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Near the Tower of London (Scarborough photo)

Maybe you're being beaten bloody by your kids to go check out Harry Potter film locations.  Maybe you'd like to enjoy the Thames, exploring maritime heritage in a side trip to pretty Greenwich, or surprises like Canary Wharf. Maybe you want to see England, Scotland or Wales now, simply because you never have before!  Americans tend to think quite highly of the British, even with their quirks.

For whatever reason, if you're planning a London or UK visit this summer, just make sure that you're ready for sticker shock. 

The current exchange rate is making the already outrageously expensive spots even worse than usual.   The budget travel guru himself, new blogger Arthur Frommer, just wrote about it in terms of the high costs at some of the more popular European destinations.  (If you are going to Europe at all, check out the latest updated info on various countries from Rick Steves.)

Travel writer and editor Tim Leffel, who blogs at Tim Leffel's Cheapest Destinations (here's his Cheap Europe category) has long recommended Eastern Europe for more bargains, and I guarantee that the UK and London are not in his book of World's Cheapest Destinations.

Still, if you insist....

There are some freebies left in London (here's ten of them that don't include the usual fallback of museums) and Budget Travel's blog This Just In tries to help with some kid-friendly hotel ideas.  The International Herald Tribune chimes in with budget places to eat.  Perhaps the shortest possible visit will help you save those pence -- London in a weekend?

Other general London info I've found recently:  the wonderful thoroughfare of Oxford Street is full of fun, and navigating the city is easier when you "mind the gap" and understand the Tube or Underground (subway) system -- the UK newspaper The Guardian has an Underground Guide to help you.

Just thought you'd like to know....

Technorati tags:  travel, family travel, Europe, UK, London