Another five days in London, including flights to/from Berlin, once again cost me under £100. How did I do it? I lay my budget bare and reveal the winner of the Reader Tips contest for London after the jump.
Transportation Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+ Flights to/from Berlin (RyanAir): 23 euros
+ Berlin ABC ticket to Schoenefeld Airport, return: 5.50 euros
+ Oyster card (for public transport): £20
+ Stansted bus to Victoria Station, return: £14
Subtotal: 28.50 euros and £34
Food and Drink Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+ Groceries: £25.35
Subtotal: £25.35
Other Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+ Airline luggage fee: 13 euros
+ Host gift: 1.70 euros
Subtotal: 14.70 euros
TOTAL: £59.35 and 43.20 euros
space
Here’s how I occupied myself across London without spending one red cent:
+ five nights accommodation (with friends)
+ two free movie showings (comp tickets from a friend working at a cinema on Leicester Square)
+ free museums: Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Kenwood House, Photographer’s Gallery
+ free parks: Battersea Park, Lincoln in the Fields Park, Hampstead Heath
+ a walk from Hampstead to Aldgate, outlined in my guidebook
This trip followed my typical no-budget rules: free accommodation, ride public transport (£4-5/day), eat only groceries (£5/day), do lots of cheap or free activities. A daily budget of £10 ($20) is similar to what I spent in the fall. Here were the major shifts in spending between the two trips:
- In the fall, I spent 2 cents on my flights; in the spring, 23 euros (in reality, the flights were again 2 cents, but RyanAir tacked on both taxes and fees for the “no taxes, no fees” sale).
- In the fall, I spent £15 on admissions fees; in the spring, £0.
There is still so much free stuff I didn’t see and do that I am certain to visit again before the year is through, so feel free to leave additional ideas for cheapo fun in the comments.
Winner of the Reader Tips contest for London is Pierre Van Eck, whose advice included a continuously updating list of free things to do in London as well as a tip for Stansted-area tourism. Thanks Pierre!
Stay tuned this week for more London-related advice from the road, as well as a feature on daytrips from Stansted Airport.
Liked this post? Try these other budgets on for size:
Baring My Budget: Malta
Baring My Budget: Stockholm
Baring My Budget: Hamburg
Baring My Budget: Venice
Budget Analysis: NY Times’ “Frugal Traveler”
Budget Analysis: NYT “Frugal Traveler,” Part Deux
Looking for more London advice? See
Baring My Budget: London
No-Budget Tips for London and Stockholm, Revisited
Navigating London Stansted Airport
hot tip for living (and shopping) like a king on a cheapo budget: BALI. Just got back and, let me tell you, everything there is negotiable. And the dollar is very strong against the rupia, $5 goes a LONG way. Look into Bali, such a beautiful country with lovely, kind people, many of them know at least rudimentary English.
Benj, I play in an Indonesian Gamelan, so it is definitely on my to-see list. My current difficulty is the cost of plane tickets TO Asia from Europe or North America. . . Anyone with cheapo ideas on that front is welcome to share!
that is quite an impressive feat!!! I personally find just buying coffee throughout the day can add up, throw in the odd beer and I’m over your budget all ready.
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I love this feature. You must do it more often.
[...] Wondering where else in Europe you can travel so cheaply? Check out my other budgets: Baring My Budget: Malta Baring My Budget: Stockholm Baring My Budget: Hamburg Baring My Budget: Venice Baring My Budget: London Baring My Budget: London, Take 2 [...]
Meredith, find me a sugar daddy and I’ll post one per week!
Y’all are welcome to contribute to the tip jar! 100% is put into no-budget travel, I promise.
I’m with meredith, but of course you have to go travel somewhere to get to post one. Thanks though for the example of how London can be affordable!