London on a Budget

You don’t have to spend a fortune in London as there are plenty of ways to keep the costs down without loosing any of the fun.

London on a Boris Bike

This is a great way to get around London,  especially the London Parks, and it’s a great way to save money too!

The Barclays Cycle Hire scheme is open to tourists, visitors and residents alike in fact everyone over the age of 14. There are two charges made on these bikes, an access fee, (starting at £1 a day) and a usage fee, (dependant upon how long you have the bike in your possession).

You can either sign up at the docking station or online to pay your access fee; it’s then down to you how much the bike ride is going to cost!  Remember, the first half hour of every journey is free of charge with the next 30 minutes charged at just £1.

As this is a scheme for short journeys by bike, the charges become progressively more expensive the longer you have the bike.  So it’s best to return your bike to a docking station as soon as you have completed your journey – you can always pick up another one later.

Take the Thames Clipper for a Budget Boat Trip

The Thames Clipper is the commuter ferry and offers you a trip down the Thames at a fraction of the price!  The Thames Clipper runs from London Eye to Greenwich and takes in all the sights along the river including Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament & Canary Wharf.

You can select a Hop on, Hop off ticket, (£8.40 adult with a travelcard or £4.10 child with a travelcard) that gives you full flexibility for the day.  However, for  an even cheaper alternative, why not choose a single adult ticket for just £3.70 with a travel/oyster card, (£1.60 for a child aged 5 -16 with a travelcard, under 5′s free).  This ticket will take you to on any destination between London Eye & Woolwich and you can always use your travelcard for a free return journey into the city!

Budget Public Transport in London for Kids

There are some great deals for kids on London’s public transport.  Children under 5 travel free on the tube, buses, trains & trams when accompanied by an adult, (of course!)

Children aged 5-11 can travel free on the tube, buses, trains and trams when accompanied by an adult.  Up to four children can travel free with one adult.

Children aged 11 to 15 can travel free on buses and trams and at the nominal child rate on the tube if they have a valid oyster card.  You can apply for an oyster card even if you live outside of London, (the application process takes around 3 weeks so would advise applying well in advance of your London trip) and you will incur a £10 administration fee.  More details available at London Transport on a Budget.

Check some more ideas for Things to Do in London on a Budget or subscribe to Topdogdays for plenty more deals for a day out.

Liz

This entry was posted on Monday, July 11th, 2011 at 2:54 pm and is filed under London Attractions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.