Web Site Offers Freebies Galore for London Guests

London can be a challenge for backpackers. Accommodation and restaurant rates can quickly drain your budget when you convert prices back to dollars. Fortunately, some good sightseeing opportunities cost nothing. For example, entry to the British Museum, the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery is free. The Victoria & Albert Museum is free to students. The National History Museum is free after 4:30 or 5 p.m. on weekends; the Museum of London and the Science Museum are free after 4:30 p.m.

There are hundreds of other, smaller venues, all listed on a new Internet site set up to help you at https://www.londonfreelist.com. The site lists 1,500 events that offer free entry or entry for less than $5.

The opportunities include festivals, markets, galleries, comedy shows, authors’ readings at bookstores and tapings of TV shows. These would be good places to meet local residents too.

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Switzerland Tourism suggests City Hostel when you travel to Geneva. It offers beds in dormitory rooms (maximum four people) from $13.35 a night. Double rooms with television are available from $43.40 per night. Expect shared washrooms. There is a communal kitchen for guests in the hostel, which is a five-minute walk from the main rail station.

All guests also get a 50% discount for visits to the Red Cross Museum.

For more information, visit Internet https://www.cityhostel.ch or contact City Hostel, Rue Ferrier 2, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; telephone 011-41-22-901-1500, fax 011-41-22-901-1560. For general Swiss information, visit Internet https://www.myswitzerland.com.

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The Toronto Youth Hostel, 76 Church St., was awarded Hostel of the Year 2000 by Hostelling International Canada.

Originally a hotel, the hostel has made extensive renovations. Internet https://www.hostellingint-gl.on.ca, tel. (877) 848-8737.

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Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Internet https://www.izon.com.