22 best free things to do in London (2024)

Sometimes, you have to pinch yourself. Is this stuff really all free? Heaven knows how long it will continue in these challenging times. But London’s role on the international stage, as well as its recent boom and — crucially — the decision in 2001 to ditch museum entrance fees has left us with an enviable array of fee-free cultural assets. Add our penchant for markets, royalty and big green spaces and you’ve got a destination that will keep you buzzing for days — without costing a penny beyond your bus and Tube fares.

Main photo: street art in Shoreditch (Getty Images)

1. Take your time at Tate Modern

Londoners couldn’t believe their luck when Tate Modern first opened back in the year 2000. Here was a London art space so big and multi-functional you felt you could pretty much live in it: wafting between its galleries, cafés and temporary exhibitions, soaking up the views towards St Paul’s, meeting friends — and generally blurring the lines between gallery-going and the rest of life. At a stroke it changed our ideas of what a museum could be. Since then it’s grown even larger and more diverse. Sure, you can grumble about the rehangs of the collection, or the pill-box architecture in the extension. But it’s still the most wonderful gift to the art-loving community, full of modern art that’s challenging, beautiful, refreshing and/or infuriating — and still, miraculously, free to view. Remember: tickets to Moma in New York cost $25 a head.

tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

2. Spot the future stars of classical music

London is home to three of the world’s top schools of music — the Royal Academy, the Royal College and the Guildhall — and public performances are a key part of their study programmes. So why not offer yourself as a guinea pig and enjoy a no-cost concert by the future stars of the classical scene? Even though they’re free, events are ticketed — so you’ll need to book in advance. But every week during term time seems to provide a treat. As part of the Royal Academy’s series of 1pm Friday concerts you might see its violinists performing Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Meanwhile, the Guildhall’s students are often playing at 4pm or 6pm, as soloists, ensembles and orchestras. There are frequent daytime masterclasses too.

tickets.ram.ac.uk
gsmd.ac.uk

3. Drool over the riches of the British Museum

Quick, go and see the Elgin Marbles before public opinion turns decisively in favour of their rightful return to Athens. And, while you’re at it, clear your diary for the rest of the day. It’s not just that the BM offers a matchless introduction to the birth of art and high culture around the world. Nor that the British and European galleries contain treasures that shine a powerful light on our own past — whether it’s the Roman writing tablets from Vindolanda, or the Saxon grave goods of Sutton Hoo. It’s the fact that the Great Court in the middle is such a gorgeous space in which to catch your breath over a cup of coffee and a slice of carrot cake — before plunging back into the tides of human history. Pace yourself properly and you could be swimming there for hours.

britishmuseum.org

4. Dance through the water jets by the London Stadium

For kids, nothing washes away the boredom of hot city afternoons better than jets of water squirting from the pavement. London has several of these joyous, public-spirited fountains, and not surprisingly they’ve become a staple of summer life in the city. Granary Square in King’s Cross has the most jets — 1,080 in all. But if you take your kids to the splash park by the London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park they’ll get just as wet, and have more to do afterwards. The raspberry sorbet they serve in the kiosk next door is irresistible too, and you can eat it on the grass banks of the river, looking onto Dame Zaha Hadid’s shapely Aquatic Centre. Then walk north along the river — past reed beds and fluttering silver birches to the Tumbling Bay Playground, up by the velodrome. As well as water pumps, sand pits and a treehouse, there are beautifully planted borders of flowers, shrubs and grasses.

queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk

5. Take your seat in the House of Commons

Admittedly, you’re not so much in the House of Commons’ chamber as above it — seated in the public gallery and separated from MPs by bulletproof glass. But even so, there’s an extraordinary buzz that comes from sitting in the midst of the political process in one of democracy’s feistiest parliaments. Prime Minister’s Questions is the star attraction and takes place at midday on Wednesdays when the Houses of Parliamentare sitting. Entry is free and ticketed: but restricted to UK residents (you need to apply to your local MP for them). But for the rest of the week anyone can queue for entry via the Cromwell Green entrance. They can also catch debates in the more ornate House of Lords, as well as watching the parliamentary select committees at work.

