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The Ultimate London Travel Guide for Budget Travellers
All you need to know to travel to London on a budget!
Have you ever missed out on visiting a place on your bucket-list because of the cost? London, England was one of the places that I was DETERMINED to visit regardless of cost, but I knew that I had to be smart about how I did it since I’m not exactly made of money. I’ve put together this guide with everything you need to know so that you can travel around London on a budget, as it is one of the more pricey, popular cities to visit!
Let’s go!
What to know before you go
Getting there
There are technically two major airports to get to London: Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport. The best airport to fly into London, however, is Heathrow (LHR). It’s closer to the city, is a fully international airport and even has a direct underground route to London’s city centre! If you’re flying international into London, I’d recommend Skyscanner for cheap flight deals!
If you’re arriving by train, you’re in luck! There are a ton of train stations around the city that connect to nearby England towns, however you’ll be arriving to St Pancras Station if you’re travelling to London internationally. It’s centrally located in London, and is directly connected to the city’s underground. I cannot stress enough how transit-friendly this city is!
What to pack
Clothes
London weather can be somewhat unpredictable, but I’ve got you! Remember to pack these few clothing items and you should be all set.
- Waterproof coat/poncho: Though London isn’t AS rainy as it’s reputation would have you believe, it can still be pretty damp and rain unexpectedly throughout the day, so you’ll want something to keep you dry!
- Excellent walking shoes: while having comfortable walking shoes goes without saying, I cannot stress ENOUGH how walkable London is, and how much you’ll need a reliable pair (trust me, my feet are still traumatized from my poor shoe choice)
- Hat/scarf/gloves: If you’re visiting in the winter or spring months, make sure you’re prepared with some cold weather accessories.
- Comfortable pants (not leggings): I absolutely encourage you to bring your leggings or jogging pants to wear on travel days, but most Londoners dress a bit more sharply. I brought my Old Navy linen pants and was both comfortable and fit right in! If you’re planning on dressing down with some leggings, these Aerie leggings are my all time favourite leggings for travel.
Essentials
If you’re travelling with only a Carry-on, make sure you check out My Carry-on Essentials Guide so you don’t forget to pack anything important! Here are some things you won’t want to forget to pack. I may or may not have forgotten myself and I don’t want to talk about it lol.
- A Portable Charger: I’ve been using this Anker portable charger for the last few years and I SWEAR by it. It hold charge super well and is the size of a lipstick! They have since come out with newer models, but you can find them all on Amazon.
- A Travel Wallet: Believe me when I tell you that this wallet has simplified my travel days SO much, I can’t believe I’ve travelled anywhere without it! It holds your passport, boarding passes, cash and luggage tags for super easy access at the airport. Edit: this one has since sold out, but they have this model available in stores, and this Fjallraven wallet available online
- Packing Cubes: While packing cubes are obviously super handy for organizing your clothes when you travel, I often use one as a laundry bag as well, so I can keep my dirty clothes separate. Don’t underestimate how nice it is to have your clean clothes separate! Mine are from Calpak, but you can get some from Bagsmart or on Amazon as well.
- Travel Towel: If you’re staying at a hostel, you’ll want to bring your own travel towel. This one is quick drying, lightweight and wraps up nicely in a cover so it’s super easy to pack!
- A Fanny Pack: Here me out on this one! Fanny packs are back in style AND are super practical for travel. For one, it ensures you don’t bring a heavy purse, which can be annoying while exploring, but is also great for keeping your cards and cash safe and close to your body. Mine is sold out from Ardene, but here is an alternative on Amazon!
- A Travel Adapter: If you’re visiting from outside of the UK, you will likely need an energy converter/adapter to be able to use the electrical outlets. You can buy one specific for the UK, but I’d recommend grabbing a Universal adapter so you can use it worldwide!
