Where to buy cheap flights to London? How to get a UK visa? Where to find an inexpensive hotel? How to save money on a cultural program? Where is the cheapest place to eat in London? These questions concern many tourists who plan to spend a week or two in the capital of Great Britain.

First - visa

UK visa not easy to get. In the first half of 2009 alone, every 11th Russian citizen who applied was denied entry into the country. In addition to providing a passport, application form, income certificate, and hotel reservation, you need to go through an oral interview, which lasts quite a long time.

At an interview at the consulate Most often they ask about work and financial situation. For example, they may ask: “Would you go to England if you didn’t have money?” To which you should firmly say “No.” Or they may ask the following question: “What is the first thing you do when you come to work.” If a person works, he will say without hesitation what he is doing in the morning when he arrives at the office. For example, the first thing I do is press a computer button. The British side pays serious attention to the income of the visa applicant and the availability of property.

They may also ask what do you want to see in the UK. This is not only a test of your erudition, but also a desire to find out if you have any other purpose for traveling to London, maybe you want to find a job, which is not covered by a tourist visa. The consular fee is 3685 rubles. and in case of refusal it is not returned.

How to get there

Fly to London it is possible from Moscow and St. Petersburg, but much cheaper - through Finland, Estonia or Latvia on budget airlines (for example, a round-trip ticket from EasyJet costs from 30-40 euros). The earlier you buy a ticket, the cheaper it will cost. I bought tickets a month in advance and for specific dates, so they cost me 100 euros. It is expensive for budget airlines, it is better to buy tickets in advance.

You have to pay for luggage additional 20 euros. But I like to travel light, so I flew only with hand luggage, which can be taken for free, but it must be of a certain size. Also, this airline, like many budget airlines, does not indicate seats on the boarding pass. True, you can also buy the “priority boarding” service for 20 euros - it gives you the opportunity to be among the first to board the plane. I counted about 20 first-line passengers on my flight. The rest went on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no crowd, everyone goes to the plane, keeping their distance.

I flew from Tallinn, it’s convenient and the cost of the flight is even slightly lower than from Finnish Tampere. There are several buses a day from St. Petersburg to Tallinn. From the bus station in Tallinn you can get to the airport by bus number 2, the stop is at Tartu Mnt, a three-minute walk from the station. The airport is located about 2 km from the bus station, the ride takes 7-10 minutes. The bus arrives directly at the departure hall.

From Stansted to central London

There are five airports in London. I arrived at Stansted airport. At the airport, following the signs, it is easy to find the ticket office that sells tickets to London. A bus ticket to Victoria Station (you can get off earlier) costs £17 return (one way £10).

Ask where the landing is to the bus, it’s about 100 meters from the ticket office. While waiting for the bus, a line forms, and an employee helps you find the right platform. Buses run every 20-30 minutes. Travel time is about 1.5 hours. There is a toilet on the bus. Website: www.londontoolkit.com.

Stansted Express Ticket to Liverpool Street station costs 18 pounds, round trip - 28.80, discounts when buying a ticket on-line. Travel time is 45 minutes. The train runs from 5.00 to 23.30. Website: www.stanstedexpress.com/ Another option, not at all budgetary, is a taxi. How to order a transfer

Where to stay in London

Hotel in London You should not book in advance; it is difficult to find a cheap room during the high season. I flew in November, booked an inexpensive hotel near Victoria Station 10 days in advance, there were places. A room with all amenities, a 15-20 minute walk from Buckingham Palace and 5 minutes from Victoria Station, cost me 40 pounds (1900 rubles). The location of the hotel is very convenient.

To what is “cheap” London Hotel”, you need to prepare in advance. The rooms, even with a private bathroom, are very tiny. The shower can be adjacent to the bed, and another half meter from it is the exit from the room. When we first stayed in this hotel, the toilet was outside the room, although it was “private”. You leave the room and immediately come across a toilet that says “Only for room 7.” And the room only has a shower and a sink. During my second stay at this hotel, I had a room in which both the toilet and shower were already inside the room. All the hotel receptionists were from India, nice and helpful, and the rooms were clean.

