Sniff up culture, but do it cheap

A Chihuly chandelier at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Photo Credit: Indu Chandrasekhar

When I ask foreign students why they came to London, the answer I hear the most is, “You never get bored here”. It’s true—this cultural beacon of a city has something for everyone. Unfortunately though, high prices all too often rear their ugly heads. Here are some tips to sniff up culture on a student’s budget—for free or next to nothing.

Museums
Film
Comedy
Musicals
Plays
Dance

Museums

Nearly all London museums are free. Very few charge a small entrance fee, while others only put a price tag on special exhibitions. There’s the British Museum, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Photographers Gallery, National Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Transport Museum, British Library and the Design Museum, to name a few.

All have free and paid-for exhibitions, but as a student you will get a discount when you bring your student card.

Film

Prices can vary significantly for a night at the movies. Your local cinema is probably guaranteed to be cheaper than the Odeon in Leicester Square. But even in Leicester Square you can see films for a fiver—just check out the Prince Charles Cinema.

The Barbican Centre also shows a new film every week, and tickets are £5.50 on Mondays. (Students can also sign up for free membership at the Barbican, getting access to free tickets for film, theatre, music, art, dance.)

Other cinemas offer cheaper rates on Tuesdays or before 5 pm. And the mobile phone network Orange offers a 2-for-1 deal every Wednesday through a promotion code; if you use Orange, just text them 241 to get your code and go to one of their selected cinemas with a mate. Keep your ticket because it counts for a 2-for-1 meal deal as well.

Comedy

Most comedy is cheap. Go explore your local pubs and you will find that at least one pub in your area will have a comedy night on every week, often for no more than a fiver. But if you want to splash out, make sure you spend it on the right stuff: the Hammersmith Apollo offers a guaranteed laugh.

Musicals

The West End is absolutely the place to go for musicals, but they tend to be expensive. Some of your best bets for cheap tickets are the online deals—they often change every one or two months; at the moment, Get Into London Theatre offers discounted tickets for shows up to 1 February. Of course, you can also sidle up to the famous TKTS ticket booth on Leicester Square on the day itself; they offer leftover tickets for musicals, usually for half price.

Plays

Theatre in London is good to students. Before you buy any tickets, be sure to check the theatre’s website; they often have student prices. The Old Vic, for instance, offers £12 tickets for under 25s, and have 100 such tickets available for every performance.

The National Theatre has an even better deal. Under 26s can buy tickets to shows for just £5 and will get their first ticket for free. No worries if you are over 25—they also work together with Travelex to deliver £10 tickets for at least four good productions every season.

Then there are all the little theatres, such as the Tricycle. You can often book general tickets for £14, £8 with a student discount. The Soho Theatre also has good productions and a nice deal: book for the first week and you only pay £10, or £15 for the second week, and so on.

If you’re still looking for the right place, the London Theatre Guide should steer you right.

Dance

Sadler’s Wells and The Royal Opera House are probably London’s most famous venues when it comes to dance productions.

Sadler’s Wells offers very little in terms of discounts,but tickets are reasonably priced considering the quality of the performances. You can get a 20 percent discount if you book tickets to two or more shows. Otherwise, tickets range roughly from £15 to £25.

The Royal Opera House offers great opera and ballet—think Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty—for as little as £8, but the venue itself is worth paying for. Book early to get the best cheap tickets.