is london an expensive place to visit yes it is but if you know where to look there are
free activities everywhere and today i'm going to talk you through 50 of them so get ready because we're getting [50 Free Things To Do In London, Budget Travel Guides]
started right now:
for a great introduction to the capital start with a
1. South Bank:
walk along the river thames it starts right opposite
the historic tower of london and takes you all the way to the london eye.
2. Houses Of Parliament Big Ben Clock Tower:
from the outside but if you're a uk resident you can also enter the palace of westminster for free
all you have to do is contact your local mp's office they have limited numbers of
free tickets for constituents.
3. Tower Bridge:
you currently need to pay 10 pounds 60 to go
inside it but crossing it is free and it's arguably even more beautiful from the outside if you're interested you can look up the
times when the bridge opens which is absolutely fascinating and then go watch it then nearby you will find
4. Sky Garden:
it's hard to believe that this lush tropical rooftop garden is completely free all you have to do is book your
tickets in advance because spaces are limited.
5. buckingham palace:
where the queen resides it takes place on certain days from 10 45 a.m and lasts about 45 minutes
PARKS:
.first national park city besides 8.9 million people
it's also home to 8.3 million trees and 14 000 different species of wildlife
6. Hyde Park:
is london's most famous green space don't miss speaker's corner the beautiful rose garden in the summer and
serpentine lake you can even go swimming in there but the annual membership costs 20 poundsright next to hyde park you will find kensington gardens.
7. kensington gardens:
the setting of one of james barry's peter pan books and home to the famous albert memorial
8. richmond park:
is very different to these two it's a national nature reserve far from the busy city centre and
it's full of deer and then there's
9.Horniman gardens:
they're not widely known even within london but i think they're well worth a visit
you get great views of the london skyline and there are alpacas they also have 60 acres of gardens a
library and a museum but mostly yep alpacas.
MARKETS
yes our next category is markets food furniture flowers the whole shebang
10.portobello road market:
is one of my favorites located in the colorful neighborhood of notting hill where you'll also find the
annual notting hill carnival put on by the local caribbean community but if you're hungry i'd recommend the nearby
11. Acklam food market:
where you can get some really great international grub my favorite are the arepas
12.borough market :
is probably the most famous food market in the capital it's very central just a short walk away
from london bridge and the shard there's been a market in this spot since at least the 12th century making it one of london's oldest as wellas biggest but it doesn't have to be all
about food
13. columbia road flower market:
is a great spot for fresh flowers succulents and just a bit of photography it's only open on sundays so bear that
in mind and get there as early as possible to avoid the crowds if like me you love harry potter
14. leaden hall market:
might seem a little familiar it was used as a filming location in harry potter and the philosopher's stone look at it the new nimbus 2000
15. camden market:
has a little bit of everything art music vintage fashion and of course some great food i have a bit of a soft spot for it
because i used to live nearby and it's right on regions canal and in my opinion you just can't be
being right next to the water while you're there check out a shop called cyberdog i don't want to give anything away i'll
just tell you now that it's pretty crazy and finally there is
16. Brick lane:
the best day to visit is sunday when the whole street turns into an open air market but brick lane is well worth visiting any day of the week it's the center of east london's bangladeshi community so you'll find loads of curry houses and sweet shops even the street names are written in bengali and some people refer to the area as bangla town next up we've got street art just two
entries here but both are well worth your time.
STREET
17.Shoreditch:
a trendy neighborhood full of beautiful murals and it's right next to brickline so no excuse for not visiting and second we've got the.
18. league street arches:
in waterloo it's basically a 300 meter graffiti covered tunnel and the city's largest legal wall the art is constantly changing so it's a
place you can keep visiting over and over without ever getting bored so that was street art now let's move on to more
traditional art and museums
ART AND MUSEUMS:
19. the british museum :
is a great place to start although be careful you could literally spend weeks here the museum is all about human history and culture with a permanent collection of some eight million works making it one of the largest museums in the world the british museum is actually the uk's most visited attraction it had some 6 million visitors in 2019 alone it was closely followed by.
20.tate modern:
our next entry many of london's best museums are completely free and the tape modern is no exception
it focuses on modern art and it's a very short walk away from shakespeare's famous globe theater although that one is not free if you left the outdoors you might enjoy the.
21. natural history museum:
it has five incredible collections but my favorite part is the skeleton of a female blue whale called hope that is displayed in the main hall right next door to the natural history museum.
22. V&A museum:
you'll find the victoria and albert museum more commonly known as the vna there you'll find ceramics jewelry sculptures and lots of other design elements from different eras the second is the .
23. science museum:
it has loads of interactive exhibits as well as the oldest surviving steam locomotive the first jet engine and the apollo 10 command module.
