Gay.com's Travel Blog: Budget London: Fewer Pounds, More Fun

London is vast and its costs legendary, but don't be dazzled to the point of dismay by the glittering constellation of hotels and restaurants that jostle for the spotlight.

London caters to travelers from every part of the financial spectrum -- from "budget" to "don't have to ask the price." The wonderful thing about London is that so much of what makes this gargantuan metropolis -- its parks, museums, architectural magnificence and friendly inhabitants -- can be encountered for free.

All London is yours from Heathrow Airport to Epping, three hours northeast, with a Travelcard www.tfl.gov.uk covering London Underground, buses and rail services. Those staying a week (or who want to pass as local) can get an Oystercard www.oystercard.com, an electronic touch card. Make sure not to miss the last tube (around midnight): Some airfares are cheaper than London taxis. While experiencing "the tube" is so very London, "overground" transport reveals the city in all its vastness and variety. A bus day pass for the entire city costs a mere £3.80

YOUR KEYS TO SAVINGS
"Capsule hotel" Yotel www.yotel.co.uk has opened with great success, and apartments are also a good budget option. LGBT accommodation agency Outlet www.outlet.co.uk offers private apartments in gay Soho from £99 and rooms in GLBT households from £70. If daytime delights and jetlag-induced early nights are in the cards, Jurys Inn (£49-109), forty minutes by tube to Soho, is merely one underground stop from Heathrow, where most U.S. flights arrive.

CHEAP EATS
Cafes at the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Barbican Center (£3-8) are exceptional for inexpensive eats. Spanish-hued Meza (£23) is informal and fun. North African Momo (£36) is happening. Reservations essential. Delectable Rasa Samudra (£15) specializes in Keralan seafood fare. Dome is a favorite for affordable lunch. Hidden treasure Maison Bertaux (£3-8), in the gay village, is a century-old patisserie. First Out www.firstoutcafebar.com offers veggie pastas and pies till 11p.m. Friday nights' women's parties downstairs are notorious.

GOOD OL' CHEAP GAY AND LESBIAN FUN
Spots to socialize include Kudos www.kudosgroup.com is a cruisey hangout for gym-buffed suits where food is served till 11 p.m.; The Yard; stylish Rupert Street Café www.rupertstreet.com and pop stop The G.A.Y. Bar www.g-a-y.co.uk, which is open late.

Life for London ladies is good. Start centrally with the fun and frantic Candy Bar www.candybarsoho.com or join downtown hipster girls at G-A-Y Bar's women's bar Girls Go Down (men welcome as guests).

WORK CULTURAL MUSCLES AND YOUR BUNS!
London is an amazing city to walk, with an astounding wealth of architectural attractions, memorials and museums. There's a walkway all the way from Westminster, opposite the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul's Cathedral, past the giant Tate Modern, reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe, the Tower of London and beyond to Butler's Wharf, with its elegant restaurants, wonderfully refurbished old warehouses and superb Design Museum.

Wonderfully, entry to most British museums is free! Choose from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and Kensington Palace, Princess Diana's former home and Queen Victoria's birthplace.

If it's too nice to stay indoors, roller-blade through Hyde Park, swim and sunbathe at the Hampstead Heath's men's or women's ponds, stroll the canals or just hang out in one of dozens of other parks and green squares that were once little villages in themselves.