Vibrant, cosmopolitan London is packed with culture, nightclubs and crowds. But while few metropolises can top it for buzz, it’s also one of the most expensive cities in the world.
To kick start a new series of posts on filling 48 hours (and an instant weekend) in top destinations around the world with thrifty entertainment, we’re going to show you how to spend two nights in the cherished home of HostelBloggers (and HostelBookers) on a budget of less than £50… Sound impossible? Well, keep reading…
Day One
Art, culture, architecture and more… The city may be pricey as a rule but many of its world-class attractions are free. From the extensive comtemporary art collections at the Tate Modern to electic exhibitions from the worlds of fashion and music at The Victoria and Albert Museum, there’s more than enough free culture to keep budget travelers entertained.
For a taste of very British architecture, stroll along The Strand to Trafalgar Square, then head up The Mall to admire the views of Buckingham Palace. From here, cut across to Horse Guards Road and walk down Downing Street towards Westminster; all the quintessential London sights, from the Parliament buildings to the Queens’ Guards and the palace, and all without spending a single pound….
Party on Brick Lane. After a long day of sightseeing, London’s famous clubbing scene awaits. The trendy East End is fast becoming the city’s most popular nightspot, with revelers crowding onto Brick Lane most nights of the week. Grab a £5 curry (look out for restaurants that have a BYOB policy – Bring Your Own Booze – for extra value on eating out) then head to one of the many bars and pubs which line the street. Cafe 1001 and 93 Feet East begin to fill up when the pubs quieten down, thanks to free entry and reasonable drinks (around £3 a beer). The latter is a hotspot for up-and-coming bands whilst Cafe 1001 pumps out dirty techno all day, every day to East London’s fashionable raving set.
Rest Your Weary Head… In the north of the city, London Backpackers offers dorm beds for the seriously attractive price of £9.50 a night. The underground closes around midnight but the city is still very well connected with regular nightbuses transporting weary revelers back to their London hostels all through the night for just 90p (on an Oyster Card).
Day Two
Camden Passage. After brunch (£6.95 for hearty sausages and mash) at the retro 1940s ‘S&M Cafe’ on Essex Road (something of an Islington institution), it’s a short hop to quaint Camden Passage which runs parallel to the busy Essex Road. Filled with small vintage and antique shops, the street is also lined with stalls selling everything from jewelry to junk – perfect for a morning of browsing with a hangover.
Camden Town. There’s more market action to be had in nearby bohemian Camden Town. Here the city’s young and trendy crowds gather among vintage clothes stalls and music stands, with electronic beats blaring out of every corner. The market is now so popular that bargains are on the rare side, but the food is universally good and cheap. Down by the lock, try the Argentinian steaks for £4.50 to refuel after a day of window shopping.
Sink a Pint or Four. The streets of Soho are bustling day and night – the pefect spot to enjoy a few (less hedonistic?) drinks on your second night. For fantastic value in this central part of the city, head to the Cittie of Yorke on High Holborn for dark beams, heaps of old-fashioned English pub charm and (most importantly) £2 pints.
This pub is in fact part of a chain owned by the Samuel Smith’s brewery (although far removed from the typical characterless ‘chains’ which abound in city centers) of which there are a grand total of 32 scattered across London….perfect for a bar crawl that will stretch out the last of that budget!
Hepcats and jazz fans in London will be spoiled for choice later this week, as the London Jazz Festival 2008 rolls out across the city. A tradition in the Big Smoke since the early 1970’s, the London Jazz Festival showcases a broad range of jazz music, as well as classes ranging from vocal labs to jazz journalism. There’s also an excellent array of free events – music to both your ears and pocket.
For more information, schedule and event prices, visit the London Jazz Festival’s website. Keep the weekend cheap and easy by using Transport for London to get from gig to gig, and rest your weary, be-bopped-filled head in a clean and comfy London hostel at the end of the night.
Following our round-up of the top backpackers’ parties over Halloween, I’ve discovered more great events coming up to celebrate this often overlooked holiday.
For travelers in London – and everyone who has to stay close to home and work (like me) – the pick of the bunch has to be Union Chapel’s (on Upper Street, Islington) appropriately titled ‘Chills in the Chapel’ week.
Starting tomorrow, the impressively atmospheric church is screening four top horror movies (including Lynch’s The Elephant Man and the unbeatable Peter Cushings – Christopher Lee duo of the 1958 Dracula) every night in honor of Halloween.
Candles and lighting make the films suitably spooky but it’s the setting that really makes this fright fest special – after all, I can think of few more unsettling spots for a scary movie than an ancient church. In a good way, of course!
Tickets are a reasonable £8 a pop and all proceeds will go towards the church’s restoration fund.
Turning our (somewhat wandering) attention back to HostelBloggers’ HQ, this weekend sees a London event that’s sure to catch the eye of budget-conscious travelers and locals alike: Open House London.
