Start with a proper drink

The grand hotels run some of the best bars in the world, from the celebrated martinis at the Connaught to the art deco American Bar at the Savoy. Our guide to the best cocktail bars in London covers these and the quieter neighbourhood rooms worth knowing too.

Dress for where you are going

Smart-casual means different things in different rooms, and the grander hotel bars still expect collars and closed shoes. A quick look at a venue's dress code before you leave the house saves an awkward conversation at the door.

Let the neighbourhood set the tone

Some of London's most polished evenings happen simply because the setting is right. Mayfair remains the natural home for this kind of night out, with its townhouse hotels and quietly confident streets doing much of the work for you.

For more on London's luxury lifestyle scene, see Hubs Visit's luxury lifestyle coverage.

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Let the skyline do the work

You do not need a plan for this part. A walk along the South Bank after dark, with Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and the Shard all lit up across the water, is one of the best free things to do in London at any hour. Bring a coat and take it slowly.

Pick one kind of evening

Trying to fit in a show, a late museum and a rooftop bar in one night usually means enjoying none of them properly. Choose a single anchor instead, whether that is a West End performance or a quiet river walk, and build the rest of the evening loosely around it. Our full guide to things to do in London at night runs through the best options for every mood.

Getting home is part of the plan

The Night Tube and night buses run across much of the city at weekends, so check your line before you head out and you will not be caught watching the clock. See our guide to getting around London for the detail.

Want to go deeper into London's bar and nightlife scene? Hubs Visit covers the city after dark in more depth.

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One headline attraction

Pick a single anchor for the day from our attractions guide, then keep the rest loose. The dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum are a reliable hit, and like most London museums it is free.

Lots of park time

Children need room to run, and London has plenty. The royal parks feature heavily in our free things to do guide for exactly this reason. Build a picnic around one and the day looks after itself.

Save the big trips for older legs

When everyone is ready for an adventure, a gentle day trip by train can be a lovely change of pace. Keep it short, keep it flexible, and let the children set the speed.

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Tap and go

Forget paper tickets. A contactless card or phone works on the Tube, the buses and most trains, and the daily fare caps mean you will not overpay. Our practical tips page covers the details so you can stop thinking about fares and start enjoying yourself.

Use buses for the view

The Tube is quick, but it shows you tunnels. Buses show you the city. For shorter hops, especially between the central sights, the top deck of a red bus is the best cheap sightseeing in London. It is also the gentlest way to learn how the place fits together.

Walk more than you think you can

Central London is smaller than the map suggests. Many of the neighbourhoods sit within an easy stroll of one another, and walking is often faster than waiting for a train. Plan your attractions in clusters and let your feet do the work.

When you are ready to go further afield, the same calm approach makes day trips simple. Buy the ticket, find a window seat, and let London hand you over to the rest of the country for the day.

Want the full detail? See our complete guide to getting around London.

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Make it a museum day

A wet morning is the perfect excuse for a long, unhurried museum visit. The Natural History Museum and the rest of our museums are warm, dry and free, and you could happily lose a whole day inside one.

Browse under cover

Historic arcades and grand stores were made for days like this. Our shopping guide points you to the most characterful, and many of the places worth visiting are entirely indoors.

Plan the rest from dry land

A rainy afternoon is also a good time to plan the sunny ones. Browse the things to do guide or map out a London itinerary over a pot of tea, and you will be ready the moment the clouds clear.

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The British Museum

You could visit the British Museum a dozen times and still miss things. Our advice is to choose two or three galleries rather than marching through everything, then come back another day for the rest. It anchors any trip built around London's museums.

The Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum is the one we send design lovers to first. It is enormous, generous and quietly overwhelming in the best way. Give it a long, slow morning and a coffee break in the courtyard.

The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is a favourite with families and with anyone who still feels a flicker of wonder under that great roof. It sits a short walk from the V and A, so the two make a natural pair for a day in South Kensington.

None of these need to cost a penny, which is why they feature so heavily in our free things to do guide. Plan a day, pace yourself, and let the building do the rest. The full list lives on our places to visit page.

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Start with what is free

The great national museums are free, the parks are free, and a slow walk along the river costs nothing. Our free things to do guide is the obvious place to begin, and the museums alone can fill several happy afternoons.

Eat and shop like a local

Skip the tourist traps and head for a market. Our guide to the best markets in London covers where to graze well for very little, and a wander through the neighbourhoods is the cheapest entertainment in town.

Travel smart

A contactless card with the daily fare cap keeps transport costs down, and walking between the central attractions is often quicker than the Tube. Our practical tips page has the details. Spend where it counts, save where it does not, and London opens right up.

Want the full detail? See our complete guide to doing London on a budget.

The post London on a Budget: Doing the City Well for Less appeared first on London Guide UK.

Pick one neighbourhood and let it anchor you

Where you stay shapes the whole trip. We are fond of the calm and polish of Mayfair, but every London neighbourhood has its own character. If you would rather choose by hotel than by postcode, our where to stay guide walks through the options, from quietly grand to genuinely five star.

See the icons, but only a few a day

Two or three landmarks a day is plenty. Our London landmarks guide covers the ones worth the queue and, just as usefully, the ones worth skipping. If you like a plan you can follow hour by hour, the three day itinerary is built for exactly this kind of first visit.

Keep an afternoon for a museum, and a day for elsewhere

London has some of the finest museums in the world and most cost nothing to enter, so an afternoon indoors is never wasted. Browse the full list on our museums page. And if you have four or five days, give one of them to a day trip. Windsor, Oxford and Bath are all within easy reach and change the pace nicely.

That is the whole trick really. Fewer things, done well, with time to sit in a park and watch the city go by. For everything else, the things to do guide is a good place to keep wandering.

Want the full detail? See our complete guide to a first-timer's guide to London.

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