How to (not) do London on a Budget: The Great Adventure for the Yorkshire Burrito
Let’s Talk About London…
Have you ever looked at a map, seen all of the tourist landmarks, and said “if we walk in one big circle we can hit them all in one day,” then you and I might be excellent travel companions. The key word in this exhilarating and overstimulating journey being ‘walk’…
If you know anything about London you might think, “how exactly can you travel through London on a budget?” with there being no really perfect answer. London is consistently rated as one of the most expensive cities in the world and let me tell you, this is not an exaggeration! Us, being lowly first time travellers, could not comprehend just how expensive it was going to be until we pulled up to our hotel. I think it’s fair to say that even though this city has some amazing things to offer and can certainly entertain a wide variety of curious wanderers, London is not for the faint of heart and likely not for those with thinning wallets.
Now allow me to take you on a journey through the many sights and sounds of the city of London where in this one day sight-seeing-extravaganza you will be introduced to some of the most famous landmarks within the city. If you enjoy sarcasm with a hint of cliche and maybe a little bit of learning along the way you may as well join us in our adventure to find the infamous Yorkshire Burrito!
The Saga of Two Amateur Tourists Trying to Tackle Transportation:
Let’s start at the beginning shall we…
We flew from Porto at 6:00 am and landed in London around 9:30 am. The first thing you should know is that, in general, flying to the Stansted airport in London will be the cheapest option. That being said, Stansted is about an hour drive/train away from central London. Our first mistake. Not only did we have to wake up at 3:00 am to catch our flight, fly 2 and a half hours in Ryanair’s ‘most comfortable’ economy seating, now we are stuck at an airport that is just over an hour away from our hotel and we have not planned how we are going to get there. Thankfully there are many (overpriced) coach options that will take you to a multitude of different areas within the city. And yes, I know that taking the underground would have likely been less expensive but hey we are living off of 4 hours of sleep and the hunger is starting to creep in so I’m taking the most convenient option that doesn’t break the bank.
After what feels like an eternity of meandering through London street traffic and passing through every construction zone possible our coach finally makes it to our destination. And by our destination I mean the stop that takes us to the underground rail station where we, being quite new to London, have to figure out how to buy tickets, find our train, and get off at the right stop. Did I mention that we are tired and hungry? Figuring out the rail system is honestly not brain surgery but it does take some mental power to navigate. Tired, hungry, disorientated, and only trusty Google Maps to get us through the final stretch. Our train ride takes 40 minutes and we can’t even count how many stops to eventually drop us off at Paddington station. After all this we still must walk 5 minutes through crowded streets to reach the hotel.
Walking through the streets of London sleep deprived with a 70L backpack is an experience that only few will truly understand. It’s loud EVERYWHERE. The multitude of cars, the multitude of people, the multitude of buildings, will trap you in a symphony of city sounds. It is beautiful here though, and there is no doubt about that. Being from western Canada, the oldest buildings we have are from the 1800s which obviously is quite incomparable to the exquisitely old architecture of downtown London. Alas, we make our way through the crowded sidewalk filled with equally excited tourists, albeit packing far less luggage, and we finally arrive at our ‘budget’ hotel.
The quaint Europa House Hotel costing just over $100/night for incredibly average accommodation is located a delightful 10 minute walk from Hyde Park. And look, I know that you can find cheaper places if you stay less central but if you remember from earlier, the key word in this journey is ‘walk’ which is what we planned to do. The staff at the hotel is kind enough to store our luggage until check-in time which is not for another FOUR HOURS! No matter, because we are famished. I guess it’s time to find out what all the fuss is about beans and toast! We choose the closest breakfast place we can and mosey our way over. Now at this point our ever-so-intelligent selves had not actually looked at the exchange rate from the Canadian Dollar to Pounds. And let me tell you it was quite the shock sitting in this, again rather average, brunch restaurant googling how much we will actually be spending on our breakfast today. Nearly $65 dollars later and full bellies I suppose it’s time to meander around this area of the city until our hotel room is ready.
The most logical thing we can think of is to head to Hyde Park. With Kindles in hand and a rejuvenated sense of adventure we begin our march to the famous park. London is a very large and busy city but they have done an excellent job at incorporating beautiful green spaces so that you can feel much less trapped by the concrete jungle surrounding you. Hyde park was first curated as a private space for the monarchy and very much resembles the layout of a royal garden. In 2025 it is a popular green space hosting hundreds if not thousands of people per day! Despite the copious amount of visitors there is always plenty of space for whatever activity you bring to the park. For us, still heavily sleep deprived, it is the perfect spot to sit and read (or even nap if you’re brave enough). After a couple hours of some half-asleep reading in the sun it is FINALLY time to go back to the hotel and check in! I feel like only those who travel on a budget understand the joyous reality of waiting for check-in time and the amazing feeling when you can finally, after the long flights, and spending half a day dreaming of a bed and a shower, can get into your room and relax (not before ascending five floors of a narrow staircase still clutching our massive, getting heavier with each step, backpacks).