In the center of London A room with amenities on the floor can be rented for 30-35 pounds (about 1500-1700 rubles), and further away from the center - starting from 26 pounds (about 1250 rubles). A place in a hostel can be found even cheaper - from 8 pounds (about 400 rubles), but rooms for 4-8 people are very cramped, and they are occupied regardless of gender, that is, a woman can easily be shared with three men. And vice versa.

In many hotels In the UK, the bathrooms have separate taps with hot and cold water. Also, the sockets here are different than in Russia and you need an adapter. You can read about this here: At my hotel the receptionist didn’t have an adapter, so I had to give him the batteries to charge. Considering that his working day was from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., this was not always convenient.

In almost all In hotels there is a kettle in the room, as well as bags of tea, coffee, cream and sugar, some hotels even have brown sugar. You don't expect much from breakfast in a cheap London hotel - it's coffee, rolls, toast and butter. Breakfast started quite late - from 7.30.

Here you can see prices and book a hotel.

How to cheat in London

In markets, especially on weekends, and in transport, often in the subway, there are a lot of pickpockets. You need to keep an eye on your bag, especially if it has a long strap, and it is best to carry money in the inside pockets.

Also in London You need to be careful at currency exchange offices and in shops - they can deceive you. The tactics here are as follows: sellers and employees of exchange offices find a victim: as a rule, this is a tired tourist who speaks little English. For example, he gives 100 pounds for exchange, but they only change him 50. It’s the same in stores - the seller gives change from a banknote of a lower denomination than the one the buyer handed over. They hope that a novice tourist will not notice. It's difficult to prove anything here. It is better to change money in banks, and in the store to be collected and not look absent-minded.

Transport in London

It’s quite convenient, but sometimes you have to wait for the bus – there are traffic jams in the center. If there are more than one trip per day, then it is profitable to buy a pass for one or several days. They are sold in vending machines and cash desks at the entrance.

The travel card is valid on buses, underground, DLR, suburban trains within a certain area, on trams. Keep in mind that the cost of the pass depends on what time of day it is valid for. The cheaper one is valid on weekdays after 9.30, and on weekends throughout the day. More expensive - no time limit (Day Travelcard Anytime - £7.40). Website: www.tfl.gov.uk

Available in London There is an ordinary underground metro, but there is a light one (Doklendovskoe), in which trains mainly run above the ground. For example, you can use it to get to the most beautiful suburb of London - Greenwich.

Getting there from London to other cities is also easy. For example, to Oxford an express bus runs every 20-30 minutes from early morning until almost 2 am, and an electric train runs once an hour. Both the bus and the train travel quickly, it’s nice to look out the window. It is more profitable to buy tickets for a train or bus both ways at once - it is much cheaper.

Cross the streets You have to be careful - there is right-hand traffic here. And although in the center at the crossings it is written directly on the asphalt “Look right” or “Look left”, out of habit you begin to turn your head in different directions. At many crossings you can press a button to turn the light green. But pedestrians here are impatient and often run across the road at red lights. Moreover, not only tourists, but also locals.

What to see

When planning a route We must remember that it gets dark very early in London in autumn. So, in early November, it begins to get dark around 16:00, and by 17:00 it’s already pitch black. In winter it is warmer here than in St. Petersburg, and in summer there is rarely extreme heat. On my trip in early November, at other times it was up to +17, but in the evening it was always quite cool.

If Paris sometimes Petersburg is compared, then London is compared to Moscow. Ancient mansions and churches here are often sandwiched between glass and not-so-glass skyscrapers. You can quickly see London in a week, but there are so many attractions here that you can’t get around it in a year.

An event that Tourists love to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It takes place at 11:30 - every day in spring and summer, every other day in autumn and winter. When the changing of the guard will take place is announced on a large sign near the palace. If you want to take photographs, you should “take” a place near the palace fence in advance. The people in the crowd are polite, there is rarely anyone jostling.

Many "big" museums free in London. Here is the list:

British museum,
Imperial War Museum,
Museum of London,
National Maritime Museum,
National Army Museum,
National Gallery,
National Portrait Gallery,
Victoria and Albert Museum,
Natural History Museum,
Royal Air Force Museum,
Science Museum,
Theater Museum,
Tate Britain,
Tate Modern.

