To be able to visit London on a budget in half term?

[SadUselessMum]

After the disappointment of not being able to get Taylor Swift tickets for a reasonable price, my DD(14) has decided that she would like to go to London with the money that she saved instead. She has about £300 and I can probably add an extra £100 or so. Sadly, we are on a very strict budget. She is at school (and I teach) so we are restricted to half term in October.

We need to get the train into Euston (which will cost about £100 with her disabled railcard).

She does like museums but has done the main ones (Natural History, Science, Transport) on a school trip. She’s not into shopping but would like to go to a Sephora. She would also like to see the Globe theatre and the changing of the guards on horseback.

I’ve been looking at Premier Inn and Travelodge but they are still really expensive in Central London and I have no idea if it’s feasible to stay in one further afield and travel into London every day. I also need inspiration for things in London that a 14 year old girl would enjoy.

I did also wonder about driving down to a commuter town and getting a fast train into London every day, thus saving on train fare and maybe getting a cheaper hotel?

Any recommendations for hotels or things to do from people who know London would be very gratefully received.

Hi are you claiming any type of benefits as a lot of places including Tower of London do entry for £1

If you buy advance train tickets you should be able to save some money there.

@SadUselessMum

The Sunday night and Monday night at the Travelodge near Liverpool Street would be £183 flexible rate per person.

You could walk down Minories to the Tower for a look around and then jump on the hop-on/hop-off bus for a tour of Central London.

https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/44/London-Central-Liverpool-Street-hotel

https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/#gs.e63k4t

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-routes-and-tour-maps

We are so lucky to have free museums still. You can’t ‘do’ the museums on a school trip in one day. Suggest Science Museum or Natural History Museum one day each, and exhibitions change.

lived in London and there is lots of other free stuff.

Book the sky garden if availability still
the London Mithraeum is brilliant and free - near the sky garden. It’s a Roman temple preserved under a modern office.
Houses of Parliament tour is free and amazing

but what is she interested in? History, shopping, art, music, dance, sport?

As suggested I’d blow some budget on a show and do museums and a bit of shopping. A meal in the evening and a picnic lunch in a park (or if you go to the V and A you can bring a picnic and sit in the courtyard in the middle which is gorgeous.

That might be later than the half term week for a lot of places in the south (I think we are the week before), so you might find that there are some cheaper places, epsecially if you went on a weeknight.

Bit of a way out, but I have stayed at the Premier Inn at Heathrow (terminal 4) for only £50 a night, and with the elizabeth line, it is not actually very long into central London (Paddington). If you could drive to somewhere else along the Elizabeth line further out, you could then save on train tickets to get there as well. And you can get the capped day price for underground travel (though it's more when you are going to heathrow on Elizabeth line than normal underground I think, but still reasonable).

We drive because it’s cheaper, park on the outskirts and tube in. Then we tend to stay in Wembley if we need a cheaper trip (and there’s nothing on in Wembley!) premier inn and travel lodge aren’t always the best value.

Clubcard points work on hotels.com and for restaurants.

Pizza Union has a few places throughout London- great pizza, teen-friendly vibe and about £8 a pizza.

If you book a Premier inn or travelodge flexible rate, you can keep checking the website and rebook if the room gets cheaper. DS and I stayed at Liverpool St travelodge for £90 this August, and only booked a few days before. All you can eat breakfast buffet is about £12 - but half that as kids eat free.

For underground, a teen oyster daycard is capped at £4.20. You have to pay a £7 deposit but this is refundable.

If your Dd has a blue badge or get DLA you can get carer tickets free for lots of places…..so you would be free entry…..including theatre tickets….just take the letters/blue card with you….and sign up for theatre discounts with the likes of agt…..we got tickets to moulin rouge for 50 for me and carer together…..and the best bargain we got was Caberet tickets for 30 quid….really good seats….. make one of your nights a Sunday,.Sunday night accommodation is generally much cheaper …..we just stayed at Euston travel lodge for 49£ for the room on a Sunday night….likewise don’t stay a Friday or Saturday night as it costs more…l.do free things like sky garden, horizon 22 for good views……the Sunday markets brick lane etc are good for teens in vintage stuff…
.st Paul’s is free for people with disabilities and their carers

Money saving tip:

If you have to buy three meals a day out, plus snacks and drinks, it will cost a fortune, so look for ways to avoid this:

Consider getting an Air BnB or similar accommodation with a kitchen, then shop at a supermarket, and always eat a good breakfast before setting off. You could also come back to the accommodation for a late afternoon meal before going out again in the evening.

