London
I think you need a good 2 days (after getting over jet lag) to fully experience London. It is such an incredible city but it is by far the most expensive place overall that I’ve been. It has one of the most expensive transportation systems and the food is pretty pricey as well. Below is my recommendation for a 2 day adventure in London and a conservative budet you could set. I’ve been to London a few times but our family lives there so I do not have any hotel recommendations or an idea of what to budget to stay downtown.
We were on a tight budget when we went last time and although we were in the greater London area for a few days, we only spent one day downtown. With that in mind, I listed the way that we saw the city our last time there. That shorter suggested route would be better for anyone on a budget or with only one day in London. If you’re going to try either one of these, plan on wearing comfortable walking shoes and a SAFE way to keep money. Most places take a card but to avoid international fees, keep some cash on you. The prices I’ve indicated for attractions are just if you go INSIDE and usually includes a tour.
Suggested Plan with 2 Days
Day 1
- English Breakfast at a Pub
- Buckingham palace
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- I have never been inside the palace so I don’t know whether or not it is really worth the money but you can take a tour inside (staterooms) in Aug/Sept. for 16.50 pounds
- You can buy tickets ahead of time at http://www.royalcollection.org.uk
- changing of the guards alternates days in certain months so make sure to check before you schedule around it!
- Walk through St James Park
- Tower of London – 17 pounds, includes crown jewels, tour, and Tower of London/”White Tower”; closes at 5:30pm
- Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Ten Downey Street – FREE
- St. Paul’s Cathedral = 10 pounds
- British Museum – FREE
- Westminster abbey – 12 pounds
- Cathedral & tower – 5 pounds
- Alder’s Gate
- London Eye – 18 pounds + pp
- Indian for Dinner!
Day 2
- I would have a traditional English breakfast every single day while in the UK but if you’re worried about time, grab a quick tea and scone to still be “British” for the day (I have tea every… 2-3 hours when I’m in the UK especially when my Granny is with me!)
- You have to try the double decker hop on, hop off bus tour if you can. Ticket prices vary on the company and if you want an audio or live guide or no guide at all. You could hop on the closest starting point from your hotel. After you’ve toured around whichever line you’re interested in (and depending on your timing), head over to South Kensington OR Picadilly Circus if you have more time. Get off there and start your walk!
- Walk around South Kensington (beautiful but seriously expensive part of town – it’s just fun to look at the cute shops and fancy properties).
- Walk Kensington Palace grounds and Kensington Gardens (you can get a tour inside some times during the year here as well but I have not been at the right times since it has regular royal visitors)
- When you enter Kensington Gardens, you can rent a bike (there are places to rent and return bikes at the entrances); Ride through Hyde Park towards Harrod’s
- Harrod’s for afternoon tea and soak up the insane, beautiful thing that is HARROD’S.
- Pub dinner – Recommended dishes: Fish ‘n Chips!!, shepherd’s pie, meat pie
Suggested Budget-friendly Plan with 1 day
We did a lot of walking!! You can adjust by renting a bike in places or taking the double decker.
- English Pub Breakfast
- Train into downtown (we were staying in an adorable town about 45 minutes out from downtown called Hitchin)
- Tube (their term for the metro) to Picadilly Circus stop
- Walk through South Kensington, Kensington Palace, through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park
- Take pictures in a red telephone booth!!
- Harrod’s for lunch (This is a super expensive thing to do but we pretty much just had tea and scones and yes, it was still beyond pricey. However, this was something we thought would be really special and we were ready for a break after all the walking and the store could take 30-45 minutes just to walk around even if you don’t eat. There is so much to see in the rooms of fresh produce, seafood… there is even a HUGE ROOM OF CHOCOLATE AND COFFEE. ugh… heaven. We skimped on the transportation and didn’t pay to go inside any monuments or take any tours)
- Tube over to Buckingham Palace
- Walk through St. James Park
- Check out the Tower of London, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Ten Downey Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster abbey without going inside – FREE
- London Eye – 18 pounds + pp (we did not feel like it was worth it to pay for this personally but it was cool even just to see)
- Indian for Dinner! Indian food in London is amaaazing.
Tips:
- Be careful of thieves especially in changing of the guard
- Greenwhich makes for a very cheap day out
- Hampton court palace is 14 pounds
- Madame Tussauds is 28 pounds – It’s fun if you have extra time but I don’t think it’s worth it if you have 2 days or less
- Keep drinking tea!
Transportation: suggested $15/day/pp to be safe
- London is one of the most expensive places to get around in
- Their term for their “metro” system is the “tube”
- Oyster card is pay as you go – it’s not worth it you pay individual tickets!
- Or you can get a travelcard – valid on the tube, buses, docklands light railway (DLR), and overground – oyster cards are used in all these places too
- 1 day travelcard is for zones 1-2 which is where all the touristy spots are and is a little over 7 pounds; off-peak version is 5.6 pounds
- a card covering Zones 1-6 costs at least 15 pounds
Restaurants: $15 breakfast, $15 lunch, $20 dinner, $15 tea/desserts/beer/etc = $65 estimate/day/pp
*Everything in London is expensive so your only cheap options are pubs and Chinese or Indian Food
I did not go to these two tea rooms but they were highly recommended online:
- Tea and Tattle near the British Museum
- Ffiona’s Restaurant
- Prix Fix in London’s Soho
Thrifty& 