parliament.uk

6. Soak up the sun in a skyscraper’s garden

The indoor Sky Garden has become a must-do on many London visit wish lists — so much so that you have to book entry to the office block on which it rests weeks in advance. But what few visitors realise is that there’s another rooftop garden only 200 yards away, and on a sunny day it’s even lovelier because it’s open to the sky. The Garden at 120 sits 15 storeys up in London’s financial district, at 120 Fenchurch Street — and you can go without booking: usually, without queueing too. Admittedly, this is a mid-height eyrie. You’re amongthe other skyscrapers rather than above them. But by way of compensation, that makes you feel more connected to the City scene. And besides, there are intriguing views of London landmarks at every turn: from the shapely Gherkin office block to the Tower of London.

thegardenat120.com

7. Cherry-pick your paintings at the National Gallery

Don’t try to see it all at once. The National Gallery is so big — and its collection of pre-20th century painting so broad and magnificent — that your art-loving brain will have melted by the time you’re halfway through. So why not nibble at it instead? It’s free, after all. You could preface a Friday night in Soho with an eyeful of Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne, which captures the moment their eyes first meet — and frames it in a deep and loving blue. Or how about feasting on the drama of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus before a trip to the theatre? The 19th-century galleries in particular will reward a separate visit. Overshadowed by the Old Master rooms, they are nonetheless packed with treasures. There’s a Cézanne here — Hillside in Provence, whose multi-faceted cliff face seems to point all the way to cubism, 25 years in the future.

nationalgallery.org.uk

8. Snack your way through Borough Market

Admittedly, you’ll need a budget to buy the odd irresistible item: whether it’s a sourdough loaf from Bread Ahead, or one of one Brindisa’s chorizo rolls. But otherwise Borough Market — the spiritual home of London’s foodie scene — is free. Come on Friday or Saturday for the best choice of street food, and lots of come-hither samples on the stalls and in the shops: but make sure you’re early, before the crowds thicken and lunch calls. The site is too tight and busy for a picnic, and tables at the surrounding cafés and restaurant are in short supply. So grab your ingredients and take them to the lawn outside Tate Modern or carry on walking till you get to the South Bank.

boroughmarket.org.uk

• Best brunches in London

9. Descend to the London Mithraeum

Mithraeums were temples to the Persian god Mithras and in Roman times they were popular — if mysterious — places of worship among the empire’s ruling elite. This example was unearthed in London in 1954 and, after a spell in the open air, was reinterred 23 feet beneath Bloomberg’s European HQ. Now, it’s the centrepiece of a captivating mini-museum, developed at considerable expense, which shows off hundreds of fascinating artefacts discovered at the same time as the building. Even better, the foundations and floors of the temple have been placed in an underground room where clever lighting and a fine vapour conjure up the ghost of the building from the darkness — while a soundtrack of Roman worship fills the air. Much of what you see and hear is conjecture, of course. But it gives you goose bumps all the same. Nothing else in the capital — not even the exhibits at the Museum of London — brings you closer to its Roman past.

londonmithraeum.com

10. Marvel at the dome of St Stephen Walbrook

Don’t fancy the eye-watering price of entry to St Paul’s? Then walk for free into St Stephen Walbrook, between Mansion House and the London Mithraeum. Some fragments of the 15th-century original remain, but the sense of wonder here is almost entirely down to the building Sir Christopher Wren designed after the Great Fire of London. Set beneath a graceful dome and flooded with natural light, it’s a breathtakingly open space, centred on an innovative, circular altar that was added by 20th-century sculptor Sir Henry Moore. No wonder Sir Nikolaus Pevsner thought it one of the most important buildings in England.

ststephenwalbrook.net

11. Picnic in Victoria Park

Sure, the Royal Parks are lovely: especially the long green space that sweeps from Notting Hill all the way to Whitehall and includes Kensington Gardens as well as Hyde Park. But have you been to Victoria Park lately? For several years now it’s been a window onto east London’s hipster rebirth, and the scene here is more local and — many would argue — more vital than the park life further west. Come on Sunday to browse the food stalls of the Victoria Park Market, catch some of the jaw-dropping tricks being pulled at the Bath Skateboard Park and — if you’ve got kids — unleash them in the playground next door. There’s a super-long slide here that will keep them whooping for at least an hour.

