A vacation doesn't have to be expensive to be amazing — which is good news since no one seems to have much money these days. London's a perfect example: It's famously one of the most expensive cities in the world, but you could easily have a great day there for just $15 (not counting your accommodations, of course).
Public transportation in London is pricey, so it’s important to base yourself within easy walking distance of many of the city's top sights. The Victoria and Albert Museum, for one, just premiered a first-rate exhibition of design art, and offers free admission. Science-minded families can then venture next door to the Natural History Museum, where kids can roam the dinosaur exhibits and gawp at the life-size model of a blue whale. And there’s no admission charge there either, so stay as long (or as short) as you like.
For lunch, eat where Londoners eat — at a sandwich shop like Eat or Pret-a-Manger; it may not be The Ivy, but it's a much more authentic experience. A drink and a sandwich will cost you about $6. After lunch, walk up Brompton Road for some window-shopping at Harrods, the ultimate London department store. (At least for window-shopping; for shopping-shopping, I'd recommend Selfridges.) If it's summer, it’ll stay light until quite late, so consider an early evening stroll through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, visiting the Rose Garden, the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and the Serpentine Gallery, which this season is showing one of the city's hottest exhibitions, Jeff Koons' Popeye Series. All of that sightseeing? Again, free.
So where can you find reasonable accommodations near so many top attractions? There are lots of great, inexpensive hotels in the South Kensington/Earls Court neighborhood. The fantastic Base2Stay offers rooms for as little as $133, with free Wi-Fi and, crucially, a microwave and fridge in every room.
Those are perfect appliances for a real budget traveler, who could pick up a microwaveable meal from Marks and Spencer for around $6 and take it home, leaving perhaps just enough room in the budget for a pub beer. But you could also consider a drink and burger at Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Earls Court; conveniently, Base2Stay offers its guests a 30 percent discount. The total cost: after discount, around $9.
I haven’t included breakfast in this budget, but your hotel will likely supply a tea or coffee breakfast for free. So for $15, you can visit the V&A, Natural History Museum, Harrods, Hyde Park and the Serpentine Gallery, plus have dinner at GBK, one of my favorite quick meals in London. That's a great day — and all for about the same cost as a paperback at Borders.
It’s possible to have a $15 day out in expensive cities in the U.S., too. In my hometown of New York, I’d recommend a walk down Fifth Avenue, through Central Park and into the Metropolitan Museum of Art, powered by meals of bagels and pizza. Then cap off your day with a subway ride downtown to the best attraction in town, the Staten Island Ferry — free since 1997.
What are your ideas for a $15 day in the cities you live in or love? Share your suggestions with other travelers in the comments section.
— Diane Vadino
Diane Vadino is a frequent contributor to Bing Travel who writes about travel, art and design from her base in Brooklyn, N.Y.
No accomodation in $15 that th ctach. Still affordable in london a day. Nice post
good job its cheap
$15 to stay in a london hotel now that brilliant and cheap.
Are there any youtyh hostels in the greater London area? They are typically cheap AND clean if you're not allergic to helping with the chores.
Great Post! It's hard to believe you can survive anywhere in Europe- let alone London- on $15 a day!
Excellent blog and shows that you do know London very well. I am based in London and know that there are so many things to do for free. I personally love walking down the London embankment past the Royal Festival Hall. There are great shops selling DVDs, books. Don't forget to window shop in convent garden and listen to free singing. In regards to accommodation, if a group of people are coming to London, it is much cheaper per head to stay in a serviced apartment than hotels. 4 people in a one bedroom apartment could average £45 per head and with more space.
very nice deals
Great post! $15 to stay in a London hotel now that excellent.
By heck you are lucky. I suppose you could do it but I don't think I would enjoy it, It would be OK visiting Museums and stuff but if you are like me the getting to London is a problem, I am from Glasgow. The last time I was in London staying at the Ramada jarvis heathrow hotel it was nearly $15 for a sandwich. I know. I nearly choked myself.
Wow that is a deal for only $15!
Wow
I'm afraid hotel prices in london have gone way up. hotels like Premier Inn are within your defined range of $133. Or you can look for more hotels at http://www.cheaphotels.pk If you stay bit outside central londo,n you can find better hotel deals and with travel card which cost £30/week (unlimited travel) will help you save even more.
