'Hubbing It' Can Help U.S. Tourists Beat London Prices

LONDON — Nothing will suck the money out of you faster than a vacation in London.

With the dollar worth only about half a British pound, American visitors might as well hand over their wallets at the airport.

But there is a way you can see London and not break the bank: base yourself outside the capital.

"London is a major city, and like most major cities it's more expensive than outlying areas," said Joanna Allen, a New York-based spokesperson for VisitBritain, the country's tourism agency.

Make that a lot more expensive for Americans carrying greenbacks. With the pound hovering around $2 in late December, a one-way ticket on the subway costs the equivalent of $8, and a taxi from Heathrow airport to London can cost more than $100.

Even worse, hotel rooms in central London can easily drain visitors of more than $600 a night.

For those willing to try a base outside London, the option is made easier by BritRail at www.britrail.com, which gives visitors an inexpensive and flexible option for exploring Britain by train.

At the same time, a low-cost bus service called Megabus at www.megabus.com allows visitors to travel to and from London from a variety of cities including Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, and Portsmouth for little more than $2.

Finding accommodation is fairly straightforward as well.

During the summer and school holidays, Britain's colleges and universities have accommodations in dormitories, hostels and student apartments to rent outside London. Information is available at www.venuemasters.com.

There are also hotels in the countryside offering fixed dollar rates for American visitors.

For example, VisitBritain's Allen said she knows of at least two hotels in the Cotswolds, a lush, hilly region about a 90-minute drive north and west of London, offering fixed-dollar rates. One is the Cotswold House in Chipping Campden and another is the Hotel on the Park in Cheltenham.

There also are a number of bed and breakfasts throughout the Cotswolds where you can find rooms for less than $100.

Tom Meyers, editor of www.eurocheapo.com, an Internet guide to inexpensive travel, agreed that "hubbing it outside London can indeed bring some budgetary relief."

Meyers suggested the coastal city of Brighton, about 50 miles south of London, as a possible base.

He said that a quick Internet search came across 15 hotels with rooms at less than $200 per night in Brighton.

Of course you also need to consider rail prices, which are about $32 for the one-hour journey to London.

"So if you booked a hotel in Brighton for $150 and purchased two 'cheap day return' tickets at $64, your daily budget for hotel and transportation to London for two people would be $214," he said.

"This is quite reasonable, and the one-hour train ride would give tourists a chance to plan their days," he said.

Dorothee Vogel, a travel analyst at Jupiter Research in London, said many tourists opt to stay in Windsor, about 30 minutes west of London.

"It has a slightly different smaller flair and it's also close to Heathrow airport," she said. "Places such as Hampton Court are within easy reach, giving tourists the chance to see sights often missed on a general tourist trip to London."

Windsor's also home to Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and one of the official residences of Queen Elizabeth II.

Kelsey Merwick, a spokeswoman for www.Go-today.com, an Internet tour operator, said that staying outside the capital makes sense.

Cities like Guilford, Cambridge, and Oxford offer their own tourist opportunities that can be combined with a visit to London.

"There are some good deals if you aren't planning on going into London every day," she said.

But Merwick emphasized that there are also cost-effective ways to stay in London despite the weak dollar.

"We believe the best way is with a travel package that combines airfare and hotel for maximum savings," she said.

The company offers a variety of London packages started at $549 for airfare from the East Coast as well as six-night accommodation and breakfast daily.

Peter Frank, editor of www.concierge.com, a travel planning Web site, said he wouldn't recommend staying outside of London under any circumstance, especially for a first-time visitor.

"You'll find yourself spending more time on the train than enjoying the sights," he said.

Frank recommended two hotels that are relatively affordable in London.

One is B+B Belgravia, a stylish inn near Buckingham Palace where rooms go as low as about $214 a night, including breakfast.

Another recommendation is the Hoxton Hotel, in a gallery-filled East London neighborhood with rooms as low as about $175.

"Another idea is to rent an apartment, which lets you save money not only on the room rate but also on meals, which can be shockingly expensive in London," Frank said.

He said one agency, www.citadines.com, rents apartments in great locations for as little as $250 a night.

In the end, Merwick said that you have to weigh the pros and the cons before deciding whether to stay inside or outside London.

"The hotel price will probably cost less, but you have to factor in rail prices and the time you are losing in transit," she said. "And if you plan on doing a lot of shopping in London, you won't be able to drop your bags off at the hotel in the middle of the day.

"You can't forget the convenience factor," she said.

10 TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY IN LONDON AND BRITAIN

1. Several chain stores such as Boots, Marks & Spencers, and Pret a Manger, offer a wide selection of takeaway foods at affordable prices.

2. Museum lovers should take advantage of free admission at 238 museums and galleries in London, 11 in Scotland and eight in Wales.

3. The Original London Walks at www.walks.com offers more than 300 informative walking tours throughout London as well as Explorer Days, one-day sightseeing tours to places like Bath, Cambridge, Canterbury, and Oxford. A regular London walk costs about $12.

4. BritRail at www.britrail.com gives visitors exceptional value for money and the flexibility to explore and travel by train within Britain.

5. Walk around Harrods. London's most famous department store. Just don't buy anything. The bastion of luxury items sits on 4.5 acres in the Knightsbridge neighborhood. Make sure you hit the Food Hall and the toy department.

6. Always ask for tap water at restaurants because waiters will automatically bring bottled water, and it isn't cheap.

7. Have a drink at Babylon rooftop garden in Kensington. The drink itself may be expensive, but you'll get to see a view of London from the largest rooftop garden in Europe.

8. Check out Last Minute for dinner deals or dinner and theatre combo deals at www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/restaurants/

9. The Web site www.london-footprints.co.uk/walkslist.htm has self-guided walks if you don't mind being your own tour guide.

10. For a few pounds you can take a river boat cruise from the Tate Britain museum to the Tate Modern museum (called the Tate to Tate). The route takes you by Parliament and the London Eye Ferris wheel to the Tate Modern, where you can either visit the museum or go to St. Paul's Cathedral across the millennium bridge.

IF YOU GO

FLYING

Delta will begin direct flights to Heathrow airport beginning March 28. Currently Delta flies to Gatwick airport.

SLEEPING

During school holidays, various universities rent out student rooms. See www.venuemasters.com for details. Find rooms at the London School of Economics at www.lsevacations.co.uk. Check out the Travelodge chain, which offers large rooms and all-you-can-eat buffet breakfasts, at www.travelodge.co.uk.. Also check out a company called Coastal Cottages at www.coastalcottages.co.uk, which operates affordable apartments across Britain.

EATING

VisitBritain suggests trying one of Britain's many gastropubs, which generally offer quality food at reasonable prices. Noteworthy gastropubs include the Eagle in London; the Drewe Arms in Broadhembury, Devon; the Punch Bowl Inn at Crosthwaite in Cumbria; the Crinan Hotel in Argyll, Scotland, and the Foxhunter at Nant-y-Derry, Wales.