I’m a Blue Badge guide – these are my 14 money-saving tips for a visit to London

There’s no denying it, London is an expensive city. The eighth most expensive in the world, in fact, according to Mercer’s 2024 Cost of Living City Ranking. A pint of beer in a restaurant costs an average of £6.35, compared to the UK’s £5 average, and hotel rooms can routinely cost around £200 a night according to Visit Britain data.  

That’s not to say it’s impossible to enjoy a trip to the capital on a budget – you just have to know where to look for savings. And during my 18 months training as a Blue Badge guide – the only external guides allowed to work inside top attractions such as the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey – I’ve really got to know the city, and the best ways to explore it on a budget. Here are my top money-saving tips if you’re visiting the capital this summer. 

1. Get walking

London is best seen at street level (Photo: Marco Bottigelli/Getty)

It may sound obvious, but the cheapest way to get around the centre of town is to walk, because most distances aren’t that great. (You shouldn’t rely on the Tube map as a guide to distance: Leicester Square to Covent Garden is only just over 250 metres.)

For example, you can get from the London Eye to the Tate Modern gallery on foot in 25 minutes and from Trafalgar Square to Big Ben in around 15. Walking from Harrods department store to Piccadilly Circus via Green Park takes about 35 minutes.

2. Tap for longer journeys

If you have to cover more ground, you don’t need an Oyster travel card. If your credit or debit card is contactless, you can just tap for buses, Tubes and trains. And if you use the same card for each journey, you won’t pay more than £8.90 a day – or £5.25 total if you only use buses.

However, you might want to buy an Oyster (£7) if you have a 16-25, 26-30, Senior, HM Forces Railcard or Disabled Persons Railcard, because you can get a 30 per cent discount for off-peak Tube and bus journeys – you just need to ask a member of TfL staff to link them.

3. Swap an open-top for a commuter route

Skip expensive (£43) open-top bus tours – for the price of a standard bus fare (£1.75) you can grab the front seats on the top deck of the No 24 double decker at Leicester Square and it will take you to Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards Parade, Downing Street, Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey.

Hop on the No 9 at Piccadilly Circus and you’ll pass Green Park, the Duke of Wellington’s former home at Hyde Park Corner, then Knightsbridge, the Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Palace.

Hop on the bus to see Piccadilly Circus among many other landmarks (Photo: Alexander Spatari/Getty)

The 74, meanwhile, goes from the British Museum past Chinatown, the Royal Academy, Harrods and the Victoria and Albert Museum to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium. Hopper fares mean you can transfer from one bus to another within the first hour without paying extra.

4. Cruise the Thames for less than £11

Get a good-value cruise along the River Thames, passing by the Tower of London and under Tower Bridge. An adult one-way ticket on a Thames Clipper (river bus) from Westminster to Greenwich is £10.80.

A Thames Clipper river boat passes the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich (Photo: Getty)

5. Stay out of the centre

No doubt about it, accommodation in central London is pricey. Rooms at the new Chancery Rosewood in Grosvenor Square, which opens in September, start from £1,300 a night – and that doesn’t include breakfast.

The trick for better value is to look further out but in areas but that have quick links into the centre of town. So, that means areas like Stratford (on the Central line and speedy Elizabeth line), Bermondsey (near London Bridge station) or Hammersmith (Piccadilly line).

At the time of research, Travelodge London Stratford had double rooms from £69.99 a night in July – half the price of Travelodge Covent Garden.

6. Enjoy world-class culture, for free

London has a mind-boggling array of world-class attractions that are absolutely free: The National Gallery, British Museum, Tate Modern and Tate Britain, Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Natural History Museum could keep you busy for years, never mind a weekend.

And don’t forget less well-known institutions such as Sir John Soane’s Museum, and the surgery-focused Hunterian. Be aware, though, that you might have to book a timed-entry ticket in advance.

The South London Jazz Orchestra at the bandstand in Ruskin Park (Photo: Richard Baker/Getty)

You can also enjoy free or cheap lunchtime concerts at some churches and parks – check out the programme at the Sir Christopher Wren-designed St James’s in Piccadilly, the Royal Parks and Ruskin Park in south-east London.

7. Sniff out the best meal deals

When it comes to eating in London, you can of course get the usual supermarket meal deals, but if you want to push the gravy boat out, there are ways of doing so at a discount.

Many posh restaurants offer lunchtime or “pre -heatre” deals that aren’t available later in the evening. For example, Noble Rot in Holborn has a two-course set lunch menu for £24, while Toklas on the Strand has a three-course menu for £28 if you order before 6.30pm.

8. Swap pricey hotel afternoon teas

You can easily pay £110 a head for afternoon tea at some of the swankier hotels in Belgravia, but at the rarified Wolseley restaurant on Piccadilly you can get a pot of tea with scones and jam for £19.50, and celeb-spotting is free: the last time I had a cup of Earl Grey there, I sat next to Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan at the Wolseley restaurant on Piccadilly (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty)

9. Contact your local MP for a tour

9. Guided tours of Parliament cost £34, but if you contact your local MP in advance you can arrange one for free.

10. Take the lift up to Horizon 22

The 244-metre-high viewing deck on the 72^nd floor of The Shard charges £32 per person, whereas Horizon 22 – on the 58^th floor of a skyscraper on Bishopsgate that’s the tallest in the City of London – offers free views out over many of London’s landmarks. You just have to book in advance.

The 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper is the tallest in the City of London (Photo: Shomos Uddin/Getty)

11. But splash out on The London Eye

The London Eye is pricey but worth it. Online prices are always lower than walk up – £29 vs £42 currently. Last summer there were deeper discounts for some mid-afternoon time slots so keep an eye on the website.

12. Sit tight for cheap theatre tickets

London theatre prices are good value if you’re alright with not having the best seats in the house. You can often find tickets for both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for just £30 total.

The TKTS booth in Leicester Square, meanwhile, has last-minute deals for a range of shows, and you can check out the website too. The Royal Opera House has “Friday Rush” tickets available on the day at 1pm. Although prices vary, you can pay from just £8. And if Shakespeare’s your thing, the Globe theatre has standing tickets close to the stage for £10.

13. Join a service

If you want to get a sense of the majesty of Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral, go to one of their services, which cost nothing. Just be aware you can’t sneak off afterwards for a free look around!

14. Follow the experts

Banding together for a morning or afternoon walking tour with a Blue Badge tour guide isn’t that expensive – around £15 per person if there are 15 of you – and you’ll see a new side of London, thanks to their expertise.

Blue Badge guides must study for at least 18 months and take 12 exams, so they know their stuff, whether it’s rock’n’roll in Soho or pomp and majesty in Mayfair. You’ll find more details at britainsbestguides.org and guidelondon.org.