The Open House London weekend (20-21 September) essentially does pretty much what it says on the tin – it allows the public a rare (annual, actually!) glimpse of some of the capital’s most unique and fascinating architecture.
Highlights include the brand-new Willis Building, which graces the skyline of the Square Mile, the iconic modernist Highpoint flats in N6 and the developing site of the 2012 Olympics.
But that’s just the beginning – there’s actually a grand total of 699 houses, offices, banks and every other imaginable type of structure to visit, many of which are closed outside of this weekend. It’s worth pointing out, however, that some are only accessible as part of Open House tours (bookable on the Open House website).
And the best news? Absolutely all this design, culture and architecture comes without you even having to put your hand in your pocket!
It’s the eternal question on the lips of locals and backpackers in London alike – where can we get a cheap pint in this pricey city? With most pubs in the center of town now charging around (cue collective horrified gasp) £3.50 a beer, we felt it was our duty to sniff out some affordable pubs around Soho.
And lo and behold, the £2 pint is not just a myth – thanks to the (frankly marvelous) chain of pubs owned by the Samuel Smith’s brewery.
And they’re not just cheap and cheerful. Housed in a collection of attractive historic buildings, they offer a slice of traditional British pub life as well as bargain prices.
We started out in Holborn one fateful Friday night and staggered between the best of the Sammy Smith’s in the area. All in the name of research, of course!
1. The Cittie Of Yorke, 22 High Holborn. 5.30pm. This lovely little pub is a bit of a hotspot after work and typically crowded with lawyer types from nearby offices. The medieval wood interior is pleasantly gloomy and there’s a surprising amount of space when the large cellar is open downstairs. Intimate booths line the edge of the main bar and so many cases are discussed in there at lunchtimes that it’s rumored they’re soundproof…
2. The Princess Louise, 208 High Holborn. 6.30pm. Further along the same road lies the next on our list, the beautifully restored Princess Louise. Although relatively unremarkable from the outside, the interior is a sumptuous feast of Victorian design, with carved wood detail and smoky mirrors. The main floor is split into tiny private bars accessed by doors the approximate size of a hobbit which become something of a challenge after a couple of pints.
3. The Crown, 51 New Oxford Street. 7.45pm. Situated right in the middle of Bloomsbury, The Crown is just as traditional and attractive but has the added benefit of a large, shady outdoor seating area. It shares the lively space with neighboring cafes, creating continental-style al fresco drinking during the summer months. Well, sort of. Yes, it was raining when we were there. And yes, we still sat outside…
4. The Angel, 61 St Giles High Street. 8.30pm. By this point things had begun to get a little bit messy… But even our blurry eyes could appreciate The Angel’s simple charm with its little coal fire for the winter and an old-fashioned feel. The crowd are mostly dedicated regulars, making this the quietest pub on our list and perfect for a peaceful pint or two in this bustling part of London.
5. The John Snow, 39 Broadwick Street. 9.15pm. Progressing past a handful of sex shops and through increasingly kitsch, sleazy streets into the heart of Soho (and past a policeman or two) brought us to The John Snow. Named for the renowned Victorian doctor and public health pioneer of the same name, it stands on the site of a water pump which the good Doctor once identified as the source of a cholera outbreak in London. Nowadays, it’s rather less of a health hazard and, due to its great central location, is often packed with patrons spilling out onto the surrounding streets during the summer.
6. The Glasshouse Stores, 55 Brewer Street. 10.30pm. We made it to the final stop fairly successfully (although one of our number had to make a quick dash back to The John Snow to rescue his bag). The Glasshouse Stores is at the other end of Soho, near Piccadilly Circus. It may look tiny from the street but inside there are actually three floors and a billiards table… With buckets of ‘olde worlde’ charm and a handful of ale-drinking regulars, it’s the perfect antidote to the busy (and expensive) tourist bars that surround it.
So there you have it – a bar crawl that’ll get you quite a bit of change from a £20 note! If that sounds appealing (and really, it should!), then here’s an interactive map of the route we took.
And this is only scratching the surface, for there are actually a total of 32 Sam Smith’s pubs in central London. All of them are good old-fashioned English pubs with no unnecessary gimmicks, and, far more importantly, all of them serve cheap and tasty beer!
About a week ago, HostelBloggers went along to the London leg of the Red Bull Air Race. Not really knowing what to expect, we took our seats in one of the temporary grandstands, and filmed a bit of the action…
There’s something basically illogical about flying planes four meters off the ground whilst racing against the clock. And that’s pretty much what makes this series such a hit.
We were delighted to find the action surprisingly tense, and not without its drama, either – the favorite to win ‘crashed out’ in the first round, while multiple other pilots also managed to fly straight into the huge inflatable bollards that mark the course.
The Red Bull Air Race travels around the world, with legs in Rotterdam, Porto, London, Perth, San Diego, Abu Dhabi, Detroit and Budapest.
