I don’t know about you, but my Instagram had figured out that I am in London and I am cheap and it keeps suggesting things to do.

And a lot of them are garbage.

So I’ve been here a few months now and thought what actually are some of the frugal things worth checking out in London? And I have some strong opinions and some insider tips now. And I’ve never seen a few of these suggestions on the ol’ ‘Gram.

Historical Stops

The London Stone & Mithraeum

I’m not gonna lie to you and say this is the most riveting stop on the list, but I thought it was kind of interesting. The London Mithraeum is the stone foundations of a Roman temple and it is preserved under a massive corporate building in the London version of the financial district.

It is FREE. When you enter, you can check out the displays telling you about the temple and the history of London. Then every 15 minutes or so (it might be every 30 minutes), you can actually go out on the walkway around the stone foundation and watch a little light show with some dramatic music.

Before or after checking this out, about a 2-3 minute walk from the Mithraeum is the London Stone. It’s pretty easy to walk by, but if you keep an eye out, you will see it.

The Stone is a lot cooler if you know a bit of the history related to it. Supposedly it’s the Stone of Brutus, and was part of an alter built by Brutus of Troy, the founder of London, around 1,000 BC. According to this myth “So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish.” The Stone was a well-known landmark during medieval times.

I just think it’s a cool photo op.

London Mithraeum: 12 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AA

London Stone: 111 Cannon Street, London, EC4N 5AR 

The Monument to the Great Fire of London

The Monument is one of the cheaper ways to get up high and see a cool view of the city. There are free ways to do that and Instagram will give you low down on all those. But they don’t have this morbid history attached to them, do they?

This monument is near the place the great fire of 1666 began.

An adult ticket is £5.40.

The Monument to the Great Fire of London: Fish St Hill, London EC3R 8AH

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is worth just walking near to take some pictures. It’s really a stunning bridge.

But did you know you could go in it? A basic ticket for an adult is £11.40, or if you happen to be a student or senior, £8.60.

This is the second most expensive thing on the list but I thought it was totally worth it. You get to take fun pictures on the glass floor over the bridge. You get to challenge yourself with a walk up a ton of stairs (there is an elevator too) .There’s lots of history exhibits throughout the bridge.

Your ticket also includes the Victorian engine rooms, which is how the bridge opens. That part in particular was really cool. Highly recommend.

Tower Bridge Experience: Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 2UP

Trafalgar Square

This is totally free but I’m not just randomly sending you to Trafalgar Square. I am challenging you to climb a lion and take a picture on it. And then share it below in the comments someday.

Your joy will be palpable.

Also interesting for the Americans out there, you can find a statue of George Washington in Trafalgar Square and it is the only statue there not on British soil. His statue sits on a foot of soil imported from Virginia to make sure that George Washington’s declaration that he would never step foot again in England remains true.

Trafalgar Square: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN

Double Decker Bus

If your feet need a break but you don’t want to pay the whopping nearly £40 for the hop on hop off bus, you can take one of these three routes to get your double-decker bus fix and go through some lovely places.

Route 24: Pimlico to Hampstead Heath

You can catch this in Victoria or near Westminster Abbey and you want the one that says Hampstead Heath on it. It’ll take you past Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, the theatre district, Camden Town and ends at Hampstead Heath – a beautiful park. Also near that the tube stop that will take you back towards central London  is a crazy little shop called The Nook that sells the thickest and heaviest chocolate milkshake I’ve ever had.

The Nook: 43 S End Rd, London NW3 2PY

Route 11: Fulham to Liverpool Street

You can also hop on this one by Westminster Abbey. You’ll want to make sure you get on the one that says Liverpool Street. It’ll take you past Trafalgar Square, the Strand, Royal Courts of Justice, Fleet Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bank of England.

When you come out at Liverpool Street, you’ll find Spitalfields Market and Shoreditch. Both great areas to explore or grab a bite in.

Route 9: Aldwych to Hammersmith

You can pick up this bus near the Strand or Trafalgar Square. You’ll want to get on in the direction of Hammersmith. This route will take you past the Ritz hotel, Harrods, the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gardens, and Holland Park.

