These oh-so-easy to make errors can add up over the course of a trip and make a serious impact on your wallet — not to mention your enjoyment. To make the most of London like a true Cheapo, be sure to avoid these 10 costly mistakes:

1. Not getting an Oyster card

Just getting around town is expensive in London. And, do you know what’s really cruel? It tends to cost tourists more. That’s because Londoners who regularly take the Tube use Oyster cards. These are like travel credit cards, and they charge a cheaper rate for tickets than just buying them as you go. Sometimes an equivalent journey without an Oyster card can be more than double the price!

Oyster cards are easy to get hold of, you’ll just need to pay a small deposit (which is refundable). Find out more about them here.

2. Taking the Tube for every trip

And while we’re on the subject of travel, don’t think you have to travel everywhere on the London Underground Tube network. It’s easy to get between most central London attractions on foot (not to mention a lot more interesting).

If that’s not an option, London buses are considerably less expensive than the Tube and just as user friendly (the name of the stops are always announced and come up on a screen). They’re better for those traveling with wheelchairs and strollers, too. (Here’s a list of 5 bus routes every tourist should know.)

The Tower of London might be an icon, but it also costs £24.50. However, if you do go, make sure to book ahead. Photo: Craig Nelson

3. Trying to do too much

London is huge! And there’s so much to see. You’ll never see it all in one trip, so don’t make the mistake of trying to cram it all in. Rushing from one expensive attraction to another is a sure-fire way to lose money and lose out on some of the city’s fun.

Plan the essentials and leave the rest to chance. Sunny day? Have a wander around one of the city’s great parks, maybe, or check out a market. Rainy day? Pop into a free museum. London is better when you don’t try and keep up with the city’s frantic pace.

4. Not booking ahead for the big attractions

Having said that, for the really big attractions that you know you don’t want to miss out on, it’s always best (and often cheaper!) to book ahead. Many, including the Tower of London, Madame Tussaud’s, the London Eye and London Zoo, are all cheaper when you book online ahead of your visit.

Related: Top budget hotels in London

Celtic Hotel offers an optimal Bloomsbury location with low rates and free breakfast. Photo: Craig Nelson

5. Staying in a hotel way outside the center

We’ve all been there: deciding to go for accommodation that’s slightly cheaper but not so well located. Honestly, in London that’s a false economy. Staying more centrally doesn’t only save you travel time, it means that you can most likely walk, or at least bus it, to the central locations.

For budget friendly, centrally located accommodations, check out our favorite hotels in the Bloomsbury neighborhood, near Victoria Station, or Bayswater, for starters.

Search London hotels now

Know your travel dates? Find hotels for your budget now through our reservation partner, Booking.com

6. Tipping too much

Britain is not a nation of tippers and applying some of British tipping habits will really help your wallet.

• Eating out? Look at the check to see if a service charge has already been added. If not, a tip of around 10% is normal (and that’s only if you have been happy with the service).

• Getting a taxi? Round it up to the nearest pound.

• In a bar? It’s quite rare to tip, although you may offer to buy the bartender a drink.

Of course if you want to reward exceptional service with a more generous tip, it will always be appreciated. However, in the vast majority of cases, tipping is really seen as a bonus.

Victoria & Albert Museum is not only the world’s biggest destination for design and decorative arts. It’s also free! Photo: mk30

7. Not making the most of the free attractions

Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London may leave you feeling culturally enriched – they’ll also leave you considerably poorer. But famous doesn’t always have to mean pricey.

Many of London’s popular museums are free and it’s definitely worth making the most of them, whether it’s hanging out with the Egyptian mummies and the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, or marveling at the contemporary art and architecture at Tate Modern. Take a look at the list of 20 free museums here.

8. Being ripped off for food

Microwaved meals and soggy pasta is all-too-often dished up to unsuspecting tourists. Finding well prepared, decently priced food in many of London’s tourist areas can be a huge challenge.

If available options look suspect, head to one of London’s better chains. The following all offer tasty food for around £10-15: Wagamama (noodles), Wahaca (Mexican), Franco Manca (pizza), and Byron Burger (as the name suggests, burgers).

Markets are also a good option for foodies (especially for the free samples). Check out this list of our favorite food markets. As well as Borough and Maltby Street, check out many of the street markets such as KERB, a regular near King’s Cross.