Ahhhhhh, time to relax, time to shower, and time to come to terms with the fact that these four days will be some of the most expensive you’re going to have on your trip. And, time to scour the surrounding area for a place for dinner that won’t leave us financially unstable until we’re 65. Two hungry people trudging through the streets of London hoping for some financial relief if we walk farther away from the tourist area. Jokes on us, it’s all a tourist area. At some point we give up and step into a fast food greek restaurant. Not super classy but good enough portions that we can sleep soundly. You’d think that Greek fast food would be what? Maybe $30 dollars Canadian? NOPE. It cost us a total of around $50 dollars for two to eat at this lovely establishment which, from our perspective, is the London equivalent of Opa. I can’t overly complain though, the staff member who helped us out, who definitely works minimum wage, was incredibly kind and gave us a free dessert! Those fried dough balls smothered in chocolate will live in my memory forever. After this nutritious meal it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for our next day’s adventure.
Whose idea was this anyways?
I want to be clear before we go any further that I love London! I think it’s an incredibly vibrant city with so much to offer in terms of food, culture, history, and art. You would never run out of fun and exciting things to do and see here but you would very likely run out of money before you finished half of them.
Now back to business. Of course we are sleeping in after a travel day! Slow going, long showers, and best of all, breakfast courtesy of a Mini Tesco. We’re trying to do this on a budget. You didn’t think we’d be fine dining every meal did you? Nope. We are starting our day with fresh and crispy apples and day old grocery store croissants (said in french accent). And by starting our day obviously I mean we’re getting ready to leave the hotel for 11:00 am.
Our first stop on our scenic 8 hour walking tour is to the infamous Camden Market which is about an hour walk from our hotel. Thankfully, the beginning of our trek leads us directly through Regent’s Park which backs on to the London Zoo. Early spring in London can be slightly chilly but if you can make it during the first bloom it is an incredible sight to see. London is one of those places that has done a brilliant job of incorporating greenery and flowers into the landscape so that almost any street you walk down you are greeted by the caress of the sweet smell of fresh blooming flowers. If you don’t mind wearing a couple layers, early spring is a beautiful time to visit. Regent’s Park, while not quite as busy as Hyde Park, is still always bustling with business of people doing exercise, family walks, and general lounging.
The walk to Camden Market is quite peaceful from our hotel but you can tell how close you’re getting to the market by the sudden increase in foot traffic. Crowds aside, we get to walk beside a picturesque canal that leads right to the market entrance. Lucky us. Now that we’re here, we can easily tell how popular this market is. Despite it being very early afternoon, the market is in full swing! Smells of meat cooking waft through the air, chatter of people young and old, everyone looking for the perfect meal to share with their loved ones or post on the socials.
Not us though! We came here for one thing and one thing only. Yorkshire Burrito. I quickly spot the place and my mouth is immediately watering for that nostalgic taste of Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, and roast beef all rolled into one glorious morsel for my immediate consumption. Spencer however, is not convinced. You see, he is a burger/sandwich guy at heart and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So we search. There is no shortage of juicy looking burgers and sandwiches at this market. But after a quick look around (mostly because we cannot handle the sheer amount of human beings in such a crowded space), we find the perfect place for Spencer to spend his hard earned cash.
If you’re not an anxious person you may not understand this. But, after paying for our meals we immediately find a spot to sit outside of the market area. Finally a breath of fresh air and some delicious looking food to enjoy it with. Let me tell you, the burrito was absolutely worth it. It will cost you an arm and a leg to eat at any market in London but, damn, does London have the street food game down pat. After consuming another nearly $50 dollar lunch we move to explore the rest of the market. If you don’t come looking for food, you can absolutely come looking for fashion. Camden Market is plentiful with adorable clothing, accessories, and trinket shops that are a can’t miss. If you don’t find anything you like in the market, the surrounding area is sure to have a few shops and cafes that may be more to your taste. London has a huge vintage shopping scene (again don’t expect it to be affordable but it is adorable).
Tower of London? More Like Terrorizing Our Sensibilities:
What’s better than wasting a good chunk of your social battery in one market then walking to more of the busiest areas in London? Clearly we couldn’t think of anything we’d rather do! And don’t forget, if you don’t take at least 10 pictures of phone booths while you walk, you DID NOT go to London. Next on the tour is the Tower of London! With a couple stops sprinkled in to see some Harry Potter filming locations. Again, if you’re a millennial, and didn’t visit Harry Potter filming locations you DID NOT go to London. I don’t make the rules.
It’s about an hour and a half to get from Camden to the Tower of London, 2 hours if you’re making pit stops. So now we’re at 3 hours of directed walking and at least 30 minutes of meandering. Please please please note that you can absolutely take underground transportation to all of these places. We simply did not.
