Pubs and Bars (back to top)
Pubs do not charge entry, you will be pleased to hear - the only problem is that they generally close at 11pm (with a few exceptions). Some bars do charge entry, but this is most likely the case if they are late-night ones (i.e. open until 2am), and they usually only charge after a certain time (say, 10pm) on the most popular nights of the week - Fridays and Saturdays.

Drinks don't really tend to be all that cheap - a pint of beer is upwards of £3 nowadays in London; a glass of wine can be around £5/£6. If you're really after some cheap drinks, try heading out to places earlier on in the evening, where they may be having a happy hour (offering 2-4-1 on drinks or similar).

Three chain pubs that tend to be cheaper than the rest are Wetherspoons, Yates or Walkabout (the Australian themed chain of bars). All of these places are considered - how shall I say it? - a bit naff, and the more discerning Londoner wouldn't really go to any of these places by choice. But they do serve cheap drinks and have lots of special offers (on food, too) so beggars can't be choosers, eh?

For Wetherspoons, try The Moon Under Water (28 Leicester Square, WC2) which is huge and bang in the centre of town, or the The Sir John Oldcastle (29-35 Farringdon Road, EC1). In fairness to the Wetherspoons chain, they do have a very good selection of beers!

As mentioned, Walkabout are an Australian chain of pubs, so you'll get a lot of expats there. They do good food deals too (standard pub grub) and often have bands and other events happening. Expect a party atmosphere!

Clubs (back to top)
Most clubs charge some kind of entry fee. Some, however, only start charging later in the evening (e.g. after 10 or 11pm) or charge a discounted rate until then. The obvious downside to turning up early at a club is that there won't be many people there yet. Overall, clubs in London generally tend to be a pricey affair - at some places, you can pay up to £20 just to get in before you've even thought about how much drinks are going to cost. Some also offer student discounts (as long as a student card is shown!) at any time of entry. Entry can also be reduced by acquiring flyers to clubs which are usually handed out in the vicinity of the place, or given to you as you leave the club the previous time (that sounds a little illogical, but we hope you see what we mean).

The best bet is to get a copy of the weekly Time Out to see club listings, venues, prices and so on, so you can see the best value places to go to (as well as the best places to go to, full stop). Time Out also has a "Night Pass" every week, which gives free or reduced entry to a number of venues!

Otherwise, check online at the club venue or club night's website before you go. In some cases, an online flyer may be printed off that allows discounted entry. One example is Buttoned Down Disco who hold a monthly night at a top London venue (it changes) and who offer free entry before 10pm if their flyer is printed off.

Cinema (back to top)
Going to the cinema in London can be a pretty pricey affair. There are numerous cinemas dotted all around the capital, most of which belong to chains, although there are also some independent ones as well as those showing art-house movies.

Here are some tips to keep the cost of going to the cinema down:
1) Go to the cinema during the day - ticket prices increase for evening performances.
2) If applicable, use a student/seniors card.
3) If you're a student, check when you can use your student card - some cinemas only accept them before a certain time of the day, or Monday to Fridays only.
4) Avoid some of the chain cinemas right in the centre (i.e. in the West End) as these will often charge the most.
5) Having said that, the Prince Charles cinema, just off Leicester Square, has good prices (for new releases it's £8, or £6 for members, though some weekday performances can be as low as £1.50 for members) and also often shows slightly older films. They also have viewings of Sing-Along A Rocky Horror Picture Show and Sing-Along a Sound of Music, which are exactly as they sound - tickets for these cost £14.50.
6) If you know of someone that is on the Orange mobile phone network, get them to check out Orange Wednesdays. At participating cinemas on...er...Wednesdays, tickets are 2 for 1.
7) If you're an avid cinema goer and in London a far bit, consider joining your local cinema's membership club. For a not very high annual membership fee, ticket prices will be slightly reduced. (And you'll probably also get other membership benefits too!)
8) This isn't really a tip for keeping the cost of cinema-going down, though it is a tip for enjoying your cinema experience a bit more! Try to avoid the main chain cinemas (as listed below) and go to one of the independents (listed below below) instead. Theatres tend to be smaller and a bit more intimate (great for dates!), with far comfier seats or even sofas. Some even have bars where you can purchase food and drink from.

