Daily budget for London (accommodation already paid for)
 

Hi
First time in London will be there 6 full days in June just my husband and I. We will take in all the sights of course, just wondering what you would recommend as a daily budget, our accommodation does not include breakfast and we will probably want to see a show, we like nice food (but not silver service!). Also what type of rail ticket we should get, oyster card?

We are flying in and out of Heathrow - staying at Copthorne Tara London Kensington Hotel which apparently is 3 mins from High Street underground and 15 minutes from Earls Court Tube.

Thanks in advance.

Hi DonnaKat,

You will get all kinds of replies and specific queries to this question. Are you from North America? I am going to stick my neck out and say $100 a day each at least. Estimates will vary.

Have a great time...

No, Australia.

Get an Oyster Card at Heathrow which is a reduced rate pass for all bus and tube service around London. It is reloadable and the original card can be returned at the end of your stay but not with the money you have put on it.It will cost less than 8 pounds apiece to get from LHR to your hotel.
Simply take the tube from Heathrow for fast and an easy way into London. There is only one tube line from LHR and it is called the Piccadilly Line-straight shot to High Street Kensington and it takes about 40 minutes.
I go to London at least once a month for work and I would definitely say at least 100 dollars for eating each day.There are alot of restaurants around the West End/Covent Garden area that offer great deals on dinners if you eat before 7pm.The theatre tickets will run you a few coins depending on what you are going to see but check some of the discount booths in and around Leicester Square.
Have fun!

"Silver service"? I don't think I've heard that expression since the early '80s. You'd struggle to find many places that follow such outmoded concepts of table service in the UK (apart from some old fuddy-duddy places like the Dorchester or Rules). Having said that, even without silver service, the sky is the limit in the London restaurant scene. Pubs, many ethnic restaurants and the cheaper restaurant chain places will typically set you back around £20-30 per head including wine/beer, mid range restaurants are in the £30-50pp bracket and there are many higher-priced places where it's not unusual to spend over £80 each. Something else to bear in mind is that the price is not directly linked to the quality in tourist London, but has more to do with what the market will support.

To be honest - you could make do w/ anything from $50 to $200+ pp per day. Some days I literally spend nothing or just a few $ because I rent flats and occasionally eat in. But I probably average $75-$100 US a day. Much higher on shopping or theatre/posh meal days.

Your single biggest cost savings is to get paper travel cards instead of Oysters. Paper travel cards are bought at train stations (not tube stations) and qualify for 2for1 discounts at places like the Tower of London, Hampton court palace, etc.

I usually work at it the other way around - determine how much you want to spend and then ask how to make that budget work. In reality you can spend a LOT or very little, or anything in between, but w/ a few nice meals during your stay, you can start w/ about $100 pp/ per day.

What part of Earls Court, didn't scream Australian??? :-)

Good advice above.

When dutyfree says take the "tube" take that train not the super expensive one called the Heathrow Express, to newcomers they may look like the same thing. However it does depend on luggage requirements and time of day. The rush hour can be terrible on road traffic but if you arrive at an odd hour and you have lots of stuff schlep then a limo may be the answer.

Do spend a bit of time on two for one research. Just surf this site for the phrase, they can be a real saver on Oyster.

If you're eating out every lunchtime and night, plus six breakfasts (that's 12 for the two of you), at a reasonable standard, (not fast food joints) then IMO you'll need around £60 pppd. Then add the cost of theatre, (not a few coins in the West End, but anywhere from £25 to £60 pp depending on the show)plus entrance to other attractions, the occasional taxi, drinks, etc. etc.

Think of it this way;

12 dinners including drinks £35 per
12 breakfasts Cafe Rouge type £9 per
12 light lunches, maybe a sandwich + drink £6 per

That's just over £600 before any other expenses. Add on the other expenses like travel, refreshments, theatre, impulse buys and gifts then you need around £1000 for your six days.