Don’t overlook supermarkets for picking up snacks or even all the fixings for a cheap dinner. Tesco Express is a popular choice. Photo: Ewan Munro

9. Not using the supermarkets

Eating out in London all the time gets expensive quickly, but eating in is relatively cheap. Even if you’re staying in a hotel, it’s always worth popping into a supermarket for a lunch or a snack (check out our guide to supermarkets here). They’ll always have a good range of food to go, at a great price.

10. Overlooking discounts

Having an International Student Identity Card can make a huge difference to your stay and can offer discounts of between 20% to 50% on entrance tickets. If you’re not a student but still under 31, an International Youth Travel Card offers similar reductions. Similarly, seniors should ask about discounted admission to most big attractions and museums.

Your tips?

Have a tip to add to our list of mistakes to avoid when visiting London? Share with us in the comments section below!

The post Visiting London? Avoid these 10 costly mistakes appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Hailing a London taxi can cost a small fortune and riding the night buses can take a long time to get you back to your hotel.

However, all that might change with the arrival of the Night Tube – a boon to party people and budget travelers who like to stay out late or are catching a late-night flight.

What is the Night Tube?

After announcing the new service in 2014, the Night Tube has finally arrived! It offers a 24-hour service on selected Underground lines on Fridays and Saturdays.

At the moment, the service is running on the Central Line (that runs west to east across London including stops in Notting Hill, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Bank and Liverpool Street) and the Victoria Line (that crosses the city south to north, including Brixton, Victoria, Oxford Circus, Euston, King’s Cross, Highbury & Islington).

The service is due to start running on the Jubilee Line starting October 7, 2016 and will be extended to the Piccadilly and Northern lines later in the autumn.

Related: 10 Tips for riding the London Tube like a local

How much does it cost?

The service costs no more than a standard off-peak journey on the Underground, whether that’s a single ticket or an Oyster card fare. Day tickets are valid from the day of purchase until 4:30 am the following day — so if you buy your ticket at 10 am on a Saturday, it’ll still be valid come 4:15 am on Sunday morning (although you’ll personally probably be exhausted!).

How will it benefit the budget traveler?

The obvious benefits are convenience and cost. Rather than having to navigate the network of night buses or shell out for a taxi, this will open up most of central London.

Even the two lines offering the service at the moment are convenient for traveling, servicing some of the typical budget hotel areas including Warren Street, Victoria, and Holborn. Party areas such as Brixton and Shoreditch (using Liverpool Street station) are now much more easy to reach — and return from — in the early hours.

It will also be a huge help for travelers who have scored cheaper flights or trains into and out of London, with Victoria (for trains to and from Gatwick), Liverpool Street (trains to and from Stansted) and King’s Cross (for the Eurostar) all on the network. When the Piccadilly line becomes part of the Night Tube, Heathrow will also be accessible.

Related: The Cheapest and fastest options for getting to the airport in London

The post London’s Night Tube Opens! How does it work? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

So ask yourself what your priorities are—is it worth that extra £20 to get yourself to hotel check-in as swiftly as possible and make the most of your visit to London? Or do you have time on your side and would rather save those £££s on transportation, so you have more money to burn when you’re out and about in the city?

We’ve saved you the lengthy research by weighing up the best fast and cheapo options below!

Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. Photo: Curt Smith

Heathrow Airport

If you’re arriving in London on a long haul flight, chances are you’ll wind up at Heathrow, which sees almost 200,000 passengers arriving and departing each day. There are five terminals, all fairly easily accessible. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are walking distance apart, whereas for Terminals 4 and 5 you may find you need to jump on the Underground or the Heathrow Express train.

Fastest: If you’re on a short jaunt in London and want to maximize your time in the city then the Heathrow Express is the best option for you. Sleek and uber comfortable trains with tons of space for luggage depart every 15 minutes from the airport and take just 15 minutes from terminals 1, 2 and 3 to Paddington station in central London. Add on four or six more minutes to the journey time if departing from terminals 4 or 5.

It’s not the cheap option, with adult tickets costing £26 for a single and £39 for a return when purchased onboard, but you can knock £5 off the cost of each ticket when you buy online or at the ticket machines and ticket desks in the station, making a single £21 and a return £34. Get organized and you’ll get an even better price as well, with regular advanced booking deals available online, particularly for kids and group bookings.

