Being in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world on one of the tightest budgets in the world, I’ve been learning how to navigate London while spending as little money as possible. If you ever find yourself here on a tight budget, here are some free things to do in London:
Get a Free Map. The tourist office charges £1 for a map but if you grab the pamphlets for the walking or bus tours, they contain maps. Also, the Museum of London gives away a map for free if you ask. The Lonely Planet map can sometimes be hard to read and these others maps give you a good idea as to where the location of all the sites and underground stops are without having squint at a book.
Visit Museums. Most of the museums in London are free- the Museum of London, the British History Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum are all free. Get your fill of British history without spending a pence!
Vist an Art Gallery. The National Gallery and the Tate Modern are also free.
Buy an Oyster Card. This may not be free but for 28 pounds, you get unlimited usage of the bus and trains. I’m not sure why they call it an Oyster card. It’s not shaped like one.
People Watch. Sunday is market day in London. There’s the Camden Market, the Portobello Market, the Flower Market, and a million more markets. People watch, get great photos, and enjoy local London life without spending a dime.
Watch Iconic Symbols. The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace at 11:30 a.m. as well as the horse guards at Whitehall at 11:00 a.m. are both free and interesting to watch.
Free Internet. Looking for your online fix? The city libraries offer free internet. There are five library locations around the city. You get a free half hour but if it’s not busy you can stay on until you are finished.
Walk Around. London is a huge city and there are beautiful historic buildings all around. In fact, London beat me. I found this city to be totally unwalkable. I walked for four hours and barely made a dent on the route I was going to take (hence the need to get the Oyster Card.) I’ve walked countless other European cities and never had this problem but there is simply to much to see here. However, once you walk and get out of the tourist area around the Thames, you’ll get to see London the way the locals do.
Lounge in the Parks. Spending a day in the park is free wherever you go. London has some great parks and when the sun comes out (which hasn’t been too often), Londoners flock outside. Join them for some fun in the sun.
See Westminster Abbey. You can get into Westminster for free. You have to cheat slightly though. Westminster will not charge you entrance if you’re there for worship. (Maybe worshiping its beauty?) If you want to get in and not pay, say you are worshiping. I didn’t do it but I’m just putting it out there that you can do it.
Get Cheap Theater Tickets- The theater in London is one of the best in the world. However, it’s also bloody expensive. A night at the theater can blow any traveler’s budget. However, there are plenty of ways to find discount tickets. I use this site for london theatre tickets.
London maybe expensive but it is very possible to fill your days with free activities. If you do want to go in to see the sights you will have to pay, sometimes as much as £25!!! So try out the above activities and save some money.
Heading to London? Make sure you get the London Pass to save more money!
I love the markets in London. I could pass days exploring them. And the museums are fantastic. Now only if you didn’t have to eat. Food, like most other things in London, is expensive!
Thanks Matt, this is all that I need to my more-than-tight budget 4 days in London. =)
I’ll be there in November, so I guess it’ll be a bit cold to walk around…
Great practical post. Loved it.
this is perfect!!! I think that i need to spend a little time in london since i have met a ton of folks from there while traveling in south america!
Food desn’t have to be expensive. If your hostel has a ktichen it’s entirely possible to get a week’s worth of groceries for 15 quid. I was spending about 20 a week when I lived there for fresh veggies, meat (including a nice fillet steak) and the basics for lunch for this price. If you cut out the expensive meat then you can cut the budget. But if you want to go for microwave meals and stuff like that then the budget will jump up.
In the area where I worked (Southwark) the cafes had a range of prices for sandwiches. One place was super cheap with big sandwiches for about 2 pounds. but the place across the road was double the price (but much tastier). Anything you buy to eat in the tourist areas will be pricey. There are lots of worker type cafes in the ‘burbs with reasonable prices and great food, especially full English breakfasts.
Good practical tips Matt
I hope you are having a fun trip!
I am planning a trip there in 2 years.
my favorite people watching place is definitely camden town! all of the extreme londoners congregate there adorned with everything from spiked dog collars to hair in spikes like sonic the hedgehog.
can’t wait to see some of your people watching pics!
@kristy: I was out in the burbs and the food was much cheaper. I also tended to make all my food each day so that helped.
@helen: I didn’t make it to Camden town but I find some interesting people at this one sunday market.
I don’t think I had ever walked as much on a trip as I did when I visited London. There was so much to see….the parks, the people, the architecture, and so on. I even found the grocery store interesting (another free thing to visit). It was neat seeing the different foods available and the way familiar food were packaged differently than they are in the US.
London (the world) is your Oyster, see.
HI Matt
In summer, my favorite place is the South Bank (www.southbanklondon.com) where there’s always some street theatre happening. And, I know it’s old hat but Covent Garden’s buskers often go on to do greater things.
I think the Southbank is a great place to visit as most tings to see and do there are free and you can always watch all the performers without paying
Some great ideas here as the prices in London are getting ridiculous, I especially like the quirky free event like small art gallery openings that offer free food and alcohol.
Enjoyed reading this Matt, and it’s always good to hear how differently people experience London. I do think though that London is a GREAT walking city. If you stroll for a couple of hours you can be in open parkland, pass through trendy neighbourhoods, walk along the riverside, visit markets, see the big ticket tourist sights and see fabulous building along the way. And, as you say, not spend a dime. We live around half an hour out of London, and on a free day we just take the train into any station and walk. There’s always something new to discover.