When planning a trip to London — especially as an international traveler — you’re going to try and find ways to cut costs any way you can. Whether that’s skipping out on souvenirs or selecting the bottom-tier tour option, sometimes this means missing out on comforts and experiences that would otherwise make your trip more exciting. However, travel expert Rick Steves made a blog post with some budgeting tips that can help you save money for the more meaningful aspects of a great London vacation, one of the most notable being to consider a chain hotel that’s a short way outside the city.
The most common London tourist mistake that locals hate is not standing on the right side of the Tube escalator, but another major mistake is booking a hotel that’s smack dab in the middle of Central London. This will lead you to overpriced, overcrowded hotels that certainly won’t get you any bang for your buck. Instead, Steves recommends looking at chain hotels in the neighborhoods surrounding the city and settling for a more budget-friendly London hotel. He says, “I’d rather rent a palatial room or apartment a 20-minute Tube ride from downtown than pay the same for a grubby budget hotel in the middle of the city.”
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More ways to save money in London
A tourist taking a picture in front of Big Ben – Sam Edwards/Getty Images
If you follow Steves advice and book a hotel outside of the central city area, you’ll need to find a way to travel into the city for iconic London attractions. Steves recommends buying an Oyster card to take advantage of London’s public transportation. Riding the bus or the Tube is one of the best ways to get around London on a budget. While you’re zipping around town on the London Underground, you’ll want to stop and enjoy some of the sights this historical city has to offer. London is home to a plethora of free museums, from the British Museum to the National Gallery. Of the 18 best museums to visit in London, most have free entry, or at least ask for a small donation, depending on what you can contribute.
Steves lists several other free London attractions, including lunch concerts at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, or attending a Sunday speech at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park. It’s also worth spending some money on London theater, as prices are significantly cheaper when compared to Broadway’s towering prices. While London sometimes seems like a costly adventure, there are ways to enjoy the city without breaking the bank.
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Read the original article on Explore.