Top Travel Leads

Whether you’re a London veteran or looking to visit for the first time, the most visited city in the world is far from being known as the cheapest. However, if you know when, where and how to visit, you can then enjoy this leading global city without going home with a lighter wallet.

Here are the top things that you can do to keep your London visit down in price, and hopefully leave you with more money to enjoy more of what London has to offer.

And if you want to explore the city for more than a day, check out various different cheap London hotels to keep costs down in that area too.

The London Pass

London’s smart card is a little steep to buy initially, however, depending on what you plan to visit; this card could save you a small fortune. You can buy a pass for 1 to 6 days, and each day will cost £70 per adult and £40 per child.

This may seem pretty pricey, but when you discover that it will grant you access to over 55 of London’s attractions, each with hefty entry prices, you can then see the potential savings.

These passes count days based on calendar days and not the time you decide to use them, therefore if you use your pass at say 5pm on a Saturday, then Saturday is counted as your day, so get a good head start on the day to make full use of the pass.

Artist’s point of view

London is home to a number of impressive museums, including places such as the Tate Modern, the V&A and the British Museum. And for people interested in seeing some rare Picasso artwork, then head to the Gagosian Gallery in Kings Cross. As impressive as these museums are, the best thing is that none of them will ask for a penny.

A picnic in London

Eating out in London can either be quite expensive or of reasonable value, depending on where you visit, but you’ll be bound to wherever it is you choose. Why not enjoy the sites of London from one of its many free parks with a picnic? As long as the weather stays kind, you’ll also be able to save yourself a bit of cash along the way.

Alexandra Park is the perfect northern stop, with great views of the city and with easy access to the award winning Alexandra Palace Farmers’ market; here you can pick up almost anything for your picnic.

Changing of the Guard

If you happen to be visiting on certain days, then it’s worth seeing the ceremonial display of the changing of the guard. This military tradition of the Queen’s Guards changing takes place on specific days at 11:30am. It is the best time to visit Buckingham Palace, as it takes place in the forecourt.

Street entertainment

You’ve probably walked through many cities and found people displaying their talents for your entertainment. The same can be said for London, however the West Piazza of the Covent Garden Market is London’s home to the street performer, here you’ll find many licensed performers looking to entertain you every afternoon.

There are usually some very talented people who come here and often have masses of crowds enjoying their shows. Each performer has had to pass an audition to display their talents here, and they are free for you to enjoy.

The Mayor’s Thames Festival

By far the best free event London has to offer is the Mayor’s Thames Festival. From the 11-12th of September every year, the festival offers many performances, an architectural walk along the foreshore with the weekend closing the festival with an impressive fireworks display. 2010 also saw St. Katherine’s Dock being the host of many vintage boats.

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Some ten miles west of Ceske Budejovice in southern Bohemia, Czech Republic, lies a small village of Holasovice. The village is a well-preserved collection of village dwellings built in the middle of 19th century and offers a perfect day trip from Prague.

With characteristic stucco decorations on the gables built in style of folk baroque, inscribed with dates from 1840 to 1880, some with a touch of rococo and classicist features, the dwellings are grouped around a village pond, preserving a ground plan dating from the Middle Ages. This vernacular style of peasant architecture is known as the South Bohemian Folk Baroque. For its unique character and compliance with preservation regulations Holasovice village was added to the list of UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites in 1998.

In all there are 22 buildings that surround the fish pond and the village square, with a small chapel on one end. The main entry doorway of each house leads into a large interior courtyard. The houses are large, typically with a number of rooms in the front part of the house and farm animal and implement barns adjacent.
Although similar architecture is found throughout South Bohemia, where many farm houses have been turned into vacation homes, at times disrupting the original vernacular style by addition of contemporary design features, Holasovice as village and the property owners abide by strict rules and maintenance guidelines to retain the cultural continuity of the vernacular elements of the village folk baroque period.

Holasovice is also a wonderful stop to inlcude in your Czech Republic bicycle trip, namely Vienna to Prague and Salzburg to Prague, or it can be combined with a trip to Cesky Krumlov, another Czech Republic UNESCO World Heritage site, on the tour of best Bohemian and Moravian greenways.

If you love bicycling and Italy, taking a cycling vacation in Tuscany or Sardinia is a must. Prefer high mountains, how about Switzerland and riding the Alps? If you love France, bicycle around Provence and climb Mount Ventoux, the Giant of Provence!

Whatever your decision you will find that any one of these trips will be a perfect combination of fine riding in company of like-minded people as yourself, all bicycle enthusiasts, that love riding together and enjoy good food and lodging in charming inns. The trips are designed to appeal to riders who prefer an active cycling vacation but perhaps not overly challenging rides, wanting just as much to enjoy the pleasures of Europe as to ride, as well as those who like to challenge themselves and do not shy away from the most demanding routes.

Cycling trips are in groups of 8 – 16 cyclists and range from 4 to 9 days, from Spring to Fall. There is a tour focusing on rides around the Maggiore Lake in Northern Italy with daily rides of about 70 km each. Lodging base is in Stresa, at the 4* Regina Palace Hotel.

In Tuscany tours start from Gaiole in Chianti and go to the Orcia valley, stop in Rocca d’Orcia (4* Castello di Spaltenna hotel), then take a different route back to Gaiole.

Around Sardinia, an easy tour, “Costa Smeralda Charme”, is six days of cycling, a great tour that includes five rides promising you’ll discover the true beauty of Sardinia (4* Delphina Cala di Lepre hotel).

Raid of Swiss Alps tour, a six days raid through Switzerland departing from Stresa, a thrilling route in the Alps and among the Swiss glaciers. Possible routes include the Susten Pass, the Furk Pass and the well-known passes of San Gottardo and Sempione.

And then there is France, and splendid in mid summer of July it is on a marvelous six days tour of rides with a base in one of the most beautiful locations of Provence, Gordes. To get to Provence you can begin your car hire in France in Paris or any other major gateway to the country. The bicycle rides will take you along romantic back roads teeming in colors of Provence, the ambiance of the lavender in blossom, and include the rewarding climb of Mont Ventoux.

The trips and locations are selected not only for their unique landscape and natural beauty but above all for the memorable character of the cycling routes, each truly one of a kind that can be found only in these parts of Europe.

For tour details visit www.bikeitaliarando.com

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