The £20 note in the pocket at the start of the London day, the Oyster card (£15), the breakfast (the £3, the Pret filter coffee and the croissant), the British Museum (the free, the 3 hours, and the best museum in the world), the lunch from the Tesco (£3.50, the meal deal: the sandwich, the crisps, the drink), the South Bank walk (the free, the 4 km from the Waterloo to the Tower Bridge, and the best walk in the London), the National Gallery at the late opening (the free, the Friday until the 9pm, and the Van Gogh Sunflowers), the £4 for the Tesco meal deal for the dinner, and the Underground back to the hostel (£3). The £20 at the start of the day, and the £1.50 left for the emergency. The London on the budget is the possible: the £50/day for the all-in (the hostel bed, the food, the transport, the entertainment), and the London is the best city in the world for the free attractions. Here is the day plan.

A Day in London on a Budget

• The morning, the museum and the park: The essential London budget morning: the 9am start at the British Museum (the free, the Great Court, the Norman Foster roof, the 2000, the largest covered public square in Europe, the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, the Sutton Hoo, and the most important museum in the world. The 3 hours for the highlights, and the essential strategy: the 9am entry, the museum is the quiet until the 10.30am, and the Rosetta Stone is the accessible without the crowd), the walk through the Russell Square to the Holborn (the 1 km, the 15 minutes, and the best London park, the shade, the bench, the £1 banana from the Tesco on the Southampton Row, and the rest). The essential alternative to the British Museum: the Natural History Museum (the South Kensington, the free, the dinosaurs, the earthquake, and the best children’s museum in the London). The lunch, the Tesco meal deal: the essential London budget lunch: the Tesco meal deal (the £3.50, the sandwich, the snack, the drink), the Pret filter coffee (the £2.50, the organic, the best-value coffee in the London, and the essential, the Pret subscription: the £30/month for the 5 drinks a day, and the best subscription in the London for the remote worker). The alternative: the Borough Market (the free samples, the cheese, the bread, the chocolate, and the essential budget lunch: the £5 for the vegan burger at the Veggie Table). More UK →
• The afternoon and the evening, the South Bank and the free culture: The South Bank walk: the Waterloo to the Tower Bridge, the 4 km, the 2 hours, the Shakespeare’s Globe (the tour, the £17, the essential budget tour in the London), the Tate Modern (the free, the Turbine Hall, the Rothko, the Seagram Murals, the most beautiful room in the modern London, and the view from the Level 10 viewing gallery, the free, the St Paul’s in the distance, and the best free view in the London), the Millennium Bridge, the St Paul’s (the free to enter the for the worship, the Evensong at the 5pm, the choir, and the essential London experience for the £0), the Tower of London (the outside, the free, the photograph, and the £33 entry is the for the budget the another day), the Tower Bridge (the free to walk across, the view, and the best end to the South Bank walk. The essential Tower Bridge experience: the lift, the schedule is on the website, and the free to watch the bridge open). The evening: the West End from the outside (the Leicester Square, the Piccadilly Circus, and the £0), the National Gallery (the Friday late, the 9pm, the free, and the best evening culture in the London), the dinner: the £5 pizza at the Icco in the Goodge Street (the basic, the authentic, and the best-value pizza in the central London), and the hotel: the £20/night for the hostel dorm (the YHA, the St Pancras, the Central London, or the Generator, the King’s Cross. The essential: book online, the months in advance for the summer weekends)