But this month, the Thames Festival Trust, who have organized many exciting events along the river over the last 16 years, is embracing the importance of our river even more by expanding the festival’s reach beyond the city center and launching a month-long season of events and activities along London’s 42 miles of river.

The Totally Thames Festival runs right through the heart of London, from Richmond in the southwest to Havering in northeast and the good news for Cheapos is that there are tons of free activities. Hurrah! With over 100 events taking place this month, it’s hard to know where to start, but whether you fancy some wacky installations or exhibitions, a family day out, a walking or cycling tour, cinema, sailing or even archaeology, there is sure to be something that takes your fancy.

Related: 5 easy ways to save money when visiting London

Festival Highlights

HippopoThames

Some personal favorites include the arrival HippopoThames, an enormous 21-metre long hippo sculpture by renowned Dutch artist, Florentijn Hofman, which can now be found semi-submerged in water at Nine Elms on the South Bank. This is Hofman’s first ever UK commission and was inspired by the prehistory of the Thames, when hippos could be found inhabiting the river.

How can you resist seeing a gigantic hippo sculpture floating along the Thames? Photo: Edvvc

Free Exhibit: Mapping London

Those with an interest in cartography should head straight for the Mapping London exhibition, which takes place at the Oxo Tower Gallery until 14 September. This fascinating exhibition quite literally maps the changing landscape of London and the Thames between 1572 and 2013 with a number of incredibly rare city surveys and (of course) maps.

Free outdoor movies

Fancy a free trip to the cinema? Until 26 September you can catch free open-air screenings on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at More London’s The Scoop. Possibly the most privileged location for a cinema ever, right on the river with fantastic views of Tower Bridge, Cheapos should bag their place early!

Classic Boat Festival brings historic ships to the Thames. Photo: Brett Jones

Classic Boat Festival

The 13 and 14 September sees St Katherine’s Docks taken over by the Classic Boat Festival, and visitors can hop onboard and explore a vast array of classic, working and historic vessels. Live music and plenty of spots to eat and drink will add to the festival vibe and make this the ideal stop off if you’re exploring the area around the Tower of London.

Explore an ancient Roman bath house

If London’s Roman history is more your thing then make sure you attend the Billingsgate Roman Bath House Open Weekend on 20 or 21 September. This is a totally unusual and exclusive opportunity to venture beneath the modern city’s streets and explore the remains of this 2,000 year old spa.

For more information and full event listings, visit www.totallythames.org and follow @totallythames.

The post London Cheap Things To Do: Totally Thames Festival appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Many travelers opt for Eurostar for its sheer convenience. With a headline travel time of just 2hrs 16mins from the heart of London to the middle of Paris, Eurostar will invariably be the fastest option. Others favor the international rail service for its reasonable fares. Book when tickets first go on sale (four months before travel on the London to Paris route), and you’ll surely catch a bargain.

From edgy and unloved landscapes…

But there is quite another reason why canny travelers bound for Paris are so inclined to hop on Eurostar. This journey has a remarkable cinematic quality. Climb aboard, settle down in a comfortable window seat and just watch.

The departure from St Pancras is a gentle piece of theatre. Then tunnels and light interact, with screenshots of edgy and unloved landscapes in Essex and north Kent. Cut from a scene of the old automobile plant at Dagenham to a late Saxon stone church stranded on the Essex marshes.

… to the garden of England

The train zips under the Thames then over the Medway, suddenly entering a green and pleasant land, a more rural England than we have seen in the first part of our journey. The railway plays cat and mouse with the Downs, here and there diving through tunnels under chalk hills.

Along the way, there are gorgeous scenes of Kentish orchards and pasture land. This is pure therapy.

Flanders fields

On, under the English Channel, and you’ll be in France within an hour of leaving London. Here the landscape has a more expansive demeanor.

Cassel, a magnificently-situated hill town in the distance, is a reminder that Flanders is not totally two-dimensional. Dashing south from Lille, the line cuts through territory defined by its rivers. We bridge the Scarpe and the Somme. This is a journey that evokes memories of too many wars. But it captures too the blessings of peace.

