Your guide to visiting london for less

3. RESERVE TRANSPORT, ATTRACTIONS AND THEATER TICKETS BEFORE YOU GO. Beat cab fares from Heathrow Airport that can run more than $100 in traffic by buying round-trip tickets online for the

Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station in central London. They run as little as $14 if purchased more than 90 days in advance. Round-trip tickets bought closer to departure are a

discounted $37 if bought as e-tickets online. (Note that kids 15 and under travel free.) If arriving at Gatwick Airport, advance round-trip tickets on the Gatwick Express to and from

Victoria Station cost about $47 online. Buy timed tickets before you go to tourist must-sees such as the Tower of London, with its red-coated Beefeater guards and the dazzling Crown Jewels,

to beat the crowds and often save money. You can do the same at other venues with admission fees. If you’ll be sightseeing, save more than $100 with a weeklong London Pass (about $200,

adult), or cheaper one- to six-day passes. Included are a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour (about $48 if bought separately), Tower of London admission ($30–$40), London Eye Ferris wheel ($45),

Westminster Abbey ($28–$32) and more. Find affordable London theater tickets at websites such as London Theatre Direct, where a seat at London’s longest-running play, _The Mousetrap_ (an

Agatha Christie mystery that mesmerized me in ’71), starts at 24 pounds (about $30), with no fee for e-tickets. For same-day theater deals, visit the TKTS booth in Leicester Square. 4. TAKE

THE TUBE. While everyone should experience a ride in a shiny black London cab, famous for its drivers who study for years to pass a test on their knowledge of every nook and cranny of the

city, it’s far cheaper to use passes to take the bus or ride on the extensive and efficient London Underground, known as the Tube. You can pay for your ride in cash (the typical one-way fare

in Central London is a whopping $8), but savvy travelers use a plastic, rechargeable Visitor Oyster card that shaves off some of the fare for both bus and Tube. You can order it online in

advance or buy one at Tube stations. If you’ll be making multiple trips a day, consider buying a weekly Travelcard (about $50) in advance or at a Tube station. Easier yet is swiping a credit

or debit card before boarding an Underground train or bus (rides are free after a daily limit is reached). The downside for Americans is that you’ll be charged in pounds and may be subject

to currency exchange charges. 5. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE ATTRACTIONS. It costs nothing to visit the British Museum, with its Rosetta Stone and mummies. The permanent exhibitions at the

National Gallery (Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci) and Tate Modern (David Hockney, Henri Matisse) are free as well. It took me a few visits to London before I discovered the eclectic and

impressive — and free — Victoria and Albert Museum, whose well-curated exhibits run the gamut from men’s fashions, to wallpaper through the ages, to Chinese ceramics. But, especially during

the busy summer season, you’ll want to book timed tickets to these popular spots in advance. There’s no charge to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but arrive early to

secure a viewing spot for the 11 a.m. pageantry. One of my favorite free pastimes is to listen to the rants of orators standing on boxes every Sunday at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park near

Marble Arch. Anyone can vent on any subject. Also fun: watching street entertainers at bustling Covent Garden market. 6. DINE LIKE A DUKE FOR COMMONER PRICES. Dinner for two runs $200 and

skyward at London’s famed restaurants, including celebrity staples such as the Ivy and newer Hakkasan Mayfair. The Ivy does offer a prix fixe menu for less than $35 a person during weekday

off-hours between 2:30 and 6 p.m. My favorite place to eat is the Wolseley, the lively grand café next to the theater district and beloved by tourists and well-heeled Londoners alike. You

can splurge on caviar, oysters and lemon sole, but prix fixe dinners start at about $35. Chopped chicken and avocado salad with tarragon dressing (about $20) isn’t cheap, but the

people-watching is priceless.