Where to stay when you travel to London on a budget
Location:
Being a popular tourist destination, London is chock-full of accommodation options. The more affordable areas for accommodation around London are: above Hyde Park, Notting Hill, Churchill Gardens (closer to the Thames) & Shepherd’s Bush. We stayed above Hyde Park at the Lancaster Gate Hotel and found it to be an excellent location and super affordable! We opted to pay for the breakfast buffet every morning and would highly recommend it!
Type of Accommodation:
Hostels: Hostels are great for budget travellers, and you can find a dorm bed in London starting at about $16 and a private room starting at around $150. Hostel dorms typically have anywhere between 4-16 beds (some have more), and the bathrooms and common areas are typically shared, so keep this in mind when choosing your accommodation!
Hotels: If you’re more of a midrange to luxury traveller (or just want more privacy and private bathroom), hotels are a great choice. You can grab a hotel room in London at one of the cute boutique hotels for as little as $70 and going up to the thousands (for lux hotels, of course).
Airbnb: If you’re staying in London for an extended period of time or are just looking for more space to yourself on your trip, renting an Airbnb is a great option. They’ll typically run you about $150-500 a night depending on the property, and many hosts offer discounts if you’re staying for a long period of time (typically a month).
Where to eat when you travel to London on a budget
Smashing Plates – 59 St. Thomas Street – $$
Some of the best Greek-fusion food I’ve ever had! We got the gyros (that have fries in them), spiced fries and drinks and for two people it cost us about 30 pounds! It’s located near The Shard so its understandably more expensive, but really was worth it.
Pret (a manger) – Multiple locations – $
Honestly, thank goodness for Pret. Pret offers ready to eat (literally what the name means) meals from sandwiches, to wraps, soups, snacks etc and it’s the perfect stop for lunch when you’re out and about exploring London. They have a ton of locations, but head to the one under the Westminster bridge on the London Eye side and have your lunch in front of the River Thames!
Taste of India – 51 Queensway – $
I was told that London has some VERY good Indian food, and it did not disappoint! We really enjoyed our meal here, and Matt even went as far as to claim the chicken tikka masala was the best he’d ever had! It was super affordable as well, and located steps away from the Bayswater tube station.
Taormina – 19 Craven Terrace – $$
If you’re looking for hearty and authentic Italian food, head to Taormina in the Paddington area. It was a 5 minute walk from our hotel, and had DELICIOUS pasta dishes. TIP: it’s a small place so show up early or you may have to wait!
The Castle – 225 Portobello Road – $$
The Castle is a gastropub in the Notting Hill area, and was such a lovely spot for dinner after a long day of exploring all corners of the city. They had vegetarian options which were delicious, and the fried chicken was apparently amazing (Matt’s review, not mine).
What to do when you travel to London on a budget
1. Walk across the Tower Bridge – FREE activity*
Tip: Start on the Tower of London side of the bridge for the best photos, and you can book a tour to walk across the glass platform!
2. Spend the day on the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
We booked with Big Bus (open-top bus) and absolutely loved it! Tip: Book with the London GoCity pass to save some money!
3. Visit the Museum of Natural History – FREE activity
Tip: Book your tickets online for many of London’s completely free museums, as most require you book prior to arriving.
4. Get views of the River Thames in the London Eye + River Cruise
One of the most popular tours in London and totally worth it if it’s your first time in the city! Tip: Book your tickets with the London Eye company, and choose the tour with the River Cruise included. The River Cruise was amazing and so informative (almost better than the Eye itself, in our opinion)!
5. Walk the Queen’s Walk along the River Thames – FREE activity
The best bit of the Queen’s Walk and waterfront path stretches from the London Eye to the Tower Bridge, and is such a lovely walk! Stop at the small shops and restaurants along the way. Bonus points if you stop to take pictures of the River’s many bridges!
6. Do a self-guided tour of the Tower of London
While you’re at the Tower Bridge, use your London GoCity pass (or individual ticket) to access the Tower of London. It’s a huge historical base and includes many buildings chock full of historical artifacts and even the Crown Jewels! Tip: Get here EARLY. This place can get super busy, and you won’t want to be too rushed, so make sure you turn up early in the morning.
