There have been over 25 million visits to London each year, every year, since 2000. Its position as one of the most visited cities in the world may be due to the varied and entertaining nightlife, the many historical landmarks or the world-famous shows. Whatever the individual reasons for visiting though, the tourist industry in the city is worth approximately £16.6 billion, with the average overnight visitor spending around £90 per day in 2007.

With so many people travelling to the city each year, there needs to be plenty to entertain and fortunately, London is not short of things to do. With as many world-renowned landmarks and buildings, it is a city almost tailor-made for sightseeing. As it goes, the top five most-visited sites in the city, by number of visitors, are: the National Gallery; the British Museum; the London Eye; the Tate Modern; and the Tower of London.

It is interesting to know that what may well attract the many visitors is the low cost of spending in a day out; in fact, aside from something to eat, it is possible to spend nothing at all. Although the London Eye and the Tower of London both require payments to enter respectively, the latter can still be viewed free-of-charge from the outside.

Opened in 1753, the British Museum has never charged for entry. The collection of more than 7 million objects ranges from Egyptian and Greek antiques to British sculptures of Moore and Gormley. And, like London's other museums, including the Natural History, Science, and Victoria and Albert, the main exhibitions are both fascinating and open to the general public for the majority of the year.

Furthermore, the national gallery houses one of the greatest collections of Western European painting in the world. The grade I building, enjoying a prime position in Trafalgar Square, is widely recognised as being of immense importance and houses a collection that includes Van Gough's ‘Sunflowers', Botticelli's ‘Venus and Mars' and Da Vinci's ‘The Virgin of the Rocks'.

The Tate Modern is on the site of the former Bankside Power Station, which was originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The huge building is filled with modern art from around the world and is, again, mainly free-of-charge. The only possibility of spending a few pennies here is on a voluntary basis, where the museum asks for a donation to aid with continued upkeep.

When considering a visit to the city, then choosing the right option from the huge number of London hotels can be important. As it goes, being as central as possible is one way to see many of the important sights, but moving further away from the fast-moving areas of the city may also be preferable.

But, whatever a visitor is looking for, London is a destination that can be enjoyed on a budget as well as with a large amount to spend.

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