Introducing Frugal London: $100-per-day experiences

I told a colleague that I was writing a travel story about visiting London on the cheap.

“Is that possible?” she asked.

Hers is a common reaction. London, after all, is the “most-expensive city in the world,” according to the Swiss bank, UBS.

But my long-time experience here is just the opposite: Most things that are wonderful about London are either cheap or free. Indeed, for the frugal traveler, London offers more opportunity than any city I’ve visited.

During a recent, week-long trip, I explored what might be seen and done for as little as $100 per day. That’s for everything – including hotel – a tough standard, but one that tests just how frugal London can be.

Almost all of the best-known, most-visited London attractions are free. Frugal travelers won’t miss seeing the British Museum, the Royal Parks, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Parliament and Big Ben – at least once.

But the chance, unplanned encounters are also “attractions” and also are free. Being open to these serendipitous finds is especially important in London, described by Granta editor Ian Jack as “messy, unplanned and never … completely charted.”

So, follow along as I share glimpses from these $100-per-day experiences. Test whether I skipped seeing or doing anything one would hope to experience in London because it was too expensive.

One approach is to declare a “theme” for each day. Here are four examples of theme days in London — each at the $100-per-day standard.

• Literary London: Linking word to place
• Frugal Thames:  London’s one constant
• Music in Wren churches — STILL TO COME
• Frugal shopping — STILL TO COME