London is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
Riding on a red double-decker, posing with a telephone box, seeing the sprawling skyline from up the giant wheel by the Thames, and crossing Tower Bridge are all bucket list items for visitors.
As great a city as it may be, however, London is not the cheapest destination: factoring in the expensive hotels and the pricey food at pubs, you should plan on spending $238 per day, according to Budget Your Trip.
The good news is, it is far from being representative of the country as a whole, and there are 5 cheaper cities, with a comparatively rich cultural tapestry, and most importantly, smaller crowds that will help you balance the cost of a trip to the British isles:
York
An ancient city in the North of England founded by the Romans, conquered by vikings, and still surrounded by walls, York is one of England’s cultural capitals, and in the modern era, it stands out as a staunchly-English city that’s yet to lose its native charm.
It is best known for its picturesque Shambles, a maze of narrow streets lined by half-timbered houses and historic pubs, serving the best mince pie you’ll ever taste, and a landmark cathedral, whose Gothic twin towers have dominated the skyline for over 800 years.
Besides looking as if it’s been ripped out the pages of a medieval fairytale, and being much safer, with lower levels of pickpocketing and knife crime, York is roughly 56% cheaper to visit than London, with tourists expected to spend $133, or the equivalent in British pounds per day.
Bristol
Tucked away in the seriously underrated southwest of England, only a two-hour train from the capital, Bristol is the birthplace of Banksy, a historically significant port that played a key role in Britain’s maritime expansion and a capital of the sorts for graffiti intervention.
Its youthful, liberal atmosphere, thriving nightlife and quirky art galleries are perhaps only rivaled by London and Manchester, and if you’re visiting this summer, you don’t want to miss the International Balloon Fiesta, when hot air balloons launch over Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The best thing is, booking a modest single room on Airbnb within walking distance of the city center, starting from $39, going out for casual dinners at the restaurant-lined harbor, and taking yourself on an occasional museum date will only set you back $114 daily.
Liverpool
Have we ever truly gotten over Beatlemania?
Liverpool, a former maritime power, now more commonly associated with England’s most notable musical act, certainly hasn’t, and it’s precisely its glorious past under the British Empire, and current status as UNESCO City of Music that make it so appealing.
Well, that, and the fact that budget travelers can gorge on as many fresh-out-the-oven $4 Shankly pies as they want, pay the highly-popular Merseyside Maritime Museum a visit without, hem, paying a single penny, and of course, admire the fine architecture.
Liverpool is one of England’s most sought-after destinations, so you might have to wait a while for your turn to take a picture with the harborside statues of the Fab Four, but it’s still cheaper than London: daily expenses will usually cap at $202.
Glasgow
The largest city in Scotland—though it is not the capital—Glasgow is a vibrant metropolitan zone home to over a million people, and between diving into the subworld of the artsy West End and exploring the stately Victorian listings, you’ll never run out of fun things to do.
‘People Make Glasgow’, as the iconic central tower with the bright-pink display reads, and you’ll certainly have no issues making friends at the local pub, if you get past the Weegie accent barrier: with Glaswegians, it’s all just good-spirited banter.
Harry Potter enthusiasts will also be thrilled to learn the Hogwarts-like University of Glasgow is open to visitors, and the odd culture buff might want to check out the timber-roofed Glasgow Cathedral, the oldest in Scotland; either way, a trip to ‘Glesga’ costs an acceptable $181 per day.
Belfast
Capital of Northern Ireland, a constituent nation of the United Kingdom, despite being located in the neighboring island of Ireland, Belfast has achieved notoriety over the years for a number of reasons, some quite laudable—it is where the Titanic was built—others not so much.
It was at the center of an ethno-religious conflict for much of the 20th century, and its war museums, politically-charged murals, and sectarian walls, nowadays merely illustrative of the city’s Catholic-Protestant divide, as opposed to serving as actual borders, all serve as windows into times past.
Complex History aside, this is a walkable, tourist-friendly city costing newcomers $167 per day to visit, and dotted with storied churches, lush green gardens, traditional eateries combining the best of British and Irish cuisine, and it even has an adorable pink castle perched on a hill in the city’s outskirts.
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