You say London is too expensive? Codswallop.
Their pound is down. Their credit is crunching. Now is the time to scrounge our ailing greenbacks and trade them in for some equally ailing pink and purple notes and faded gold coins.
It’s rarely been the case in three decades that a trip across the pond does not have to break your bank (1 pound = $1.60). So find your passport, laugh at the out-of-date picture, book that British Airways flight today, and forget the woes of 2009 over tea and crumpets at cruising altitude.
For that transatlantic escape this fall, here’s a list of money-saving ways to explore what historically has been one of the world’s most expensive cities.
Travel London like a Londoner
After hopping into the first “black cab” that comes your way from Kings Cross, Victoria or Paddington station, you’re now realizing that 10-20 pounds per ride might severely limit the rest of your exploration. If you are visiting the city for more than a few days, buy a weekly transport or “Oyster” card. This pay-as-you-go card offers significant discounts on travel throughout central London and allows access to both the Tube (underground train system) and the 24-hour bus service. Aside from affordability and convenience, a double-decker-bus ride can serve as a free sightseeing tour, and where else but on a train platform will you get to use the polite British catchphrase, “Mind the gap”?
High tea, not highway robbery
Afternoon tea is one of Britain’s most celebrated traditions, but all of those sweets and dainty sandwiches add up — sometimes to as much as 50 pounds per person. With a little planning, one can still bask in the elegance of a London tearoom without needing to skimp on dinner later that night. Try The Orangery in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park (royalparks.org.uk), which offers an a la carte menu in addition to more traditional high tea packages. The personal teapots, loose leaves, white tablecloths and people-watching can easily be enjoyed for a fraction of the advertised price.
It’s easy being green
After tea, take time to explore one of the city’s well-preserved green spaces. World-famous Hyde and Green parks connect through Wellington Arch and are the perfect respite from the sidewalk headaches of the nearby Kensington and Knightsbridge shopping districts. Not to be overlooked is Regent’s Park, just north of the BBC Broadcasting House, with seemingly endless playing fields, rose gardens, lakes, an open-air stage and the London Zoo. If you’re really looking to escape the hustle and grime, take the Tube up to Hampstead Heath, where 791 acres of rolling hills, meadows and natural trails will make you forget that you’re still within the geographic boundaries of foggy London.
Procrastination pays for plays
Don’t decide which play to see until the morning of. Nearly every major theater sells leftover day-of- show tickets to the dozen or so agents around Leicester Square, which, in turn, offer “half price” tickets to some of the most sought-after productions in the city. While the discounted price may be closer to 20-30 percent off, depending on demand, some top tickets, worth as much as 60 pounds, can fall as low as 20 pounds.
Get a pizza the action
Eat at Pizza Express (pizza ). Don’t let the name fool you: This upscale but low- price Italian restaurant chain is packed with Londoners and tourists alike. You’ll find specialty pizzas and salads galore, most for under a “tenner.” It’s also one of the easiest restaurants to come across after a long day of sightseeing, with dozens of locations throughout the capital. Tip: Though the menu is the same, each Pizza Express is a little different inside. Consider the Dean Street location, Soho, which offers live jazz nightly and has played host to the likes of Norah Jones, Jamie Cullum and Diana Krall.
Just take a look-see
Walk the length of Oxford and Regent streets without buying anything. These intersecting streets of London’s iconic fashion world put Fifth Avenue to shame, as do their prices. Window-shop along blocks of posh retailers such as John Lewis and Top Shop — and feel free to leave Queen Elizabeth in your pocket. Fashion is one of the few areas of British commerce that seem to be unfazed by the daily exchange rate.
