Enjoy The South of England on a budget

In line with our Britain and Ireland on a shoestring competition we are out to prove it is possible to enjoy a short break on a shoestring with Leonardo Hotels.

We have compiled all the fantastic responses from Facebook to share great low-cost ways to enjoy the UK. In the second part of this series we provided the best suggestions on how to enjoy The North on a budget. Now, we have gathered all the best ideas from our ‘Britain on a Shoe String’ campaign for destinations in Britain.

We had so many great suggestions that we’ve had to split them up into North and South England and Ireland.

Fun things to do in The South

Days out in Brighton

Karen: “Become a tourist in your own town.  See your surroundings from a different angle. There is always so much to see and do without really spending anything apart from an ice cream! Or a cup of coffee!  Just spend time taking in the streets, old houses, wide open spaces etc. One day will never be enough. I am very lucky to live in Brighton, where there are 101 things to do without breaking the bank. Our tourist centre will give you pages of things to see for nothing.”

Claire: “In Brighton the May festival every year for the month of May for all things weird, wonderful and creative!”

Hannah: “A trip to the breakwater at the Marina; stroll to the end for an awesome view back at Brighton! It’s great at night!”

Things to do in Bristol

James: “Walk around the harbour and take a look at The SS Great Britain.”

Lucy: “See the best street art for free in Bristol including some original Banksy artwork. Throughout the city are some wonderful pieces two minutes away from Leonardo Hotel Bristol.”

Grace: “use the water taxi to explore.”

Matt: “Docks are great to explore with the free MShed museum, then on to climb Cabot Tower for city views.

Explore Exeter

Philip: “Exeter City Council runs free guided tours of Exeter each day.  The tours have different themes; one is an evening ghost tour.  The tours are taken by volunteer guides who wear red coats.  Most of the tours start at the Cathedral Green. ”

Reece: “"Fantastic nightlife, amazing shops, the cathedral green is an architect’s dream, and the roman history is amazing! If you are feeling brave there are always the underground passages to scare you silly!"

Andrew: “Has to be the Royal Albert Memorial Museum for me!”

Best things to do in London on a budget

David: “Take a walk from Barbican station, via St. Bartholomew the Great, and have your photo taken under the street sign: ‘little Britain’. See St Pauls Cathedral, go down Knightrider street and over the wobbly Millennium Bridge to a former power station (now the world`s biggest art gallery). Walk to clink street and see the original prison, and see if someone will buy you a free drink at the Founders arms...”

Kevin: “The canal museum near Kings Cross is really interesting and won't break the bank. What's more it is close to the station so great if you have a few hours to kill before getting a train or the Eurostar. You can even take a narrow boat trip from it!”

Pamela: “Go to the wonderful V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, London. It's fantastic for old, young and in between with regular changing special exhibitions, best of all, it’s free!”

Laura: “My favourite city is London. We did the London Dungeons fairly cheaply by booking in advance online and taking a pre-booked early slot at 10 am that was reduced! We had no queues and the children loved it! In the past we have visited the museums (all are free), walked around the parks and lakes....I love London and always will.”

Christian: “Top free museums in London include the Natural History, Science and Imperial War Museums. great days out for the whole family!”

Mandy: “The British Museum in London -- it can't be missed!”