Exactly what Rubicund says.

It depends a lot on where you go; many museums are free, but if you want to visit Madame Tussaud or something like that add those costs.

Travel on Oyster Cards zone 1 en 2 is I think 7,50 or so maximum (off peak, so starting after 9.30 am - a bit more if you start off earlier).

Look for special menus and deals, pre-theatre or fixed menus. Cote has a good priced menu. And look at Brasserie Zedel; that is very reasonable. If you don't drink alcohol, you'll spend considerably less.

some money saving tips:

1. Breakfast - you will have a kettle and tea and coffee making facilities and a fridge in your room, so go out and buy milk to keep in the fridge, and every morning go out and get some decent croissants and orange juice, bring them back and have breakfast in the room.

2. Lunch - in many places, restaurants offer cheaper set menus at lunchtime so if you have your main meal then, at least some days, you can perhaps picnic in your room in the evening, or just go out to a pub or bar and have nachos or a snack.

3. Theatre - if you aren't too fussed about what you are going to see, go to the ticket booth in Leicester square in the morning and see what you can pick up for the evening:

http://www.tkts.co.uk/leicester-square/

4. as Tulips says, most museums are free so by going there most of the time, you can save your pennies for the sights that aren't; use the 2for 1 deal and even those places can be affordable.

We have stayed at that hotel a couple of times. It is very covenient for Kensington High Street which has lots of shops, coffee and sandwich places as well as restaurants, both chain and privately run. It is not primarily a tourist area, so there is a mix of locals and visitors.

The hotel serves a good breakfast, but you will have no difficulty finding more variety at a lower price nearby. There is also a Marks & Spencer at Kensington High Street station.

The Circle Line gives good direct access to some of the main tourist sights, but you will also be on some good bus routes.

<<work at it the other way around - determine how much you want to spend and then ask how to make that budget work>>

Like janisj suggests, is what I do. Pretty much anywhere I visit I allow $100USD per person per day after the room is paid for. Some days you spend it, some days you don't. I have always managed to make that work for me.

I think rubicund's budget is reasonable.

I took the Heathrow Express once and thought it was great, very convenient and easier than the tube. I was staying near Paddington, for one thing. It isn't "super expensive" by my standards, it's less than a lot of people spend on a taxi or car service. It is more expensive than the tube, but I think it's worth it. I consider it a good fare for getting from a city center to an airport (21 GBP or about 25 euro) in a nice and efficient way. I don't like take metros (aka "tube" or subway) with luggage, if I can avoid it, there is a lot more walking and stairs usually.

You can take the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then the Circle Line to High Street Kensington.
Or Tube to Earls Court or Gloucester Road and transfer once to get to High Street Kensington. This last option is a lot cheaper than the HEX.

The location is good. You are also close to the large Wholefoods store on Kensington High Street. Not the cheapest food store, but a fantastic store. There's a food court on the first floor.

If you take the HEX - you aren't on a budget of any kind. It is the most expensive way to get to central London, and that is only to Paddington .

A car service will be more convenient and cost less. Or the tube will cost a LOT less but be less convenient.

Thank you all so much for your advice, it has been really helpful. Only 5 weeks to go!

Hi, if accommodation is paid for and breakfast is included, how much spending money would you aloud for two people on a 7 nights holiday. Can someone help me please

Better to start your own thread.

But there's really no way to tell without knowing what you want to do. Some days were very cheap. Some days were very expensive. It depends entirely on what you do all day.

You don’t say where in Australia you are from but we just visited our son in Sydney and found the prices for eating out, drinks etc. to be very similar to those in London.

Check to see "what's on" at the theatres before your trip. If it's something "hot" and you crave to see it, then you can reserve and will call your tickets at the theatre.

My friend and I were in London a couple of weeks ago and got all our tickets at the Leicester Square booths. Prices were so cheap,we saw Kinky Boots, Motown The Musical, Thriller, and Wicked.