12. Make your own judgements at the Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales — aka the Old Bailey — is where many of the most hair-raising cases in the country are heard. And if you’ve got a stomach for the details and an interest in the legal process, a few hours in the public galleries are a must. There are useful guides online to the most interesting upcoming cases, but the most essential reading before your visit is the guide to what you can and can’t bring into the court (phones, writing materials and Bluetooth watches are all banned). Come no later than 9.30am to be in the queue, expect airport-style security and don’t be shy about asking the staff what’s on in each of the courts.

old-bailey.com

13. Walk the length of Portobello Market

On Saturday, this long, narrow road in Notting Hill — packed with stalls and indoor arcades — hosts the UK’s biggest antiques market. But the appeal runs much deeper than cut-glass tumblers and art deco lamps. Years ago, it morphed into a big, chaotic promenade for the city’s chattering classes — full of street food, curiosities and chance encounters with friends. It’s a great place to shop for vintage clothing and up-and-coming designers too: but really, there’s no need to spend any money beyond the odd snack. Go in the morning, before you’ve had breakfast, so you can scoff pastries and pasteis de nata with impunity, and soak up the atmosphere like a sponge.

portobelloroad.co.uk

14. Get away from it all in Epping Forest

This long, narrow stretch of woodland — which dates back at least 3,000 years — serves up London’s largest continuous stretch of greenery, as well as its loveliest natural landscapes. And yet it remains bafflingly under-visited, despite being served by the the Central Line, as well as an overground station at Chingford and several (pay and display) car parks. Highlights include the oak-edged glade at Gilbert’s Slade in Snaresbrook, and the Iron Age earthworks at Loughton Camp. But the most beautiful stretch of all is up north, beneath the towering beech trees of Jack’s Hill. Walk southeast from here, towards the deer sanctuary, and you’ll cross an unexpected clearing made up of three fields, with a view towards Canary Wharf. Seen across an ocean of trees, 21st-century London has never looked so rural.

visiteppingforest.org

15. Seek out the White Cube gallery

Never mind what’s on. The experience of seeking out the White Cube gallery is as much fun as the art itself. It takes you from London Bridge station, beneath the soaring spike of the Shard, and into the low-key Bermondsey Street. You’re unlikely to get down it without popping into at least one of its bakeries or delis. Then, suddenly, a space opens up beside the pavement, and announces this cutting-edge gallery. The doors are wide open. There’s no bag search, no ticketing, no timed entry. You can wander straight in to join just a handful of other art lovers, and feast on the paintings within. In such an informal atmosphere it’s hard not to enjoy the work even more than you would normally.

whitecube.com

16. Sample the city’s street art scene

Contemporary art doesn’t just hang in galleries. So head to the Leake Street tunnel, beneath the railway lines of Waterloo station near the South Bank, for 300m of graffiti, tags and street art. Banksy made it famous back in 2008, with his Cans Festival — and thanks to its status as a free, legal place to spray-paint, it has been a riot of colour and invention ever since. But don’t stop there. Head to Brick Lane just east of the city, for more vivid, life-affirming creativity, and keep going into Shoreditch. You’ll find plenty of free walking tours mapped out online to guide your steps.