But a visit to the Tower of London costs 17 pounds (converted to about 800 rubles), but how can you not look at the famous beefeaters - the guards who live there!

But with the spirit of London You won’t be able to get into it unless you visit the markets. There are a lot of them here - floral, antique, grocery, and clothing, similar to the St. Petersburg Aprashka, but, as it seemed to me, cheaper. London also amazes with the abundance of flowers and parks. Roses in Hyde Park and beyond can be seen even in November.

Ancient mansions here are often sandwiched between modern houses. At first it's humbling...

Buckingham Palace looks strict, and in the evening it is lit rather modestly

The changing of the guard takes place every day in summer, and every other day in autumn and winter.

Hundreds of tourists come to watch the changing of the guard

Law enforcement officer and the “dapple horse” at Buckingham Palace

When visiting London, be sure to take an umbrella or rain cover with you.

There are many cyclamens in London in autumn

London Underground sign

This is how the bus stops are marked

"Gazprom City" in London

Entrance to the Tower of London costs 17 pounds, if purchased online - 1 pound discount

And this is also London, a block next to Liverpool Station

London markets begin trading at 9-10 am

New buildings in the city center

It gets dark quite early in the fall, after 17:00 it’s already dark as night.

Trip to London

London attracts tourists like a magnet. Everyone wants to see with their own eyes a red double-decker, a red telephone booth, Her Majesty's guardsman in a bearskin hat, Madame Tussaud's wax dolls, the Tower and Big Ben - what was discussed in school English lessons under the general title “London is the capital of Great” Britain".

However, real London is not a textbook picture come to life. Ancient buildings here coexist with ultra-modern skyscrapers and panel houses, elite shops with flea markets, prim restaurants with unpretentious pubs. In the huge metropolis there is a place for both the historical center, and simple working-class areas, and ambitious new buildings - such as the London Eye and the Millennium Dome. A trip to London, one of the most unusual, dynamic and expensive cities in the world, will meet all your expectations and will certainly surprise you with something.

How to get to London?

Since Great Britain is an island state and located quite far from Eastern Europe, the most logical way to get to its capital is by plane. Several airlines provide direct connections from Moscow airports to London: Transaero, Aeroflot, British Airways and easyJet. Travel time is 4 hours. Only British Airways planes fly directly from St. Petersburg, delivering to London in 3.5 hours. Aeroflot, Transaero, S7 Airlines, UIA, airBaltic, Finnair, SAS and many other airlines have transfer options. Direct flights from Kyiv to London take 3.5 hours; direct flights are available from airlines such as WizzAir, Ukraine International Airlines and British Airways.

A large number of air travel offers can confuse both the inexperienced tourist and the experienced traveler. To find a suitable flight at the best price, it is convenient to use the website Aviasales.ru. It contains a huge and well-systematized database of all available flights and their prices. In addition, information on promotions, discounts and special offers of airline companies often appears on Aviasales. For information on how to buy the cheapest air tickets to London, read the tips from Ever.Travel.

Where to stay in London?

The British capital is conventionally divided into 32 districts (boroughs), of which 12 boroughs form Inner or Greater London, that is, the historical center, and the remaining 20 are former outskirts that gradually merged into the city limits.

Hotels in London are quite expensive. Prices for public transport are also very high. Therefore, if your goal is to visit the main attractions, you should prefer the areas included in Greater London. In this case, the method of choosing a hotel further from the center in order to save money does not always work, since you can spend the entire difference on travel, plus you will also steal 1.5-2 hours of your time every day. So which area of ​​London is best to stay on holiday?

City

City deserves special mention. City of London is not one of the 32 boroughs and is a separate metropolitan area with special privileges. This is the very heart of London, which appeared within the boundaries of the ancient Roman city of Londinium. Today it is the largest financial center not only in Britain, but throughout Europe. Among the attractions here are St. Paul's Cathedral, the Great Fire of London Monument, the London Stock Exchange and the Mary Ax skyscraper. Staying here is expensive, and is only worth it if you want to feel the rhythm of the capital or are here for work.

