London ,England: Three days, very little money. What's a tourist to do?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Our friend H is going to London on business in a couple of weeks. She won’t stop complaining about how she doesn’t want to go, because she doesn’t have a lot of money so what’s she to do on the 3 days she has off?

In an effort to stop all the complaining-noise from coming out of the big hole in the bottom of her face, I would like suggestions for things to do in London on a limited budget. Now, I’ve been there and as I recall some things were pricey; the Tower of London, IIRC, was 20 pounds, which is a pretty sizable charge. I’m sure she’ll do some of the expensive things, but what’s cheap?

2

I think man/most London museums are free, are they not?
I know the British Museum is. Here is a list:
London Museums

On Sundays starting about lunch time and throughout the afternoon, Speakers’ Corner at Hyde Park is democracy in action, and marvelous free entertainment.
Speakers Corner

3

British Museum - you can spend hours there, and it’s free. Just need to take the Underground to get there.

National Gallery - also free. Can spend a good amount of time here as well (depends on how much they like art).

I also enjoyed Greenwich (can take a train or a boat ride - not too expensive).

4

I spent four days in London last summer with a practical budget of next to nothing.

I stayed in a hostel, and, as cormac262 recommends, spent about one whole day at the British Museum, and a little less than that at the National Gallery. I also went to Harrod’s and spent a few hours wandering around what has got to be the most amazing department store ever. Their food section is pretty amazing too, and if you avoid the sit-down sections, you can grab a quick and cheap bite there. In that same section of town is a natural history museum that I believe is free as well. If you are willing/able to walk you can really explore quite a bit on foot. Kew Gardens is nice… there’s really quite a lot to do for free there. The trick, IMO, is finding/choosing things to eat that aren’t going to break the bank.

5

As already noted, the main musems have free admission … the British Museum is near Tottenham Court Road underground station, while the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum are all within a short walk of South Kensington station. Any one of those can take up a day (or more) just by themselves.

6

The four big music colleges have a lot of concerts & performances with free admission:

http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/school/home/view_all_events.html
http://www.rcm.ac.uk/content.asp?display=Events&wp=68&pt=
http://www.ram.ac.uk/events/index.html
http://www.tcm.ac.uk/RVEb3981d66287f4f089becb6472daa288c,,.aspx

7

The Docklands Light Railway is probably the best way to get to Greenwich from central London - the boats can be expensive. I think the National Maritime Museum is free (see the jacket Nelson was wearing when he was shot - bloodstains and all) but the Royal Observatory charges for entry.

8

The museums, I agree. The Brit Mus, Nat Gal and V and A are all absolutely excellent and free which still amazes me. Otherwise she can jump on a city bus and sightsee and take pictures of buildings. Walk around Camden Market. Walk around town and take pictures.

9

Having lived in a hostel in central london (right off Tottenham Court Road) for the first 6 months of my stay I can say my biggest expenditure was food and drink.

The Natural History Museum, The Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum are all on the same tube exit and all free.

Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden Market, Trafalgar Square, The National Potrait Gallery, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Buildings of Parliment are all within walking distance of each other. So is Soho, Chinatown, Oxford Street/Regents Street and the theatre district but that may be too much in one day. Central London really ain’t that big. If your feet get tired an all day bus pass is £3.

The only things I thought were really worth the big bucks were Madame Tussauds for the silliness (£20-ish though i went on a 2 for one deal), the Tower of London (£14 i think?) and of course the London Eye (£10-ish). The Tussauds group owns the London Eye so you can get deals on combined tickets.

The London Zoo and the Aquarium were my big disappointments.

10

Oh man, London’s an awesome city, but it is also very, very expensive. If you’re disciplined, though, you can have a great time on very little money. As already mentioned here, many of the museums in London (which includes some of the best museums in the world) are completely free. The British Museum and the National Gallery alone could eat up three days. When you go to the National Gallery, be sure to get the audio guide that’s on offer right inside the entrance. It provides a detailed history and analysis of virtually every painting in the museum – I’ve never had an art class in my life, but from listening to those things I feel like I could at least past Art 101. And, unless they’ve changed is since I was there last (last year), the audio guides are FREE, though they don’t advertise it. They make it look like you have to pay 5 pounds, but that’s just a recommended donation.

If art’s not your thing, go to the National Portrait Gallery and get the free audio guide there instead. Yes, it’s an art museum, but the audio guide there focuses on the history of the people being portrayed rather than the art. You walk into a room with a bunch of musty pictures of old kings and queens, and an hour or so later, having listened to the audio guide descriptions of each, you have a much greater appreciation of these people and their historical context.

I think you have to pay for the audio guides in the British Museum, but that’s alright – you don’t really need them. There’s enough amazing stuff in there to keep you occupied.

Check out the British Library too – see a Gutenberg Bible and some other cool first editions and famous historical documents.

Just walking around London is fun and free. But if you want to put what you’re seeing in some more context you might consider taking one of the many excellent London Walks. It’s not free, but it’s not too expensive – 6 pounds, or 5 pounds if you’re a student. (I really wish I could find the pound symbol on my keyboard…) Considering that each walk is about two hours long, that’s not a bad deal. The descriptions of the walks (on the link) are a bit overblown and pretentious, but the walks themselves are very entertaining and informative.

