Let's Go To London!

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Everybody is talking about London now that theOlympics have taken place there.   Londonis one of my favorite places to visit but it is also one of the most expensivecities in Europe.  A trip to London isnot going to be a cheap trip but there are things you can do to cut costs soeven if you are a budget traveler London is still possible it just takes a little work, so let’s get started.


AIRFARE
You can save money by traveling during the shoulder or off season.  It can get pretty cold in England during thewinter so for the best price and decent weather I would recommend the shoulderseason which usually runs from April to the end of May and September thruOctober. 
Prices:
From
Los Angeles, Ca                                Dallas, Tx                                          New York, NY                 
May 21-28                                         May21-28                                        May21-28
$1012 – US Airways                        $997 – US Airways                           $723 - Finair
Kayak.com                                        Kayak.com                                       Kayak.com


ACCOMMODATIONS
One way to save money on your accommodations is to stay at a Bed &Breakfast or a Guest Hotel.  These areless expensive than regular hotels and they include daily breakfast with theprice of the room which will help out with your meal expenses.  Some people Bed & Breakfasts and GuestHotels even have family rooms with private bathrooms so check around to findthe right one to fit your family or groups needs.
Here’s a couple of great options, these hotels arein good locations for touring and are within walking distance to a tubestation.
HollandCourt Hotel
$34.02per night
www.travelstay.com
Holland Court Hotel London provides relaxing 3 star accommodation in thestylish Kensington area of Central London. The hotel has a beautiful patiogarden where you can enjoy your breakfast before you head out to explore thelocal attractions. From here you’ll find Olympia and Earls Court exhibitioncentres nearby, and you could also take the short journey to the PortobelloRoad Market in Notting Hill. You’ll also find Kensington Tube Station close by,providing a route around this amazing city. Just a short walk to Kensington tube station.

Ambassadors Hotel London Kensington
$42.81 per night
www.travelstay.com
Ambassadors Hotel London Kensington offers you an affordable chance tostay in chic Kensington, close to Museumland and Kensington Palace. You canbook a compact single, twin, double or triple room with ensuite shower andtoilet (some have baths too). Your 24 hour access centrally heated room will befilled with facilities including a colour TV with news channel, complimentarytea and coffee making facilities and toiletries, a direct dial telephone, desk,hairdryer and WiFi internet access.  Infact, WiFi is available throughout Ambassadors Hotel London Kensington. Thebusiness centre with internet terminals and a fax and photocopying service willcome in handy if you’re coming to London on business. If the reason for yourtrip is purely pleasure you will make the most of the comfortable lounge area,the soft drinks bar that offers snacks and the breakfast room. You will findlots of tourist information at the 24 hour reception; the staff can even booksightseeing tours for you. To get to Ambassadors Hotel London Kensington on thetube you should travel on the Circle, District or Piccadilly line and get offat Gloucester Road Tube Station.


TUBE TICKETS
You will need tube or subway tickets to get around the city.  The tube is very easy and safe to use.  You can order multiday passes prior toleaving the States.  By doing this youwill get the best prices but you can also by single day or single use ticketswhen you get there.
Travel Card – goodfor use on the Tube and buses
Adult $83.84
Under 18 years old -  $41.92
Discounts for groups of 10 or more people and seniors.



Now that we haveour airfare, accommodations and tube tickets we have to figure out what we’regoing to do once we get there.  This isan area where you can get really creative and save some money. 

FREE THINGS TO DO

The Changing of the Guard
The changing of the guard takes place outside of Buckingham Palace dailyduring the summer months and every other day the rest of the year at 11:30am.  The ceremony takes about 45 minutesand includes a band playing popular classical music.  It is pretty impressive to see.


The National Gallery
The National Galleryin London takes up the entire north side of Trafalgar Square. It houses one of the finestcollections of Western European paintings in the world from around 1250onwards.
Its masterpieces include artworks from Botticelli, Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo,Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Cezanne, Hogarth, and Gainsborough.

The British Museum
In my opinion one of the best museums in the world.  They have over 7 million objects in theircollection.  The collection of Egyptianand Greek antiquities are without a doubt amongst the largest and best known inthe world.