The VisaToHome service can provide invaluable assistance in obtaining a UK visa. After all, even if you are sure that everything is in order with your documents, if you try to storm the British consulate on your own, a fiasco may await you. In this case, VisaToHome will become your best ally. From preliminary consultation to obtaining a visa, highly qualified specialists who know all the nuances and pitfalls of this matter will cooperate with you. What’s important is that you don’t have to make any effort to do this: VisaToHome employees will fill out all the necessary documents themselves and bring your passport with the coveted stamp directly to your home.

How to get from London Airport to the city

London is served by 6 airports, two of which - Heathrow and City - are located within the city. Most international flights arrive in Heathrow Airport- the busiest airport in Europe. It is connected to the city center by:

• Heathrow Express train. This is the fastest way to get to London and takes around 15 minutes. Trains depart every 15 minutes from 5:00 to 23:45. The cost of a ticket when purchased at a ticket office or machine is 20 pounds, directly on the train - 25 pounds. A return ticket will cost £34 and £39 respectively.
• Heathrow Connect train. Paddington Station is a 25-minute drive away. Ticket price is 9.5 pounds one way, 19 pounds return.
• Metro (Piccadilly line). This is a cheap, but longer and less comfortable method. It takes around 50 minutes to get to Piccadilly Circus Station. Ticket price is 5.5 pounds, opening hours are from 5:10 to 23:45.
• National Express bus. Depending on the route, the travel time will be from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. Opening hours are from 5:35 to 21:40, ticket price is 6 pounds.
• Night city bus No. 9 runs every 20 minutes from 23:30 to 05:00. Trafalgar Square is 1 hour 15 minutes' drive away. Ticket price is 2.4 pounds.
• Taxi. A metered cab or minicab journey will take between half an hour and an hour and cost £50-80. Use only official taxi services and check the approximate price before boarding.

Of course, the easiest way is not to understand the peculiarities of public transport, but to order a taxi. Moreover, it’s not easy to “catch” him in the act, but book in advance on the KiwiTaxi website. Pre-ordering a transfer guarantees that you will be met at the airport, seated in a comfortable car and quickly delivered to the desired address. Moreover, you will immediately know the exact cost of this trip, and this is perhaps one of the most important factors when ordering a taxi.

Car rental in London

It probably doesn’t make much sense to rent a car in London - there are too many restrictions on entry into various areas of the city. But to travel around the surrounding area or Britain - why not? Just remember that in England, traffic is on the left, road signs for speed limits show numbers in miles, and the police are very strict with violators. However, if you are confident in your driving skills, Feel free to book a car in London on RentalCars.com. The selection of cars on this resource is very large, as is the price range, so you can easily choose something to suit your taste and budget. Read more about RentalCars.com in our review.

Urban transport in London

Public transport in London is quite expensive, even compared to other European capitals. The fare is tied to tariff zones, there are six in total.

A standard single journey ticket costs £2.40. Valid for all types of transport Oyster Card- a single travel card, the use of which significantly reduces the cost of one trip. When purchasing such a card you need to pay a deposit of 5 pounds. You can buy a one day pass for £8.8 Oyster Pay-as-You-Go for zones 1-2.

The Visitor Oyster Card London is a prepaid card that allows you to use all public transport for £8.4 per day. For 23 pounds you can buy a card with 20 pounds in your account, for 33 - with 30, and so on.

Red double-decker bus- one of the most recognizable symbols of London. In total, there are about 700 routes in the city, including 50 night routes (they have the letter N in front of their number). Ticket price for one trip is 2.4 pounds (1.4 with Oyster Card).

London Underground- “the Tub”, which literally means “pipe”, is the oldest in the world. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2013, today it consists of 11 lines and 270 stations. The cost of one trip is 4.5 pounds (2.1 with Oyster Card).

Also in London there are Docklands Light Rail, "overground", trams and river buses, but most tourists do not use them: they connect remote areas and pass by the city center.

