London on a budget – 9 tips for a great family day out

This is a collaborative post.

Do you fancy a family trip to London but are a bit short of money? Here I share with you my top 9 tips for visiting London on a budget. It does require a little planning in advance but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. When will you plan your visit?

Planning your visit

Be open to different days for your visit, sometimes it is cheaper at weekends and other times cheaper during the week. Being flexible about your visit can make a huge difference to the overall cost.

Driving into London is usually expensive, not just the cost of fuel of course, but the cost of the congestion charge, parking and also the stress of the busy streets can easily mean you end up in a bus lane and fined! It is much more sensible to look at public transport. The train is a great way to get into Central London cheaply especially if you book a GroupSave train ticket.

Choose attractions in an order that means you can walk between them and save on taxi fares! It makes much more sense to visit attractions close to each other now and then for another visit go to a different area. This will be much easier in the long run!

Eating in London

Whilst you could take a picnic with you it isn’t ideal to be carrying too much around with you so think carefully about what you take. Go for things that are small but filling and not easily crushed!

If you use social media you can often get free or discounted food on an app called Freachly. You do not need to be an influencer to do this but some deals on there may require a specific follower count. Essentially they may offer a meal or a voucher in return for sharing your food on Instagram! A great way to visit London on a budget is to use this to help you!

Another app you should consider is Too Good To Go. Depending on the time of your visit you could get food that would otherwise be thrown away for a low cost. For example, hotels often have a big bag full of croissants, muffins etc available after breakfast for £3/4. This is designed to reduce food waste encouraging people to eat food that is perfectly good and would otherwise be wasted!

Choosing attractions to visit

Whilst planning your visit check out free museums in London, sometimes you need to book your free tickets in advance, especially with limited numbers often being allowed in venues due to the pandemic.

If you are looking to visit paid for attractions then check out cereal boxes, sweet wrappers etc for 2 for 1 offers and consider using these to make trips to higher cost attractions cheaper. A good place to check is the Money Saving Expert forums where keen money-savers share the different offers they spot!

Consider attractions that are a bit different to the usual tourist places. For example, why not look at the different markets of London or visit the beautiful parks or somewhere further afield like Epping forest? Visit London has so many tips for free things to do in London so you really do not need to spend a fortune to enjoy a day out in London!

Do you think you could do London on a budget now with these tips?

If you found this helpful please share!