London can make short work of your travel budget, with pricey hotels, restaurant bills and ticketed attractions. Thankfully, some of its best experiences cost nothing. World-class art, leafy parks, historic landmarks and skyline views are all yours for free.
From royal pageantry and ancient treasures to street theatre, antique stalls and an ever-changing graffiti tunnel, these 21 free things to do show you London without reaching for your wallet.
For more stress-free exploring, our London Travel Guidebook brings together the must-sees, recommendations on where to eat and stay, and handy Google Maps links. What’s more, it’s pocket-sized, meaning you can keep it close to hand as you explore this vibrant capital.
No Fuss Guide to London
1. Watch the Changing of the Guard
Arguably the most British free thing you can do in London, watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace delivers royal pageantry without the price tag. The ceremony usually takes place at 11am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with troops assembling from 10.45am. Alternatively, catch the Captain’s Inspection at 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Arrive early for a good view and check the official schedule before travelling, as ceremonies can change or be cancelled.
Changing of the Guard / Kutan Ural @ Unsplash
2. Immerse yourself in British art
Trace British art from the Pre-Raphaelites to David Hockney at Tate Britain, home to an outstanding collection of JMW Turner’s work. The Royal Academy’s free collection displays span more than 250 years of British art, from Constable to Emin, while the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square houses over 2,400 paintings, placing Turner and Constable alongside European masters including Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci. Stick to the permanent collections to keep your visit free.
National Gallery
3. Get creative with the whole family
Designed with children in mind, Young V&A in Bethnal Green makes creativity the main event. Its Imagine, Play and Design galleries encourage young visitors to explore objects from around the world, dream up ideas and tackle design challenges. General admission is free, although some exhibitions and workshops carry a charge. Open daily from 10am.
4. Take in London’s skyline
See London from 254 metres up at Horizon 22, where a high-speed lift whisks you to the 58th floor for 300-degree views across the capital. Nearby, Sky Garden pairs sweeping city panoramas with leafy indoor terraces planted with Mediterranean and South African species. Both are free, but you’ll need to book timed tickets online.
For views without a booking, climb Primrose Hill, just north of Regent’s Park, or head southeast to Telegraph Hill Upper Park, where the skyline stretches from St Paul’s to Canary Wharf on a clear day.
Views from Primrose Hill
5. Step inside Westminster Cathedral
Step inside Westminster Cathedral for free to admire its marble, mosaics and striking 30-foot wooden cross. You can also attend Mass, with services held daily, including sung Mass at 10am and 5.30pm on Sundays. Before heading inside, pause in the piazza to take in the Byzantine-style domes, striped brickwork and elaborate entrance.
6. Find wildlife in London’s parks
Swap busy streets for lakeside paths, mature trees and birdsong. St James’s Park, London’s oldest Royal Park, is the place to spot mute swans and resident pelicans. Pelicans have been kept here since 1664, and you can watch their daily feeding between 2.30pm and 3pm. In Greenwich Park, explore ancient woodland and look for fallow deer in the enclosed paddock, or head to Kensington Gardens to spot bright-green parakeets in the trees.
Fallow deer in Greenwich Park
7. Explore an unusual free museum
London has more free museums than you could squeeze into one trip, with many devoted to specialist subjects and packed with unusual objects. Try lifting a gold bar at the Bank of England Museum, where displays explain banknotes, finance and centuries of monetary history. The National Army Museum tells soldiers’ stories through uniforms, medals and military objects (even the skeleton of Napoleon’s horse) while the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons explores anatomy and surgery through more than 2,000 items, from specimens to instruments.
8. Spot film locations in Notting Hill
With its pastel-painted houses, cobbled mews and characterful shops, it’s easy to see why Notting Hill is a favourite with filmmakers. Wander along Portobello Road and through the surrounding streets to explore the backdrop to the neighbourhood’s namesake film, the 1999 romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Paddington fans should seek out Alice’s Antiques at 86 Portobello Road, which appears as Mr Gruber’s shop in the films. Behind its bright-red façade, the small shop is packed with vintage furniture, toys and curios.
Notting Hill
9. Go beyond London’s big-name galleries
You don’t need a blockbuster museum to find great art in London. Whitechapel Gallery was founded in 1901 to bring world-class art to the East End, and its roll call of past exhibitors includes Picasso and Frida Kahlo. Today, it continues that mission with contemporary exhibitions championing under-represented artists.
For more contemporary work, head to Victoria Miro’s Wharf Road gallery, where a former furniture factory houses exhibitions by artists from around the world. Or swap paintings for watercolours and printmaking at Bankside Gallery on the South Bank, where even dogs are welcome. Entry is free, although some Whitechapel exhibitions carry a charge.
10. Watch street theatre in Covent Garden
Covent Garden turns a wander around the piazza into an impromptu show. Watch jugglers, comedians and circus performers on the West Piazza, or listen to classical musicians in the Market Building’s South Wells. There’s no admission ticket, although performers welcome voluntary contributions.
Covent Garden
11. Walk in the steps of the Beatles
London’s musical history is full of famous names, and you can follow in their footsteps without spending a penny. Recreate the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover at the zebra crossing outside Abbey Road Studios, where the band recorded most of their music and artists including Pink Floyd and Oasis have also worked. Read the messages left by fans on the boundary wall, add your own, then check the crossing’s webcam footage for your moment in the spotlight.
