How to See 8 Expensive London Attractions Super Cheap

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London is packed with stuff to see, do, eat and experience. In a previous post, I talked about all the cool free stuff you can do here. But London has a lot of amazing places you have to pay to enjoy.

Which attractions are worth your time and money? When you have to pick and choose, it matters where you choose to invest your vacation. I personally checked out lots of stuff in London, so I can give you my thoughts and give you a look at some of the best ones. Let's get into it!

Tower of London

More than 3 million people visit the Tower of London every year and these days, the vast majority of them are going willingly. This was not always the case, as the Tower is London's most famous former prison. 

Some extremely notable people were held here against their will and many were executed here, as the Tower served the dual purpose of having both secure areas to hold prisoners and an execution green, which makes things easier.

The oldest part of the Tower was built to be a castle. It was a royal residence for many years, beginning with William the Conqueror, who won the crown of England in pitched battle in 1066.

It is one of the most famous and recognizable attractions in London and it's an amazing place to visit. It will cost you around $37 to get in the door, but you get to see a whole lot and you can wander around and look at all the public areas of the Tower on your own.

That includes both outdoor and indoor exhibits where you can see super cool stuff like full sets of armor, medieval weaponry, the place where Anne Boleyn had her head chopped off and even the area where the famous Princes In the Tower were held, plus the spot where the two skeletons believed to be theirs were discovered centuries later.

There's a ton of history packed into this place, which is why I strongly recommend taking the Yeoman tour. It's included for free with your ticket and you'll get a Beefeater in full costume who will entertain you with stories about the Tower and guide you toward some of the highlights in under an hour.

You'll learn interesting tidbits about the royal prisoners held here and the crows who reside here, who have developed their very own lore over the many centuries the Tower has stood here.

The Tower of London is also where you can visit the royal jewel house where the coronation crown and jewels are kept, along with the royal scepter and all the Crown Jewels. No photography is allowed in this area because pictures can't really do it justice anyway, but the very second you leave you will be confronted by people trying to sell you pictures of the jewels if you want that souvenir of your experience.

Make sure you stop to get a look at Traitor’s Gate while you're here. It truly doesn't look like much, but this is one of the most infamous spots in all of London. 

Tower Bridge

You will see Tower Bridge right next to the Tower of London. Added to the London landscape during the reign of Queen Victoria, this bridge has become an iconic symbol of London itself. It's also an attraction.

You can go inside Tower Bridge and see an entire exhibit about the construction of this landmark, as well as walk across the bridge on a clear glass floor. You will look down and see the street below. I've done it and it is a little harrowing, and I'm not even afraid of heights.

There are a lot of steps involved with seeing this exhibit and admission is about $22, which is frankly a little steep because this is not a very large attraction. Tower Bridge is interesting and the exhibit is well put together, but I wouldn't recommend paying full price.

However, I can tell you a budget hack that will make it way more affordable to see both the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge exhibit for much less money. I will tell you more after we hit a few more London highlights, because I can help you save money with every single attraction featured here.

Westminster Abbey 

Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Not only is this the abbey where almost all English kings and queens were crowned and coronated, Westminster has also been the setting for many royal weddings, including William and Kate and Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.

It is also the final resting place for many of England's monarchs, not to mention other impactful people of British descent throughout history. Lewis Carrol, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which by the way is the proper name of the book, William Shakespeare, and many other British writers are buried here. It's really a long list.

Westminster is architecturally stunning on absolutely every level. So, let's get a closer look at this legendary building.

Westminster was built in 1040 by Edward the Confessor, who was the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings of England. He was a descendant of Alfred the Great, the first King of England, and it was his death that led to a succession crisis that ultimately culminated in the history-changing Battle of Hastings, in which the then-Duke of Normandy, William the Bastard, won the throne of England by right of the sword and became William the Conqueror. 

Pretty exciting stuff, yeah?

Ever since William was crowned here in 1066, Westminster has been the main coronation location. Forty British monarchs were crowned here, including Queen Victoria, Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II, James I of King James Bible fame, the scandalous Edward VII who later abdicated the throne, George III who was the monarch the American colonies rebelled against in the American Revolution, Charles I who would later have his head chopped off during the English Civil War and his son Charles II, who was crowned after the English decided to negate the entire English Civil War and do a monarchy reboot, and yes, all the way up to Charles III and his mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles . 

Westminster is an incredible example of Gothic architecture. It is stunning inside and out. When you step inside, you will see vaulted ceilings with stone arches, incredible stained glass windows, this gorgeous stone floor. There's even a whole courtyard area and no matter where you put your eyes, you're going to see something beautiful. Even without all the fascinating history attached to it, Westminster is really something to see.