Bike rental in London

Boris bikes are named after London Mayor Boris Johnson, who launched a public bike-sharing system in 2010. Now there are more than 550 points in the city Barclays Cycle Hire, at each of which you can take or leave your bike. To register you will need a bank card. Access costs £2 for one day and £10 for 7 days. The first half hour of rental is free, every next 30 minutes the price increases: 1-4-6-10 pounds and so on.

Excursions in London

The Ever.Travel travel planner will help you understand which attractions and in what order it is most convenient to see. Plan your trip to London on the interactive map, marking the places you'd like to visit and spreading them out over several days of your trip. Then download the free Ever.Travel mobile app and log in using the same account as on the website. This way, your plans are synchronized between the web version and your smartphone, and you will receive a personal multimedia guide that will fit in your pocket and will work even without an Internet connection, which is very important when roaming.

Don't like planning? Use ready-made routes for walking around London:

Tested for myself: the longer you get to know London, the more you want to know about it. In order to explore unknown corners of the English capital or look at them from an unexpected side, you should pay attention to the Excursiopedia service. The most diverse, interesting and original excursions are presented there. At each of them, you will be accompanied by a professional guide who will tell fascinating stories about the past, present and even future of London. Here are some great options as an example:

• Evening Thames Dinner Cruise– perhaps this is one of the most romantic adventures in London! Night lights, beautiful music, delicious food, and all this to the accompaniment of the quiet lapping of the Thames waves.
• Helicopter flight over London– there is nothing more epic in Britain than a bird's eye view of the capital. This is adrenaline, delight and admiration - “three-in-one”, nowhere else you will experience such sensations!
• Harry Potter Tour– not far from London there is a Warner Brothers film set where the legendary saga about a young wizard was created. You will see Dumbledore's office, visit Hogwarts, Hagrid's hut, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic and many other attractions from Harry's universe.

Mobile communications and Internet in the UK

There are many places in London where you can connect to the Internet for free - these are cafes, restaurants, shopping centers, and even some metro stations. There are even trash cans with Wi-Fi. Keep in mind that many free networks require you to go through a registration process.

To connect to the mobile Internet, you can purchase “pay as you go” SIM cards from British telecom operators. For example, Three mobile allows you to get unlimited Internet, 3000 messages and 300 minutes of calls for 15 pounds. Orange offers for 10 pounds either 400 SMS and 1 GB of traffic, or 60 minutes of international calls, or 100 minutes of local calls plus 100 SMS. There are similar options for Vodafone.

Shopping in London

London is one of the world's fashion capitals and a real mecca for shopping lovers. However, the prices here are far from the most affordable. Main shopping streets - Oxford street(elite European brands), Regent street(everything from large department stores to small toy stores), Carnaby street(fashionable youth clothing), King's road(indie stores, avant-garde designer boutiques).
The districts are also famous for their retail outlets Picadilly(department stores, book supermarkets, souvenirs), Knightsbridge(expensive department stores and boutiques) and Covent Garden(affordable clothing and shoes of popular brands).

In central London, almost all shops are open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, large department stores - until 19:00 or 20:00. In busy tourist areas, shops may also be open on Sundays. Then the street markets unfold - Portobello, Borough, Brick Lane and Covent Garden. Sales in London take place twice a year - in early January and in July.

English cuisine

"Oatmeal, sir!" - the first thing that comes to mind when mentioning British cuisine. Really, oatmeal (Porridge)- This is an essential part of the English breakfast, as are scrambled eggs and bacon, sausages, toast with jam and orange juice. Fish and Chips eaten at any time of the day or night: fish fillet fried in breadcrumbs with fried potatoes and pickled cucumbers is the national favorite fast food.

Almost all traditional dishes contain meat. Shepherd's pie, also known as cottage pie (shepherd's or country pie)- this is a casserole of mashed potatoes with minced meat, Suet Pudding- veal kidneys or meat baked in a special dough, cornish pasty– layer pie with beef and vegetables.

Let's not forget about roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. They are prepared together: a large piece of beef is baked on a grill, and molds with a special dough are placed under it, onto which hot meat juice drips. After lunch - from three to five o'clock - traditional tea drinking, for dessert - sweet puddings and scones.