St. James Piccadilly Free LunchTime RecitalsSt.James's Piccadilly in London is another church designed by Sir Christopher Wrenin 1684 and is often named as his favorite. Recitals are at 1.10pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and last 50minutes. All are free to attend but a donation of £3 is suggested.  www.st-james-piccadilly.org 
  
Kensington Roof Gardens
Not to be confused with Kensington Gardens, Kensington Roof Gardens is London'sequivalent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.See Kensington Roof Gardens Photos.  In the unlikely location 100ft above streetlevel, on top of a department store building in the busy Kensington shoppingarea, you'll find a tranquil garden planted in the 1930s. It includes a Spanishgarden, a Tudor garden, an English woodland garden and resident flamingos!
The Roof Gardens is locatedat 99 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5SA. Access to the building is viaDerry Street which branches off Kensington High Street.

Poppy Factory Tour
TheRoyal British Legion Poppy Factory in Richmond, Surrey makes paper poppies andwreaths for Remembrance Day, 11 November. The factory workers, many disabledex-Service and dependents, make poppies all year round and free factory toursare available.  The Poppy Factory wasformed back in 1922 when disabled ex-Service came home from the war and foundno employment. The factory moved to its current site in Richmond in 1933.
Groupsof a maximum of 42 can take part in one of two daily guided tours at 10.30amand 1.30pm, Monday to Thursday. The tour takes about 1 hour 30 minutes and theyeven give you a cup of tea and biscuits at the end!
Tours run by arrangement so simply contactthem to arrange for a group visit, or if it's for individuals to visit just askwhich tour you can join in with. Visits to the Poppy Factory are very popularand it's recommended you book as far ahead as possible.  Incredibly, The British Legion Poppy Factoryoffer these tours for free.

House of Parliament
The Palace of Westminster, homeof ‘Big Ben’ (or Clock Tower), is a neo-Gothic wonder from the mid-19thcentury. And it’s full of houses: namely the House of Commons and the House ofLords. Reserve ahead to watch antics during Parliament sessions.


 National Maritime Museum

Greenwich’s best attraction, this neoclassical buildingmuseum gets more interesting and fun the deeper you go in. The focus is onBritain’s seafaring past, including the bullet that felled Horatio Nelson, areplica of Ernest Shackleton’s life boat and plenty of kid-friendly interactiveexhibits in the Your Ocean exhibit.

Speakers Corner
Any dayof the week, there's free entertainment to be had in the north-east corner ofHyde Park. You can even join in. Speakers' Corner has existed since lateVictorian times, and welcomes a motley assembly of orators who tend to coverpolitical or religious subjects. Anyone can turn up and declaim on any subject,so long as they stay within the laws of free speech.
North-eastcorner of Hyde Park, near Marble Arch, W1


British Library
Theorange-brick headquarters of the BL aren't just for researchers and scholars.The titanic complex houses plenty of diversions that anyone can visit for free.First among them is the Treasures exhibition, which displays literature asdiverse as Magna Carta and original Beatles lyrics. Two small galleries off themain foyer also present ever-changing temporary exhibitions on literary themes.A quirky bookshop and excellent cafe with free Wi-Fi add to the attractions.And don't miss the sculptures by Antony Gormley and Eduardo Paolozzi in theforecourt.


Self Guided City Walks
This website lists anumber of different self guided city walks. You can printout the information and follow the instructions for thedifferent walks.  They instructionsinclude a little bit of information about each of the sites you will see,however I suggest you take along some additional information perhaps a smallguide book  to give you a little moreinformation about the sites.  www.londonforfree.net/walks/index.shtml
Picnic in the Park
London is full ofbeautiful parks so why not grab a couple of sandwiches from a local deli andenjoy lunch in the park.  If you aretraveling with kids bring along a freebie or inflatable ball and let them enjoysome down time playing in the park.  It’sa great way to spend time like a local enjoying the city’s beautifulparks. 

Cemeteries
There are a number ofvery old cemeteries in and around London. You will often find them on the grounds of old churches.  They can be very interesting to walk aroundand look at all the old head stones.   Someof the gravestones will state how the person died or some interesting factabout them.  Some of the cemeteries themselvesare beautiful and interesting dating back hundreds of years. 


National Theatre
Tap your feet to free music concerts in the NationalTheatre"Djanogly Concert Pitch" in the main foyer.Mon-Fri, 5.45pm; Sat at 1pm and 5.45pm; occasionally Sun at 1.45pm).

