them with the free pass attractions; this way, you can save a great deal and boast about your London vacation. For example, all the main museums in London are free for all, like the Tate galleries, National Gallery and The British Museum.

Explore Stunning Views For Less

Doing your homework prior to setting off on the vacation really does help. While some attractions are downright expensive, like The London Eye which costs £17.95 for a 45 minute flight, you can instead ascend the monument for £3 and enjoy a great view of the City. For the best view of the Trafalgar Square and Westminster, you can drop by the Portrait café at the National Portrait Gallery.

Enjoy Musicals and Theatres at Half the Price

According to Lonely Planet’s cheap travel tips for London, you can find tickets for half the price at the tickets booth on Leicester Square for performances on the same day of celebrated plays and musicals. If you want to watch a particular play, you may also get great value on an advance booking ticket.