In restaurants they usually tip 10-15% of the amount. It is also customary for taxi drivers to leave about 10%, but in pubs they never tip.

History of London

In 43 AD The ancient Romans founded the town of Londinium, which means “wild places”. Constantly fending off British raids, the settlers built and developed the city, and by 100 it had become the island's commercial center and capital. However, in the 5th century the Romans abandoned Britain, leaving a prosperous city to the indigenous population.

In the middle of the 6th century, these lands were captured by the Saxons, who brought Christianity with them. For another five centuries after that, London constantly changed hands: it was owned either by the Vikings or by the Anglo-Saxons.

In 1066, the Norman Duke William the Conqueror became the first king of a united England. He created an army and navy, conducted the first land census, established legal regulations and launched active construction - in particular, he erected the Tower. William’s work was continued by his heirs: this is how the Palace of Westminster and the stone bridge across the Thames appeared in London (it remained the only one until 1739).

By the beginning of the 14th century, the population of London exceeded 80 thousand people. Even after the plague epidemic, which in the middle of the same century reduced the number of inhabitants by almost half, the capital of Britain recovered quite quickly - so great was the economic and political importance of the city.

In the 15th-17th centuries, London's position was unprecedented: thanks to trade with Russia, North and South America, it grew rich at an incredible rate. The emergence of the East India Trading Company in 1600 ensured dominance over colonial trade.

The development of the city did not keep pace with population growth: due to unsanitary conditions and overcrowding, plague epidemics broke out every now and then in the capital. In 1665, the disease claimed the lives of 60 thousand people. Almost immediately after this, a new misfortune befell the city: the Great Fire of London of 1666 destroyed 60% of the city's buildings in three days (fortunately, there were not so many casualties).

London, restored by the beginning of the 18th century, was very different from the old one: wooden houses were replaced by stone ones, new areas appeared, the number of port docks increased, and finally, beautiful churches and palaces were built. International trade, in particular the import of sugar, tea, tobacco and silk, provided a constant flow of finance.

In the 19th century, London was the largest city in the world: its population exceeded 6 million people! A railway appeared here in 1836, and the world's first metro in 1863. In 1851, the World Exhibition was a huge success. However, there was another side to life in the brilliant capital: millions of people huddled in unsanitary slums, barely earning a piece of bread. In the summer of 1858, the “Great Stench” occurred, caused by waste from all over the city being dumped straight into the Thames. Only after this did sewerage appear in the city.

Two World Wars caused great damage to the city, but by the middle of the 20th century London had regained its economic and political positions, and also became a trendsetter in the field of culture and art. “Swinging London” changed the idea of ​​beauty, setting the tone for musicians, artists and designers for many years to come.

It is important to know:

Holidays and non-working days:

“Banking”, i.e. public holidays:

Good Friday and Easter Monday

First Monday in May - early spring holiday

Last Monday of May - Spring Day / Spring holiday

Last Monday of August - Summer holiday

They are not holidays, but are widely celebrated:

Second Saturday in June - Queen's Birthday (official)

Spending time in the capital of Great Britain is not the cheapest pleasure. But the good news is that there are many ways to get to London cheaply!

In this article we look at ways to get to the city using both classic and low-cost airlines. When searching for cheap tickets, it is better to use the search engines Skyscanner and (check prices in both - it’s more reliable).

How to get to London from Moscow

The cheapest tickets to London are located at - ticket prices start from 3 thousand rubles for a direct round-trip flight! Muscovites who want to visit England are, of course, extremely lucky in this regard - the prices are excellent!

In addition, with easyJet you can get to London cheaply even on the eve of Christmas and New Year - we wrote about this.

Prices for flights of other airlines are significantly higher compared to easyJet: for example, airBaltic offers flights for 8 thousand and above, KLM and Transaero - from 9 thousand, and S7 and AirFrance airlines - from 9.5 thousand rubles.

Prices from airlines UIA and germanwings are slightly more expensive (from 10 thousand), as well as Swiss, Lufthansa and Austrian - from 11 thousand rubles.

