It's a hard year to be a visitor in Britain. The pound is exceptionally strong, business is booming and many tourists are finding that many of the country's best-known attractions are simply out of their reach. London is more expensive still -- prices in the capital are more than 10% above the rest of the UK.
If you're a backpacker, a retired visitor on a frugal budget, or simply strapped for cash, the prospect of trying to make your money last while still enjoying the flavor of Europe's most vibrant capital can be daunting.
But a visit to London does not have to mean queuing for hours behind a family of screaming children to pay £12 for an overcrowded hour or two at Madame Tussaud's.
The new and much-heralded Tate Modern Art Gallery is just one of London's many completely free attractions. Many of the services and events listed here are a bit offbeat, and most are located outside the Leicester Square/Piccadilly tourist trap, but who wants to follow the herd?
free art
Tate ModernCan't afford the Dome? Or even the wheel? The Tate Modern is the hottest new millennium addition to London's attractions -- and it'll cost you nothing. The former Bankside power station, which stood derelict for years, has been transformed into a unique art space.
But if art is not your thing, the Tate Modern is still worth a visit for the impressive views of London offered by the glass-sided café on the newly built top floor and the building's peaceful, spacious architectural design.
On weekends, the crowds outside can be overpowering and queues for entrance tediously long; so visit during the week for the chance to wander around the cavernous interior and visit the art collections in peace.
The works are grouped into four themes, inspired by French 17th century traditions: Still Life, Landscape, Nude, and History. Paintings date from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1. Nearest tube (subway): Southwark/London Bridge Tel: 020 7887 8000. Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 6pm. Friday and Saturday, 10am to 10pm (galleries open at 10:15am).
Not the Royal Academy
The Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition is one of the mainstream art events of the summer. It will, however, charge you £8 to get in, so why bother when you can visit Not the Royal Academy, featuring the artworks NOT chosen to grace the walls of the Summer Exhibition.
It is completely free and is meant to echo the 19th Century 'Salon des Refuses' in Paris, at which Manet and Sargent rebelled against the French Royal Academy and mounted their own exhibition.
Llewellyn Alexander Gallery, The Cut, SE1. Nearest tube: Waterloo/Southwark. Telephone: 020 7620 1322. Opening Hours: 10am to 7:30pm every day except Sunday.
worthy markets
London boasts several world-famous markets. If you can't afford to buy anything, go along anyway for the people, the colors, the smells and the bohemian atmosphere. If you're into photography, here's the opportunity to get all those 'people' pictures you've been looking for.Camden
These days, you'd be hard pressed to find a British person in the crowd that descends on the trendy suburb of Camden in North London on Saturdays and Sundays.
But Camden Lock market is the daddy of them all -- and if you can't buy it here, it doesn't exist. From plastic lighters shaped like aliens and retro furniture, to designer bags and Indonesian fertility statues, Camden's got it all.
Plus, of course, a kaleidoscope of stallholders sporting the absolute latest in woollen Rasta hats, novelty hair colors and piercings.
Camden Market, Camden Lock, NW1. Nearest tube: Camden (exit only on Sundays. Opening Hours: Open all day Saturday and Sunday.
Old Spitalfields
There's been a market Spitalfields in East London since 1682, but it has enjoyed a raised profile recently and gained a new following among those trendy young things for whom Camden is really just TOO obvious.
It also has the advantage of being all under one roof -- easy to get around and dry in winter. Spitalfields has a little bit of everything, but its real strength is in knick-knacks such as lampshades made from recycled paper and little silk embroidered handbags.
Absolutely perfect for buying souvenirs, plus a great selection of organic whole foods, to eat there or buy and take away.
Old Spitalfields Market, EC1. Nearest tube: Shoreditch. Opening Hours: Monday to Friday -- 11am to 3:30pm and Sunday 10am to 3pm.
finnicky festivals
The Brits love a festival, and every summer you can see hundreds of them descending on various soggy fields around the country to sit in tents, drink homemade cider and shiver inside their ethnic jackets.But if you prefer your festivals a bit closer to your hotel room, or can't afford the eighty pounds or so charged for entry by the likes of Glastonbury and Homelands, many parts of London have thoughtfully provided free entertainment.
Coin Street Festival
Coin Street is part of the South Bank -- the area on the river around the London Eye and the Oxo Tower, which has recently enjoyed a revamp and an injection of businesses, shops and arts venues.
The Coin Street Festival takes place throughout the summer and includes international dance acts and performance art. A free music session every lunch hour features acts from Colombia, Brazil and Ghana, as well as homegrown talent.
The festival goes out with a bang on September 17 with an illuminated nighttime river parade, lantern procession and fireworks.
Coin Street Festival, Bernie Spain Gardens, SE1. Nearest tube: Waterloo, Southwark. Tel: 020 7978 0011.
Old Spitalfields Festival
Aside from the market, Spitalfields is also the home of the Old Spitalfields festival, a summer-long event with lunchtime and evening concerts, theatre, art exhibitions and events. Those concerts that aren't free are relayed live to the market area for the hard up.
Old Spitalfields Market, EC1. Nearest tube: Shoreditch. Tel: 020 7377 1362
british humor
You want to experience the talent of Britain's stand-up comedians, but without the hefty ticket prices in the West End theatres? Try the Cosmic Comedy Club, which plays host to new and upcoming acts. Entrance is free on selected evenings.Cosmic Comedy Club, Fulham Palace Road, W6. Nearest tube: Hammersmith. Tel: 020 7381 2006.
fancy the telly?
Fancy hearing yourself guffaw in front of an audience of millions? Both the BBC and a number of independent production companies provide free tickets to recordings of their comedy shows.BBC television: Call 020 8576 1227 or email http://www.askmen.com/fashion/travel/mailto:tv.ticket.unit@bbc.co.uk for tickets. Most shows are recorded at Television Centre, Wood Lane, W12. Nearest tube: White City.
Avalon productions: Call 0700 2222 111 for tickets or send an email to: Whitney Houston and Bush.
Tower Records, Piccadilly Circus, W1. Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus. Call 020 7439 2500.
read the daily
Metro , London's only morning newspaper, is available from tube and rail stations, not to mention stuffed in every litter bin, blowing along the street and on the seats of underground trains all day.If you need a paper with a more national flavor, McDonald's generally has copies of most of the daily tabloids and broadsheets.
are you hungry?
The Hare Krishna Restaurant offers visitors the chance to eat delicious vegetarian food with the members here, who believe that the act of giving provides spiritual blessings. Don't abuse their generosity by constant visits.The Hare Krishna Restaurant, 9 Soho Street, W1. Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road.
england's information highway
Keen to e-mail home and let them all know what a frugal time you're having? All the libraries in the borough of Westminster (the centre of London) provide free Internet access. Start with the Charing Cross library at 4 Charing Cross Road, and they can tell you where the rest are. You may have to book in advance.Charing Cross Library, Charing Cross Road, W1. Nearest tube: Leicester Square/Charing Cross. Tel: 020 7641 4628.
Article provided by http://www.cultureconnect.com/.
Resources:
London Travel Guide
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