Cheapest: If saving those pennies is the most important thing, then by far the best option is to take the London Underground into the city center, which takes around one hour depending on where your final destination is. The Piccadilly Line has a stop for Terminals 1, 2 and 3, another for Terminal 4 and another for Terminal 5, so no matter where you land you’ll be able to access the Tube.

The airport is located in zone 6 and a single ticket into zone 1 (central London) will set you back around £5.70. However, if you read our guide to public transport in London and get yourself an Oyster card, this will be reduced by a few pounds.

The Gatwick Express train gets you to Victoria Station in 30 minutes. Photo: Vera Blossom

Gatwick Airport

Officially located in Sussex, Gatwick Airport is London’s second biggest air hub and covers the largest number of destinations of any airport in the country. There are two terminals; North and South, which are walking distance apart.

Fastest: The quickest way into London is from the well-located train station at the airport. However, unlike from Heathrow, the official “Gatwick Express” service which runs every 15 minutes to London Victoria only shaves around five minutes off your total journey time when compared to the notably cheaper, Southern Trains service. The former will set you back around £18 for a single and £31 for a return, while you can bag a return on the trusty Southern Train for a mere £15. If London Bridge or St Pancras are more convenient for you, opt for the Thameslink train for a similar price.

Cheapo tip: If you’re arriving and departing from Gatwick then be sure to buy yourself a return ticket, it’s only a few pence more expensive that the single!

Cheapest: If time is on your side then take the bus to central London. National Express has regular departures from both terminals to London Victoria from as little as £8 each way online. On average the journey takes an hour and a half, but be patient—London traffic is always unpredictable. Alternatively, Stelios’ easyBus has services to Waterloo and Earl’s Court which take between 60-90 minutes. Buses run every 15-20 minutes and start from as little as £2 each way when booked in advance online.

Stansted Airport

London’s third busiest airport is Stansted. Serving shorter haul destinations, you may well find yourself here if you’re flying to other countries in Europe with a low-cost airline.

Fastest: The handily located station makes it very easy to hop on the train from the airport. The Stansted Express departs every 15 minutes and takes around 35 minutes to Tottenham Hale or 45 minutes to Liverpool Street station. Given the trains are often pretty packed, the £21 single and £32 return feels pretty steep, but you can cut this price massively if you book early, with fares from £8 when booked 30 days in advance and £12 when booked seven days in advance. There are also discounts for groups and two adults traveling together.

Cheapest: Again, if you really want to save those pennies then the bus will be your best option. From Stansted you can catch National Express or Terravision buses to Victoria or Liverpool Street, while the easyBus goes to Old Street and Baker Street. All buses depart regularly and take between one and two hours. Fares start from £2 each way and the best prices are found when booked in advance online.

London Luton

Again, you’re most likely to find yourself at Luton if you’re flying low-cost to a nearby destination, and most Londoners try and avoid this airport like the plague. Not because it’s unpleasant when you get there, but because the lack of an on-site train station makes it a whole lot more awkward to get to and from. If arriving very late at night, I would pay the extra flight price to land somewhere else, as the onward journey from Luton is not so straightforward.

Fastest: Rail is still (just) the quickest way to central London, but the difference isn’t as huge as when compared to Heathrow and in this instance I would probably just go for the cheaper bus route. All visitors must catch the shuttle from outside the airport to the rail station. The journey takes around 10 minutes and the buses leave fairly regularly. Your rail ticket can be bought at the bus stop and includes the surcharge for the shuttle. If you don’t pay it you will be charged £1.60 to take the shuttle bus. On arrival, Thameslink runs trains to Blackfriars, Farringdon, and St Pancras, which take between 40 and 60 minutes and cost around £15 single and £24 return.

Cheapest: Both easyBus and National Express serve Luton Airport and take around 90 minutes to Victoria coach station. EasyBus just launched its direct service to Liverpool Street last month as well, which it claims takes one hour and five minutes, but I would always recommend leaving a bit longer. Single tickets can be bought from as little as £2 if you get them in advance.

You can easily take the Docklands Light Rail to connect with the Tube from London City Airport. Photo: Tom Page

London City

Finally, if you’re touching down at London City Airport then you’re very lucky indeed! Designed for business travelers to have easy access to the city, you won’t be swamped with mind boggling options here—simply up your Oyster card and hop onto the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and connect to London Underground’s Jubilee Line at Canning Town in just three stops.

