London budget for the tourist

Hey hey

Can you please give me an indication of how much I would expect to pay for the following in the central city - I need to work out a daily budget.

Beer
Tube fare around the city
Pub Lunch
Cafe Lunch
Bottle of water
Dinner at a restaurant
Takeaway e.g kebabs etc
Transport to/from LHR airport
Club entry fee?
Accommodation 3* hotel - ranges 85-120pound per night (I can already answer this!)

Really appreciate your help.

Will take a stab...

Beer - £3 (about the same for a bottle or pint)
Tube fare around the city - get an Oyster card if you're here for more than a few days. Coust £3, but think you can refund later on and will save you a bit. Should be about £4-5 a day for unlimited around Zone 1, a bit more around Zone 2 which is probably all you'll need
Pub Lunch - about £7
Cafe Lunch - pretty big range, but would guess something like £12?
Bottle of water - 80p at the offy (dairy), £3 in a club
Dinner at a restaurant - massive range obviously. A pretty decent meal, at a not to flash place I guess would be £18 - 30, not including drinks
Takeaway e.g kebabs etc - £3 - £5
Transport to/from LHR airport - depends where to. Tube is the cheapest, I always get it. Will cost you maybe £7? It's Zone 6 anyway, look it up on www.tfl.gov.uk
Club entry fee? Usually around £15 for a standard night, cheaper if you buy online beforehand, which is usually a good idea if you don't want to queue up for an hour
Accommodation 3* hotel - ranges 85-120pound per night (I can already answer this!) - no idea, never stayed in a hotel in London!

I'm back in London on Friday and have already forgotten what everything costs!

Pub meals vary depending on how flash the pub is, and also where it is - in tourist traps like Covent Garden you'll pay more. Also there's quite a few "gastro pubs" now which charge more. This will also be reflected in the price of the beer.

The Oyster idea is a good one - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/oysteronline/2732.aspx

"Touristy" stuff can be expensive. I think the open-top bus tours are £20; don't do it - get an Oyster card and take the tube & use your feet, central London isn't a huge place. The London Eye is £30 or something - again, don't do it - spend £10 and go to St Pauls Cathedral, climb the 450 odd stairs to the top and you'll get an outdoor view which is better anyway (but still not as good as the view from the top of Mount Eden go NZ )

I'd add a little bit on to a lot of this too, if you're a tourist you'll generally be in areas where it is a touch cheaper.

Oyster is really a no brainer, it can cost you double if you don't have one.

The Eye is only £15, St Pauls is £10, really depends on what you want to see. You see more on The Eye, but inside St Pauls is awesome.

I actually recommend the open top buses to people, they great, and make sure you get the boat trip too. The commentary is brilliant and yuou won't get that by walking round or getting the tube.

If you need to save a bit but still want to see some great stuff, do 2 things, invest in a good guide book and walk around central London, you'd be amazed how many things you walk past you don't even notice. Also go to many of the galleries and museums that are free (Tate, Imperial War etc)

Club entry can vary from a fiver way up depending on where you go.

As I've said to a lot of people, it's not cheap, you might need £60 a day maybe more maybe less, but if you're coming and want to see it, don't try to be the mega saver. There are ways to cut costs and stuff to do that is free or cheap, but you have to spend to enjoy London, it's just the way it is

oops, some misinformation in my post then. Thanks Woodger

Obviously I mean dearer