Or get a hotel where a buffet breakfast is included, eat a huge breakfast and skip lunch.

If in a hotel and breakfast is not included, don't pay for it: bring a bag of snacks like cereal bars, fruit, pastries etc, and then you just buy a morning coffee and eat a picnic breakfast in a park, or even eat in the hotel room and use their kettle so you don't even have to buy a coffee (avoid crumbs, and don't leave too many snack wrappers in the hotel bin).

There are convenience mini-supermarkets in central London where you can get the usual sandwich or meal deal for lunch - look out for these.

Always carry plenty of water and snacks in a small rucksack - if you buy small bottles of water all day it will add up.

Beware - there are very few public loos in central London: due to sexual and drug misuse historically they were closed, so think about where and when you can go - at the museums/attractions, possibly big department stores, or get a small drink in a café or fast-food place and use their facilities.

This is possible - don't get a train, drive to the outskirts, park for the week, and tube in.
However most areas have restricted residential parking so you will have to research where you can leave a car - it will be right out in zone 4 or 5

Maybe there's a small air b and b with a parking space out on edge of London

I stayed in London overnight this weekend, well when I say London, I actually stayed at Premier Inn Heathrow, cost £45 for the night and buses in to London stop right outside. It is about an hour out by bus, but if you then get a travelcard you can see most of the sights by bus.

Took my autistic son in to London last weekend, he loved the London Transport Museum, and it didn't cost us anything to get in as he's under 18 and I'm his carer. We then did a few sights by bus, including horse guards before taking a river cruise (that was about £30). All in including £50 for our trains in to London/Travelcards it cost us around £100 for a full day out.

What's the nature of her disability?

London can involve an awful lot of walking! It's easy to clock up 20,000 steps just walking around.
Staying in a Premier Inn/Travelodge on the outskirts might end up cheaper, but you'd have to crunch the numbers with the additional travel costs. You'd also have to factor in the issue with just being further away from everything.

We had some great, very cheap stays at Travelodge Docklands in school holidays. If you include Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, it’s pretty empty and the rates consequently lower.

For example, tonight is £34.99

Isn't there a Taylor Swift costume exhibition on there at the moment too?

All these suggestions are pretty niche, but see if any of them correspond to your DD’s interests:

Museum of the Home (homes and gardens through the ages), free admission, London E2 https://www.museumofthehome.org.uk

Wellcome Collection (human body and medical/human-themed exhibitions), free admission, near Euston https://wellcomecollection.org

Visit Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s for free by attending a service (Choral Evensong lasts about an hour and has beautiful church music if you like that kind of thing) https://www.choralevensong.org/uk/service-timetable.php

Try Best Western Northfields. Looks like £80-90 for two nights in half term week. Opppsite the tube station - Piccadilly line. 20 minutes to South Kensington, 30 minutes to Leicester Square & Covent Garden. There’s a Sainsbury’s next to Northfields station where you can pick up a packed lunch. And lots of local cafes to grab breakfast. And about 20 minutes to Westfield for Sephora.

South Kensington
The Victoria and Albert museum is free but unfortunately the TS exhibit closes in September. However it is brilliant for fashion, jewellery, art, design. The theatre and performance exhibit will be open again too - lots of costumes and props from musicals and films.
You could also revisit the science and natural history museums too - but book in advance (free) so you don’t have to queue.
You could walk along to Harrods if you like and pick up the tube again at Knightsbridge.