A single ticket (one way) will run your £1.65. You’ll need a contactless method to pay your fare – a contactless credit card will do you just fine. You just tap the hub next to the driver when you get onboard and then disembark whenever you get to your ending location. You don’t need to tap out or do anything else.

Wander a Marketplace

There are so many cool marketplaces to just wander through in London. Window shopping is totally free (and good on you if you can keep it to only window shopping, I’m not always so great at that).

If you like the Instagram food scene, a lot of those places can be found at Camden Market.

I’m again kind of partial to Greenwich Market. It’s definitely a lot smaller than many of the others but has plenty of vendors and delicious food options.

Covent Garden Market has tons of cool stalls to browse and sometimes in the center of the market there are performances from singers and musicians. Last time I was there an opera singer was doing a mini-performance. Lots of London trinkets to take home too, if you’re looking for a souvenir.

Seven Dials Market also has a ton of delicious and Instagram worthy food options, though it really is a food place. If you’re looking to do some shopping too, it might not be your best bet.

Brick Lane Market has a lot of vintage and antique things to check out. You never know what you might find over there.

£5 Shakespeare Show

Did you know you can see a show at The Globe Theatre for £5? This is called a Groundling ticket and you stand in the area right in front of the stage just like groundlings did in Shakespeare’s time.

If you want to get a taste of a Shakespeare show, I highly recommend. Unlike Shakespeare’s groundlings who were kind of wild and boisterous, most of the current Groundlings are very quiet and respectful, so if you are considering slipping out after you’ve had enough of the Bard, I recommend you station yourself back near the doors so you don’t stick out as you try to snake through the crowd to get out mid-act.

If Shakespeare is your jam, I highly recommend paying full price to sit for the show. Personally, if the plan is to stay the whole show, I’m too old to stand these days and find it’s worth the £20-25.

If Shakespeare isn’t your jam and you just want to say you were there, go for the £5 tickets, but remember to be respectful when you sneak out. The actors can probably see you. I am a fan of the staggered exit to the bathroom and then just meeting outside in the courtyard.

Shakespeare’s Globe: 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT

Entertainment & Food

Immersive and Experimental Shows

If Shakespeare isn’t your idea of a good time, the UK has some really awesome experimental theatre. I should know, I moved here to study it for my PhD. Some immersive performances are crazy expensive (among the crazy expensive but possibly worth it at the moment though are The Gunpower Plot, The Burnt City, and Phantom Peak).

But it doesn’t always have to be. Everything Immersive lists what’s playing in London and you can check here for deals. They do have the big shows too, but once in a while there’s a small gem.

CRYPT often has some really excellent work by smaller scale immersive companies.

Battersea Arts Centre has all sorts of experimental programs that often have Pay What You Can nights.

You can also sometimes find good deals to some of the bigger immersive experiences on Today Tix, as well as discounts to several West End and off-West End shows.

Pub Quiz

Pub Quizzes are like… really a thing here. The vast majority of pubs seem to have them. For £2-3, too can experience a British pub night complete with quiz.

I think this is especially nice if you want to check out pub culture, because it really kind of is it’s own thing here, but you’re less of a heavy drinker.

I’m fond of the one on Monday night at the Royal Albert. The further you go from Zone 1 (city center), the cheaper the fee and the drinks will be.

Royal Albert: 460 New Cross Rd, London SE14 6TJ

 Pie & Mash

A fairly inexpensive but super British meal is pie and mash, especially if you get it from a pie and mash shop. If you order it at a pub in Zone 1, it will easily run you £20.

However, my favorite pie and mash place is a quick 2 minute walk from the All Saints DLR Station. If you find yourself out that way, I highly recommend it. For £5 you can get the works and the lady who seems to run the shop is a delight.

If pie and mash isn’t your thing, you can also do the same with a fish and chips shop. If it’s your dream to try some, I recommend heading out of Zone 1 again. There’s a nice spot in Greenwich, if your travels take you in that direction. Instead of £20, you’ll wind up paying about £11. If you travel even further outside a tourist spot – it’s even cheaper.

Eastenders Pie & Mash: 171 E India Dock Rd, London E14 0EA

Standard Fish Bar: 26 Old Dover Road, London SE3 7BT

Picnic in a Park

I’m gonna go ahead here and just recommend Greenwich Park. I’m a little biased because it’s where my school is based and I’m quite familiar with the area but there’s also a lovely hill that gives you a crazy view of London in the park.

