London is a great place to stay if you’re planning your first trip to Europe. It’s a kind of easy introduction to European travel for American, Canadian, Australian and Kiwi visitors because you don’t have to deal with language barriers and the culture is familiar in many ways. On the other hand, it’s still got plenty of history, atmosphere and culture to keep you occupied with.
If you’ve never purchased airline tickets to Europe before, the price may be daunting, but be sure that discounts are possible, especially certain times of the year. London is one of Europe’s prime airport hubs, with two major airports (Heathrow and Gatwick) serving as a gateway to the rest of Europe, so there are more discounted flights there than anywhere else.
The city tends to attract many young people, which means there are a ton of inexpensive London hotels there. If you really want to go inexpensively, you can choose one of literally hundreds of hostels and stay for under fifty dollars a night. It’s a great way to meet new people and find friends, especially if you’re traveling alone. Choose lodging near an underground station for convenient access all over the city.
Entertainment in London is cheap and readily available. You can find live musicians known as buskers all over the city for free, and there are tons of outdoor flea markets that you can browse around in among other things. London has lots of pubs and wine bars and while some of them are expensive, if you look around you can find cheaper versions.
History is one of London’s greatest attractions. Whether you want to visit Buckingham Palace in order to see the famous changing of the guard, or see some of the world’s greatest art at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London has it all.