London: tips from experienced travelers

1. When traveling to London, you will arrive at Heathrow or Gatwick Airport. The first is more popular, but it is located 25 kilometers from the city. Most often travelers get to the city center by regular Heathrow Express buses, which depart every 15 minutes. The ticket costs £26.50 but if you buy it in advance online, the price drops to £21.50.

But there are much cheaper ways to get to Heathrow - the fast Heathrow Connect train leaves Heathrow every 25 minutes. It will take you to Paddington Station for just £10.10. There is also a tube from Heathrow. There is one station between Terminals 2 and 3, and two more near Terminal 4 and Terminal 5. The fare is £5.70.

2. If your budget is quite limited, but you still want to stay in the center of London, we can recommend hotels that cost less than £100 per night: The Crestfield Hotel, Notting Hill Gate Hotel and St. Athans Hotel.

3. To significantly reduce all your expenses during your vacation in London, we advise you to buy an Oyster Card. It gives significant discounts on travel around the city: with it a city bus ticket will cost £1.20 (usually £2), and a subway ticket £2.30 (usually £4.80). You can get an Oyster Card at a metro ticket office by paying a £5 deposit.

4. Start your acquaintance with a sightseeing tour. And there's no need to splurge on the famous double-decker buses. You can join Sandemans New Europe Tours' absolutely free walking tours. Here on this resource free tours are announced, which are conducted by very witty volunteer guides. This way you can see the main sights and make a friend among the locals.

If you don't have a lot of time at your disposal, but want to do everything, go on a 2-hour sightseeing tour of the main sights of the British capital. Maximum concentration of interesting and useful information is guaranteed!

5. Walk more: experienced travelers say that the tourist center of London is small, which means that all the famous sights can be seen just by walking. And in passing you can explore London's colorful places, such as Borough Market, the royal Hyde Park and Regent's Park, Camden Town and Islington Borough. By the way, you can make the most of the city's most colorful, musical and iconic district, Camden, on the "Camden Town: Rock 'n' Roll and Pubs" tour.

6. Visit museums. In England, it's considered bad form to come to a city and not familiarize yourself with its culture. That's probably why the Brits have made entry free in many of London's significant museums. For example, you can visit the historic and archaeological British Museum, the Museum of London and the British Library for free.

7. Entrance and tour to Westminster Abbey costs £20, but if you read the necessary materials in advance, you can waive the guide and go for free. At the entrance, you just have to say you 're at a service - they'll let you through and you can tour the abbey in peace. Of course, this is not the most honest way, but if you really need to save money - then there is such an opportunity.

8. If you want to discover non-touristy London, go to Regent's Canal. It's also called Little Venice, and visitors don't usually make it here. A ride on small boats or special mini-barges costs from £8.30 for adults and £6.80 for children.

9. You can see the most delightful panorama of London not only from the famous London Eye observation wheel, but also from the park on Primrose Hill. This is one of the most favorite recreational spots of Londoners. From here you can get a stunning view of the skyscrapers and the same London Eye. Then again, tourists rarely wander here.

10. Experienced travelers recommend leaving time for a leisurely stroll along the south bank of the Thames. Start at Waterloo Bridge and walk to the Tate Modern Gallery (by the way, admission is also free). First, you'll get a marvelous view of all the city's iconic landmarks. And secondly, along the way you'll be able to see many other equally interesting cultural sites in London - Royal Festival Hall, the British Film Institute, the OXO Tower and the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare himself once played.

More useful tips about London in the new video on Andrei Burenok's channel: