Help me budget my 2 week stay in london?

Are u sure u can get airbb for $18 ? So very lo for london. U might want to look
At a hostel as a back up plan.
Depending upon where u stay, determines what Nd if u need a oyster card.

I can't help with overall costs; others have spent a great deal more time in London than I have. But here are a few thoughts:

• I think the London Eye price you quote is the fast-track ticket. There's a cheaper option, but I don't know whether showing up super early would prevent standing in line forever if you didn't go for the fast-track ticket.

• A lot of London's wonderful museums are free, but they do request donations.

• Some of the other places (like the Tower of London) are very expensive, so you should read a guidebook, make a list of the things you might want to do, then check current entry fees online.

• London Walks charges £10 for a 2-hour walking tour. There are many walks offered every day. On your budget this might be a splurge, but I think it's really worthwhile. Perhaps choose a tour that covers one of the historic neighborhoods like Westminster. Edited to add: Walks are £8 for students; I'm not sure what proof of status you would need.

• Oyster Card is the way to go. You can start out with a modest amount on your card and top it up with your credit card as necessary. I'm not comfortable guessing how much you will spend, but there's a daily cap of £7.70 if you don't go beyond Zone 3. Some days you may spend less. Some of the museums are so large that you could spend all day in one and not see the whole thing. If you tour like that, you won't be taking many subway rides. Buses are less expensive than the tube. I'd just put £30 or so on the card and see how long it lasts.

• Pret a Manger has reasonably priced sandwiches, etc., but you will probably find cheaper options at just about any supermarket. Marks & Spencer is more expensive than most, but I stopped in there a couple of time to buy a box of crackers and small packages of different kinds of cheese.

• I'm surprised you could find somewhere to stay for as little as £12 anywhere in the UK, much less in the London metropolitan area. If you're thinking of the Hostel Ordnance, be sure you've read the reviews available online.

There is a difference between the Oyster visitor card and the regular Oyster card (to which you can add funds, and get a refund of unused funds). The regular one might be more cost-effective for you and doesnt have to be bought in advance. It can be bought from machines or humans at the airport or many places all over. You have to look closely at the visitor card to see if it provides any coast benefit for your situation.

Oyster card is the way to spend the least you can on buses and the tube (i.e. subway), but a card for Zone 1 won't help you from Woolwich, which is in either Zone 3 or 4, depending on exactly where. The tradeoff for low-cost lodging in an outlying area like Woolwich is higher cost, and more time, to get to and from the London attractions you're likely to want to see. For $18 a night I assume you're looking at a room in someone's home. You need to find it on a map and then locate the London Eye and other places you want to visit in your two weeks. This website can help you plan routes and estimate costs.

Assuming that your very good $650 airfare is part of your $1400 budget, and your trip is 14 days, that leaves about $54 a day for food, lodging, local transportation, and admissions. I traveled in England and France as a college student on a lower budget than that -- half a century ago. You should probably plan to spend more if you can, or shorten the trip. The good news is that many London museums are free. [This website][2] can help you research what you want to see and do. So can the "Explore Europe" link above. Good luck putting this together.

London is a very expensive city for lodging of all kinds. Any place to stay, anywhere near London, that only costs $18 per night is very suspicious. Even a bed at a hostel is far more than that.

As for food, not only are supermarkets cheaper than Pret a Manger, but there is a range of supermarkets. Waitrose and M&S are higher end and most expensive (think Whole Foods - which London also has a few of), Sainsbury's is midrange, and Tesco is cheaper still. All are fine. If you're on a strict budget, getting most of your food from supermarkets and only occasionally splurging on other food sources (even the cheaper ones like Pret, much less actual restaurants) is the way to go. Also remember, when you're traveling, you don't have to pay for food at home (unlike accommodations, which you pay for in addition to your home rent or mortgage). So, the only thing you have to worry about is the price difference between what you'd spend on food while at home and what you're spending in London.

Another tip is that prices outside of London are lower. With two weeks, consider spending some time in other parts of the country; in addition to saving money, you'll get variety. For instance, Liverpool is quite different from London, as well as cheaper, but no less interesting or worthwhile. If you do want to take trains to places outside of London (and thus, beyond where your Oyster card will work), you'll want Advance train tickets. These tickets are for a specific train and are non-refundable; in exchange, they are much cheaper than more flexible or last-minute tickets - as in, one-third to one-fifth the price!