London’s a great city; I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

11

Yes! Even though I’ve been there many times, I still forget it in threads of this kind. It doesn’t help that it’s stuck up in Kings Cross, away from the main tourist attractions, but I agree that it’s certainly worth a visit. (And I presume the Platform 9 3/4 attraction is still there at Kings Cross station? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:KingsCrossStationTrolley.JPG )

12

And don’t forget the half-priced theater tickets in Leicester Square. You can get very inexpensive tickets to some wonderful plays.

13

Right next to the National Gallery, at Charing Cross Rd. and William IV St., is a restaurant called International that offers very classy lunch dishes for 3 pounds. I mention this only because I told the Londopers that and they were flabbergasted.

14

If you love theater and are young enough, you can be a groundling in the Globe Theatre for about 6 pounds. I’ve been there twice (sitting - more expensive) & loved it.

15

I live in London. My answer to the OP would be… go somewhere else.

16

I have no idea what RickJay’s friends’ interests are, but my wife and I spent a few days in London a few years ago, had a great time, and didn’t spend much.

First, my wife loved every second she spent at Harrod’s, even though she didn’t end up buying anything. It’s an experience (and a nostalgia trip for me- it reminded me of how Macy’s USED to be when I was a kid, when they carried practically ANY item you’d care to name), whether you actually buy anything or not.

Second, most of the better museums are either free or require only a nominal payment (the New York City museums used to have a similar “Pay whatever you like” approach).

Personally, if I had more time, I could’ve spent all day at Westminster Abbey, muttering to myself over and over, “Whoa… everybody I ever studied about at school is buried here!”

And finally, I don’t know Rick’s friend’s definiton of “very little money,” but we saw two plays for very reasonable prices by going to Leicester Square.

17

I’ve had three days in London with very little money, and the museums are a great idea. The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is indeed free, and the British and Natural History Museums are not only free, but breathtaking.

What I enjoyed most, however, was just wandering through central London, taking in the sights and street names that were until that moment just words in a book. It was satisfying beyond belief to walk down Baker Street, Oxford Circus, through Hyde Park, and have all these literary allusions and memories come surging back. I’m not sure if that appeals to your friend, but to me it was the most enjoyable part of my brief stay.

18

London is going to be expensive for the incidentals especially - food and drink etc. My advice on this is that you can get it a little cheaper if you opt to take it away - like a coffee and a muffin etc. It’s getting warmer now, so she should be able to take this away and sit by the river or in a park and not get too cold.

If she’s around on a Friday/Sat, my absolute favourite thing about London is called Borough Market - huge outdoor farmers’ market under the train tracks on Southbank selling all sorts of food and drink, both cooked and fresh, which is amazing just to wander around, but good for a cheap lunch. This is walking distance from the Golden Hind (replica of Drake’s Elizabethan era sailing ship), and Tate Modern (also free), the new modern art gallery built inside an old power station. The Turbine Hall hall itself is worth a look. Across the river is St Paul’s, also good for views of Tower Bridge (not called London Bridge).

As mentioned, most of the museums are free, and so are the big department stores in Kensington - Harvey Nichols and Harrods. I also like walking around St James Park and up towards Picadilly - past all the expensive shops on New Bond Street, so pricy that you don’t even get the feeling you wish you had a little more money to spend - just astronomical.

Avoid Oxford Street and Picadilly Circus (too crowded and full of tourists), wander instead through Soho and Covent Garden, through Old Brompton Road (kind of known for being the ‘gay’ street, but facinating and less sterile than parts of London), and around Monmouth Street and Seven Dials. All of these can be found easily on maps online, like Google Local.

If she’s around on a Sat, Portobello Rd market is on in Notting Hill (touristy, yes, but still free and busy), and on Sunday and I think a few other days Spitalfields Market near Liverpool Street Station is also meant to be great - haven’t got there yet. Sunday also for Camden Market - facinating stalls and also a chance of seeing ‘real’ punks - albeit that they’re all around 15…

For travel, think about getting an Oyster Card if she will be doing a lot - this caps the travel on tubes or buses at the max of a daily pass. But walking is free and the best way to see the sites. If you need public transport take the bus - it’s around £1.50 per ride, get on, go upstairs and see the sites as you drive past - face it, just about anywhere you go is going to show you something different and famous.

Unless it’s really important, don’t bother spending the cash on tours, Westminster Abbey (£10), Tower of London, etc. Haven’t been up the London Eye (it’s around £14), but have heard on a clear day it’s worth the money.

19

Echoing what’s been said already, my votes would go to the Natural History Museum and to Camden market.

Does your friend have/can your friend get a student card? As long as it is clear what it is, it should be accepted, even if it isn’t from the UK. Many things become approximately half price with a student card: for example, ~£45 seats for “We Will Rock You” were £20 with a card.

20

If she’s there over the weekend she should visit Portobello Market. Visiting Jeremy Bentham’s auto-icon is also nice, even though they have quite dissapointingly stopped displaying the head in public. St. Paul’s and Westminster both have lots of famous dead people, and both charge admission. It’s a fairly photgenic city, so if she wanted to just stay outside and take pictures all day that would be no problem for her.