Arriving in Paris

Two hours out of London and we are into the final act. Paris suburbs are pushing north into fields where not so long ago sugar beet was grown.

We surf the city, making tracks for the Gare du Nord. But watch carefully, for just before arriving at the terminal, the River Seine has a minor walk-on role. You’ll catch a glimpse of it on the right as the train cruises south through St Denis.

Just over two hours of pure cinema. And like all good movies, it’s one worth watching time and time again.

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For most tourists, being charged over £4 for a single journey in central London is (understandably) a most baffling concept. While unfortunately I can’t tell you how to make travel on public transport in London cheap, here’s how to make it as cost-effective as possible:

1. Don’t rely on your walking shoes

If you’re planning to really explore all London has to offer, don’t make that common mistake of thinking it is a walkable city. It’s not and it never will be. With the exception of a few tube stops clustered around the area between Piccadilly Circus and Holborn, most stations are there because it would take a very long time to walk between them.

Just tap your Oyster card on the sensor and go through. Photo: Tom Pagenet

2. Make sure you have an Oyster card

The Oyster card is a small plastic card that can be topped up like a “pay as you go” phone (perfect for shorter visits), or used for weekly, monthly and annual Travelcards. Valid for travel on London Underground (The Tube), bus, tram, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), National Rail Service and London Overground, the Oyster card offers savings of over 50% compared to buying individual tickets.

You can get your Oyster card at Tube stops and Travel Information Centres by paying a £5 deposit. If you return your Oyster card when you are leaving London, you get this money back. However, if you are planning on returning regularly then it is worth keeping hold of your Oyster.

With “pay as you go,” a Zone 1 Tube, DLR or London Overground journey will cost you £2. Depending on how much you travel in one day, Oyster will cap your daily spend at £7 for off-peak travel and £8.40 for peak-time travel. Bus rides alone cost £1.35 each with Oyster. If you are staying in London for a week, save some pennies with a 7-day Travelcard to Zones 1 & 2 for £29.20.

Cheapo tip: Just remember to touch in and touch out on the yellow oyster card readers when you enter and leave stations – if you forget your Oyster card will be charged a penalty.

3. Ditch the tourist bus and take the RV1

When you’re out and about in London you may be tempted to give one of those open top sightseeing buses a go. Well, they’ll set you back a whopping £23.

So here’s an idea for Cheapos: One of central London’s public transport bus routes, the RV1, takes in an incredible number of sights and is a whole lot cheaper. Pay with your Oyster card (max £1.35 and less with a Travelcard) and bag a seat next to the window. This is a great option in the winter, as shivering in the rain on an open top bus is certainly not my idea of fun!

Starting in Covent Garden, the RV1 makes its way past Somerset House and across Waterloo Bridge onto London’s South Bank. It then stops at the Royal Festival Hall, the London Eye and the Oxo Tower before heading towards City Hall and the Tower of London. Spend the whole day hopping on and off and feel incredibly smug every time you see an expensive tourist bus pass by!

4. Cruise down the Thames with your Oyster

Another perk to using your Oyster card is that it includes discounts on Thames riverboat routes, meaning that you can opt for public transport and forgo the overpriced tourist boats along the Thames.

Oyster Travelcards will get you a 1/3 off any of the public boat services on the Thames, while Oyster “pay as you go” will get you a 10% discount just on KPMG Thames Clippers riverboats.

KPMG Thames Clippers are perfect for visiting some of London’s biggest attractions, from the London Eye and the Tate Modern, to cruising passed the Millennium Dome and enjoying a leisurely day out in Greenwich. Fares cost between £2.30-£5.40 depending on how far you wish to travel.

Also in our guide: Heading to London and looking for more ways to keep it cheap? Our editors have visited, reviewed and inspected great inexpensive hotels all over town. Read reviews and see photographs in our London guide.

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It is not the first time that a European city has deployed a cable car to speed travelers over a river. The Kölner Seilbahn has been whisking passengers across the Rhine for over half a century, along the way affording magnificent views of Cologne’s fine Gothic cathedral.

