London; Extreme Sightseeing On A Budget

In just 1 day we took in the best views of London, saw Tower Bridge in operation, enjoyed a boat trip along the Thames, rejoiced in an art gallery, bolted up a historic tower & finished off with a West End Show and all for a budget price.  London is one the most visited cities in the world and whilst you might expect prices to match there are plenty of ways to keep the costs down. Find out how we managed to enjoy so many tourist attractions for so little in our definitive guide to extreme sightseeing in London.

The Monument, (small charge)

We start with the Monument for an early morning work out & the promised reward of fantastic views over London from the top.  Built to commemorate the Great Fire of London this attraction has been delighting visitors since 1677.  Whilst the landscape around the Monument has undoubtedly changed over the years, the view remains well worth the climb. I’m a firm believer in working for your view, (there are 311 steps up to the top), that particularly works well for younger visitors to the city .  You’ll find your own reward at the top of this 17th century tower that once dwarfed its surroundings but now find itself encased within the heights of modern London.

More information available with our Guide To The Monument. 

The Sky Garden, (photo; Phil Loach)

The Sky Garden, (FREE)

Just a 5 minute walk from the Monument, our next stop is the Sky Garden for an alternative perspective over London that is set within lush surroundings.  Located on the banks of the River Thames & sitting directly across from The Shard, the Sky Garden offers fantastic views over the city and and entry is FREE of charge. Whilst you’re standing on a lower level than the viewing platform of The View from the Shard, the views are essentially very similar – except you’ve now The Shard within your view and tickets are FREE!  You’ll need some forward planning to secure free tickets but it’s worth the view plus there’s a reasonably priced cafe on site for those looking for refreshments.

Worth Knowing; tickets for the Sky Garden are released 3 weeks in advance of your visit so worth planning ahead for this attraction.

More Information; Guide to the Sky Garden.

Tower Bridge, (FREE)

Having picked up lunch from the nearby Tesco Metro, we made use of the benches located along the banks of the Thames by Old Billingsgate to enjoy a picnic with a view. As we made our way towards the Tower of London, I timed our walk to coincide with the lifting of the lower bridge on Tower Bridge.  Whilst you can pay to visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition you can just as easily watch the lifting of the lower bridge from the banks of the Thames and catch this iconic attraction in operation for free.

Worth Knowing; take account of lifting times for Tower Bridge as these can vary from day to day to help build this within your itinerary.

More Information; Guide to Tower Bridge.

Tower Bridge

Thames Clipper, (small charge)

Next up was a trip along the river on the Thames Clipper that works out at a fraction of the price of other boat cruise companies.  Whilst there is no audio guide on the Thames Clipper, for those that know their sights, this offers you a budget trip along the Thames. Many of the main tourist attractions lie along the banks of the River Thames including the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tate Modern, Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament.  Whilst a River Roamer ticket offers a hop-on-hop-off service, we opted for the cheaper single journey ticket, (central zone), and took in all the sights in one go.

Worth Knowing; look out for discounts on Thames Clipper tickets for travelcard holders & oyster fares.

Trafalgar Square & National Gallery, (FREE)

We disembark at the London Eye, where a quick tube journey from Waterloo to Charing Cross, (Northern Line), takes us to Trafalgar Square.  Take in Nelson’s Column flanked by the iconic bronze lions and watched the world go by on the steps of the National Gallery. The National Gallery offers free entry to those that wish to enjoy paintings that span the generations from Leonardo da Vinci to Vincent van Gogh.  There is plenty within to delight that can keep you entertained for hours but ours is a quick visit to keep young minds engaged before moving on to plan our evening’s entertainment.

Worth Knowing; look out for the free 60 minute guided tours that that provide a great general overview of the collection.

Theatre; Discounts Theatre Tickets, (Half Price)

Once we’d left the National Gallery we head over to the half price ticket booth, (TKTS) located within the heart of Leicester Square. We’re looking for cheap theatre tickets for that evening and, for those that can be flexible on what they see, this is a great way to enjoy discounted tickets for top West End shows. Run by the Society of London Theatre, TKTS allows West End theatres to pass on their spare capacity seating at substantial discount for those looking for a last minute bargain.  On our visit, we picked up tickets to see an Alan Ayckbourn’s play for under £15pp running that evening.

Worth Knowing; remain flexible upon you choice of show to gain best value for this offer.

More Information; TKTS London.

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