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It is easy to create a budget London weekend itinerary, you just need to stick to it.
Anyone can do London on a shoestring, but what is important is getting everything you want to do into one weekend.
From catching a glimpse of Big Ben to a night in a Soho bar and walking off the hangover in Camden market, there are thousands of things to see and do.
Before you head off, book a cheap London hotel close to where you'll be hanging out or find a central location such as Victoria where you can grab a room from around £22.
Book a cheap hotel in Victoria from only £10.00 per person
Friday night
The ultimate club night on a Friday night is Fabric (77a Charterhouse Street; Farringdon; £15), open right through until 8am. There is always a world-class DJ playing out on this night every week for FabricLive.
Saturday morning
To quell the hangover and to be a bit kinder on the wallet, head to one of London's free galleries. The National Gallery (Trafalgar Square; Embankment; 10am-6pm; free entry) has some of the most famous artists in world history, from Da Vinci to Van Gogh and Turner.
Lunch
Take a walk through Leicester Square and you'll get to Covent Garden. This place is very busy on Saturdays, but you'll find some great places for lunch. Wahaca (66 Chandos Place; Covent Garden) is one of the best London cheap eats, serving Mexican market food for less than £10.
Saturday afternoon
No visit to London is complete without a shopping trip and here you are in control of how much you spend.
For the high street, Covent Garden and Oxford Street are busy, but have everything. But if you're after something a bit more unique, head to Carnaby Street (Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus), where there are more independent boutiques.
Dinner
Everyone should try a Chinese from Chinatown (Leicester Square). London has a Chinese population of 80,000 and this area has an abundance of restaurants to sample. Your best bet is to look at the menus outside, but it is also worth seeing how busy they are, which will indicate how good it is.
Saturday night
To get the best price on London theatres, head to Leicester Square at the start of your day where booths will offer up to half price on tickets.
Here, you have pretty much the pick of the lot, but for a truly great night out, try Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre; Victoria; Telephone: 0844 811 0055), the Lion King (Lyceum Theatre; Covent Garden; Telephone: 0844 544 3830) or Wicked (Apollo Theatre; Victoria; Telephone: 0844 826 8000).
The show should end at around 10.15pm, which gives you enough time to finish the night off at the Comedy Store (1a Oxedon Street; Piccadilly Circus; £18) for its midnight showing. This is where some of the UK's best comedians including French and Saunders and Alexi Sayle launched their careers.
Four or five up-and-coming and established comedians will take to the stage for a couple of hours of non-stop laughter.
Where to stay
Time to collapse into bed. If you are around Soho, the nearby Susan Lawrence Hostel in Kings Cross has rooms from just £17.37.
There are plenty of cheap hotels in Kings Cross. Book a room from only £10.00 per person
Sunday morning
After a heavy night, a stroll around London's markets is ideal. What's more, you can also grab brunch here.
Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill Gate) has a huge range of food stalls and if you're sneaky, you can probably fill up on samples. Otherwise, Market Thai (240 Portobello Road) is a well-priced restaurant just minutes from the hustle of the stalls.
After noodles, the market has everything from antiques to fashion, making it one of the most diverse markets in London, attracting thousands of visitors and locals every week.
Sunday afternoon
If you've spent too much, fear not, as the museums in South Kensington are all free and can't be missed.
All situated next to each other are the Natural History Museum (Cromwell Road; South Kensington; 10am-5.30pm), Science Museum (10am-5.15pm) and the V&A (10am-5.45pm). They are all completely different, so just pick which is more suited to what you're after.
Dinner
For dinner, grab some gastro pub grub down the road at the Cadogan Arms (298 Kings Road; South Kensington; -10.30pm), which has traditional British food for around £10. This stylish pub also has three American 8 ball pool tables for a chilled evening.
Sunday night
If you're still going, head back into Central London to Bar Salsa! (96 Charing Cross Road; Tottenham Court Road; class 7pm; free; -12.30am) where you can join a free beginners class before trying out your new skills in this busy, if a bit cheesy, Brazilian club.
Book your weekend in London now! Cheap hotels cost from as little as £10.00 per person
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