United Kingdom: Budget Travel Guide

Whether you are traveling on a dime or just enjoy meeting new people, London hostels are a great budget option for Cheapos traveling across the pond. While finding a welcoming (and clean!)  hostel can be a time-consuming challenge, you can rest easy, because we’ve gathered some of the top hostels in London in the center » Read more

The Christmas lights are sparkling, the temperature has dropped and London town is starting to feel oh so very festive. While there are tons of “official” Christmas activities to partake in over the next few weeks, you’ll find that many (like the plethora of ice rinks that have popped up in all corners of the » Read more

The Lake District is one of the most significant tourist destinations in the United Kingdom, taking in a whopping 15 million visitors every year. Located in Cumbria in the northwest of England, it is flooded with lots of different types of tourists. Outdoorsy nature lovers comprise one significant stream, as do the literary-minded – above » Read more

Oxford is a perfect tourist destination for history buffs and book nerds alike. With its university, literary links that stretch from Alice in Wonderland to Harry Potter, and its quintessentially English pursuits, such as punting on the river, it’s easy to see why Oxford has charmed many. The city is small enough to explore on » Read more

The monumental and mysterious stones of Stonehenge are a quintessential symbol of Britain, as much as the red telephone box or double-decker bus. A record 1.3 million visitors visited Stonehenge last year, but how can you join them without busting your budget? If you’re thinking of making a day trip from London, you have several » Read more

London and Britain like to do their own thing in Europe, and the same applies to their tipping rules. If you’ve got your head around when and when not to tip in Europe (say in Paris or Stockholm) in comparison to North America, you’ll need to readjust again when you think about tipping in London. » Read more

When vacationing in London, you don’t want to spend all your pounds on a hotel when you’ll be out exploring the sights all day, every day. Spend your money where it counts — on attractions, shopping and, of course, food and a few pints — but still rest comfortably in one of the best budget » Read more

Kingston-upon-Hull — “Hull” to its intimates — is the 10th-largest city in England and the largest city in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the northwest of England. Its fate has always been tied to the sea, through the rise and fall of specific industries. Today, with the fishing industry a shadow of its past self, » Read more

London offers visitors plenty of temptations every year and during every month. Might 2017 be the year you finally decide to make the trip (or decide to pay it a revisit)? We’ve thrown together a list of 12 reasons why we think you should visit London in 2017 — not that you need more than » Read more

Unlike many of its European neighbors, London has never really had the reputation of being a late night city for visitors or for locals. This is partly because the closure of the Underground network after midnight has made navigating the city at night a time consuming and costly activity. Hailing a London taxi can cost » Read more

We’ve given you our recommendations for 10 great London pubs, now we’re sharing our favorite bars and clubs that host fantastic happy hours in London – whether your drink of choice is beer, wine, spirits or cocktails. It’s perhaps unsurprising that these are also great places to let your hair down and have a good » Read more

EuroCheapo Flash: Eurostar has just announced €39 one-way tickets between Paris and London for summer 2016 travel. Planning to take the journey this summer? Book it now through the SNCF to get this sale fare. But don’t delay, as the sale fare has been limited to 100,000 passengers. Related: See all flash deals on European » Read more

While the classic seaside trip from London might be to Brighton (see our Brighton day trip guide here), Margate offers strong opposition. This Kent town is undeniably scruffier than Brighton – a once popular resort that hasn’t quite regained the heights of its heyday – but recent investment, coupled with a creative community with great » Read more

The northern English city of Newcastle (officially called “Newcastle upon Tyne”), about 45 miles from the border with Scotland at its most direct route, is known for its friendly and fun-loving locals. Locals are called “Geordies”; most notoriously, they have a habit of parading from pub to pub in the coldest depths of winter wearing clothes » Read more

Birmingham, the UK’s second-biggest city in terms of population, is no London copy. The West Midlands city is full of classic Victorian buildings and bold contemporary architecture alike. Historically an important center of manufacturing and modern industry, Birmingham has more recently seen an extended refurbishment of canals and industrial areas and the creation of a » Read more

Dare I say it, but London has been enjoying a great summer so far and long may it last. But sometimes we just need a change of scene, especially when temperatures are scorching. So if you’ve had enough of picnicking in the park or cooling down at London’s lidos, a day trip to Brighton might » Read more

England is full of tourist attractions of broad interest within day trip distance from London, and there are countless excellent destinations to explore. Warwick Castle, located in the town of Warwick just a stone’s throw from Birmingham, is among these. Located only 90 minutes from London by train, Warwick Castle combines dizzying histories and tactile » Read more

The attractive southwestern English town of Bath is one of the few places in the UK that can rival London for general tourist cost index. It’s not an obvious place for a budget-conscious break, and in fact, the tips that follow hardly enable anyone to scrape the bottom of the budget barrel. Instead, they point » Read more

If you are in any doubt about the capacity of rocks to shape relief, go to Devon. The county offers many good tutorials in geomorphology. South-west England is fabulous territory for rock jocks and Devon’s two national parks, Dartmoor and Exmoor, are good places to start. Dartmoor delights Dartmoor is England’s most extensive area of » Read more

There was a moment on the train journey to Barnstaple when the valley of the River Taw opened out to reveal a scene of rare beauty. Two fishermen waved at the train, as we slowed to stop at King’s Nympton station. A heron, evidently quite untroubled by the train, waited on the railway platform at » Read more

Exeter Cathedral comes as something of a surprise. While most cathedrals soar upwards to the heavens, Exeter squats — firmly anchored to the ground by its twin towers. The cathedral is curiously invisible from many parts of the city centre. And when you do eventually see the cathedral, its colour is something of a surprise. » Read more

Less than an hour from central London by the fastest trains, Brighton makes a perfect escape from the English capital. Tim Locke, author of the Bradt Guide Slow Sussex and the South Downs, describes Brighton as “exuberant, quirky and even outrageous.” Brighton is the nearest point on the Sussex coast to the capital and generations » Read more

Some of the most beautiful English countryside lies within a stone’s throw of London. In particular, between London and the Sussex coast there are two striking chalk escarpments: the North Downs and South Downs. Between these two lines of chalk are the wooded hills and valleys of the Weald. You’ll catch some sense of the » Read more

The far southwest of England is just five hours by fast train from London. And we think it’s at its best off-season. The stylish coastal resorts of St. Ives and Padstow, both in North Cornwall and good for art and seafood respectively, still pull a winter crowd. Through Wessex to the Duchy of Cornwall Looe, » Read more

Britain’s newest national park is also the most accessible from London. Less than 50 miles from the capital, the South Downs National Park takes in impressive downland, a spectacular stretch of cliffed coastline in East Sussex and some breathtakingly beautiful villages. We love this part of England. After the frenetic pace of London, Sussex and » Read more