�150 = 5 days in london. Is it enough?

[filthiestfis]

My friend is coming over to london for 5 days and she is tight on money. Accomodation is already provided courtesy of moi, but realistically, will she be able to get by on �150 for the 5 days? Ok it will be 4 solid days as the final day we wont go sight-seeing. There will be no clubbing involved. The costs will go on food, transport (�6 a day) and sight-seeing. I would like to show her the top london attractions.
So is �150 fine to get by with?

[Buenchico]

All of the national museums and galleries are free. You could easily spend a day just visiting the South Kensington 'big three'. (Science Museum - great for anyone who's still akid at heart. Natural History Museum - a bit stuffy in places but with some great individual galleries. V&A - frequently overlooked but absolutely stunning). Similarly, the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and many other attractions are also free. It also costs nothing to view the Changing of the Guard, stroll through Hyde Park, listen to the opera singers in Covent Garden Piazza or watch the fountain displays in the courtyard of Somerset House.

If you're planning on seeing the main sites, you'll only have to pay for places like The Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Maritime Greenwich or Hampton Court (if you venture that far out). They're all fairly expensive. (The Tower was �15 the last time I checked) but, combined with the freebies, it's unlikely that you'd visit more than one (or, at most, two) a day.

I know that I don't need to tell you about Bistro 1 but there are plenty of other reasonably-priced places for food if you look around a bit.

�150 should be ample.

Chris

[filthiestfis]

I have confidence in you Buenchico so thats enough for me to trust that �150 will be sufficient. Thank you very much. I didnt know that the majority of the museums and nat galleries were free. Will there be a queue to get in therefore?

[Buenchico]

Thanks for the reply.

There won't be any queues at the South Kensington museums. (It might take a minute or two to get in if they're carrying out security checks on people's bags but people won't be queueing down the street).

You can always walk straight into the National Portrait Gallery. (It's at the rear of the National Gallery. It sounds incredibly boring but some of the galleries, especially in the photography section, are really stunning).

It's usually very quick to get into the National Gallery.

I've not been to the British Museum for ages but you shouldn't have any problems getting in.

As stated, all of these places are free but they do charge for certain special exhibitions. However, you can still visit all of the main parts of each museum or art gallery for free.

While you could check up on the prices of the fee-paying attractions by visiting their individual websites, there's a far better way to plan your friend's visit (without actually buying an expensive guide book). Simply invest in a copy of 'Time Out'. There's always a listings section, towards the front, (called something like 'Visitor's London') which is packed with all the information you'll need for touring London's major attractions.

Chris

[beatle3]

i live in london and i would say big no....get oyster card for..cheaper travel by half

[filthiestfis]

yes I have oyster card already, thanks for the tip.

[lorri24601]

Try this website, they have loads of 2 for 1 vouchers to download, i have used them lots of time with no problems :-) hope you have a good time x

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

[bimbo123456]

Unless things have changed you have to pay to get into the Science Museum. National History Museum have a special Butterfly exhibition at the moment. Hope the weather keeps fine for you. Recommend a walk down the Mall and look at Buck House. If you can find a packet of Cornflakes with the voucher on you can get into London Zoo 2 for 1 it works with adults. London Zoo is not the most modern but it is a good day out. If you take picnics you should be able to eat for next to nothing. XX

[Buenchico]

Further to Beatle3's post:
While I'd normally recommend that someone visiting London, for several days, should get an Oyster Card, there's actually a good reason for using daily Travelcards instead. That's because one of the best ways to see London is from the river. You get a third off all scheduled riverboat services upon presentation of a Travelcard. (You don't get the discount with an Oyster card). So it might be worth paying the extra 50p per day, to use Travelcards instead of Oyster, in order to get the discount on the river services.

Further to Bimbo123456's post:
It must be a very long time since Bimbo last visited the Science Museum. There's been free admission to all national museums and galleries since 1st April, 2001. Confirmation that the Science Museum is free can be found here:
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/

Chris