Visiting London expensive? Not necessarilly

Visit London has been trying to persuade the world that visitors can find value in London. In the current economic climate, that may be the case with most major attractions - bar the London Eye - offering discounts to try and attract visitors through their doors. Perceptions are difficult things to change as a poll of 2376 European visitors by TripAdvisor discovered. The respondents felt London was the most expensive and the dirtiest city in Europe. Oh, and the cuisine in the English capital was the worst in Europe, too. Ouch.

Impressions count. What we see and hear of a place inform our opinions and colour our views - for better or worse.

Visiting London needn't be so expensive. With a little bit of planning, a visit to London can be a great experience. Take a sightseeing, there a few pitfalls that visitors need to be aware of.

1. There's no such thing as a free tour. An increasing number of visitors are seduced by the notion of taking a 'free walking tour' of London. You are expected to tip your guide and they will try and sell you additional sightseeing trips for the remainder of your stay.

2. Bus tours. The best known companies that provide bus tours in London are The Original London Sightseeing Tours the Big Bus Company. Both companies offer sightseeing tours in a range of languages. These kind of tours offer the advantage of allowing visitors to pack a lot in to a relatively short period of time, which is good if you're just in London for one day. The tours are a little on the pricey side. A 24 hour adult ticket for the Big Bus Company retails at £22 for adults and £10 for children. The Original London Sightseeing Tours are currently offering the same prices - £22 for adults and £10 children.

There is an alternative, which offers the independent minded traveller the opportunity to experience the best of London in English, French, German and Spanish. Walk Talk Tours have five audio downloadable walking tours of the capital which sightseers listen to via their iPod, MP3 player or MP3 enabled device (i.e most cellphones and BlackBerrys). There are no hidden charges and once you have downloaded your tour it is yours for keeps.

Listeners are free to explore London at their own pace. Typically, the tours can be completed in two hours - though the City & South Bank Circular audio travel guide will take three. With a Walk Talk Tour you're in charge. Each tour costs just £5.95. Buy two tours simultaneously and receive a twenty per cent discount.

You can follow Walk Talk Tours on Twitter (WalkTalkTours).