How much to take to London?

[ktnra]

I know there is no real answer to this, Just looking for an approx amount..

Going to London for three days, The hotel and train tickets to get there and back are already paid for, It will just really be for two meals per day and travel in London.

Staying in Soho, would like to visit Battersea power station (pink floyd fan!) but apart from that will be staying in and around Soho. Will be mostly just window shopping/having a look around so I have put £500 away for it, Now being told to double that??

Never been to London before so I have no idea but now I'm thinking I might not have enough.

Travel is easy to work out if you plan to get bus/tube - tfl website shows you the daily fare cap for the zones (most main sights are in zone 1) if you are using oyster or contactless.

Lunch and dinner - depends what kind of thing you want to eat! And what else you want to do with your time. Obviously if you're boozing from mid-afternoon in cocktail bars then it will end up being expensive.

Is it just you you're budgeting for?

If you’re staying in Soho you can walk virtually everywhere. You should easily be able to get six meals and three days’ incidental spending out of £500 unless you’re having lobster Thermidor and champagne.

Half that much will be plenty.

The daily Oyster cap covering both zones 1&2 (same price for just zone 1) is £8.10 per adult per day. You won't get charged more, no matter how much you travel, provided that you tap in and out using the same card (btw, you need only tap in on buses as they're flat fare). Obviously if you want to use tourist buses or taxis you could end up spending more. Thames Clipper is on the Oyster system, but excluded from the cap, so if you fancy a boat trip (and there is a pier at Battersea Power Station, that'll be separate from the cap on buses and tubes

I find Battersea Power Station a bit expensive for food and especially drink. But if the weather's nice there's a big M&S there where you could buy a picnic and eat in its gardens or go over the road to picnic in Battersea Park

Unless you are aiming for luxury standard, 500 is overkill. I’ve lived here for 2 decades, don’t have money worries/decent standard of living, and would struggle to spend that in 3 days.

Is that for one adult or a couple?

it really is a how long is a piece of string question, depending on where you want to eat and what your usual living standards are like. A lot of places are cashless now so don’t feel that you need to carry it in cash around.

Are you a drinker?

As everyone says, the amount will depend on what you want to do. But don't take any of it in cash, & risk losing it or it not being accepted on cafes etc. Contactless is fine everywhere, inc public transport.

You can do london very cheaply if you plan well. Do you have a plan for your meals, and an itinerary for activities?
If you use the tube it's capped per day at around 8 pounds depending how many zones you cross.

People are telling you to take £1000 for 3 days?! 😳

I live in London. I would estimate to spend £40 each per meal if you drink a couple wines and are just doing a normal dinner, not Michelin star etc. Then you'll want some money for coffees / cocktails - depends what you want to do.

Personally £500 sounds ample to me unless you're planning a shopping spree!

£500 seems more than enough. As others have said, transport us cheap, and food during the day is only marginally more than other cities. You can still get a Tesco Meal Deal, for example during the day.

Someone mentioned the Thames Clipper; it’s a great way to see a good amount of London from a nice comfortable seat and if you buy a one-day pass you can get on and off as often as you want.

If you want a reasonably-priced way to get a view from high up then go for a drink in the Duck and Waffle on Bushopsgate.

How many of you are there? £500 is more than enough for a couple in London for 3 days. You may need more if there are 6 of you or you plan on going to a show or something else with high ticket prices.

Do go and enjoy all the free or mostly free things to do other than just window shopping though. London is an amazing city and there is so much more to see than Soho (which is a bit blah, to be honest). So many museums which cost nothing or relatively little - Science Museum, Natural History, Tate Modern. Go for a stroll and coffee/drinks/dinner along the South Bank - if weather is nice, it's great at sunset time. Take the Thames Clipper to Greenwich, I really like the market. Go swimming at Hampstead Heath bathing ponds if you like a swim. Lots of markets, depending on what you're in to. See if there is a street food thing anywhere, you can grab lunch or dinner from street food trucks. Lots of walking tours depending on your interests, which aren't ridiculously priced.

On holiday when you're eating out three times a day it soon adds up but £500 sounds plenty.

You're staying very centrally and there are lots of places to buy inexpensive meals, plus supermarkets to get drinks & picnics etc.

Save some of your money to go up in the observation chimney at Battersea Power Station - it's great! You do need to book though

Food is just the same prices as everywhere else these days. Sainsbury's meal deals are the cheapest usually. Leon is cheap and easy. Pret is pricey everywhere these days.

Alcohol in pubs is a bit more (£7 a pint rather than £6.50 in a northern city)

Travel less than £10 a day but if you want to get the Thames Clipper boat to Battersea (and you should) that isnt included in the daily TfL price and is priced by journey (tap in an out or use the uber app).

You can walk from Soho to Battersea power station easily-along Thames and cross opposite the power station - dont walk Southside. Or you can get a bus.