Britain on the Cheap

Are you headed to the summer opening of the Houses of Parliament? This year’s run is July 29-Oct. 1, and you can pre-book tickets for the 75-minute Blue Badge guided tour now. Prices are £15/$24 per adult, £6/$10 per child. The tours will explore the Lords and Commons Chambers, Westminster Hall, the Queen’s Robing Room, [...]

Beat the Olympic rush! Ride the rapids at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire, opening April 22. This is the only brand new London 2012 venue to be open to the public before the 2012 Olympic Games. Lee Valley Regional Park stretches 26 miles along the banks of the River Lee, from Ware [...]

Fascinated by London history? The London Maze will return April 16 to the Guildhall Art Gallery and Yard. The free local history fair showcases London and its past, with stalls from libraries, archives, museums and local history societies, as well as tours of the Guildhall Art Gallery and the Roman Amphitheatre, film shows from the [...]

Walkers will have a rare opportunity to walk across the famous Knucklas railway viaduct near the Welsh border town of Knighton on the morning of Sunday, April 10. For £10/$16, including a numbered souvenir ticket, 150 walkers will walk 75 feet in the air along the 190-yard length of the span. Knucklas stone viaduct was [...]

If you’re lucky enough to be in London for the Royal Wedding and you just happen to be named Kate or Will, the city’s opening its doors to you. The Botanist on Sloane Square and The Cadogan Arms on King’s Road, both regular haunts of today’s young royals, are rewarding the first Kate and William [...]

The Orient-Express and The National Gallery, London, have teamed up to combine train journeys with art adventures. Two trips run between London and Bath, Collectors & Collections on June 28 and Thomas Gainsborough on Oct. 11. Rates begin at $1,500 per person sharing; $570 single supplement. Each trip is a three-day/two-night journey onboard the British [...]

Families in London for February’s half term can play vintage games like giant dominoes, hopscotch, tic-tac-toe, quoits and roll-a-ball at Tower Bridge Feb. 19-27. Family tickets for the traditional Victorian games start at £11/$20. Younger visitors can also learn bridge history with the Guy Fox Tower Bridge Passport, a sticker-based activity free for every child. [...]

Who isn’t excited about the 12 Oscar nominations for “The King’s Speech”! And of course, rooting for our boy Colin Firth to win Best Actor. So you’ll want to know where to find all those luscious locations next time you’re in the UK. The Duke and Duchess’s 145 Piccadilly House, which was destroyed in a [...]

Can’t wait for the 2012 London Olympics? Get a free countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games with the Destination Greenwich App. Local actor Nick Day narrates the app highlights. Greenwich is a host borough for London 2012. In addition to sports, the app will provide the latest on the Greenwich Festivals, from street theater [...]

The Royal Oak Foundation, the American affiliate of the National Trust, is offering a 2-for-1 voucher to the newly restored Gothic castle Strawberry Hill outside Richmond. The home, Britain’s finest example of Georgian Gothic Revival architecture, was transformed from a modest 1698 home into a castle by Horace Walpole, son of England’s first prime minister. [...]