London has a reputation for emptying your bank account, and some of it deserves that. Look past the obvious, though, and the capital is generous. Its national museums are free to enter, its parks are open to everyone, and its markets are happy for you to browse without buying a thing. Here are ten things to do that cost nothing at all, with a few practical notes so a no-spend day stays relaxed.
Museums with no entry fee
The British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the V&A and the National Portrait Gallery all let you in for nothing. Free entry to the permanent collections is the norm for the national museums, not a loophole. Temporary blockbuster shows usually carry a charge, but you can fill a morning in the free rooms and leave feeling you have had a proper day out.
- Arrive in the first hour after opening, when the busiest galleries are still quiet.
- Choose a weekday over a weekend, and avoid half-term if you can.
- Ask about free late evenings. Several museums run them monthly, often with talks and music.
- Take a refillable bottle. Water fountains are common; café drinks are not cheap.
- Treat donation boxes as voluntary. They are, but the museums do rely on them.
Markets worth browsing, not buying
Borough Market is free to wander and interesting even when you buy nothing, though Saturday lunchtime is a crush. Go early on a weekday and you can actually look at the stalls. Columbia Road Flower Market on a Sunday morning is theatre: traders shouting, armfuls of lilies, and a crowd that thins by noon. Broadway Market, Maltby Street, Brick Lane on Sundays, Portobello Road in Notting Hill and Camden's stables all work the same way, because the atmosphere is the attraction. Some traders hand out tasters, but do not build lunch around them. It is fine to look, ask a question and move on.
Parks that come with a view
Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath gives you the skyline in one sweep, and the Heath itself is big enough to lose an afternoon in. Primrose Hill is smaller and closer to the centre. Greenwich Park, beside the Royal Observatory, looks back over the river towards Canary Wharf. Richmond Park has deer and the Isabella Plantation, while Hyde Park and Regent's Park are the easy central options. Two small treasures worth hunting down: the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, and the Hill Garden and Pergola on the edge of the Heath. Take a sandwich and a book, and the day costs nothing.
Free views from high up
The Sky Garden and Horizon 22 both offer free tickets to their viewing floors, but you must book in advance. Slots are released ahead of time and weekend ones go quickly. Tate Modern's upper floors in the Blavatnik Building are free to visit without booking, and the lift up is quick. Near St Paul's, the roof terrace at One New Change is free and generally open during the day, though it is worth checking before you go. The Royal Festival Hall foyer and balcony look straight down the Thames, and the walk across the Millennium Bridge gives you the best free view of the cathedral.
Walks that do the sightseeing for you
The South Bank from Westminster to Tower Bridge takes two or three hours at a stroll and passes the London Eye, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and Borough Market. The Regent's Canal towpath from King's Cross to Camden takes about forty-five minutes and feels like a different city. Follow the Thames Path east from Greenwich for river views and quiet stretches. On a Sunday, the City of London is almost empty, which makes its alleys and churchyards oddly peaceful. Leake Street Tunnel near Waterloo is a legal graffiti spot where the walls change weekly.
Talks, music and ceremonies
The Southbank Centre fills its foyers with free music most days, and the National Theatre puts on free exhibitions alongside its paid shows. Museum late nights are often free, with talks, music and a bar. Watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace costs nothing; timings change with the season, so check the official Royal Household or British Army pages the day before. St Martin-in-the-Fields runs lunchtime concerts, some free and others asking for a small donation. The listings pages of venue websites are where these surface, so check the week you are in town.
Small, strange and free
Postman's Park near St Paul's is a tiny garden with tiles commemorating ordinary people who died saving others. It takes ten minutes and stays with you. St Dunstan in the East, a bombed church turned garden, is a quiet spot among the office towers. The Barbican Conservatory opens on selected days and is free, so confirm times before travelling. None of these will fill a day on their own, but they make good stopping points between bigger sights.
Making a free day work
Free attractions are rarely the problem. Transport and food are. A little planning solves both.
- Cluster your stops by neighbourhood: South Kensington museums in one go, the South Bank and Borough Market in another.
- Book free timed tickets as soon as they are released, especially for the rooftop gardens.
- Check opening days and hours on official websites. Small venues close on Mondays and some gardens open
Photo: designerpoint / Pixabay