Southbank Centre
End the week on a high at one of the SouthbankCentre's free Fridayevening music concerts. Other free music events include lunchtime concerts inthe Central Bar of the RoyalFestival Hallon Fridays and Sundays.

National Portrait Gallery
Enjoy free concerts in the NationalPortrait Gallery practicallyevery Friday from 6.30pm.

Classical Recitals
Free classical recitals can be heard drifting through the majesticstained-glass windows of many of London's churches and cathedrals. Don't missthe lunchtime concerts at StMartin-in-the-Fields (Mon,Tues and Fri at 1pm).

Covent Gardens
If the weather's good, head to CoventGarden, where everyone from busking guitarists to string quartetsprovide a great free soundtrack as you watch the world go by.
Roxy Bar and Screen
If you love cinema,you can enjoy the big screen on a little budget atRoxyBar and Screen. From film-noir classics to futuristic video art,Roxy has an innovative programme of screenings catering for film buffseverywhere. Screenings are free, apart from recent releases and double/triplebills which cost £3.
London film festivals such as the Portobello Film Festival  are another good source of freefilms. 
Watch free outdoor screenings at TheScoop, HornimanMuseum and Gardens andthe BP Summer Screen at the RoyalOpera House.



Theatre Royal Stratford EastThe TheatreRoyal Stratford East holdsfree comedy nights every Monday and on the last Sunday of the month.


Comedy Cafe
Catch the comedy stars of tomorrow everyWednesday at the Comedy Café and every Monday (from 8pm) at TheMarie Lloyd Comedy Box in HackneyEmpire.



BBCBeing part of a live audience for TVrecordings is a great way to enjoy a hilarious night out without spending apenny. Get free tickets for top comedy shows on the BBC website or atwww.lostintv.com .


Arcola Theater
Every Tuesdayevening, the ArcolaTheatre sets aside acertain number of tickets for their "Pay What You Can" scheme. Youcan only get tickets on the night, but if you do nab one you just pay what youcan afford.
Guanabara
Head on down to Brazilian bar Guanabara where you'll find free dance lessonsmost evenings. Dance styles include Brazilian favourites such as gafieira,samba and forró.


Roller Skating
Pull on your roller skates and join over 5,000 skaters whizzing around thestreets of London. The skate departs from WellingtonArch every Friday at8pm. It's a great way to have fun without the wheels coming off your bankbalance! Visit the Friday Night Skate website for full details.

City Tour
If you prefer travelling by foot, why not go on a free London tour? SANDEMANsNEW London Tours freeRoyal Tour lasts up to three hours and takes in top London sights including the Housesof Parliament, StJames's Park and BuckinghamPalace. Tours depart daily at 11am and 1pm from Wellington Arch.

There aremany additional museums that are free as well so with a simple web search youcan easily find more museums to add to your itinerary.
 So here is where we stand so far, 

May 21-28, 2013  - overnight flightarriving on May 22, 6 nights.
Airfare
Los Angeles   -  $1012
Dallas             -  $997
New York      -   $723
Accommodations
1^st option– Holland Court
    $34.02 per night   =    $204.06 for 6 nights2^ndoption – Ambassador Hotel
    $42.81 per night  =    $256.86 for  6 nights

Tube Tickets
Adult -  $83.84
Under 18 years old -  $41.92
Sightseeing
Even though we haveplenty of free things to do once we get to London you still should budget somemoney for some sightseeing that might cost some money such as visiting theTower of London. 
Meals
You won’t have toworry about breakfast since it is included with your accommodations.  As far as lunch and dinner you should figureyour budget the same as eating out here at home.   There are plenty of fast food places to eatsuch as McDonalds or Burger King as well as deli’s and small restaurants.  You can also stop by a grocery store and pickup something to eat.  Sometimes they willhave readymade sandwiches and foods. 
So here how a trip for 2 adultstraveling from Los Angeles a trip to London would look:
                 Airfare                                                   $1012 x 2  =  $2024
                 Accommodation                                                            $204.06
                Tube Tickets                                              $83.84 x 2 = $167.68
                Meals – Budget     $10 approx.per meal, per person =  $300.00
                Sightseeing                                                                     $100.00
                Shopping & Misc                                                           $400.00
             Total                                                                                $3195.74


 For about $3200 you could spend a week inLondon, not too shabby!