There is a Tesco right by the Cutty Sark DLR entrance to grab a famous £3 meal deal (sandwich, snack and drink) and then go make your nest in the park! Or grab a few drinks from the Tescos too and make an afternoon of it.

You could also end your day with a stroll through the lovely University of Greenwich campus which was the site of sooo many movie and TV series. We are constantly getting emails that sections of school are closed for filming. It is regularly featured on Bridgerton.

Greenwich Park: London SE18 8QY

Tesco Express: 320-322 Creek Rd, London SE10 9SW

Afternoon Tea

If you want the tea experience on a budget, the best I’ve found so far is the Café Rouge Afternoon Tea.

For £15, you get a pot of tea and a tiered plate of various little treats. Tiny sandwiches. Little desserts.

It is definitely an afternoon tea. It is just also not fancy at all. There are Café Rouge’s all over the city. You can make a reservation in advance if you’re concerned about getting spot. If you happen to be walking past one midafternoon and fancy an afternoon tea experience, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to fit you in.

The last time I did this was at the Café Rouge across from St. Paul’s Cathedral. If you want, you can upgrade for a few dollars more for some prosecco with your afternoon tea but I do feel a bit like if you’ve come for the tea – drink the tea.

You can check out the various Café Rouge locations that serve afternoon tea here.

Harry Potter It Up

Drink Some Unicorn Blood

Have you heard of The Cauldron Co.? They do fancy cocktail experiences where you dress like a wizard and make potions. I did it in NYC once and it was good fun.

Wands & Wizard Exploratorium is owned by this company and you can go there and get a gin cocktail served to you by a unicorn. A wand is involved. You must bow to the unicorn. It is a surprisingly little delight. Also, for this area of London, £8 a cocktail is pretty average, and as far as I know this is the only one that includes some unicorn loving.

Wands & Wizard Exploratorium: 26 Greek St, London W1D 5DE

 House of MinaLima

These are the folks who did all the graphic design for the Harry Potter film series (and the Fantastic Beasts). This is primarily a store that sells prints of their work but there are also lots of original prop displays.

Also, it’s incredible. It’s truly an awesome place to visit. Totally free, though if you go on a weekend, there’s likely to be quite a line to get in. Highly recommend middle of a random weekday, because we walked right in. I have ridiculous dreams of buying the £99 Nagini poster they sell in there. It’s stunning.

House of MinaLima: 157 Wardour St, London W1F 8WQ

Platform 9 ¾

At Kings Cross Station, by Platforms 9, 10 and 11, you can find Platform 9¾. There’s a Harry Potter merchandise store there as well and the folks at the store have their employees staff a line so people can take a picture below the platform sign, where there’s a trolley half in the wall.

They also let you pick your house scarf and they even flick it for you so it looks like you’ve gone at the wall at a run.

On the weekends, the line for this can be nuts, but I’ve definitely been through Kings Cross many times just to catch a train on a weekday and noticed almost no one in the line.

And this whole thing is free. Though I’m sure the store owners are hoping you’ll buy something as you are funneled through the store after your photo op.

Kings Cross: Euston Rd, London N1 9AL

****

A tiny note on something I often see come up as a cheap option – the Emirates Cable Cars. These are over in Greenwich by the O2. They are less than £5 a ride and I’ll tell you, the ads and lists got to me and I talked my boyfriend into going one day.

There is nothing to see. It is the most unimpressive views you can imagine. You will see no London landmarks.

If you still feel like you have to ride this thing (friend, I understand. I still would’ve had to ride it if I read this review), I recommend going during the summer because there is a very cool bar on a boat when you come out of the cable cars, and you can sit and have a drink or eat a pizza while you watch the people in the wakeboard trick park next to this bar. And that is actually a lot of fun.

****

And a bonus tip, if you’re looking for cheap things to bring home from London I highly recommend – food. The UK has a lot of unique candy bars. Peri-peri sauce is also massive here and I had never even heard of it at home. And rather than spending £10 on a tea tin with royals on it, a box of Yorkshire Tea is super legit and a fraction of the cost.

Fellow travelers, what cheap stops do you love in London?