To think I can stay in London cheaply

[OctoberFlowers]

We've never been to London before and can't afford a honeymoon abroad. I thought a stay in London to do some sightseeing would be a nice trip.

But how realistic is it to stay in London for several days (3 or more?) On a budget?

We're happy in a cheap hotel or bnb but as I've never been, I don't know where would be a central-ish place to stay?

Any help is very much appreciated :)

Instead of the bar at the Shard you can go to the top of the Sky Garden and not even have to buy a drink (just need to book a free place in advance).

Looking at your list are you aware that Hampton Court is quite a way out? Also I am a bit curious why you have included London Zoo on your list. We don't live in London, though we day trip every other month or so, and its not been somewhere we have really thought about spending our time in London visiting. Isn't it just another zoo?

Seriously look at youth hostels. You can get a nice double room very centrally.

I've stayed in Equity Point a few times its a hostel so no frills at all but you can get private rooms wit ensure for about £20 a night. I used it to go shopping with friends and to the rugby etc. It's a relatively short walk from Paddinton (about 10 mins) so easy to get back to the tube etc. It was clean and the shower was good which was all I cared about as I wasn't there for the hotel. Breakfast is included too so you'd only need to buy lunch and dinner.

We're in the North East and we travel down by coach. It costs about £60 for the three of us if we book in advance and take advantage of the National Express summer fun fares. Again, google voucher codes when you book!

The Tower is great but very touristy and very expensive. We got in free thanks to Tesco clubcard vouchers, but it would have cost us £22 each otherwise. Go as early as you can - and in term time! - to avoid the worst of the crowds. The plaque on the White Tower commemorating the the Princes in the Tower is very moving, but I would say that otherwise it does feel a bit sanitised - perhaps it would be better without the endless interactive stuff and display boards, instead letting the history and atmosphere speak for itself! Be prepared to queue for the crown jewels, too - we waited for over an hour, but you can go back on the travelator thingy as much as you like well we did anyway

The thing I love about London (I lived there for a decade, DD was born there) is the history in unexpected places. Look out for the blue plaques on houses, and things like the last pre-Great Fire houses still standing on the outskirts of the City (the charred roof tiles and melted chainmail from the Great Fire in the Museum of London are deeply affecting). I'm a bit of a London history nut so if you want any book recs or ideas of places to visit just say the word!

As for West End shows, Les Mis is by far and away the best. The 'slip' seats are so cheap but they're so close to the stage - only reason they cost so little is because there's limited legroom, which was fine for 6ft DH and DD and totally comfortable for a short arse like me

I wouldn't bother with the zoo, honestly. It's very expensive and just a bit disappointing.

Ooh the V&A is absolutely brilliant, and I whiled away many an afternoon feeding the squirrels in St James Park with DD when she was little. They're very friendly!

actually I think hotels are cheaper now than ever before.
for example me and DD paid £40 a night for a hotel in Zone 2.
That area would not suit everyone, but check laterooms.com and 'sort by price'.
Also food does not have to cost loads - you can eat in Chinatown or in Francomancas (serious pizza chain) very reasonably.

3 of us are staying in a 2 bed Air B&B flat next weekend for £115 - less than £40 each

I love ABB

I also like Trivargo for deals - maybe stay one night somewhere fancy you can get central 5*'s for £150 a night

I love the zoo and the tower, but they wouldn't be my top picks if I was in London for a short time on a tight budget. You can go round the outside of the Tower and walk across Tower Bridge for free and get most of the benefit. Hampton Court is lovely but not cheap and it will take a full day.

But of course if you've truly set your heart on the Tower and Hampton Court because you're fascinated by specific bits of Tudor history or whatever then go for it, research the 2-4-1 deals you can get with train tickets, and squeeze your budget elsewhere. No point in spending hundreds on a London trip and then depriving yourself the one thing you'd love to see in order to save twenty quid.

