3 days in London

Besides some lovely homes, good BBQ, the Library and fountains what else would I enjoy in KC? You have spent a good chunk of change for airfare to one of the best cities in the world. It's also one of the most expensive and yet you can visit over 20 museums for free. The British Museum has an unparalleled collection of Egyptian artifacts, the stunning Natural History Museum is memorable, Van Goughs can be see at the National Gallery. Again for free you can see an iconic Palace, watch the changing of the guards, visit fun markets, such as Camden Lock, Nottinghill, Borough's and find great pleasure walking around London's large and lovely public parks. The US of A is a mere 235 years of age. Part of my family heritage resides in Topeka, The Mulvane Art Gallery, so I appreciate history. The Tower of London has been standing since the 11th century when the White Tower was built at the behest of William the Conqueror shortly after his victory at the Battle of Hastings. Among other things, The Tower of London houses the Crown Jewels, an excellent room of, weapons, shields, and armor including Henry the VIII's and there are the Ravens. It's where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned and beheaded and where William Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason. If you have any interest in British history The Tower is a must see. If not spend $60 for the London Eye and save $5. Or better yet take the advice and use the 2 for 1 deal.

I also went to London with a limited budget, and while London has a great many sights that are free admission, my personal preference was to save money on lodging and food (my ensuite room was less than 50 GBP and I ate lots of takeaway meals from places like Marks & Spencer) so I could budget that money towards admission to the must visits that were not free admission. If it were me, I'd take a photo of the London Eye and put the money saved towards the admission to Tower of London. London Eye is nice, but if I had to make a choice between the two, in the end it comes down to whether you want to spring for 1 short trip on an observation wheel, or do you want to see a place that has some history behind it... Don't lose sight of what you really traveled all the way overseas to experience just because you want to save a couple of bucks.

I would add watching the Changing of the Horse Guards which is free. It's at 11 AM, except on Sundays when it is at 10AM. This is not the guard change at Buckingham Palace. I also agree that the Tower is worth the price.

The Tower of London is expensive, I agree, and so are the Tower Bridge and The London Eye. Must sees are a matter of taste but of the three, I think that the Tower Bridge is the one that isn't worth it. If you must have a view and are willing to climb St. Paul's is much cheaper than the Eye. I'd add St Paul's to your photo list in any case along with Trafalgar Square. To see the best of London on the cheap I'd go to the British Museum, The National Gallery, Tate British, The Imperial War Museum, and the Churchill War Rooms and not worry about the Eye or the Tower of London. But mostly I've just told you I like art and history in general and WWII history in particular. The Tower of London is full of Tudor History. It's just so crowded it's hard to feel it there. The National Portrait Gallery does it for me. Go look and Elizabeth I, and Henry VIII portraits for free. If I loved the Victorian Period or furniture and housewares, I'd add the V&A. Just walking in London is grand. Look at Rick Steve's walks. They are all worth doing. London Walks (http://www.amazon.com/Londonwalks-Henry-Walks-Anton-Powell/dp/0805013008/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337879593&sr=1-4), is part of a great series and provides chatty gossipy walks for a number of time periods. One book wouldn't be very expensive. By not spending anything on museums except donations, you could splurge on the theater one evening, a nice dinner out, or a open bus tour.

I, too, would skip the London Eye and put that money toward visiting the Tower. If you get there early enough before the crowds get heavy, you really can feel the history of the place. Also, you get to be dazzled by the Crown Jewels! Do you mean to visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition or just stroll across it? It's been so long since I visited the Exhibition that I can't really say whether it's worth the money or not, but it's fun to walk across to the other side and get a nice shot of the Thames and the Tower.

One way to save half of the cost for the Tower is to use daily travel cards purchased at a National Rail Station for buses and the tube. They allow you to take advantage of the 2-for-1 deals offered by the National Rail companies. Check the "Days Out" website (http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london) for details- and to be sure the Tower is still one of the deals. There may also be other sites or things (restaurants, theatre tickets, etc.) that you are interested in taking advantage of. And the travel cards at the National Rail offices cost the same as those purchased at tube stations- they are just on paper (rather than on an Oyster card) with the National Rail logo.

Save money on eating by picking up ready-made sandwiches at grocery stores like Sainsburys or restaurants like Pret-a-Manger. Eat on the run and have more time/money to enjoy the sights. On a limited budget and a short itinerary like that, I would be looking to cut corners on food in order to have more money for the wonderful sights, like the Tower.

Thanks for all of the responses! You have given me a lot of great suggestions. I hadn't thought of skipping London Eye, but that makes sense. We'll definitely skip LE and go to the Tower! Claudia - I think you just about summed KC up :) We do have some great art museums and an awesome new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. We definitely always save money on food, we aren't the kind of people who spend $$$ on one meal. One vacation in Chicago, we decided to splurge and find a great place to eat. After much consideration and looking at menus, we couldn't fathom spending a ton of money.. so we went to IHOP!

Follow Toni's advice regarding the 2 for 1 deals. Since you'll be traveling on public transport anyway, put your travelcards to work for you. When you are spending a few thousand dollars and 15+ hours in transit to visit a place, it seems a little shortsighted to nickel and dime visiting historical sites.

Jennifer, you mentioned "just relaxing" but it sounds like there won't be much time for that with all the sights you want to see. To relax for free take a stroll through any of the several beautiful parks. St. James Park is so pretty and a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle that is London. It is a great place for a picnic lunch as well. Have a wonderful trip.

Also suggest St. Paul's, you can climb up to the gallery for a nice view, especially if a clear day. It used to be included in the two for one deal, not sure if it still is now. Glad you are skipping the eye, just take picture and also can just walk across tower bridge and Tower is must see in our opinion, especially if u get there early in am. We did skip out at the end of the tour at the Tower when the guide takes you into a small chapel for a "lecture" that was time consuming and very boring, but other than that we loved the Tower, one of the best in things we saw in London.

We just did London in 3 days. Skip the Eye, expensive and very slow. We loved the Tower of London, bought discounted tickets with the Original Bus Tour Company, they also had a great hop on hop off tour that included a river cruise. It was a great way to be introduced to the city. If you have time walk around Victoria, such a pretty part of the city! The Oyster Card was the easiest way to travel and they return the deposit as well as any unused portion when the cards are submitted at the end of your stay. have fun!

Do use the 2For1 deals recommended above! There are many of them for all interests. I did this with my friend in late December to visit the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. At both places, the ticket takers were (amusingly) excited to see my 2FOR1 vouchers :-). If you at all enjoy art, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, like the British Museum, are also free, so you can spend as much or as little time as you like without feeling guilty about how much you spent to get in. I would also recommend going on a London Walks tour (www.walks.com). Walks are 9 pounds per person, but they are really informative and fun, and they have a variety of topics.