7. Have a picnic and walk through Hyde Park – FREE activity
Hyde Park is enormous. Make sure you walk through to Round Pond where you can see swans and many ducks. Don’t forget to visit Kensington Gardens located within the park as well! It’s such a beautiful place.
8. Do some shopping and theatre sightseeing in Piccadilly Circus – FREE activity
This is a VERY busy area, so be prepared for crowds! There are a ton of shops here if you’re looking to get your shop on, though if you’re looking for dinner options, just know that it will be more expensive than other areas of the city.
9. Visit the Notting Hill colourful houses – FREE activity
If you’re exploring the Notting Hill area (I recommend you do!) make sure to check out the Colourful Houses on Lancaster Road. Enter “Colorful Notting Hill Houses” in Google and it’ll lead you right to the block of houses made famous for their bright colours.
10. Get great views of the city at the Sky Garden – FREE activity
Tickets to the Sky Garden are completely free, but you need to book your time slot in advance! The tickets become available 3 weeks prior to the date and they go fast, so make sure you book in advance.
11. Visit Buckingham Palace – FREE activity
Though you cannot go into the Palace for free, you can visit the front of the building and the beautiful surroundings just outside of the south-east corner of Hyde Park. Tip: If you want to get nice photos in front of the Palace, head to the Queen Victoria Memorial, climb up to the top platform of the fountain and snap away! It’s less crowded here and you won’t have to worry about people’s heads being in your way.
12. Do the “Warner Brothers: The Making of Harry Potter” tour
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, this is the tour of all tours in London! We booked with Golden Tours, and it included private transport to and from the Studio and our entry tickets. Tip: set aside an entire day for this. It takes about 1.5h each way to the Studio, and the tour itself can easily take you 4 hours. It’s not the MOST budget-friendly activity in London, so make sure to budget for this as a “splurge” item!
BONUS: Check out these GetYourGuide tours of London! They’re my favourite way to book tours when I travel.
Must-have apps to travel London on a budget
TripIt
TripIt is an app I’ve recently discovered and cannot imagine how I managed my trip details without it! It’s an app designed to hold all of your itinerary, flight/hotel reservations, and all other plans for your trip in one place. You can simply email your travel confirmations to the TripIt email provided for you, and they automatically sync your trip details! I used it to track all of our London activities, tours, restaurant ideas and our documents. It was SO useful!
TFL Go
This is THE app for the London tube system. It maps out your routes, tracks the status of the tube, and makes your time exploring London way easier!
GoCity
If you plan on booking any tours while you’re in London, you’ll want to check out GoCity! GoCity is a tour provider that operates on a credit system. You purchase a London pass with your desired amount of credits to use on whichever supported London attractions you want! The app has a QR code as well, so you can access the attractions from your phone at all times. It’s super simple and will save you some money on the more popular attractions as well, which we love!
Nannybag
Have you ever arrived hours before check-in and had to lug your bags around? Enter: Nannybag. It’s a storage provider that has super affordable storage facilities across the world, and was an absolute lifesaver in London. We literally stored out bags until check-in for £6!! How much better can it get?!
Google Maps
Did you know that you can download an entire city map and access it offline?? Google Maps’ Offline maps option is an absolute must when exploring a city. You’ll definitely want to download the app and download your maps before your next trip!
In Conclusion
London is one of the most beautiful cities to explore, with such rich history, architecture and beauty, but it’s not cheap! Prices for most things in London are going to be comparable to your metropolitan cities around the world, and even more expensive if your local currency isn’t as strong as the British Pound (CAD, I’m lookin at you), so you’ll definitely want to factor this in. There are lots of ways to save money on a trip to London and do it on the budget-side, so make sure you keep this guide close at hand while you plan your trip! Have any other budget-travel ideas for London? Leave them in the comments below!
– Amanda