Travel Goals

1. Climb to Everest Base Camp.
2. Climb Mt Kilimanjaro.
3. Learn to Scuba Dive.
4. Visit every continent.
5. See the Galapagos Islands.
6. Sail down the Amazon River.
7. Climb Ayer's Rock.
8. Ride the Trans-Siberian.
9. Go into space.
10. Go wild at La Tomintina.
11. See the sunrise from Mt. Fuji.
12. Gaze at Borobudor.
13. Visit the Pyramids
14. Safari in East Africa.
15. Go to the World Cup!
16. See Machu Picchu.
17. Join the Century Club.
18. Visit Antarctica.
19. Do development work.
20. See Petra Jordan.
21. Backpack the Eastern Block.
22. See the Northern Lights.
23. Vegas Baby! Vegas!
24. Greek Island hop.
25. Cycle Tuscany.
26. Visit India.
27. Lounge in the Seychelles.
28. See Morocco.
29. Oktoberfest!
30. Caravan across the Sahara.
31. Visit Tibet.
32. Fly first class.
33. Go to Israel.
34. Carnival!!!!
35. Mardi Gras!
36. Cannes Film Festival.
37. Sundance Film Festival.
38. Eat a sushi meal at NOBU
39. Pacific Island hop.
40. Spend a night in the Ice Hotel.
41. See Glacier National Park.

Book Your Travel Here!!

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 from 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 maps can sometimes be hard to read and these map 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 free.

Buy an Oyster Card. This may not be free but for 28 pounds, you get a 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 11:30am as well as the horse guards at Whitehall at 11:00am 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. In fact, I’m writing this post from one right now

Walk Around. London is a huge city and there is 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.) But there is so much to see and 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.

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!!!

13 Responses to “Free Things to Do in London”

1. Theresa on July 18th, 2008 12:19 pm

   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!

2. Cris on July 18th, 2008 9:52 pm

   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…

3. Sula on July 18th, 2008 11:46 pm

   Great practical post. Loved it.

4. Domina on July 19th, 2008 3:07 am

   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!

5. Kirsty on July 19th, 2008 7:09 am

   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.

6. Priyank on July 19th, 2008 4:19 pm

   Good practical tips Matt I hope you are having a fun trip!

7. Jay on July 19th, 2008 11:21 pm

   I am planning a trip there in 2 years.

8. Helen on July 20th, 2008 6:48 am

   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!

9. NomadicMatt on July 21st, 2008 3:37 pm

   @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.

10. FleeceTraveler on July 22nd, 2008 11:16 pm

    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.

11. Free Things to Do in London | micklanders on July 25th, 2008 4:45 pm

    [...] in one of the most expensive cities in the world on one of the tightest budgets in the world, this guy is learning how to navigate London while spending as little money as [...]

12. Magnus on July 27th, 2008 8:51 pm

    London (the world) is your Oyster, see.

13. Tamara on August 12th, 2008 10:15 am

    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.

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