Our up-to-the minute tips on getting the most from your trip to Britain:
Mile-high savings
Get the best flight deals to Britain by using aggregators like kayak.com and sidestep.com to see all fares in one place (and to get the scoop on fare trends). More and more low-cost carriers are serving routes from the U.S. to Britain, such as Fly Globespan (www.flyglobespan.com). Once in Britain, hop on the frugal British jet setter's best friend, Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). Frequent promotions mean that you take a short hop around Britain or Europe for free—as long as you pick up the taxes and fees!
VIP Pass—access all areas
Passes that cover multiple attractions in a city or region are an excellent way to pack in the most sites, while getting a chance to skip the queues. The Great British Heritage Pass, the London Pass, the Scotland Explorer Pass are just a few of the passes you can buy in advance of your trip through the VisitBritain Online Shop (www.visitbritain.com/onlineshop).
Hot bites
Look out for prix-fixe menus year-round in Britain. At Arbutus (www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk), which recently was awarded a Michelin star, you can order a pre-theater, three-course meal for just £17.50 – about $34.00! The Kitchin (www.thekitchin.com) restaurant in Edinburgh has a similar deal at lunchtime: a two-course meal is available for £15.50 (approx. $30) and a three-course meal is available at £19.50 (approx. $38). Similar deals abound all over Britain.
Sweet dreams
Self-catering apartments and bed & breakfasts offer an affordable way for visitors to save money during their stay in England, Scotland and Wales – all while preserving an intimate, home-away-from-home feel. Companies like base2stay (www.base2stay.com) and UMI (www.umihotels.co.uk) in London, Royal Gardens (www.royal-garden.co.uk), and Coastal Cottages (www.coastalcottags.co.uk) on Britain's beautiful coast have comfortable rooms for great prices.
Take a walk
The Original London Walks (www.walks.com) are an economical and enjoyable way to get to know London. The company has more than 300 walks through London each costing £6 (approximately $12), as well as Explorer Days, one-day sightseeing tours to Bath, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cotswolds and Oxford, Hampton Court, Stonehenge and Salisbury.
Source: www.visitbritain.us