Why London?

If London was a person, they would not be described as beauiful. The city does not evoke that type of feeling.  

Don’t get us wrong. There are many parts of London that are lovely.  Kensington, Hyde Park, and Regent Street come to mind. But, there are also parts that are squat and dowdy.

London is like that person who’s not classically good looking, but has character, personality, a certain something and you can’t help but be attracted to them. From the accent, which makes everyone seem upper crust to the air of sophistication that everyone seems to wear as easily as their wool scarves – London makes everything seem effortlessly cool.

When?

March,  April, or October.

Visit London in the Spring or in the Fall. The weather is nice and London is charmingly beautiful when the parks are in bloom. The off season also means that London's sights aren't too crowded, the people aren't too burnt out by tourists, and the fares/rates are lower than during the summer.  
 
How Much?

London is expensive.  Period.  With the weak USD to the GBP exchange rate hovering around the $2 mark, a bottle of Coke from a machine could cost you almost $2.00. To make it worse, most items are priced at what you’d expect in dollars.  

What this translates into is a sense of culture shock when your $3.75 Starbucks Caramel Macchiato at home translates into a $7.00 one in London after the exchange rate.  A general rule…calculate the trip in GBP and then double it.  Then add another 25%.

To give you an idea of what to expect to spend, here are some examples from our most recent trip:

- Burger at lunch = 5-7£ ($10-14)
- Take-out salad/sandwich from a food market = 2-3.50£ ($4-7)
- Glass of wine or beer = 5-7£ ($10-14)
- Coffee from Starbucks = 1.75-3.50 GBP ($3.50-7)
- Bottled H20/Coca-Cola = 1 GBP ($2.00)
- Single ticket on the Underground =  4 GBP ($8.00)
- Single ride with an Oyster Card = 1.50 GBP ($3.00)
- Hotel for two, mid-level = 125-175 GBP ($200-350)
- Dinner for two, casual restaurant/pub = $30 GBP ($60)

As a result, pay close attention to our Money Savers to help trim costs from your trip.