Tips to visit London on a budget

London is one of Europe’s most expensive cities so it is not an easy task visiting it on the cheap. Here are a few insider tips to help you visit the city of shiny red double decker buses on a budget.

Naturally eating out at London’s restaurants can kill any chance of visiting the city on a budget. However with so much variety and choice try to explore the city’s excellent restaurant scene and mix it up with some casual choices. At
the fish shop or ‘chippie’ you can try the very traditional English dish fish and chips. Also you can get a doner kebab from a kebab shop at a tasty price. Dotted all across London these dishes will fill you up for less than £8. Then there is London’s Chinatown,  a small area just west of Covent Garden famous for its Asian restaurants where most main meals cost less than £10.

While close by don’t miss out on a trip to Covent Garden. This historic piazza in the centre of London, offers some of the best free entertainment in town. It is licensed for street entertainment, so it attracts wide variety of performers.
The shops and restaurants around the square are definitely not cheap and can quickly kill any chance of seeing London on a budget. Watch the show here and eat out at nearby Chinatown.

A visit to London wouldn’t be complete without a ride on the tube which is London’s Underground subway system. This public transport is cheaper than getting the famous London ‘black cab’ taxi. By getting an Oyster card, a plastic electronic  swipe card you will be able to travel around London on a budget. The traditional paper tickets cost more than uploading money onto the Oyster card. Top it up at any tube station and swipe it to ride on all buses, including the fun red double decker ones, the  tube and even some trains. It requires a refundable £5 deposit, so don’t forget to return it before you leave London.

London is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, drawing millions of visitors each year. Visitors from all over the world will be visiting the capital for the London 2012 Olympics. It’s a fascinating and vibrant place to visit, but it can also be expensive. So if you are visiting London on a budget it’s important that you pick a hotel that suits your pocket. For those who plan to visit London we have some recommendations to help if you’re on a budget.

Fortunately, London has a wealth of reasonably priced hotels that offer fantastic quality accommodation in prime locations. Here are a few of the best budget hotels, as rated by visitors to HolidayCheck.com.

One of the most popular budget hotels is the stylish K+K Hotel George in Kensington. The imposing Victorian building, offers its guests a pleasant ambience characteristic for English architecture and way of life and overlooks the lush greenery of its own private  garden.  As all K+K Hotels, it offers modern amenities and tastefully furnished guestrooms. Located in a quiet residential street in the Royal Borough of Kensington, it is the ideal venue for both business travellers and tourists. This charming and stylish residence is ideally suited for shopping, sightseeing and business and is within easy reach of such attractions as Kensington Palace, the Victoria & Albert and Science Museums as well as Harrods in Knightsbridge.  It’s also a short taxi or tube ride to the West End and Theatreland, as well as the City and Canary Wharf for business.

An equally stylish option is the extremely popular St Ermin’s Hotel near St James’ Park. This grand and historic hotel has recently undergone a £30 million refurbishment and has an extremely warm and relaxed atmosphere. Guests of the St Ermin’s enter from a  tree-line courtyard and are welcomed in a world of sophistication and state-of-the-art interior design. The hotel is next to St. James’ Park and Tube Station, in London’s Buckingham Palace area. It is an ideal base to explore central London with Buckingham  Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the West End, all on your doorstep.

Of course some people’s budgets are tighter than others. If you are a young traveller or student, a great option is the Lancaster Hall hotel, a short walk from Lancaster Gate tube station and Hyde Park. The hotel is affiliated to the YMCA movement and offers  good quality accommodation at extremely reasonable rates, with discounts available for charities.

If your visit to London involves work as well as pleasure, the London City Premier Inn places you at the very heart of London’s financial district. This smart and comfortable hotel is ideally located on Tower Hill, a brief stroll from Tower Hill tube and Tower  Gateway DLR offering easy access to the City and Canary Wharf. It’s also perfectly located for the Tower of London and the South Bank, a short stroll away across the Thames.

For more information on budget Hotels in London visit HolidayCheck.com.

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