Both the Tower of London and Hampton Court are run by Historical Royal Palaces. We have an annual pass as we live near the latter and it gets us in to all the HRP buildings as many times as we like throughout the year (also includes Kensington Palace and some other places which I've never got to yet ). It was £96 BUT it covers 2 adults and up to 4 or 5 kids (not sure of age limits) so it might be worth it if you are planning to visit both places.

For a cheap show dayseat (queue on the day at the theatre) or use the todaytix app. www.theatremonkey.com/dayseatfinder.htm will show you what deals there are, the more popular the show the earlier the need to queue.

The top secret hotels on lastminute.com are sometimes great, be very careful about location, the radisson and grange hotels are often on there for under 100 a night and lovely.

I don't think I could be arsed with London Zoo. A zoo is a zoo at the end of the day. If you are in the NW there's no shortage of zoos anyway! (Also live in NW, find zoos dull, can you tell?)

We're going to London in a few weeks with the DC. We're going to do a boat trip from Greenwich to Westminster to see the main sights from the boat with minimal whingeing about feet hurting (my rule is head for the river in most cities). Maybe lunch at Camden markets or Spitalfields on the second day.

We can't fit too much in because DS will get overtired. If you're going without DC you'll be able to do loads.

I whiled away many an afternoon feeding the squirrels in St James Park with DD when she was little. They're very friendly!

The pelicans are great, too. I once happened to come across one in the middle of the path, showing off for the tourists - who didn't quite know what to make of it.

I agree with Ophelia, just wandering around and poking into side turnings and alleyways is a great way to learn about London. There's always something unexpected.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned:

To get around really easily, get the citymapper app. You just type in where you want to go, and it offers different routes (bus, tube, walking) with detailed directions. I have a pretty terrible sense of direction, and I LOVE it :)

Download the Citymapper App which will tell you how to get from A to B. You can choose alternative routes i.e Bus only.
Tube Exits is another App which is great.
Both of these are free and I use both quite a lot (I live in London).

Oops cross post!

Have a look at www.walks.com (no, I don't work for them!) £7 pp gets you a 2-hr guided tour of an interesting / off-the-beaten path part of London. Loads and loads to choose from - and the guides are professional tour guides / actors. Fab value - I use them and I've lived here for 16 years

It's not so hard to get around, honestly. The London transport website is v helpful (TFL.gov.uk) and buses are a much nicer way to see a bit of the city than the tube. If you're really stuck, just ask. We all run around looking grim and determined but 99.9% of people would help out if asked directly. PM me if you want to ask anything!

Oops - walks are £10 per head now. Bloody inflation

Op we did train tickets for 22.00 from north staffs return and are here at moment.

Look at last minute Hiltons etc also sometimes a deal to be done

Check out train fares as these can be very cheap if not travelling peak times, and railcards can reduce this further. Historic royal palace membership for a couple is £63 for a year. This would give you entry to Tower of London, Hampton court and Kensington palace. Look at grouping for meal and afternoon tea deals. I always find it cheaper to go to London than other UK holiday destinations due to the amount of free sightseeing. We usually stay at travelogue Southwark, walking distance to the London eye etc. modern and clean hotel.

Hampton Court is really easy by (British Rail not underground) train from Waterloo and is probably a full day as the building is massive and rather fabulous (tip : lots of people don't realise the costumed guided tours are included in the admission and are well worth doing) plus huge and wonderful gardens (I'm a huge fan it's where I always take visitors to) , travel zoo often have discounted West End show deals, you probably won't have time to do both the Tower and the zoo , of the two I'd choose the Tower as it is unique whereas a zoo is just a zoo (a nice one admittedly).
The London Eye is right by Waterloo so you could fit that in on your Hampton Court day (train fares are cheaper after 9.30 so maybe do the Eye as soon as it opens first) Near the London Eye you could walk along the Embankment to see the Globe theatre too.

Airbnb is probably going to be the cheapest....read the reviews carefully for any properties that catch your eye and make sure you get an existing member to send you a sign up code first as it'll get you £20 off your booking.

If you can fit them in London Walks are really good and you don't need to pre book so handy if you think you can squeeze one in but aren't sure . Around £10 each and I thought the one I did in May was excellent value .