BudgetTravel

London's old Victorian pubs may be regal watering holes, but these days they're often notoriously overpriced. For value (bitter for as little as £1.64/$2.40, for example), the name to look for on signs is Samuel Smiths Brewery; their Princess Louise (208 High Holborn, WC1, 7405-8816, tube: Holborn) in the West End, near the British Museum, is all engraved mirrors and gilt ceilings. "Gastropubs" (those serving full meals) also tend to be pricey, but there are a few exceptions, such as the Dartmouth Arms (35 York Rise, NW5, 7485-3267; tube: Tufnell Park), whose daytime menu serves up robust main courses around the o6 to o8 ($8.75-$11.50) mark.

Staged cheapies

See all those reduced and half-price theater tickets advertised downtown? Stay away! Very rarely are they bona-fide bargains. You'll only get genuine reductions by visiting the booth on the south side of Leicester Square (Mon. to Sat. noon-6:30 p.m., Sunday noon-3 p.m.; tube: Leicester Square) and checking out the same-day bargains. The Royal Opera House (Covent Garden, Bow St., WC2, 7304-4000, fax: 7212-9460; tube: Covent Garden), where seats are often in excess of £100, has free lunchtime concerts in the Vilar Floral Hall. A limited number of seats are available for the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet (both based at the Opera House) on the day of performance for £4 ($5) and £3 ($4.50) respectively; arrive at least one hour before the box office opens at 10 a.m. to buy tickets.

Hey, make me over

Go home with a hot British look by asking for a makeover at the cosmetic counters of one of the city's larger department stores like Debenhams, Selfridges, or House of Fraser on Oxford Street (tube: Bond St., Oxford Circus), Barkers on High Street Kensington (tube of same name), and Dickens and Jones on Regent Street (tube: Oxford Circus). It won't cost you a penny and you are under no obligation to buy afterwards (if you get a hard sell, just say you want to "live" with the look for a couple of hours!). For younger looks, try the new cosmetics concessions in glamorous Harvey Nichols (Knightsbridge, SW1; tube: Knightsbridge); names to look for are Stila, M.A.C., Chantecaille, Trish McEvoy, and Shu Uemura. Get a haircut for £16.50 ($24) or color for £17.50 ($25.75) from students at Vidal Sassoon's salons (a fifth of the normal price for coloring, less than half the regular price of a cut) by calling 7318-5205. (Metro and other papers also run vouchers for even greater discounts.)

Walk this way

At the tourist office, pick up the map to the "London Silver Jubilee Walkway," a 12-mile circular walk marked by 400 silver discs set in the sidewalk and taking in great local views and landmarks. Alternatively, consult the "Around Town" section of Time Out for info on the many guided walks available, and choose your theme, be it spooky, regal, or downright titillating. The best guides work for Original London Walks (7624-3978, walks.com, charging £5 ($7.25) for two hours.

Fishin' & chippin', mate

At its best, Britain's national dish can be a revelation (though the English lament that their "chip shops" aren't what they used to be). Top-notch chippies charging £4 to £6 ($5.75 to $9) include: Brady's (513 Old York Rd., SW18; train: Wandsworth Town or buses 28 and 44); Golden Hind (73 Marylebone Ln., W1; tube: Baker St. or Bond St.); Fryer's Delight (19 Theobald's Rd., WC1; tube: Chancery Lane, Holborn); Fish Central (149-151 Central St., EC1; tube: Angel, Barbican); and Costas Fish Restaurant (18 Hillgate St., W8; tube: Notting Hill).

Tubing it into town

If you land at Heathrow Airport, buy a Travelcard (see above) at the airport's tube (Underground) station and get on the dark blue Piccadilly Line, which cuts through town from west to east; a single ride from airport to city center costs £3.50 ($5). Or pick up the A2 bus for £7 ($10.25) each way, £10 ($14.75) round-trip from bus stops outside all four Heathrow terminals (they are well-signposted); it will take you west through town to Kings Cross with regular stops at downtown points such as Kensington, Marble Arch, and Baker St. The costher but more elegant Heathrow Express train (heathrowexpress.co.uk) zips fast and direct from Terminals 2 and 4; follow Heathrow Express signs in all terminals, to Paddington Station in 15 minutes for £12 ($17.50) each way - which is still cheaper than a o40/$59 taxi, as well as gratifyingly short after an all-night flight in from the colonies; at Paddington, taxi dispatchers can often match you up with passengers going in the same direction, saving money on cab fare. Relatively few U.S. flights land at London's other airports; the cheapest way into town from the next-most popular, Gatwick, is the hourly Flightline bus service to Victoria Station for £11 ($16) round-trip.

