We believe that cost is one of the most important factors of when you travel. We thought we would give you some tips on how to visit London and save money while still seeing all the sights.
First thing is to stay in one of our apartments to rent in London where you will have a great base to start from. There is no point travelling all across the world and not having London on your doorstep! It reduces your travel time and costs and is far more cost effective over staying in a hotel.
Travel from Airports – If you are travelling from any of the major airports then book your Express tickets in advance – well in advance! Book your train ticket for the Heathrow Express 90 days in advance and pay £5.50 instead of £27 for a single journey.
Remember if you are taking a taxi (on meter) from the airports or around London and it's peak time, be prepared for lengthy waits in traffic and a horrific
fare! Why not book a fixed fee private car in advance and avoid the stress of watching that meter keep ticking up or standing in the rain waiting for a Taxi to go by!
The London Pass – a lot of our guests ask regarding whether it is worth paying for. Well, like anything else, if you do not use it then of course not. But with our location having 5 out of the top 10 attractions it does make sense. Also having the Globe Theatre / Jewel Tower / HMS Belfast / Monument are all located within minutes of us and are all included in the price therefore it does make it a very good deal. We also suggest using the hop on and off buses which are great to see the city and also saving you money by not using other forms of transport.
If you do plan to travel on the tube a lot then make sure you buy a Visitor Oyster Card which will give the cheapest fare each time you travel. It also covers all buses / river bus and DLR and some overland trains.
You can also see London without buying The London Pass and planning your travel very carefully and booking ahead to get into free attractions. Tate Modern is a 20 min walk away and a trip to London is not complete without going to the British Museum. If you want an amazing free view over the City without going to the London Eye and even higher and greener then we suggest the Sky Garden at the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building and only a 5/10 min walk away. Perhaps try a day at Hyde Park or get to see the Changing of the Guard which is something very special for London.
One of the major costs will be food and drink, and the only way you can truly save here is by preparing meals or ordering in and enjoying it at your own dining table in our apartments. If children are in tow then as you will probably know making a sandwich in a hotel room is a bit of a problem. We have fully fitted kitchens with all utensils to prepare sandwiches / snacks and meals. Also maybe if arriving in Summer freeze some drinks overnight and carry them through the day with you, lovely and cool by lunch time and also keeps your food chilled if taking a packed lunch to the park. If you do plan to eat out then best look for chain gastro cafes which have deals on or if possible use OpenTable
We hope that helps even one of our guests to saving money in London. If you have any advice then please do leave a comment as it would be great to have more top tips!
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Robert (Monday, 06 June 2016 20:00)
Thanks for the blog, we will be visiting in a few weeks. One question on the Gatwick Express when booking on line; they require you pick a train, what happens if you get held in customs and miss the train you booked for? Also, there will be three of us arriving at seven in the morning, we are planning on taking the express to Victoria station and then the question is should we take a cab from there or take the tube? If we take the tube, which one is best for walking with our luggage down the street; we will each have one medium size bag and a carrier on?
Andrew (Monday, 06 June 2016 20:29)
Dear Robert,
If you are travelling in a few weeks I wouldn't worry about pre paying for tickets, it is much cheaper if you are travelling over 90days in advance. I would also assume that the company would honour the ticket if you was delayed by 15-60mins.
A taxi will always be easier as will take you door to door but by the time you reach the city at about 8-8.30am I would expect the city if on a weekday to be quite busy. Taking the tube to Tower Hill is easy and also you will be able to see the Tower of London before the short walk to the apartment.
Hope this helps you, Andrew