Be pound-foolish at the markets
Do your serious shopping at one of London’s street markets. The borough of Camden, famous as a hotbed for English punk and more recently the stomping ground of Amy Winehouse, bustles daily with dozens of street vendors and permanent markets. The Stables Market (camdenlock.net/stables) just beyond the banks of Camden Lock, is the Holy Grail for travelers looking to bring back souvenirs with a bit more imagination than a coffee mug stamped with the Underground logo. Serious marketgoers should check out Sunday afternoons on Brick Lane for a one-of-a-kind (if not questionably legal) flea-market experience in the heart of gritty East London. After haggling over items lazily sprawled atop last night’s bed sheets, be sure to sample the myriad international cuisine. Curry, jerk chicken and salt beef are a favorite among locals and are best enjoyed curbside, with a plastic fork, usually for under 4 pounds.
Make the most of free museums
The British Museum (british ), Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk) and National Gallery (nationalgallery.org), among others, are always free — and you can always choose to pay for the featured exhibition. London offers some of the most interesting and diverse museums in all of Europe. For a real treat, walk across the Millennium Bridge, and explore the Tate Modern Collection (tate.org.uk), an interactive modern art gallery housed in a former power station. From the seventh-floor bar and cafe, you can score a pot of Earl Grey for under 2 pounds and remove yourself from the hustle and crush with panoramic views of the city, the River Thames and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Pub-crawl through history
Combine sightseeing with pub-hopping. Drinking is deeply embedded in Britain’s heritage and a celebrated cultural pastime. Call it an excuse for touring remnants of historic East London: a walk along “the Strand” and Fleet Street, of Sweeney Todd fame, will lead you past the mammoth dome of St. Paul’s, the Royal Courts of Justice, the original Twinings tea shop and plop you right in the heart of Trafalgar Square. Along the way, you’ll pass a string of 19th-century pubs with aged dark wood, lit fireplaces, cellar-cooled ales and bartenders with cockney accents.
Check out a different kind of pound
Can’t justify spending 4 pounds per pint before dark? Stop in to any off-license (a mini-mart that sells beer and wine) and enjoy a more youthful English tradition: 1-pound pounders. Grab an assortment of European value beers — Carlsberg, Kronenberg, Carling, Stella, Strongbow Cider — and head for the nearest square. Day drinking in public spaces such as parks and squares is highly tolerated, given the Brits’ propensity for pleasure over punch-outs. Why not make it a picnic with a few bags of exotic-flavored crisps (potato chips) and see how many times the conversation steers back to “Why can’t we do this at home?”
Be musically inclined
Hear live classical music at St. Martin-in-the-Fields (stmartin-in- the-fields.org). Kill two birds with one stone by visiting a famous church and having a night of high culture. The 283-year-old structure transforms into a music hall most evenings with performances of works by Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi, Bach and their peers for as low as 6 pounds per ticket. Keep an eye peeled for the special candlelit performances, and be sure to savor a glass of wine in the basement cafe, The Crypt, during intermission.
Keep your cool
Not one for high culture? Grab your skinniest jeans and book it to Shoreditch, London’s quintessential hipster haven. Leave your fellow tourists gawking at the neon lights in Piccadilly Circus and ride the Tube to the edges of Zone 1 (Liverpool Street, Old Street) for a night of detached irony and unparalleled cool. Grab a pint in a dirty glass for less than 3 pounds at The Foundry (foundry.tv), where a trip to the bathroom becomes a frantic search of the basement graffiti for an original Banksy stencil. Looking to rage on a budget? Try “Free Fridays” at Cargo (cargo-london ), a brick-walled club built under a train bridge that brings in respectable indie artists and international DJs Thursday-Saturday nights, with no cover on Fridays. In the mood for a swim? Club Aquarium (clubaquarium.co.uk) closes at 2 a.m. and then reopens 4 a.m.- 11 a.m. for late-night fun — and has a pool inside.
Go for something fishy
What trip to London would be complete without some beer-battered fish and chips? Some say grease and newspaper are the way to go; others vouch for quality of cod at any respectable old-time pub. If fish isn’t your thing, opt for late-night chips (French fries) at a corner kebab joint. The rotating chicken and lamb cuts may seem enticing from the window, but nothing satisfies British munchies like a paper cone of chips topped with salt, malt vinegar and your choice of mayo or ketchup. Make sure to leave a 1-pound coin hidden in your wallet — it’s all you’ll need.