More than 3,000 former British Monarchs and subjects are buried here, including Edward the Confessor, the one who had the Abbey built. He has a very nice tomb here. There's also a little alcove where you can find Queen Elizabeth I and her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom Elizabeth had executed. They are buried here side by side and I'm pretty sure neither would have liked it. Mary Queen of Scots, by the way, was the mother of King James I, who is also buried here. 

Oliver Cromwell, who led the opposing army in the English Civil War, is here, along with some of the most famous people in all history. Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales, Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, Sir Isaac Newton, who figured out gravity, Charles Dickens who needs no introduction, Mary I, the actual Queen who was known historically as Bloody Mary, even the ashes of Stephen Hawking were interred here in 2018.

Now, it is going to be crowded. I don't care when you go, how bad the weather is, there could be an ongoing alien invasion happening and Westminster is still going to be packed with tourists. You will be bumped. You will be cramped. You will have trouble moving and standing. 

But you will also be stunned by the beauty of this place and by the sheer size of it. Westminster is enormous. It's actually even bigger than it appears to be on the outside and it looks massive even from the street. 

Tickets are about $40 but once you pay, you're free to walk around and explore and you can be here for hours if you want. You can also see the Cloisters, the area where the nuns used to live when this was a functioning abbey and a residence for the religious order who lived here. Today, this area is a lovely cafe and it serves proper British high tea. 

It's super expensive, but I had tea here and it was worth every penny. 

I can't recommend Westminster enough. If you like history, if you like beauty, if you want to get a look at the actual coronation throne, you've got to see it. I would not lead you astray on this. Westminster is well worth the time and money and the crowds. Seeing this place is something you'll never forget.

Madame Tussauds

Westminster is a very dignified and solemn place. It's incredibly old and important and it is also a place of worship. They do still hold religious services here. 

So, let's go visit a place that is every bit as famous as Westminster but completely the opposite in every single way. 

Madam Tussauds wax museum has become known around the world for its life-sized and incredibly lifelike copies of famous people throughout history. 

And honestly, I had no plan to come here when I first started putting together my London itinerary. I think it's cool and interesting and everyone has heard of the wax museum, but I was like “eh.”

But, I had the chance to see it for free and I saw I was going to go right past it on my way to a different London attraction. Then I learned that they have Princess Diana here, so I was like “okay, I'm going to pop in and get a selfie with the people's Princess.” Because how do you not do that, right?

And I have to tell you, this ended up being one of my favorite parts of London. The wax museum is now at the top of my list of recommended stops in London.

Madame Tussauds feels really modern. It's full of lights and colors and music and it's full of hot celebrities who are popular right now, but this attraction is actually 200 years old. There was a real Madame Tussaud, who was born In France in the last half of the 1700s. 

She was a tutor to the royal children and lived at the fabulous palace of Versailles in France. But, this turned out to be not so lucky. Madame Tussaud was absolutely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Revolution broke out In France and the King and Queen, Louis XVI and Marie Antionette, were faced with am angry mob. They were forcibly taken from the palace and later executed.

Everyone associated with them had very good reason to fear for their lives. Madame Tussaud was imprisoned. She managed to prove her allegiance to the new world order by making death masks of the executed royals. 

Which, yes, is kind weird and creepy. But what would you do to avoid having your head cut off by a guillotine? I personally would make all the masks. 

She turned the death masks into an exhibition and went to London to display them. Her grandson took over the exhibit and established it in a new space, which was later heavily damaged during the Blitz in World War II. 

Today, there are Madame Tussauds wax museums around the world, but London was first. And it's really, really fun.

This ended up being one of my favorite parts of my trip to London. The museum is very easy to walk through. You'll be led from one different themed area right into the next. There's an area for movie stars, music stars and members of the royal family. 

I met both Queens Elizabeth here and I got to meet Princess Diana. She didn't say much. You can also find Obama hanging out with the royals, because why not?

Various pop culture icons are here and photography is encouraged. As long as you don't touch or move the figures, you can get right up close to them and take all kinds of fun and silly pictures. Everyone here is doing it, so you won't have trouble finding someone to take a picture of you. However, you may also be asked to take pictures of other people. 

You'll go through a little area of London serial killers and yes, Jack the Ripper is here so ladies, don't get too close. I have a full guided tour of the Whitechapel area where Jack did his murdering, and you can learn more about him and his victims if you're interested.

There's even a little ride right in the middle of the museum that takes you through a cool montage of British history and culture. 

Many beloved Star Wars characters also live here, along with some superheroes. 

It's a really, really cool place. Tickets are around $30 per person if you get them online. Stay tuned to find out how to go for free, or practically for free anyway.

The London Eye

The London Eye has become a highly recognizable part of the London skyline. It is a very famous attraction and I felt really strongly that I couldn't go to London without riding on it.