Leicester Square
The square itself is filthy and a pickpocket’s paradise but it’s a good place to walk from. Also you can buy on the day theatre tickets at the booth here - just tell them your budget and they will find you two tickets (should be able to get a musical for £25-30 a head). You could also look in advance on official London Theatre website or on the day TodayTix.
Head South to Trafalgar Square and the national gallery (free) and the national portrait gallery (free) then you can head further south towards Downing Street, parliament, Westminster abbey. Or to horse guards parade (11 am on weekdays). If you contact your MP’s office in advance, they usually host free tours of the HoP during school holidays. (You don’t have to share their politics. 😀) You can cross the bridge to Southbank here too (check the website for what’s on).
You can also easily walk to Piccadilly Circus, Regents Street, Hyde Park, Soho, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden from Leicester Square.

Lots of good suggestions about East London, Brick Lane, etc from pps.

On the day you leave, try the British Museum (free) and the Wellcome Museum (free) - both near Euston station.

Have a good time.

LSE Bankside (student accomodation) is right behind the Globe. £80/night including breakfast.

Also last time I was in London I had lunch in a church cafe. It was really good value! I can't remember which one it was sadly.

However here is a list...

https://www.culturalwednesday.co.uk/guide-london-church-cafes/

Download citymapper. It's easy to use to navigate on transport and also tells you estimated time and cost in the options so you can weigh this up. Also good for working out when the next bus will arrive.

Bus absolutely cheaper than tube. Also get a decent view.

Accommodation is expensive- like any city. I'd check out booking.com etc and then use city mapper to work out transport costs- then see what's cheaper / more time efficient.

Tonnes of stuff to do for free. Many great ideas already on the thread. If your daughter likes art, the view from the Tate modern cafe is pretty nice.

Food / eating out is expensive. There are cheaper options but takes more effort to find.

If you head to Southbank, there are often free things going on in the holidays- you may need to book. They also have decent loos. There is also water available. In fact you can fill water bottles up in loads more places now.

Remember try and book things. Things book up quickly- particularly in the holidays. Even some free things you need to book.

Horizon 22 viewing platform gives incredible views over London - and it's free! You do need to book on the website though. Also for shows - try the last minute booth on Leicester Square. Get an Oyster card for Underground/Bus.

Also there is a YMCA hostel just off Tottenham Ct Rd

The Richmond Harbour Hotel is £120 for the Sunday night in October half-term if you are happy sharing a double bed? Or a larger twin room is £145. It’s much nicer than a Premier Inn and might feel like more of a treat as they have a nice spa and toiletries. Breakfast isn’t included (and is expensive to add-on for what you get) but there’s a Pret by Richmond station and a Bill’s if you want a cooked breakfast for around £12pp.

I have stayed at this hotel and we drove. Parking was £15 for 24hours. It was a pretty easy drive in for us. Just round the M25 and then off at either the M3 or M4. No need to drive through central London, although I think we did go through a ULEZ so you might need to look into that if you have an older car. I live rurally and we don’t have ULEZ’s so I didn’t even think to look it up in advance!

Richmond is zone 4 so you’ll need to factor in travel cards for zone 1-4. But you can be in central London within 30 mins and Richmond itself is very nice.

The Design Museum in Kensington is great. Free, but check their paid exhibitions out for when you’d be visiting as there might be something on that your DD would like (especially if she’s into fashion). There’s a Townhouse for a nice manicure on Kensington High Street too if she’s into beauty. And it feels quite luxurious but isn’t massively expensive compared to other nail places.

I would echo trying to see a show if DD likes that sort of thing. Six is amazing.

If she likes shopping, maybe a trip to Harrod’s? You won’t have to buy anything (or maybe just a bottle of water if you want to feel like you’ve shopped at Harrod’s) but it’s an experience I remember enjoying as a teenager. Same with Fortnum and Mason.

Don’t try to pack too much in though if you only have one night. You want to enjoy it, not feel like you’re rushing about.

For your dates Archway Premier Inn starts £160 for 2 nights. This hotel is next to the tube (zone 2) and and M&S food hall. Tube journey is about 10 mins to Camden, 20 mins to the West End (Tottenham Court Rd).