12. Feast your eyes at London’s food markets
London’s food markets are worth a wander even if you’re not buying, with plenty to look at and delicious smells to follow. At Borough Market, which dates to the 12th century, browse wheels of cheese, piles of seasonal fruit and freshly baked pastries alongside coffee stands and sizzling street food. Some traders offer free tasters, too, although these aren’t guaranteed. Over on Brick Lane, explore the Truman Brewery’s food stalls, or head to Brixton Village for dishes ranging from Caribbean jerk chicken to Japanese okonomiyaki.
Borough Market
13. Encounter ancient wonders
London’s museums hold some of the world’s most remarkable ancient treasures, and many are free to see. At the British Museum in Bloomsbury, explore two million years of human history through a collection of over eight million objects, with the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures among the highlights.
Elsewhere, the V&A celebrates art, design and craftsmanship from around the world, with free galleries spanning fashion, furniture, sculpture and ceramics, alongside ancient treasures such as an Egyptian glass flask more than 3,300 years old.
14. Get a fashion fix without spending a penny
From Swinging Sixties style to punk, London’s shopping streets have helped shape what we wear. Walk beneath Carnaby Street’s famous arch to explore the former haunt of the mods, where indie boutiques mix with British designers and international brands. Over in Chelsea, the King’s Road carries its own fashion pedigree: Mary Quant opened her boutique here in 1955, followed by Vivienne Westwood in 1971. Today, more than 150 boutiques and pop-ups keep the street worth browsing.
Carnaby Street / Liza Pooor @Unsplash
15. Step into London’s past, from parlours to palaces
From everyday rooms to grand residences, London’s free museums offer a glimpse of domestic life through the centuries. The Museum of the Home shares residents’ stories through interiors ranging from a 1695 parlour to a 2005 high-rise flat.
For something more lavish, the Wallace Collection fills 28 rooms of a Manchester Square townhouse with Old Master paintings, antique furniture and porcelain. You’ll find more art in grand surroundings at Kenwood, on the edge of Hampstead Heath, where Robert Adam’s elegant interiors house works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Van Dyck, alongside Georgian miniatures and decorative collections.
Kenwood House
16. Strike a pose with London’s most famous
London’s streets double as an open-air gallery, and a few of its best-known residents happen to be made of bronze. Start in Leicester Square, where the Scenes in the Square trail brings beloved film characters to life: sit beside Mr Bean, join Paddington on a bench, or pose with Mary Poppins as she floats overhead. For a more classic London photo, head to Baker Street to find Sherlock Holmes in his deerstalker outside the Tube station, then continue to Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria sits in the sunken garden.
17. Wander London’s grandest residential streets
London is full of grand architecture, but a few streets are worth seeking out. Our highlights include Pont Street and Walton Street around Knightsbridge, where Victorian and Edwardian townhouses feature ornate red brickwork, white stucco façades and wrought-iron balconies.
Over in Mayfair, Grosvenor Square is another favourite. Developed in the 18th century for London’s aristocracy, it’s lined with grand buildings once home to dukes and presidents. Walk around the square, then pause in its central public garden.
Grosvenor Square
18. Meet dinosaurs and extinct animals
From towering dinosaurs to rare specimens, London’s free natural history museums bring you face to face with the variety of life on Earth. Start at the Natural History Museum, with fossils, taxidermy and displays exploring billions of years of natural history.
For something smaller, try UCL’s Grant Museum of Zoology, home to one of the UK’s oldest natural history collections. Its preserved specimens include remains of extinct animals such as the dodo, offering a closer look at creatures you’ll never see in the wild. General admission to both is free.
19. Watch a parliamentary debate
With its Gothic façade overlooking the Thames, the Palace of Westminster (known as the Houses of Parliament) is home to the UK Parliament. Head inside to watch debates in the House of Commons or House of Lords from the public galleries. Entry is free when the houses are sitting, Monday to Thursday and some Fridays, although queues and access restrictions apply. It’s a chance to see Parliament at work rather than take a sightseeing tour
Houses of Parliament / Paul Silvan @Unsplash
20. Browse antiques (from books to bric-a-brac)
You don’t need to buy anything to enjoy a good rummage, and London has plenty of places to lose an hour among the shelves and stalls. Start at Daunt Books in Marylebone, where grand windows and oak-panelled galleries preserve the shop’s Edwardian character. Best known for travel, it arranges books by country rather than genre, bringing novels, histories and guidebooks together for a browse around the world.
For more unexpected finds, head to Portobello Road on a Saturday, when its antiques market is in full swing. Browse street stalls and arcades for antiquarian books, silver, ceramics, jewellery and bric-a-brac.
Portobello Road / Mircea Solomiea @Unsplash
21. Walk through Waterloo’s graffiti tunnel
Head beneath Waterloo Station to Leake Street Arches, where a roughly 300-metre tunnel doubles as an ever-changing canvas for legal graffiti and street art. Some pieces last only a few hours before another artist paints over them, so look closely: your favourite might be gone next time.
Ready to travel?
For more insights on this magical city, check out the No Fuss Guide to London, which is available to order here. This handy guidebook contains information on all the must-sees and must-dos to ensure your visit is unforgettable. What’s more, we’ve included maps, QR codes and What3Words references to ensure you get the very best out of your trip!