The Red Bull Air Race in a Nutshell:
Food: A few overpriced food stalls – about £4 a burger. You’re allowed to take your own food in, though, as long as it’s not kept in a hard-sided box (i.e. coolbox)
Drink: Similarly overpriced. £3.50 for a bottle of beer.
Best Moment: Watching the planes! It’s mental, really…
Worst Moment: Getting rained on.
Survival Tip: We were unusually lucky in that we had grandstand seats, but, at £45 a pop, they’re pretty pricey. Ordinarily we’d have been slumming it down in the cheap seats, where tickets for the standing areas went for a much more reasonable £15. Try to stand where you can see the big screens, as these help explain the action and provide decent fodder between races to keep you interested.
HostelBloggers recently recommended the East End Thrift Store down in Stepney Green, but it’s really just one in a series of exciting retail possibilities. When it comes to cheap shopping in London, East is very much where it’s at!
Every Sunday between 8am and 2pm, Columbia Road (an otherwise unremarkable street in Hackney) is transformed into the colorful, bustling sight of market traders and flowers.
Back in the day (from 1869 to be precise), all kinds of traditional East End goods were sold here, from food (pie and mash, naturally, with perhaps a jellied eel or two…) to clothes, but now it’s just seasonal plants, herbs, bulbs and fresh-cut flowers.
It’s a narrow street so it fills up quickly with the crowds, creating an enjoyable buzz. Even if your fingers aren’t particularly green, it’s a fun spot just to roam about.
There’s a good bit of people watching, too – especially the traders. We always have a (slightly immature) giggle at the sight of these big guys loudly extolling the virtues of their choice blooms in broad cockney…
Situated in the heart of Shoreditch, the nearest tube (Old Street or Bethnal Green) is a bit of a walk away but the streets surrounding the market are also good for a stroll. Nearby Ezra Street and Ravenscroft Street have some more random stalls to browse, along with a sprinkling of cafes and shops.
Lining Columbia Road itself are a number of trendy galleries, design stores and boutiques (we are in Shoreditch after all…) which all add to the eclectic crowd and atmosphere at the market.
The community’s Jewish roots are also evident, with filled bagels nestling in the window of Cafe Columbia that make a tasty, inexpensive brunch.
All in all, in HostelBloggers’ humble opinion, a pretty cool way to pass a Sunday in the big city!
This Thursday, Friday (12.00 – 22.30) and Saturday (11.00 – 19.00) down at Earls Court, London will be getting down to what London does best: drinking itself into oblivion by sinking pint after pint of beer.
And it’s not just beer, either: alongside the hundreds of real ales there are countless ciders, lagers and perries waiting to be tasted, in what’s a veritable alcoholic’s paradise.
On top of all that, there’s live music, pub snacks and the chance to try your hand at some traditonal games, including the infamous English pub quiz.
Whether you’re an ale connoisseur or just a fan of the odd cold beer or three, it’ll be well worth popping down for a jolly spiffing British time in this giant London pub!
The question of where to head for cheap shopping in London has been on (some of) our minds a lot recently. Especially as the association of ‘vintage’ with cool has led to a jump in the price of second-hand clothes in fashionable London.
So we were pleased as punch to come across a hidden budget gem where boys and girls alike can get their hands on some bargains – the East End Thrift Store on Assembly Passage.
It’s a a bit out of the way (the nearest tube is Stepney Green) but that just has a positive effect on both the quality and cost. And unlike other, better known shops such as Beyond Retro near trendy Brick Lane, it isn’t over-priced or over-crowded.
Basically, it’s just a large, unglamorous warehouse with a ton of muddled up vintage clothes. Open every day from 11am-6pm, it’s still newish and quiet enough that you can always sift through the rails in peace. Or rather, to the sound of the loud, groovy background music.
The cracking collection includes cowboy boots, tea dresses, ultra-cool 80s sportswear, leather jackets, posh shirts… and the list goes on!
And, best of all, it’s rarely more than £10 an item.
There’s a rumor that the owners are opening another store just off Brick Lane. Let’s just hope it stays as cool and cheap!
HostelBloggers are a (fairly) upstanding, law-abiding bunch. But we felt that it was almost our civic duty to put the cry out there that today, Friday 25th July, transport in London is free.
Not for any high-minded reason, we hasten to add. But rather because of the usual bungling. You see, there’s been a technical glitch and the system’s gone into meltdown – which means you won’t be needing an Oyster card (as helpfully pictured above!) or a ticket.
So if any cash-strapped backpacker wanted to really get value for money on transport in London, today’s the day to do it.
1. The Cittie Of Yorke, 22 High Holborn. 5.30pm. This lovely little pub is a bit of a hotspot after work and typically crowded with lawyer types from nearby offices. The medieval wood interior is pleasantly gloomy and there’s a surprising amount of space when the large cellar is open downstairs. Intimate booths line the edge of the main bar and so many cases are discussed in there at lunchtimes that it’s rumored they’re soundproof…