But a cable car is a first for London, giving visitors to the city another option for crossing the river. Though, of course, they are already spoiled for choice. London has its landmark bridges, plus tunnels and ferries aplenty, so–while we wait for the cable car to be completed–we have been taking a look at London’s top five river crossings.

1. The London Millennium Footbridge

This is the perfect link between St. Paul’s cathedral and the growing cluster of attractions on the south bank of the river: Tate Modern, Bankside Gallery and the Globe Theatre. The footbridge, which opened in 2002, is airy, light and elegant.

2. The Albert Bridge

Compared to the youthful Millennium Footbridge, the Albert Bridge is a real veteran of the river. Opened in 1873, the bridge connects Chelsea with Battersea Park. It looks for all the world like a suspension bridge, though it fact it is not. It just oozes Victorian grace and is a great spot to linger at night. Traffic is always light. Just now, the bridge is closed for refurbishment, but this prettiest of London bridges will reopen later in 2011.

3. Greenwich Foot Tunnel

This is a decidedly oddball way to cross the Thames. Near the preserved Cutty Sark ship on the Greenwich riverfront is a brick building with a glass dome that many visitors mistake for public toilets. Actually it is the entrance to a foot tunnel under the Thames that opened in 1902. The northern end of the tunnel is in Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs, from where there are super views back across the river to Greenwich. And just in case you are wondering, the Isle of Dogs is not an island at all.

4. The Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Ferry

This is the only one of our top five river crossings that you have to pay to use. The ferry connects the Hilton Docklands Hotel (on the south bank of the river) with Canary Wharf. The boat shuttles to and fro between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. on weekdays. At weekends, it starts at 9 a.m. We think this little ferry hop is at its spring and summer best late afternoon or early evening, when the sun to the west really shows off Canary Wharf architecture at its most dazzling.

5. The Woolwich Free Ferry

Free, just as the name says! Operating day-in, day-out since 1889, the Woolwich Free Ferry is a London institution. Services run from 6 a.m. till 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The Woolwich Free Ferry carries vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

Your favorite Thames crossing?

If you have thoughts on your favorite Thames river crossing, be it by tunnel, ferry or bridge, why not share them here? Within Greater London alone, there are more than 50 options from which the traveler can choose.

The post London’s Bridges, Tunnels and Ferries: Top 5 ways to cross the Thames appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Now that the worst of the winter weather seems to be finally easing off, lots of fun London activities are quite rightly taking themselves outdoors. Theater is one of London’s biggest selling points, and one of the city’s beloved spring and summer activities is to catch an Open Air Theatre production in the stunning surrounds of Regent’s Park, or take in a riverside performance in the more urban setting of The Scoop on the South Bank.

Here are the details for how to enjoy London’s outdoor theater offerings this year:

Open Air Theatre
Regent’s Park
Web site

Open Air Theatre stages four outdoor theatrical performances annually. Starting in May, the 2011 program includes productions of William Golding’s sinister classic, “Lord of the Flies,” John Day’s comic ballad opera, “The Beggar’s Opera,” Shakespeare’s “Pericles” re-vamped for audiences of six years and over, and the popular Gershwin musical, “Crazy For You.”

Tickets for Open Air Theatre at the bottom end of the scale are delightfully affordable, starting from around £14 per person, and each production offers a window of dates with reduced ticket prices.

Book online or by phone on 0844 826 4242. You can make further savings by buying tickets for two or more productions at once or buying group tickets, and under-18s and senior citizens qualify for concessions. Check out the Open Air Theatre’s Web site for more information on dates and prices.

The Scoop
Thames riverside
Web site

An outdoor venue of an altogether different nature is The Scoop, a modern sunken amphitheatre by the river in the shiny More London complex, hosting theatrical performances from April to September. This year’s line-up includes lively Shakespeare adaptations, modern re-workings from The Merry Opera Company and a version of Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.”

The Scoop holds an audience of 800, and it’s absolutely free to catch a production here. Get there early to bag a space, and you might want to bring something to sit on, as the surfaces are quite hard. For further information on events and how to get there, see the More London Web site.

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