SHOPPING:
our next category is shopping and there is no place more famous for it than.
24. oxford street:
i'll be honest not many locals love shopping there because it's normally rammed with visitors but if this is your first time in london
it'll be rude not to go right next to oxford street you will find regent street
25. regent street:
again it's a busy shopping destination andyou can probably tell i don't love shopping but even i like coming here around christmas time specifically to go to hamley's which is the largest and oldest toy shop in the world if you want to do a bit of luxurious window
Shopping.
definitely visit HARRODS
26.HARRODS:
it's a very very fancy department store in knightsbridge and that's one of the most expensive areas of london and it's especially popular among rich visitors from the gulf region fun fact howard's is now actually owned by the state of qatar
27. selfridges:
is another fancy department store and the second largest shop in the uk right after howard's the last luxury department store on our list is
28. liberty ondon:
i've never bought anything ther but i do like visiting because it's in the west end which is an area known for its culture and theaters and liberty has a beautiful mock tutor facade and the interior design is on point if you want to browse somewhere more affordable i recommend
29. one new change:
not only does it have high street fashion shops like h m and zara it also offers an incredible view of st paul's from the rooftop and yes that's completely free.
30. carnaby street:
is a pedestrianized shopping street in soho which is known for its independent fashion boutiques and quirky floating decorations especially around christmas right next to it you'll find .
31. kingly court:
a three-story alfresco dining spot with restaurants from all over the world and finally there's
32. neil's yard:
it's a small colorful courtyard with lots of independent shops and restaurants this one would be my recommendation because it's one of those hidden gems tha you're going to remember for a long time all right let's move on to london's most famous squares some european cities have
famous squares:
a central square but london isn't reallylike that but if i had to pick one i'd say
33. trafalgar square:
with the famous national portrait gallery which is also free other famous squares include.
35. covent garden:
which easily could have been in the shopping section it's definitely one of the best spots for retail therapy
in all of london but it also has incredible restaurants theaters and possibly most importantly really really good bus skirts
36. Leicester square:
and yes that's how it's pronounced is one i personally avoid i don't really like it i don't get the appeal but visitors do seem to enjoy it so go give it a try but if i can i would like to sway you go to nearby chinatown instead.
37.chinatown :
you'll find lots of authentic chinese restaurants mainly from the cantonese part of the country but some great beijing and weaker spots as well i also like the ornithing dynasty gates that really make you feel like you're in china a short walk away you'll find
38. piccadilly circus:
which is basically the london equivalent of times square it has giant advertising screens as well
as the famous statue of eros which has become a popular meeting spot alright let's get into some london history now did you know that.
HISTORY:
39.roman walls :
london has roman walls that date back t 280. you can find them directly to the north of the tower of london and you can access them completely for free near london wall you'll find.
40.saint dunstan in the east:
a serene oasis in the heart of the city it used to be a bit of a hidden gem but has gotten pretty popular in the last few years because of instagram and i'm sure you can see why next we've got st paul's cathedral which.
41. st paul's cathedral:
is one of the most recognizable buildings in the city and my personal favorite entry costs about 17 pounds unless you go to worship there on sundays which is free you can do the same with.
42.westminster abbey:
which has hosted 16 royal weddings including prince william and kate's also more than 3 000 people
are buried in there which is a bit spooky for a wedding but there you go and that brings me back to the final
location in this category which is.
43. highgate cemetery:
approximately 170 000 people are buried there including the singer george michael writer douglas adams who wrote the
hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy and german political theorist karl marx okay now let's talk about views views.
44. 24 bus:
london has so many of those bus tour companies that take you around them but there is a workaround if you're on a budget i
know it's not free but for one pound 50
you can hop on the 24 bus from westminster to hampstead heath and enjoy some really incredible views of centrallondon from the top floor
speaking of hampstead heath it's home to,
45.hampstead heath :
parliament hill which has incredible views of the london skyline it's also generally a great place to
visit with a huge park and some wild swimming spots which is pretty cool nearby Primrose hill.
46. Primrose hill:
has some incredible views as well and it's a great spot for a picnic and if the weather turns don't worry
there's so many bars and restaurants that you can hide inside just around the corner and finally there is greenwich,
47.greenwich:
you can get a really unique perspective of central london from the top of greenwich park and there's a lot to see here in general
the national maritime museum during observatories astronomy center or the queen's house and yes they are all free to visit our
final category is pop culture,
pop culture:
london obviously has tons of film and literally locations but i'm just going to mention three here the first of them is,
48.abbey road:
which is popularized by the beatles and their famous album cover of course next we've got .
49. 221b baker street:
the london address of fictional detective sherlock holmes and finally our last entry on this long long list.
50. platform nine and three(Platform 9 3/4):
quarters at king's cross.
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