The filming location in question is Diagon Alley which was just as cute as promised. It is located by Leadenhall Market which is in the financial district of London. It’s an interesting contrast walking through Diagon Alley surrounded by finance bros and broettes but picturesque all the same. I also want to mention that the Sky Garden is also in this area, and while I haven’t had the pleasure of going, I heard it is one of the best ways to view the London skyline. If you plan on going, book your tickets in advance (it is free to go up).
At this point in our travels we are already quite overstimulated by the sheer amount of people walking around as well as the constant rumbling of vehicles on the crowded roads. Being from Edmonton, you can absolutely find busy areas but the most noise you get on the streets is downtown after a big Oiler’s win. We are not acclimatized to this kind of constant noise pollution. Yet, on we go. By the time we reach the Tower of London, we are tired, brain fog slightly setting in, as well as empty tummies. Thankfully I know of a Costa Coffee where we can go to and view the Tower while we sip our sugary lattes and munch on even more sugary muffins.
Caffeinated and likely on a sugar high, we press on to cross the Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge is not the same as the London Bridge. Apparently that is a common mistake and I think we can all thank Fergie for that one. Tower Bridge has actual towers on it (what a surprise) and is complete with lovely blue detailing. Brains turning to mush we proceed to cross the bridge and land on the other side of the Thames River.
Apparently we were so overstimulated at this point that we forgot to take pictures on this side of the river but honestly if you want to walk along the river the southern side is definitely the way to go. It is much quieter since you don’t have to walk along the street and overall feels less crowded. Now we have another hour walk until we hit the Westminster Bridge which will take us over to see Big Ben. Some notable stops you can make during this walk are Shakespeare’s Globe, Borough Market, Millennium Bridge (for our Harry Potter fans), the London Eye, and I’m sure much much more. Like I said, there is no shortage of activities in London.
Big Ben = Big and Busy (the final stretch):
Have you ever been to a clearly famous Instagram spot during golden hour? Well we have. Crossing the Westminster bridge during golden hour is honestly pretty cool, I’m sure it’s even cooler if you haven’t been walking for over 4 hours through one of the busiest cities. If you want an amazing Insta-worthy pic during golden hour this is absolutely the place to be. Just be prepared that every tourist in the city apparently commutes to this spot at this exact time. Since we are not Instagram moguls we mostly enjoy the view from the comfort of our own eyes. It is now 5:30 pm. If you’ve been counting, that’s just over 6 hours completed in our walking tour. If we had some time to refresh our brains and bodies from our peaceful walk along the Thames, that is all over now. More people, more cars, tired feet, tired heads, and a hunger that cannot be satisfied by a singular muffin eaten over an hour ago.
Our hotel is an hour walk away and we are succumbing to the full extent of our journey. Thankfully the road ahead leads right through St. James’s Park, past Buckingham Palace, and straight through Hyde Park. Who doesn’t love a good sunset while walking through lush and bustling parks? Seriously though if we had done this journey in reverse order I don’t know if we would have made it. The last half of walking was exhausting but conveniently very little street walking and more gorgeous views. Ex-royal parks really just hit different and it’s tough to explain the feeling unless you’ve lived it.
We are almost back, we can almost feel the cool sheets of the passibly-comfortable bed in our too-tiny hotel room. But first, dinner. A trusty old (drunk) English man on a plane a few years back recommended that me and my sister go to a Wetherspoons on our trip to London (we didn’t). However, the elusive restaurant has always piqued my curiosity. This is where we shall sup’ for the night. If you haven’t been to a Wetherspoons it can only be described as a large chain dive bar. Cheap food and drinks, a very large bar, self serve coffee, slot machines, and designs of red and gold to pull it all together. Even though we still spent around $60 to eat here I can say that it was worth it. Was the food amazing? No. But if you like comfort bar food like burgers and fish & chips along with a crisp cold beer, this might be the place for you. Apparently the location we went to can get quite lively in the evenings but since we spent nearly 8 hours walking around that day we chose to eat our meals, sip our beers, and head back to the hotel.
What a day! We can’t say if we fully recommend trying to hit all of your must-see London spots in one day but we can say that if you persevere anything is possible. We’d also like to give a shoutout to the Tesco meal deals for keeping us fed the majority of the days we spent in London, we couldn’t have done it without you. And don’t forget that they also have many free museums if that’s the kind of thing you’re into, but also note that with free comes larger crowds. All-in-all London is a must see place if you’re planning to travel especially around Europe. That being said, you must also be okay with spending between $200-300 dollars per day (including accommodations). You can absolutely attempt to do London on a budget but it’s likely a much more enjoyable experience if you have the money to fully embrace everything London has to offer.
If you want to see more pictures from our London adventure and many more, make sure to check out the photography page on our website! And if you have any questions or want to reach out please contact us, we’d love to hear from you!
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