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  1. Vivian

    A Londoner here.

    – Oyster card is relatively cheap compared to buying single tickets. Zone 1-2 daily cap is £6.50.

    – But even cheaper than the Tube is the bike hire scheme (now known as Santander Cycles, previously Barclays). £2 for 24-hour access, journeys up to 30 minutes are free. If your journey is longer than 30 minutes, you can dock the bike before the time hits 30m, wait about 5-10 minutes, and then hire another bike to start the 30-minute timer again. Please make sure you are comfortable cycling on busy roads, or research about bike lanes, before hiring a bike. I cycle in central London everyday and there’s nothing more frustrating than seeing inexperienced cyclists ignoring traffic lights, zebra crossings, or cycling on pavements.

    – Heathrow Express is only worth the money when you book over 90 days in advance, where the fare can be as low as £5.50 one-way (weekend). If you don’t want to pay £22 one-way for a 15-minute journey, take the Heathrow Connect, which stops a few times before reaching Paddington. The journey takes 30 minutes and costs £10.20.

    – If you’re arriving in Gatwick, stay away from the Gatwick Express! Take the Thameslink instead to Blackfriars, Farringdon, or St Pancras and change to the Tube.

    – Similar to the Heathrow Express, book in advance for the cheapest fares on the Stansted Express. Or pre-book a coach ticket to Liverpool Street or Mile End stations.

    – The best airport in London is City Airport. There are not many routes (mainly European plus a business-class only flight from JFK), but you can breeze through the airport in less than 2 minutes (personal experience returning from Dublin) and hop onto the Docklands Light Railway to Bank or Tower Gateway stations (standard Tube fares apply).

    – If you have heavy suitcases, go to the Transport for London website and look for stations where there is step-free access between the platform and street-level. You can also search for routes that do not involve stairs, e.g. changing between District and Piccadilly lines at South Kensington would involve several staircases and a long walk, whereas at Hammersmith it’s just across the platform.

    – STAY AWAY FROM BOROUGH MARKET! Seriously. It’s just packed with people and the food there is really overpriced. If you want to buy food for a picnic, go to a supermarket. The smaller branches (Sainsbury’s Local, Tesco Express, Little Waitrose) already stock a wide selection of fruits, sandwiches, salads, but there are some larger supermarkets (Waitrose in Clerkenwell and Barbican, Tesco Metro in various areas of the city, Sainsbury’s on Camden Road).

    – For street food, try Maltby Street, Druid Street, and Broadway Market during the weekends. During the week go to Leather Lane (£2.50 falafel wrap and £4 woodfire pizza!) and Whitecross Street for lunch (£3 for a Turkish Gözleme wrap). Occasionally (mainly summertime) there’ll be pop-ups in Shoreditch and Hackney in the evenings as well.

    – As British as pubs go, London is much cheaper if you don’t drink alcohol. If you really want to have a drink with your meal, go to Tayyabs or Lahore Kebab House in east London where it’s BYOB. There are a few more restaurants with BYOB policy around the city.

    – Since I live here I’ve never bought the London Pass so I can’t really comment on it, but there are just so many place you can go for free – there are countless museums and galleries that do not charge admission. I still haven’t been to all the free places yet so not even thinking about going to places where you have to pay.

    – For worship places such as St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey, I don’t really understand the point of charging admission. Visit during one of their regular services for free instead.

    – Shows at the West End are amazing, but very pricey. Instead, I’d recommend classical concerts (there are always cheap seats for £10 or less) or more intimate gigs in smaller venues (The Jamboree in Limehouse, the jazz clubs in Dalston etc.). Or queue for a standing ticket at the Shakespeare’s Globe, or a world-class classical (and other genres) concert during the BBC Proms in the summer – for just £5!

    – Also, contrary to popular belief, the Royal Opera House is not extortionate and it’s not just for rich people in gowns and tuxedos. You can turn up in jeans and trainers, and the upper slips only cost around £10-£15 depending on the production. And no, you don’t have to stand for 3 hours. (Standing tickets are available for even cheaper if you wish to stand…) Book well in advance though as these go really quickly.

    • Wow, thank you so much for your tips and sharing a lot more budget tips from a local’s perspective. These are all so helpful! 🙂

    • AnnieF

      Thanks, Vivian! Here’s hoping to see London mid of 2018!!!

    • Indah

      Vivian,, thank u so much really helpful me

  2. London is my all time favourite city, and after three years of living there during my studies I know that there is an endless selection of budget secrets around the city! I love these 🙂

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