How do you get in?

Have a tip for a fast or cheap way in from any of London’s airports? Share with us in the comments section below!

The post London Airport Transport: Our picks for the fastest and cheapest ways into town appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Cheapos on-the-go can save quite a bit of cash on public transportation—and without walking everywhere, too. You just need to know how to get the best value out of the underground “Tube” system. Here’s a quick Tube primer:

London: The “Big… Onion”?

Transport for London, the main transportation authority, divides London into nine zones. “Zone One” is the city’s center, the “middle of the onion,” if you will. Think Trafalgar Square and Big Ben.  Zones two through nine work out in rings from there, and are the outer “layers of the onion.”

The price of a Tube ticket depends on how many zones you pass through on any given journey. (Tip: Remember, buses work differently. You can travel on them all over London, in all zones, for one price.)

Three ways to pay for the Tube

1. Single Tickets: You could always turn up at any London Tube station, buy a single ticket, and be on your way. But, as locals will tell you, this is the most expensive and least practical payment option, especially if you plan to make many trips on the Tube during your stay in London. (Read more about single ticket prices.)

2. Travelcard: A second option is to buy a printed “Travelcard” for 1, 3, or 7 days. The price of the card depends in which zones you expect to travel. Also, 1-day cards are more expensive if you travel before 9:30 AM.  Remember, most sights are within zones 1 and 2, so stick to those zones and you should be fine. (Read more about 1 and 3-day passes, and 7-day passes.)

* * However, travel agents (watch out!) will often try to sell tourists 7-day passes good for all nine zones, the cost of which is a hefty £68.  For only zones 1 and 2, the same 7-day pass will cost only £25.80.

Tip: If you do need to go further afield, you can buy an add-on ticket (or just go by bus, if you can spare the time – the Travelcard will be valid.)

3. Oyster card: Finally, I recommend that you buy an “Oyster card,” a pre-paid “smart card” that always charges the lowest fare. You pay a one-time refundable deposit for the card (£2 if you buy it from a special tourist outlet; £3 otherwise) and then load it up with money. You can put 1, 3, and 7-day “Travelcards” on your Oyster card, or use your Oyster for single trips (at reduced rates).

* * Pay-as-you-go fares using an Oyster card are half what they are if you pay cash. Also, there’s a price cap per day, so you’ll never pay more than the price of a one-day travel card. (For more info on the price cap and how it works, go here.)

The Oyster card also gives you some security, because if you register your card and it gets lost or stolen, you can claim back any money you had on it. You can’t do that with a Travelcard.

When you’re finished with your Oyster, you simply return it to a Tube station, where an agent will refund your deposit and any money you haven’t spent. (Note: If you’re owed more than £5, it will be given to you in check form, in British pounds, which might be a pain to cash.)

Bottom line

Oyster cards are probably better than Travelcards for most tourists visiting London, as they’re convenient and charge the lowest single-trip fare. Plus, if you plan to travel quite a bit (and for more than one day), simply put a 3 or 7-day Travelcard on your Oyster card.

For more information on using the Oyster card, check out the Tube’s website. A list of Tube fares for zones 1 through 6 can be found here.

One final note

Check with your hotel and in tourist information centers for special offers available to Travelcard and Oyster card users. Benefits typically include reduced entry fees, special deals in restaurants, and more. These offers change frequently, so look for leaflets at Tube stations, or ask a station agent.

The post London Transportation Tip: Get the most out of the Tube! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

To simplify things for short-term visitors, there are also two Oyster cards specifically intended for tourists—a one-day card and a three-day card. The Oyster card for Visitors gives cardholders nearly 50% off all cash fares around London on tube, tram, bus, and Docklands Light Railway. Although you have to register your details to get an Oyster card—this part is too Big Brother for us; we suggest you register as “John Doe” if you don’t want Transport for London knowing your every move—it’s worth it for the savings.

With an Oyster card, you’ll pay £1 for bus fares and between £2 and £2.20 for Tube rides, a fraction of what you’d otherwise spend. The beauty of it is you can now snag an Oyster card for Visitors before you even get into London. A new partnership with Gatwick Express allows visitors to buy cards on the train from Gatwick on your way into town. For more information, poke around the Transport for London site.

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