A good source of information for budget travelers (lodging, money saving tips, etc) is EuroCheapo. Here's their London page; note the prices for their "cheapo" accommodations, and you'll see why I'm worried about any place charging only $18: https://www.eurocheapo.com/london/

Don't know what kind of $ you are talking about but 18 of any of them wouldn't buy a park bench.

Woolwich is a big student area and there will be plenty of cheap local places to eat.

Travelling by bus is much cheaper than taking the tube or trains, but will take much longer. Check out exactly where your accommodation will be and what your transport costs will be. Your accommodation sounds too cheap to be true.

Tesco's is better value than Prets. Most supermarkets have meal deals for a sandwich and a drink, but it will be cheaper to make your own each day.

London is pretty much the most expensive place to visit in all of Europe. If you are looking to just get away somewhere, then I would suggest considering other locations. Don't let the $650 airfare lure you. A slightly more expensive airfare to a cheaper destination will likely still cost less overall than London. I also would love to see the link for the $18/night Airbnb.

I wouldn't trust the $18 AirBnB room either. If you are going in the summer, consider renting a room in a university dormitory. They rent them out to the masses when school is not in session and they're pretty cheap. The University of Westminster, the London School of Economics, and University College London all have summer rental programs. If you are a woman under 30, there is a Norwegian YWCA that is very cheap in Holland Park, see www.kfukhjemmet.org.uk. Be careful to stay close to the center of London. It is a big city and you don't want to waste too much time and money on long train rides or Tube journeys.

I think $18 is not at all reasonable for accommodation. Admittedly, I'm not an Air Bnb expert, but I'd think that Air Bnb fees alone would not make it economically viable for a host to even let out a room for so little payment.

The London Eye is a giant ferris wheel. There's one right here in Chicago as well. Not saying that you shouldn't do it if that's what you have your heart set on, but I'd suggest Westminster Abbey or the Tower of London if you're going to spend money on a paid attraction as both of those are historical and unique.

I can highly recommend Pret, even if you've eaten at the ones in the United States as the menu is almost completely different. I've found their food to be worth the premium over the takeaway food at Tesco or Boots.

I agree with the above suggestion to spend some time out of London to help save the budget. With advance purchase, trains can be quite inexpensive. And, you can bring your own food and alcohol on board to make it even more economical.

For food you can also get inexpensive lunches at the various markets around the city. This is a good website for less expensive but good meals www.londoncheapeats.com/ If you want London city views you can do it for free at the Sky Garden. Just need to go to there website and get a ticket a couple weeks out. Not sure about an $18 room. If you do want to see some of the paid sites consider a London pass for a day or 2 and pack em in to get the most for your dollar if it makes sense for you.

National museums are free -- for the permanent exhibits. But for special shows, the ones that draw the enthusiasm and the line-ups, the admission can be fairly stiff.

$45 for the London Eye! I've never been on it, never had any desire to and I often wonder what the big attraction is but to each their own. If your budget is tight however I would suggest that it could be better spent elsewhere.

Yes, most of the big museums in the UK are free but that's because they're funded by the British taxpayer. They also rely on donations so I always suggest that it's only fair to donate some money if you're visiting as a foreign tourist.

Pret a Manger is nice but it's not cheap. There are many places in London where you can eat for reasonable prices and there's always a local chippie for a cheap, substantial (if not entirely healthy) meal.

And as for the $18 AirBnB..............

I just spent a week in London for $750, inclusive of all my expenses right down to my Sutton Hoo coffee mug and my US pre flight airport meal, but not including my actual flight. I stayed at a hostel near Earls Court station so sort of west and south of Hampton Palace and near the V and A, Natural History museum and I think is zone 2. Lodging ended up around $250. Advantage of my hostel was easy access to tube and all of central London, access to kitchen and breakfast plus a grocery just down the street. I "spluged" on audio tours at Brit Museum, Natl Gallery and Natl Portrait Gallery, lunch at Cafe in the Crypt, Mayflower Pub, and at least one other nice meal and glasses of wine at various locations. I also spent the day in Oxford- that was a $35 train trip. Subtotal for my transportation was $153 to include Gatwick transfers, Oxford rail and tube all week. While in London I did two London Walks Brunels’ bridges and tunnels tour, the Blitz tour, The Mayflower Pub, after hours Brunel Museum rooftop bonfire and hot toddies, Museum of London, The British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and Natural History Museum and a show Kinky Boots. I would love to go back again!
I would allow about 50 bucks a week for just London transport. Embrace the concept of intermittent fasting and you will spend less money on food and have more time and flexibility for bumming around!