But you actually can. It's just a big Ferris wheel. Yes it's huge and yes it's cool and yes it's famous but honestly, this is one of the most expensive attractions in London, the line is super super long and it's just a big Ferris wheel.

There are some decent views, but the cars are pretty large and you'll be in there with strangers. The ride is pretty short and tickets are like $40, unless you get them online for around $30. 

Bus Tour

Something everyone wants to do when they visit London is to take a double decker bus tour. The red buses are an iconic symbol of the city and there is a ton of great stuff to see just driving around London. 

I did one of these tours and it was good in the main, but there are some caveats. First, weather matters. It was very cold and windy when I was on the bus and you know I rode up top because what's the point if you don't, right? So, I was freezing. Also, the days of a dude standing on the bus and talking are over. They give you free ear buds and you plug in to an audio tour. 

There are a lot of corny jokes but the audio tour is not bad. But because you've got the ear buds in the whole time, if you're with another person on the tour, you can't really talk to them. 

It's going to be a pretty solo experience no matter what, so it's not as fun as I imagined it to be. 

Also, I was freezing. London in April is much colder than I expected. It's not at all like April in Louisville. 

But there are many great landmarks to see and the buses are definitely part of the London experience, so no matter what I say I know y'all are going to want to do this. It can be pricey. Bus tours run about 40 bucks a head and you'll be on the bus for a couple hours at least. 

They do a hip on hop off thing, so you can get on or off the bus at any of the many stops along the route.

Dress warmly!

River Boat

Similar to the bus tours, you can take a river tour of London and ride a boat up and down the Thames River. The boats are actually pretty nice. They have an enclosed area and lots of windows so you can see everything, but you will have to wait in a long line to get on the boat and it will be crowded. Seats by the windows are taken very quickly. 

There is no guide, audio or otherwise, so you'll have to get out Google Maps to figure out what you're looking at. You'll pay about $30 for an all day ticket that gives you unlimited access to the boats that go up and down the river.

The boats are slow and they're not all that practical for getting around the city. Unless this is something you really want to do or you want the photos of it, I'd say you can easily skip this experience. You will see the river when you're in London. You'll see it regardless, so you don't have to get on a boat to experience it unless you just really want to do that.

King’s Gallery

The King's Gallery is at Buckingham Palace and it's a part of the palace that is open year-round. If you want to see inside Buckingham and you don't want to wait until summer, when palace tours are available, the King's Gallery is a great option.

This is a display of some of the artwork that is owned by the Windsors, the reigning royal family. They own one of the largest collections of art anywhere in the world, more than a majority of museums, and some of it is always on display here.

When you go determines what you will see, because they display different exhibits. When I was there, a lot of items associated with William and Mary were on display. They ascended to the throne as a couple due to the fact that they were not Catholic at a time when the monarch was not allowed to be Catholic. So, they basically fell a– backwards into being King and Queen and changed the course of history.

All modern British monarchs have this royal couple to thank. William and Mary were the beginning of the German dynasty in England, which continues to rule to this day.

There are free audio tours available of the gallery. You just grab your free earbuds and you can learn more about the items on display at that time. Whenever you go, no matter what's on display, you'll get to see jewelry, paintings, furnishings, clothing and many artistic items from the royal family's collection. 

Tickets are about $25 per person, which is a little steep because other places where you can see a ton of art, including the National Gallery and the British Museum, are free to visit.

Budget Hack

But you can reduce that cost considerably. I promised that if you stuck to the end, I would tell you how to go to every single one of these places cheaper and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

We don't like to pay full price here in Ms. World's world. So please allow me to introduce you to the London Pass. This is a promotion offered by the city of London where you can buy a pass for one to five days and see dozens of attractions in London at no extra cost.

You pay for the pass and at many places, you can even skip the main line, or queue as they call it in London, and breeze on into your attraction with no trouble. The pass will be right on your phone, so you don't have to mess around with tickets or anything else. You get a QR code, the people guarding the attraction will scan it and it's just that easy. 

The cost will vary depending on how many days you buy on your pass, but if you see about five paid attractions per day, it pays for itself and you save money. You heard the ticket prices for all these places. 40 bucks, 30 bucks, 25, it adds up pretty quickly. So if you spend $100 or $200 on the Pass and go to these places, you'll be seeing all of them for less than full price.

Less than full price is where we live on this channel. You also don't have to go through the ticket line and some places actually offer additional discounts through the London Pass, like reduced prices on items at gift shops and that sort of thing. 

It is definitely worth getting if you plan on seeing even just five paid attractions in London and with the Pass, you can end up seeing stuff you didn't expect to see that turns out to be surprisingly awesome, like my experience at Madame Tussauds. 

I am not being paid by anyone to say this and this is not an official promotion. I'm just a budget traveler trying to spend as little money as I can and I recommend the London Pass of my own accord to all budget travelers out there!