Dinner for a tenner (or less)

Some of the cheapest food in town is ethnic. Centrale (16 Moor St., W1, tube: Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Rd.) and Pollo (20 Old Compton St., W1, tube: Leicester Square) in downtown Soho have Italian main courses for around £5 ($7.50) a head, as do the ubiquitous chains, Bella Pasta, and Spaghetti House. Topkapi (25 Marylebone High St., W1; tube: Baker St., Bond St.) and Sofra (1 St. Christopher St., W1; tube: Bond St.) do tasty Turkish fare starting at £7. Moroccan Tagine (95 Golbourne Rd., W10, tube: Ladbroke Grove) features Moroccan entrees for under £7 ($10). Bhelpoori House (93 Chapel Market, N1, 7833-1167; tube: Angel) is London's cheapest all-you-can-eat Indian spot at £3.50 ($5) per person. Sushi-Hiro (1 Station Parade, Uxbridge Rd., W5, tube: Ealing Common) has some of the best sushi in town, with set lunches that start at £5 ($7.50). For more restaurant details and recommendations, call Restaurant Services (8888-8080), which will also book for you. You might also check out the London dining article in BT's September/October 2000 issue.

A jolly good clubbing

Nightclubs can be madly expensive, but early in the week prices drop; for example, the jazzy beats and funky hip-hop of Bar Rumba's "This!" on Monday nights costs £4 ($5.80; 36 Shaftesbury Ave., W1, 7287-2715; tube: Piccadilly Circus). For a trendy crowd jumping to barroom favorites (from rock and roll to current chart-toppers Morcheeba) go for "8 Ball" at The Elbow Room on Tuesday nights, free before 10 p.m., o1 after (89-91 Chapel Market, NW1, 7278-3244; tube: Angel). The Dogstar buzzes every night of the week and is always free (389 Coldharbour Ln., SW9, 7733 7515; tube: Brixton), as is the funky Herbal (12/14 Kingsland Rd., Shoreditch, E2, 7613-4462; tube: Old St. (Take the Hoxton Square exit and walk to the end of Old St.) Lots of smaller pub venues have up to four good bands in a night, the beer is cheap, and entrance is between £3 and £5 ($4.35-$7.25). Who knows-you may catch the next Morcheeba! The best venues for rock are: Archway Tavern (often free entrance before 10 p.m., Archway Roundabout, N19, 7272-2840; tube: Archway); Water Rats (328 Gray's Inn Rd., WC1, 7436-7211; tube: Kings Cross); Lil' Backyard Club at Fitz & Firkin (240 Great Portland St., W1, 7387-0221; tube: Great Portland St.); The Monarch (49 Chalk Farm Rd., NW1, 7916-1049; tube: Chalk Farm); and Dublin Castle (94 Parkway, NW1, 8806-2668; tube: Camden).

By the beautiful sea

Possibly the world's first seaside resort, Brighton's pebbly beaches have been popular since 1750 and have recently once again become the favored weekend haunt of tout London. It's the perfect day trip: small, welcoming, with funky street life and gorgeous architecture. The Royal Pavilion (4-5 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton, tel. 1273/290-900), George V's impossibly lavish Oriental-style former palace, is legitimately one of Britain's most impressive attractions; entrance costs £4.90 ($7.25), but it is worth paying an extra £1.25 ($1.80) for the guided tours at 11.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. The rest of your day trip need cost nothing; amble around the town's pretty, narrow streets, on the beach, and along Brighton Pier. You can also hire a deck chair (£1 or so) and park easy with a cone of chips from a beachside stall. Numerous restaurants and cafes extend great lunchtime deals; you're guaranteed a blowout with the all-you-can-eat buffet, £4.95 ($7.25) at Bombay Aloo (39 Ship St., Brighton, 1273/776-038). Buses are the cheapest way to make the trip, leaving hourly from Victoria Coach Station (a short walk from the train station). Call National Express Coaches (tel. 8705/808-080 or gobycoach.com) or book from home at 540/298-1395 or online at britbus.com (for a 10 percent discount off the usual £12.50, or $18.50). Trains leave Victoria rail station twice hourly and cost £13.70 ($20.25); call 345/484-950. Visit visit brighton.com or call the tourist office at 906/711-2255 from the U.K. only.