How to get to London from St. Petersburg

Unfortunately, easyJet does not fly to the Northern capital, so St. Petersburg residents have to either be content with less budget airlines or go to nearby European countries- Riga, Vilnius, Kaunas, Helsinki or Lappeenranta - to get to London inexpensively.

You can fly from St. Petersburg to London with airBaltic, Austrian, AirFrance - ticket prices start from 10 thousand rubles. Ticket prices for KLM flights start from 11 thousand, and for Turkish Airlines, Finnair and Aeroflot - from 12 thousand rubles. Quite cheap tickets are available from UIA airlines - less than 10 thousand rubles (with a transfer in Kyiv).

Direct flights St. Petersburg - London - St. Petersburg are operated by British Airways (from 16.5 thousand).

Accommodation while traveling. We offer you a selection of wonderful accommodation in London: which are worthy of the attention of a real traveler.

How to get to London from the regions

Good priced tickets to London from Yekaterinburg are available from S7 - from 14 thousand.

The best way to search for flights is on Skyscanner - they search among all airlines and find the cheapest ones. For British Airways, ticket prices start from 18 thousand, for Transaero - from 20, and Aeroflot offers tickets at prices starting from 21 thousand rubles.

Flying from Novosibirsk to London is even more expensive: Transaero and Aeroflot airlines have tickets from 26 thousand, and S7 - from 27.5 thousand rubles. From 21 thousand they offer VIM-avia together with easyJet, and these are the cheapest tickets to London from Novosibirsk.

How to get to London with low-cost airlines

You can fly from Vilnius and Riga to London on a direct airline flight Wizz Air- round trip ticket prices start from 56 euros. And for Catholic Christmas and New Year we found an absolutely fabulous price - 55 euros for a round-trip ticket departing from Riga! For WIZZ Discount Club members, the flight will cost even less - only 35 euros (just think, 1,750 rubles for a flight to London and back!). Flight to London is on December 15 or 16, and back on January 8. Hurry up to catch the coveted ticket!

London is an expensive city. Staying there is not a cheap pleasure. However, if you think carefully, there are many options to save on a trip to London. For example, buy cheap air tickets to, or plan a trip using different modes of transport.

In today's article we'll look at how to get to London on a budget. I will consider three types of transport: bus, train and plane. Be sure to use the aggregator to find the cheapest flight options to London and beyond.

To London by bus

In general, the bus is one of the cheapest options to get to London. The only nuance is that from Russia and the CIS countries directly to London will be very expensive, so it’s cheaper to get to the starting point in Europe, and then take a direct flight to London.

There are approximately 15 airlines that regularly fly to London. The most interesting offers are available from Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, Air Moldova and AirBaltic, Turkish Airlines, Aegean Airlines. On average 4000 – 8000 rubles.

Aeroflot airlines fly from Moscow to London every day (from 8,000 rubles), approximately 4 hours 20 minutes on the way. Airfare may vary depending on the day of the week. Departure from Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo airports, less often from Vnukovo. Arrival airports in London are Gatwick, Heathrow, and less commonly London City Airport.

You can fly from St. Petersburg to London on British Airlines. Non-stop price from 9,700 rubles. Please note that luggage is not included in this price. Flight time is approximately 3 hours 40 minutes. The best options in terms of price/quality can be found at Lufthansa, AirBaltic, as well as KLM, Finnair, AirFrance.

For residents of St. Petersburg, it sometimes makes sense to fly from Finland. Helsinki is approximately 3 hours away by minibus. But the flight will cost approximately 6,000 rubles. As a rule, at such a cheap price these will be flights with transfers, but sometimes you can get lucky and get a direct flight for the same money.

As for cheap flights to London from the regions, there are no direct flights. Almost always these will be flights with transfers in Moscow, sometimes lasting up to 18 hours or more. In terms of prices, everything is simple. The further the departure city is from Moscow, the higher the cost of the air ticket.

