Smart ways to see London on a budget

There is no getting around the fact that London is one of the world’s most expensive cities to visit. However, there are a host of ways to see the city on a budget. 

First, many of London’s top sights are free to visit, such as its glorious parks, Thames and canal-side strolls, and awe-inspiring museums and art galleries. Second, there are many ways locals save cash to carve out a budget for the more expensive experiences.

Unfortunately public transport can easily become one of the big expenses on a visit to London, but again there are ways to reduce your costs with some know-how. 

From getting around to dining out for way less, here are my local tips on visiting London on a budget. 

Daily costs

• Dorm bed in a hostel: £15–40

• Basic hotel room for two: £100–200

• Self-catering apartment: from £100

• Daily transport travel cap: £10.50–23.30

• Cup of coffee: £1–4.50

• Lunchtime sandwich: £3–10

• Three-course restaurant dinner for two: from £60

• A pint of beer at the bar: £6–8

• Theater ticket for a West End show: from £25

• Average daily cost: £60–300

1. There are cheaper ways to travel into London from the airport

Depending on how you arrive, you can almost always save money by taking the slower route. From Heathrow (in zone 6) the Piccadilly line will take longer but it’s £5.60 for a single journey, whereas the Elizabeth Line is £13.30. But if you’re doing more travel on the same day, the Elizabeth Line is your best bet as the daily Transport for London (TfL) cap for zones 1–6 is £16.30. Similarly, from Gatwick, it’s cheaper to take the Southern or Thameslink trains than the Gatwick Express.

If you have a fee-free bank card, you can use it to pay your fares via contactless. If every tap is going to cost you transaction fees, buy a TFL Oyster card on arrival for £10, which you can get refunded when you return the Oyster card at the end of your stay. 

2. Consider transport costs when choosing accommodation

Accommodation prices vary hugely depending on location and luxury. Assuming you’re on a tight budget, avoid central London hotels (with the exception of dorm beds and no-frills hotel brands like Premier Inn).

But don’t assume that being far from the center of town is the ticket to a cheap trip. If you stick to zones 1–3 on public transport you’ll be adding £10.50 per person to your daily budget. Go further out and the zones 1–9 daily transport cap is £23.30. If you're traveling as a family this can quickly undo any savings you made.

However, if you stick to traveling by only bus, the daily TFL cap is only £5.25 per adult. Choose a place to stay that’s a bus ride away from London’s key sights and the savings per day will add up. Plus, on a bus you’ll see a lot more of the city than you would underground.

3. Walk as much as possible in London

London is a very walkable city, no matter where you are. And sometimes it can be the quickest way from A to B as buses get caught in traffic and getting in and out of the Tube adds time and stress to your travels. However, the best thing about walking in London is all the little street-level surprises you’ll pass on the way: a historic row of mews houses; a blue plaque announcing some local history; a poster for a club night with cheap entry before 10pm; and clever political street art – there are multiple layers to the city to discover by foot. 

Another great option is to rent a Santander Cycle from one of the docking stations dotted around the center. This budget transport option costs less than £3.50 per day, allowing unlimited trips if you ride and dock within 60 minutes on each trip.

4. Buy low-cost food with these tips

There are plenty of ways to save money on keeping yourself fed in London, even if you have to eat every meal out. While I am not a fan of chain restaurants and fast food, I’m going to cover some as you’ll find these places everywhere in London. It goes without saying that every small independent cafe, restaurant and street-food stand you buy from is best for the local economy, but by following these tips you’ll save money in the day to splurge on a great meal at the best places at night. 

First, supermarket “meal deals” are a massive cost saver, especially now many of them include a coffee. Usually you can buy a sandwich or pre-made salad, a drink and a snack for less than £5. To max it out, I often get a cappuccino and croissant for breakfast, and keep the included sandwich or salad for lunch. Pret-a-Manger, the office workers' sandwich chain of choice, also does a £1 filter coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up. 

For a more authentic London experience, head to a "greasy spoon" cafe for a late breakfast that can see you through the day. These traditionally working-class "cafs" offer breakfast and lunch (high in protein and fat and for less than £10) in an unpretentious setting (plastic seats, hand-written menus, and very basic washrooms).

Plenty of more upmarket restaurants offer 2- or 3-course menu deals that give you a substantial saving on a proper sit-down experience, such as the steak restaurant Hawksmoor with outposts around the city, as well as at plenty of independent places. Multicourse deals are usually signposted outside a restaurant or pub to lure you in (look out for pre-theater offers in the West End).

Another option is to keep your eyes peeled for restaurants and pubs offering specials like "Taco Tuesdays" and "Steak Clubs" or similar. You can also get discounts added to your restaurant reservations via the online table booking website TheFork.

Take note: additional service charges are almost always added to your bill in London, so the menu deal is not the final price you’ll pay. 

5. See a London theater show on a budget

My best tip is to book directly with theaters and book early. If you know the dates for your trip, do some research on what shows are on that you definitely want to see and then book as far ahead as possible for the cheapest tickets. 

You can score a ticket to a top-class West End show for a tenth of the price of a front row ticket (I’m talking £25 rather than £250), if you’re prepared to take a restricted-view seat or don’t mind standing – but these do get snapped up quickly. Nine times out of 10 you won’t regret it. Occasionally you'll realise you might have been better off people watching from a rooftop bar instead.

Dress up and soak up the atmosphere of the ballet or opera at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden for as little as £19; join the rabble at The Globe for a night of Shakespeare for £5 or go home bellowing show tunes after you’ve seen your favorite musical for a song.

Finally, last-minute tickets can be bought via a reseller like Today Tix, where there are big discounts to fill empty seats.

6. Save money on places to stay by season

Peak prices for accommodations cluster around holidays (Easter, Christmas) and summer. 

You’ll find more bargains in the offseason and the depths of winter (January and February), where specials like "stay 2 nights and get 1 night free", can deliver significant savings. Weekends are usually more expensive, so plan to begin your stay on a Sunday if you can. 

On private rental sites there is more availability when there are fewer tourists, and sometimes discounted prices are advertised at the last minute in response to low demand. It can help to filter for “newest listings” as many people rent their places out for less than market value to get good ratings before hiking up their prices later once they’re established.