The Great Hunt: What are your tips for doing London on a budget?

If you don't mind the stairs, go to the Monument rather than the Shard for views of the city - it's only £4 (and you get a certificate at the end ).

Or, if you're happy to plan ahead, book a slot at the Skygarden at the walkie-talkie - book from 3 weeks before. It's free to visit (drinks can be pricey though!)

Theatre? Tkts booth in Leceister Square usually have good on-the-day deals, or check out Theatremonkey.com for different day seat policies.

Getting the Thames Clipper from Greenwich to Westminster/Embankment is about £7.20 for an adult - a fun, cheaper alternative to a River tour.

When you travel use an oyster card or contactless bank card - but remember that especially in Zone One it can be quicker (and more pleasant) to walk - see http://content.tfl.gov.uk/walking-tube-map.pdf.

For planning things to do, check out Time Out for the latest listings, if you sign up to their email list you get daily offers (cheap theatre tickets, 241 meals etc).

Sky garden offers amazing views of the city and it's FREE

You can book a free visit here

http://skygarden.london/plan-your-visit

For anyone wanting to visit the Sky Garden without booking tickets in advance are also available between 10am and 11:30am, 2pm and 4:30pm on weekdays. Availability is limited.

You can also walk in for breakfast & enjoy the amazing views from 7am onwards .

Although the site says you can only stay 1 hour, I was there on a Saturday 2 weeks ago, you can stay as long as you like.

The Barbican high walk is a cute and very quiet place to have a wander around, and is free.

Places like Pizza Union and Soho Joe do fresh cooked pizza for relatively cheap.

Go Primrose Hill. Free and fantastic views, plus you might bump into a celeb if you stroll round the area of the same name at the foot of the hill.

Walking round Camden is an experience in itself.

For cheap(ish) beers, look for Sam Smith pubs. Everything is own-brand, so keeps the price down. The princess louise in high Holborn is the most beautiful (and quirky) pub you'll ever visit.

A lot of guided tours and walks are now doing 'pay what you want'. I always feel guilty about cheaping out and pay the going rate of about £10 each, but there's nothing to say you can't budget it. Always very busy so may need booking in advance.

Bit nerdy, but I love travelling on the docklands light railway. Great views of the financial district and the river. Pretending to be the driver is optional.

And just my own tip - try and walk everywhere, even if it is 30 minutes or more. You'll be surprised of the nooks and crannies you'll find.

We do an annual London trip, my partner and I and we first of all converted our tesco clubcard vouchers to get train travel via red spotted hanky. Then we would look at 2 4 1 vouchers on the days out guide website and print off several vouchers for interesting sites so we have done a number of sites such as Kew Gardens and Cutty Sark for half the price.

Many of London's museums are free to get into, the British Museum being the big one but London has lots of little and quirky museums which are cheap or free to get into. One of my favourites is the the Old Operating Theatre.

Lots of nice open spaces as well to have a wander around or have a picnic in good weather. Hyde Park and Regents Park are the big ones but for somewhere off the beaten track, the Horniman Museum and Gardens are small but perfectly formed. The museum is free to get into as well.

There are a number of self guided walks you can go on and although I cannot remember the website, we did one around the city of London. For heritage enthusiasts, you can view some of the original Roman/Medieval walls, the Roman Ampitheatre under the Guildhall Art Gallery (which is also free to have a look round too!) and it also eventually leads you to Leadenhall Market, one of my favourite buildings in London. It will also take you past the Monument (to the Great Fire of London) and the city certainly offers a diverse range of architecture.

In terms of food, again tesco clubcard vouchers come in handy for chains like Pizza Express, La Tasca etc. Tastecard again can keep it cheap. If you like a tipple or two, there are plenty of Samuel Smith pubs (Princess Louise in Holborn is my personal fave and retains a lot of original 19th century features) which have pints for £3.

If you time it right, check out audience ticket websites in advance for whatever tv shows are recording. SRO Audiences, Applause Store and BBC come to mind. I've seen recordings at BBC Broadcasting House and it was completely free!

In terms of hotels, we tend to stay in travelodges - cheap and you generally know what you are getting. Even staying somewhere slightly outside the city is fine, either oyster card it on the tube to get there or you may even be able to walk.

Finally, always check when you are in central london whether you could just walk to your destination. British Museum, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Westminster etc are actually all fairly close so if you can manage it, always check out a walking option first, you may find you can do that instead of jumping on the tube.

The Citymapper app is great for route planning - you can see if bus, tube, or walking is quicker, and they also include prices and handy tips like where to get on a tube for an easy interchange
Also, Santander Cycles (Boris Bikes) are fun - unlimited use for £2 so long as you check them in every 30 minutes.