London

Money Saving Tips

Get a family railcard
For £20 a year, up to four adults (two named cardholders) and four children can travel with a 33 per cent discount on all adult fares and 60 per cent off for five- to 16-year-olds. See www.family-railcard.co.uk for details.

Book travel in advance
Go to www.qjump.co.uk to get a cheap apex train fare or visit www.megabus.co.uk to book cheap inter-city bus tickets.

Receive group discounts
First Great Western (www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) and South West Trains (www.southwesttrains.co.uk) both offer Groupsave tickets: for two adult fares, up to four people can travel to certain destinations, while extra children’s tickets are £1. South West Trains also sells tickets that offer cheaper entry to tourist attractions. Feature continues

Buy an all-inclusive ticket
Southeastern Trains offers a Canterbury passport that combines a return ticket with 30 per cent off entry to the city’s most popular attractions. The ticket costs the standard fare from your point of origin, plus £12.75 for adults and £10.10 for children.

Pack a lunch
Restaurants aimed at tourists are often busy and expensive. Take sandwiches, fresh and dried fruit and hot or cold drinks in flasks.

Try www.petrolprices.com
It’s free to register on this website, which tracks down the cheapest places to fill up.

Become a member
Annual National Trust membership starts at £32.63, granting free access and parking at the many Trust sites across the country (0870 458 4000/www.nationaltrust.org.uk). English Heritage membership starts at £38. This also grants free entry for up to six under-19s (0870 333 1182/www.english-heritage.org.uk).

Go rambling
Southern England boasts some magnificent countryside and it doesn’t cost a bean. Visit www.ramblers.org.uk for routes.

Buy a visitors’ card
Many towns, including Oxford and Cambridge, offer an enormous range of discounts on attractions in and around the city if you buy a visitors’ pass. Visit the town’s tourist information centre for details.

Travel by coach
It may take longer but it’s the cheapest way to get around. A one-way ticket from London to Brighton in August is currently just £1 with National Express’s ‘funfare’ rate. See www.nationalexpress.com for details.