The main cinema chains in London are:
Odeon
Cineworld
Vue Cinemas

Other cinemas:
Curzon Cinemas Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftsbury Avenue, W1 and Curzon Mayfair, 38 Curzon Street, W1
Electric Cinema 191 Portobello Road, W11
Gate Cinema 87 Notting Hill Gate, W11
ICA Cinema The Mall, SW1
The Lexi Cinema 194b Chamberlayne Road, NW10
The OTHER Cinema 11 Rupert Street, W1
Screen on the Green 83 Upper Street, N1
Screen on Baker Street 96-98 Baker Street, W1

Theatre (back to top)
There's a tkts booth in Leicester Square (on the south side) that sells theatre tickets at half price (plus a service charge). It is open 10am to 7pm Monday to Friday, 12pm to 3pm Sunday. Simply pop along to the booth to see what they have available for that day. Website: www.tkts.co.uk

It is also possible to get cheaper tickets direct from the theatre box offices; again, just turn up on the day to see if any tickets (returns) are available. Box offices usually open at around 10am.

Music (back to top)
Getting cheap music concert tickets is quite difficult, but at least booking at ticket agencies such as TicketMaster, See Tickets or Gigs and Tours may make things easier.

Depending on how popular the gig you want to go to is, you could also try Ebay. Sure, more often than not, tickets for the really popular stuff are sold at many times their actual price. But not always - I've actually managed to get some tickets for UNDER face value.

Sport (back to top)
Football
Getting cheap football tickets is near impossible in this day and age. Just be lucky that you're not a Chelsea fan! (If you are, then bad luck.) At least for information on getting tickets for games, it is advisable to check the websites of football clubs. If you go to the less popular games (e.g. European or League Cup games in the early stages of the competition), tickets may be slightly cheaper and easier to obtain. If you're desperate to get to a game, regardless of its quality (ahem!), you may like to look at the lower divisions.

Premiership Clubs:
Arsenal F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Fulham F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
West Ham F.C.

Clubs in lower divisions include Watford F.C., Charlton F.C., QPR, Crystal Palace F.C. and Millwall F.C.

Tennis
The main tennis action in London is courtesy of Wimbledon, which takes place in late June and early July. For a cheap Wimbledon experience, arrive after 5pm when ground tickets are reduced (they cost £14 for the first week of play for 2009). It is also possible to get returned tickets for the show courts (Centre Court, and Courts 1 and 2) cheaply, but you'll need to queue up once again for these once you're inside the grounds.

London is now also home to the prestigious ATP World Tour Finals, a men's tournament that features the top 8 players in the world. Held every November at the O2, because of the calibre of the participants, tickets tend to be rather pricey - no two ways about it!

Rowing
The famous Oxford and Cambridge boat race takes place on a weekend every March on the River Thames, on a course from just west of Putney Bridge to just east of Chiswick Bridge. There's plenty of viewing points all along the course (including in plenty of pubs!) and it's great fun to get down to the Thames and cheer on your chosen team - a wonderful free event in London. Full details are at The Boat Race website.

Athletics
One of London's best events - sporting or otherwise - is the London Marathon. Held on Sunday every April, the Marathon stretches through a course taking in some of London's best sites. It's great fun to head down and watch all the brave participants raising quite a sum for charity. If you're in London on Marathon day, you should definitely go see it.

Festivals and events (back to top)
One of the best known, and most popular, events on the London calendar is the Notting Hill Carnival. Held over the last weekend of August each year (the Monday of this weekend is always a public holiday in the UK), there are parades, live music, street stalls, food, drink - not all of this is free, obviously! - and just a general excuse to party.

City Showcase is a three-day music and fashion festival held at a variety of venues in Central London. The festival showcases up-and-coming talent in a variety of genres (for music, think R&B, classical, indie...pretty much anything!) and has - in the past - helped the careers of acts such as Keane, Amy Winehouse and Lady Sovereign. All events are FREE, but you must register to receive a wristband to gain access to any of them. Full details are on the website.