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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.

Offering a fine glimpse of Old China, Fenghuang is an ancient town on the Tuojiang River in Hunan Province. In Chinese Fenghuang means ‘Phoenix’, the mythical bird of good omen and longevity that is consumed by fire to be re-born again from the flames. The town is so called because legend has it that two of these mythical birds flew over it and found it to be so wonderful that they grew reluctant to leave it. Well-preserved and maintained, Fenghuang can be tailored into your China itinerary if coming off of Yangtze river cruise and you are en route to Guizhou.

The war started a couple of weeks ago and orders are to quit for the Olympics on today’s full moon. Firecrackers for New Year, Beijing style I mean. The first day they were exploding against my 12th floor windows and everywhere else right across the city. The sweepers were out early next morn and picked up 50 tons of red paper but I didn’t notice much firecracker waste cleaned on the 1925 sidewalks around town. Casualties were a few. At least one killed by a direct hit, but being mid winter apartment windows were well closed so burn outs only happened in the few where they were so impatient they never got outside in time to light up. Hence the demons are chased away for the Year of the Rat along with most other domestic and the few wild animals left around here.

Too, things look kinder with the temperatures already well above zero and the long Johns off. Still it hasn’t snowed in 2008 and most days have been clear and sunny with the north wind blowing the pollution back down to Canton where it mostly belongs. Its back in vengeance today though with visibly within 100 yards and impaired, minus the firecracker smoke, and the Gobi spring sandstorms are looming to make things worse. So its all forwards to that auspicious 08/8/8 day, 6 months away when things will be more clement and the Olympics start.

So I am guiding it in the style of old China. There is no point being really civilized as this is where the locals will profit most and buy another car to cram these jammed city streets. Communism forget it, pinch pennies, get that new car and go forwards in life. A sad tale given the picturesque big streets crowded with the tinkle of bicycle bells just some 15 years ago.

But the Peking duck restaurants are all still somewhere as is a cheap cold bottle of beer for 50 cents. One could hang around the restaurants next to the foreigner compounds with their western menus and prices and feel like one never left home as most do. The “Wall” will be crowded, but then there are all those other unique places that I have found to get local. Tickets for the Olympics have gone crazy as expected and it takes a professional to work the black-markets and find non-photocopies at a tenth the cost marketed overseas. Better to enjoy other sights along with lamb kebabs on a side street and buy dollar DVDs.

So with the madness of a full fireworks display everywhere just in front of my window its time to sign off. Normality might reign again for the first time in a couple of weeks tomorrow. I am off to see if this Olympic crowd will pay me more than you in the morn. You know they love volunteers.

CHINA PRIVATE GUIDE

Beijing Tours Short China Tours

As India’s economy surges, New Delhi is undergoing construction boom that’s making the city easier to traverse and more tourist friendly. The improved transportation system includes multi-lane superhighways and continuously expanding subway system. The city is lush with a plethora of temples, forts, mosques as well as parks, gardens and beautiful colonial mansions. The strategic location of the city was one of the prime reasons why successive dynasties chose it as their seat of power. Much of the reconstruction going on is to be completed by the 2010 Commonwealth Games with Delhi as its host. Yet despite the modernization it’s Delhi’s plethora of temples, forts, mosques as well as parks, gardens and beautiful colonial mansions that constitute the prime reasons why visit this metropolis and begin your India tour here.Â

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