To be aware of the cheapest prices for air tickets, be sure to use the Aviasales service. If you use mobile devices, be sure to install applications for iOS and Android on your mobile device. If you don’t have any, install a browser widget that will send you notifications about the cheapest air tickets to the destination you need directly to your browser. This will make it easier and faster to track all changes in air ticket prices.

is one of the favorite cities in the world not only among Russian oligarchs and the elite, but also among ordinary tourists, whose plans include sightseeing much more often than shopping in world-famous boutiques and parties in expensive clubs. To the question of how to get to , fans of medieval architecture, black tea and the traditions of five o’clock and the virtuoso play of Fulham football players know the answer.

Choosing wings

Directly and London are separated by about 2,500 kilometers, which the impatient prefer to travel by plane, and those who like to drive on the roads prefer to travel on their own wheels. Air travel is preferred by the vast majority, and therefore we will place special emphasis on air routes:

• Direct flights from the Russian capital to the British capital are operated by Aeroflot and British Airways. The Russian carrier asks about $270 for its services, delivering passengers on regular flights in 4 hours.
• British Airways flies to and directly from London. The price is from $460, you will have to spend 3.5 hours in the sky.
• Connecting flights from London are the cheapest on Latvian airlines. With a transfer to you will get to London for $200 and 5 hours. The docking itself also does not take much time. Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines price their services a little more expensive. A flight via and will cost $210 and take just over five hours.
• Connections to the capital of Britain from the Russian northern capital can be reached on board Air Baltic. Latvians ask only $220 for their services. The flight time excluding transfers will be about 5 hours, but connections with Latvian air carriers in this direction are usually quite long and not very convenient.
• You can also buy a ticket from St. Petersburg to London from Finnish aviators. Finnair sells them for the same $220, but connections are usually not as long as in Riga.

Most international flights arrive at London Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The first is the largest not only in the country, but throughout the Old World, and the second accepts mainly charters, but regular flights are not uncommon in its schedule.

How to get to London from its airports

Heathrow is the largest European airport, built 24 km west of the central part of the British capital. Public transport serving Heathrow passengers and connecting it with the city can be divided into three types:

• Heathrow Express trains are the fastest, but also the most expensive type of public transfer. Their schedule is from 5.00 to 23.30. There are two train stops at the airport - Heathrow Central, serving passengers in Terminals 1, 2, 3, and a station in Terminal 5. Travel time from the airport to Paddington Station is approximately 20 minutes, and a ticket costs a whopping £27.
• All Heathrow terminals are connected to London by the Underground. The route is marked in blue on the diagram and is called the Piccadilly Line. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 have a common station Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3. The remaining two terminals have their own stations - Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminal 5, respectively. Tube trains travel to central London in approximately 50 minutes.
• National carrier National Express buses connect the airport bus station with the bus station. Their passengers spend about an hour on the way. The first bus leaves the airport at 5.30 am, the last one at 21.30. The price of a single trip is about 6 pounds. Overnight passengers are served by the number 9 bus, which runs from Heathrow station to Trafalgar Square every half hour.

For those who are not used to using public transport, taxis are available. The cost is controlled by a meter, and the amount of the trip ranges from 40 to 90 pounds, depending on the distance.
Gatwick Airport is the second largest airport in London and throughout the country. It is located 47 km south of the center of the British capital and is connected to it by bus and train routes.
Passengers can get to London by National Express buses (8 pounds for a one-way ticket), Metrobus (the cheapest - 2 pounds) and Fastway buses.
The train station near Gatwick provides train connections to Victoria Station and Luton and Heathrow airports. A trip to London costs £18 and trains run every quarter of an hour. Their schedule is from 5.00 to midnight.
A taxi will cost 22.5 pounds per seat in the car.

To London by land

If you absolutely do not like to fly, buses, trains and even a car will help you get to London.
Eurostar has regular train services from, or. For example, if you take a train to the French capital in Moscow via , and in Paris take a train to London, you will be able to get to the station platform of the British capital only after three days. The cost of one-way tickets will be at least $300, and therefore this type of transfer cannot be called cheap and profitable.
Bus trips from the continent to the UK are organized by several companies, the most popular among them being Eurolines. From Paris to the capital of Foggy Albion you will be taken in 7 hours and $60.

All prices in the material are approximate and are given for March 2017. It is better to check the exact cost of travel on the official websites of carriers.