Escaping the Cambridge bubble can be incredibly rejuvenating, and a necessary break from everything that consumes us her – sometimes you just need to flee. Feeling the urge to do so, I embarked on a one-day adventure to London. Though it might not seem like a cheap adventure, I want to show you that it can be; I met my best friend at London Liverpool Street and my biggest expense of the day was the train ticket (a return cost me £30).

Though my grouchy morning self didn’t appreciate it at the time, we decided to go early at 7am so that we could have a full 12 hours in London. Traversing the whole of London on foot? Challenge accepted. Also, as we were operating on a student budget, there was no unnecessary money spent on tubes here. The nearby Spitalfields market, one of London’s oldest, was our first stop. Window-shopping here is free, which is great unless you lack self-control, like me. It was full of independent traders showcasing hand-crafted pieces, fashion, and food. There were also countless street food options, from Japanese soufflé pancakes, to traditional sandwiches from Bologna and Thai noodle bars, but I managed to dodge temptation by stubbornly eating the sad breakfast I brought from home. Another unnecessary expense avoided, gold star for me. No money had been spent thus far… until we hopped on a quick tube to Embankment (in total my tubes for the day cost £8.41).

" Just around the corner is the colourful Neal’s Yard, known as ‘one of Covent Garden’s most instagrammable destinations’, important for the inevitable “I was in London!” post”

From there, we walked – for free, might I add – along the Thames, and spotted the London Eye and Big Ben; all the classic tourist spots, tick. We passed Shakespeare’s Globe (from the outside), though if we had booked in advance, standing tickets were very cheap, between £5-£8. We then visited the Tate Modern, which is also free entry, unless you fall victim to the gift shop postcards (also like me). We walked past the National Theatre, my favourite Tony’s Chocolonely store, and found a beautiful mural of the London skyline, painted by street artist Jimmy C at Blackfriars Station. Making a quick pit stop at one of the many Blank Street’s lining every street corner (how could I not, I’m a newly found matcha fiend), I treated myself to a rhubarb and custard matcha. At £4.50, I was pleasantly surprised by the price and it was completely necessary: either that or dehydration.

Refreshed once more, we took our drinks to look around the beautiful gardens of St Paul’s Cathedral, which are free to enter (though admission to the cathedral interior does require tickets). The day was even educational as I learnt how after the Great Fire of London, the cathedral also survived a Suffragettes bomb plot in 1913 and the Blitz in 1940. We then walked by the Royal Courts of Justice, on our way to Covent Garden. These three floors of shopping, dining, and performance are free to browse, though I obviously couldn’t resist the Notting Hill poster practically calling my name. Just around the corner is the colourful Neal’s Yard, known as ‘one of Covent Garden’s most instagrammable destinations’, important for the inevitable “I was in London!” post.

From there, it was on to Chinatown, an opportunity to experience authentic East and Southeast Asian cuisine which I did via smell to save money. Nearby is Leicester Square, where I enjoyed a nostalgic look through the M&M shop I visited as a child and a look in the Lindt shop (0/10, would not recommend, it just made me miserable that I couldn’t afford the chocolate). A quick tube led us to Camden Market – I could have looked around here forever. The Camden market stables truly are the labyrinth they are described as and we took the classic umbrella photo (you have to) before surrendering to temptation in the form of a Humble Crumble. Camden has all the possible food options, varying from Caribbean cuisine, cuisine from Mumbai, and açai bowls. My food of choice was the aforementioned crumble; rhubarb and raspberry compote, shortbread crumble topping, torched marshmallow – and zero regrets.

Here comes the (optional) expensive part – we found the sky bar, Jin Bo Law. In a completely out-of-character burst of confidence, we approached a security guard on the street, who we thought would definitely turn us away without a reservation. Expecting rejection, we were instead escorted by said guard in the elevator, up to the 14th floor of Hotel Saint. I thought Cambridge gave me imposter syndrome but this was on another level. One overpriced cocktail was enough but it was well worth the incredible view on the rooftop terrace of Tower Bridge, the Shard, the Walkie Talkie, the Gherkin.

“Just like that, I was back in Cambridge by 10pm, sore but smug”

29,445 steps later, after traversing the whole of London mostly on foot, we took our final tube back to London Liverpool Street and scored a free dinner at a nearby Pizza Express by downloading the app and earning free dough balls. Just like that, I was back in Cambridge by 10pm, sore but smug. As I have hopefully demonstrated, London CAN be done using very little money (if your feet survive). The city is surprisingly generous if you know where to look – you could even bring your own food to avoid this cost. Though definitely not a trip for those who hate walking, I would highly recommend escaping the Cambridge bubble in London, even for just one day.