London on a budget

[Musicalmistress]

Visiting London mid Feb as a birthday treat & looking for suggestions of places that are ‘must see’ but also those a little more off the beaten track.
Just DP & I going for 3nights/ 3days, staying near the Barbican. Will be getting a travel card but equally happy to walk if needed. We love theatre/shows, history, art & good food. #we arrive late the first night so suggestions of places to eat nearby most appreciated. Thanks folks 🙂

There's the Crossbones graveyard, the Old Operating Theatre museum and The Golden Hind, all in Southwark. London bridge station is very close.

St Pauls Cathedral is near the Barbican and the museum of london is good both free

Thank you @vampirethriller - those look right up our street!

Get yourself into the lotteries for some of the big shows, you might get lucky - we've won School of Rock a couple of times.

Sky garden is free as are nearly all the museums. Museum of London is near barbican

I would recommend that you visit duck and waffle for drinks.

They are a little pricey- but it’s on the 33rd floor or the heron tower which has a better view than the London eye and FAR less crowds!

I used to do this regularly when I worked nearby - it’s usually very quiet and you can enjoy a pot of tea/cocktail for much much less than a ticket for the shard/eye and you get a nice drink for it!

When we did London on a budget we visited free museums and galleries, ate out using tesco vouchers, and bought theatre tickets from the official tkts building in leicester square.

.. Oh, and we booked sky garden in advance to go up high ans view the shard ansd tower bridge etc for free.

Go up Monument - amazing views, way better than the London Eye. 2 for 1 voucher available online if going by train, our family of 4 cost £12 so evenfull price is cheap. get Thames Clipper (c. £8 pp) from Embankment down to Canary Wharf / Tower, you can get a coffee on board and it takes 45 mins or so but it's a different view of Tower Bridge etc. from the water.

Don't get a Travelcard, cheaper to use a touchless debit / credit card.

Definitely do the walking architectural tour of the Barbican - it’s so interesting! I think about £12 each and you can book ahead. You’re also near Shoreditch if you want to see east London- boxpark is good, Denis Severs house is quirky and fun/historical. And of course amazing cocktail bars and restaurants near there too. Pizza East is a favourite.

Slight derail: how much cheaper is it to use contactless instead of Oyster?
Great suggestions here, I can't think of anything to add!

St Paul's isn't free. But if you're there on a weekday, you can visit the many other churches around the City for free. They all have their own individual histories.

The Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman amphitheatre are free. And there's the new Mithraeum exhibition nearby, also free.

The Bank of England has a museum. Can't remember if it's free, but if it's not, I don't think it's very expensive.

If you have time, the Museum of Docklands, near Canary Wharf, is also free and well worth a visit.

I always suggest this on these threads, but have a look at doing a treasure trail walk. They are really cheap, you download ahead of time and you'll really get to know an area and the hidden history as you go around it. There's lots of companies, but this is the one I've used in the past: www.treasuretrails.co.uk/things-to-do/london

Check out the Barbican site and see what events and exhibitions they have on, you can walk to St Paul's, then over the Milenium Bridge and visit the Tate Modern. You're near the museum of London, an indoor shopping mall at St Paul's, The Old Bailey and theres plenty of places to buy food. You have to pre book for an hours visit to Sky Garden but it's well worth a visit. Walking or busing the other direction you can get to Islington, theres the Almeida Theatre and the Crafts Council who have free talks, the Red Lion for fish n chips, Upper Street and Camden Passage for antiques. Theres a branch of Carluccio in Smithfield and Islington who do a set dinner menu.

@milk it is the same price as Oyster but yiu don't have to pay for an Oyster card (visitor Oyster is £5). It's quite a bit cheaper than buying a paper travelcard (assuming OP doesn't already have an Oyster card knocking around!) Think one-day zone 1-4 is £10.10 with Oyster or contactless but £13.10 buying a printed travelcard at station.

For shows either do the lotteries or check out day seating - I have got £20 stall seating for both School of Rock and Wicked by getting to the box office by 10am on the day and getting day seats. Also check out slip seats for Les Miserables - amazing views for £25 - but legroom is limited...

Barbican...ah, totally one of my favourite parts of London.

Depends on how budget but i would definitely recommend a visit to borough markets for a huge breakfast one of those days. I find walking about bankside and london bridge so atmospheric and exciting. The market gets HEAVING at lunch but the food is great.

Timeout always have really great recs for budget eats, arranged by area.

Shows at The Globe are about a fiver if you’re happy to stand

These are amazing suggestions! Think we’ll need to go for longer to fit it all in. Love a city break 🙂

@LBOCS2 how do we get into the show lotteries?

Tower of London not free but not extortionate and kids loves it

She isn't taking the kids! Bit agree tower of London is fab and can use Tesco vouchers

There’s a website called fancyfreewalks, which gives details of lots of walks in different areas. You can look up the ones in Greater London and download any you fancy, free of charge.

Another vote for skygarden

There are lots of free walking tours that you pay a tip/what you want at the end. Also ghost walks which is a brilliant way to find out about some of the dark history of London.
I’ve not done this but apparently you can arrange a free tour of The Houses of Parliament by writing to your mp if you’re a UK resident.