ilovetotravel29

<font color="blue">Ok, here is the challenge....

You have about 150 pounds (est. 300 US Dollars) to spend in London for 6-7 days....You need to use this for food, and transportation, and museums. Hotel has already been paid for, and money for select souvenirs has already been set aside. 4-star dining is not required.

How would you go about not overspending? What tips would you use? What are some of the cheap and good and authentic London eats on the go?

This is a serious question---so if you just don't see it as possible, then..well....you lose the challenge. But if you DO see it as possible, then please post your hints and tips.</font>

Lesli

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34789148

Here's a very recent thread with some good ideas, including food options. To find others like it, type &quot;london and budget&quot; into the search box.

My own inclination would be to skip the souveniers and spend that money on better meals. Which would still be far from 4-star....

janisj

&quot;<i>4-star dining is not required</i>&quot;. Phew - glad to hear that - since one 4* dinner would take about 1/2 your budget or more.

You are only talking about &pound;20+ per day.

Sure you can do it - but it won't be eating in restaurants very often. Even a simple pub lunch w/ a pint of beer will be &pound;10. Plan on lots of picnics and sandwich take-aways.

Stick to the free museums - since entry to places like Westminster Abbey, St Paul's and the Tower of London run from about &pound;6 to over &pound;10 just to get in place.

Sticking to buses will be cheaper than the tube.

Nora_S

I don't think this is much of a challenge for me. We walk everywhere in London (that's half the fun), and go to the parks and free museums. Assuming your hotel stay includes a nice big breakfast, you can go light on lunch (fill a water bottle from the tap at the hotel and buy a piece of fruit or a package of digestive biscuits and cheese). That leave plenty for a decent dinner at, say, Wagamama (Asian) or Masala Zone (Indian), for around 10 pounds. I would spend another five pounds on a glass of wine. That's 20 pouonds a day, max. So there's some left over for a splurge at the end.

Robespierre

Since you've only got a week, I can't recommend walking very far - too time-consuming. Treat yourself to a 7-day bus pass. For &pound;2 a day, you can go anywhere in Greater London, from Heathrow to the Thames Barrier. You'll see more of the sights than you can from a Tube tunnel, and it's a lot easier to get on and off a bus than go down in the ground and back up again.

There's no time restriction that I know of - the TfL Fares Guide says that daily passes are valid all day, so I assume weekly ones are, too: http://tinyurl.com/zc7aj

ilovetotravel29

<font color="#ff0080"> Oooh, that sounds cool! I never thought of using the buses, I primarily thought of using the tube.

Ok, so if I use primarily the bus, is that as reliable as the tube and can I access such well known spots as the museums and I think Kensington Park (sp?).

I never used the buses in london or in other countries except my own, so any info would be much appreciated! </font>

Robespierre

Okay, you asked for it...<b>Key bus routes and tourist attractions in central London</b>:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/tourist.pdf

nho9504

This is very cool - Thanks for the bus route map (as well as the fares and tickets guide) !

teddybear

Most museums in London are free. Forget using the tube - too expensive...
&pound;150 a week is possible, but you'll feel miserable looking at all that London has to offer and not being able to afford it. It is an unbeleviably expensive city (trust me, I know, I live here...).

ilovetotravel29

<font color="blue"> I have been to London once before and saw all the major sites. I am ok with buying certain clothing items and tea. What other things would I be missing by going about it more frugally other than a desire to eat at one of Chef Gordon Ramsay's restaurants....which I have been told is clearly out of my budget, </font>

teddybear

Theatre, concerts,shopping, latest exhibitions (those you'll have to pay for I'm afraid), nice bars, a trip to our wonderful zoo will cost you a whopping &pound;13.20....

janisj

OK - some reality here. You said &quot;4-star dining is not required.&quot; and then &quot; . . . Chef Gordon Ramsay's restaurants . . . which I have been told is clearly out of my budget&quot;

It does seem you have the idea you'll be able to eat at places just below 4-star/Gordon Ramsay level.

Not so - not on a &pound;20 per day budget.

kenderina

I would skip one meal if necessary (I really don't think it is) to pay and see the Shakespeare Globe, it's 9 pounds...but for me it's worth even more. And if you like the theatre you can go and see the play standing on the groundings for 6 pounds and at the same time see the place

ilovetotravel29

<font color="purple"> Janissj--I am thinking in terms of reality--and I did not imply being able to eat at 3 star restaurants. I think you may have assumed that I think that way. Which I do not.

I merely stated that I had a thought of eating at Gordon's until I found out the price, I did not know previously how expensive his restaurants were. If he were more affordable, I would have foregone some clothing buys for the experience in dining at his restaurant.</font>

nytraveler

OK - so you have $50 per day for food, sightseeing, transportation and walking around money (a beer in a pub one night etc).

You will be walking almost everywhere, going almost exclusively to free attractions and eating most of your meals from supermarket takeout.

Do a little googling and get some solid info so you understand your options. For instance, the cost of entrance to the Tower of London is 14 pounds.

I think you can do it if you choose. But I think youmight end up hungry and miserable - being in London and missing somany things you want to see.

But I'm not losing the challenge - your are - I don;t need to travel on that budget.

Really - just get a little more money organized (have you ever heard of a second job? I worked one my first 2 years out of college - it won't kill you - and then you might have a much more enjoyable vacation.)

teddybear

You can have a lunch at Gordon Ramsey's @ Claridges for &pound;35.

janisj

&quot;You can have a lunch at Gordon Ramsey's @ Claridges for &pound;35.&quot; If you don't want to eat the next day

ilovetotravel29

<font color="red"> Teddybear-- Thank you so much!!! I will have to think about eating at his place for 70 us bucks. Now, if <font color="blue"> HE </font> were to be there and I would be able to see him and hear him curse out people or just show off his cute dimples, then yes, I would gladly pay 70 bucks for the experience!

Thankfully, a friend I will be meeting there is frugal like me and hopefully we will be able to find some good and affordable fare. And yes, some cheap tickets to the theater!! Yay! </font>

kenderina

By the way...I went to London last year with 150 pounds...but I only was there three days

teddybear

LOL....
A part of London experience would be an afternoon tea at Savoy, Claridges, or simmilar, but that would set you back &pound;50 minimum