leakestreetarches.london

17. See the changing of the other guard

Don’t fancy the crowds at Buckingham Palace? Or the fact that the key ceremony during the changing of the guard takes place behind iron railings? Then go to Horse Guards Parade instead. At 11am each weekday, soldiers of the King’s Life Guard, on duty at Horse Guards on Whitehall, are relieved by a new detail of cavalrymen, who have ridden down from Hyde Park Barracks. Expect at least 12 of these glittering soldiers from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment: encased in breastplates and mounted on Cavalry Black horses at least 16 hands high. There are no barriers and no railings. It’s just you and these extraordinary examples of living history, straight out of the 19th century.

householddivision.org.uk

18. Spend a day in South Ken’s Museum Quarter

It’s hard not to get excited as you exit South Kensington Tube station and approach London’s biggest museum hub. Three vast palaces of fascination await — the Victoria & Albert, the Science and the Natural History Museums — and it’s best to treat them as a giant box of pick-and-mix treats rather than three separate institutions. Select just a handful of must-sees before you go, set yourself a time limit in each one and avoid the trap that almost everyone falls into when faced with such enormous collections: walking dutifully from room to room, feeling overwhelmed. You might, for example, skip from dinosaurs in the Natural History Museum, to exploring space in the Science Museum and on to the fashion galleries in the V&A — unburdened by even one atom of guilt about not seeing everything. Then, have a breather in Prince’s Gardens, a leafy square that’s only a few steps from the Science Museum. Most tourists have no idea it’s there.

nhm.ac.uk
sciencemuseum.org.uk
vam.ac.uk

19. Brighten up your Sunday at Columbia Road flower market

Ouch. It’s 8am on Sunday. You should still, by rights, be in bed. But any doubts about your excursion will quickly evaporate in the warmth of this Bethnal Green institution. Fuelled by punchy lattes and cream cheese bagels from Café Columbia, this weekly gathering of florists and potted plant specialists offers something few other London freebies can match: a sense of home. Londoners come looking for something to greenify their flats, for presents for friends — or simply to soften the hard edges of a city weekend. There’s no need to buy of course: but few leave empty-handed.

columbiaroad.info

20. Try lifting a gold bar at the Bank of England Museum

The standard London Good Delivery gold bar weighs 11-13kg and you can try lifting one yourself courtesy of the Bank of England. You’ll find it in the Bank’s free museum, near its eastern entrance. And even though the bar is secured within a Perspex case, the act of reaching through the access hole and picking it up is a considerable thrill. There is plenty more to see besides — the forgeries are fun and so too are the displays of now obsolete coins and banknotes. But on a day when you’re exploring one of the world’s great cities for free, nothing quite compares with laying hands on that hefty lump of bullion. At the time of writing, it was worth more than £600,000.

bankofengland.co.uk/museum

21. Immerse yourself in greenery at the Barbican Conservatory

A brutalist building might not sound like the most obvious place to see lush greenery and tropical plants, but that’s exactly what you’ll find at the Barbican Conservatory. Opened in 1984, the conservatory is home to around 1,500 different species of plants and trees, including coffee plants, orchids and an impressive selection of cacti and succulents which are bound to put your own plant collection to shame. You can also spot koi carp and terrapins in the conservatory’s pools. Tickets are free, but need to be booked in advance.

barbican.org.uk

22. Go birdwatching at Walthamstow Wetlands

Want to get close to nature? Don’t assume you need to leave the confines of the M25. Just head to Zone 3 and you’ll find Walthamstow Wetlands, Europe’s largest urban wetland. This 520-acre site has ten reservoirs and is a popular spot with birds like kingfishers and peregrine falcons. As well as birds, it’s home to dragonflies, butterflies, voles and even bats (they sometimes hang out over the reedbeds at dusk in summer). It also hosts free events and walks where you can learn more about the local wildlife.

wildlondon.org.uk

• Best budget hotels in London: hotels under £150
• How to save money on a city break
• Best things to do in London
• What to do on a rainy day in London
• Best things to do in London with kids

Take me there

Inspired to visit London but yet to book your trip? Here are the best family friendly hotels to stay from Hotels.com and Booking.com.

Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.