Yes, we are aware that London is the most expensive city in the world to live in. And that the majority of Londoners spend most of their time nursing a broken bank account after one trip to the pub. Yet rather than gape in from the window, faces pressed up at the glass, staring wistfully at the warm buzz of fancy restaurants and cool bars that are still so out of reach even Elastigirl (from the Incredibles…*ahem*) couldn’t grasp them, fear not our holy-pocketed friends. You’d be surprised as to how many things there are to do in London that are far less expensive than they seem. Seriously, you’ll be living the ‘high life’ in no time.
1. A night out at The Piano Works
[The Spaces]Why go to an overpriced, over-crowded jazz bar in the centre of town when you can visit The Piano Works and enjoy delicious cocktails whilst listening to beautiful music chosen and requested by you. Yes, you. The Piano Works is a Victorian listed warehouse and is the only non-stop live music venue. Great atmosphere, great drinks and great food, this is a part-bar, part-club, part-restaurant and part-concert that you don’t want to miss. And with our friends at Fever you can enjoy a visit and a cocktail for only £5! Get your tickets right away, and remember…brainstorm some requests beforehand to really make the most of it!
[HopscotchNewsletter]Step aside £25 per person Shard, the Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street is freeand has just as good views (including, funnily enough, the Shard itself). While advanced booking is recommended, the uninterrupted 360◦ panorama of London is breathtaking. You can wander around the exquisitely landscaped gardens, observation decks and an open air terrace that is London’s highest public garden. All for nothing! Nil pois! Rien. Unbelievable, we know.
3. Comedy shows (that are actually funny)
[The Arts Desk]Why fork out an arm or a leg, or worse, watch something painfully awful for less, when you can go and see something side-splittingly funny for pretty darn cheap?! The Soho Theatre (in, you guessed it, Soho) regularly features award winning comics for a measly £10-15 a ticket! This month Anne Edmonds, Seymour Mace and Sam Simmons are performing, making it the place to be if you want to snap out of your back-to-work blues already and be saving the pennies too! Alternatively, Fever is offering tickets to Comedy Carnival Saturday Night (this Saturday, the 9th) for only £13.50! This is not a laughing matter…
4. Delicious cocktails
[This Little Piggy]You don’t have to drink at Mahiki (or remortgage the house) to enjoy exquisite cocktails. There are places all over London that do exceptional drinks at more than reasonable prices. £5 seems to us pretttyyy cheap for a tasty bev (including the likes of a Basil and Gingerbeer Mojito and Watermelon Fizz), giving places like Seven, Market House and Bar Story one hell of a reputation amongst cocktail connoisseurs without the bank balance of an Arabian Prince.
5. Theatre
[Now-Here-This]Theatre appears to have a ‘pricey’ label attached to it these days (no thanks to you, Benedict Cucumber-patch…charging £150 to watch your Hamlet…pah). But this just isn’t the case (at least, not always and if you know where to look). Exceptional theatre is available across London for only £5. Shakespeare’s Globe offers standing tickets for a fiver, while £15 can get you tickets to some of the top West End shows such as War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
6. Working out (without setting foot in a gym)
[Morning Gloryville]Not only are gyms boring, boring and boring…they’re also often extremely expensive. Luckily, London (being London) has a number of ways to keep fit without breaking your will to live or bank account. Running clubs take place daily free of charge and in association with brands such as Nike and Asics; morning raves are a ‘thing’ and often for only £10; and Parkour can allow you to turn your city into your very own gym. We would recommend taking a few classes first from Parkour Generations, though (£10 a pop). Alternatively, many yoga centres offer amazing deals for first-timers, so look them up and get sweating (and for once, not out of monetary stress!)
