Free attractions in London and free tickets in the museums: 13 tips and curiosities to experience the city in an original and economical way Skyscanner chooses.
Beautiful, young and dynamic, London is the city of the moment. A pulsating heart of life and energy but also of traditions and history. Whether you want to stay a weekend with friends, or that you intend to move, we have selected for you 13 free things to do in London that will make you take the best of the city’s DNA, saving you a few pounds, which never fails. There are a lot of attractions to see without paying for them, or events to attend for free, just know! We thought about it. You just have to close the suitcase. If London calls, you can only answer!
13. Call a rally at the Speakers’ Corner
To begin with, we tick the imagination and the spirit of initiative bringing you to Speakers’ Corner. The corner of the speakers (one of the best free things to do in London), which is an area of Hyde Park, which is accessed free of charge, historically known as a place of public speeches and debates.
From large Personalities like Karl Marx or George Orwell, to famous politicians who came here to speak at the time of their electoral campaigns, up to the ordinary people. This is a place that is born to exalt the concept, noble, of freedom of opinion in which anyone could (and Can) speak quietly of any subject, at any time, by also gathering an audience of interested auditors. We think it’s a great place: what are you waiting to show your oratory skills and your ability to rhetoric?
12. The stalls of Portobello
London is teeming with lively and assorted markets: not easy places to shop, but real tourist attractions that tell us about the city and its way of being. Lose yourself, then, between the stands of Portobello Market, looking for some rare object or a free souvenir to bring to those who love, among the colorful stalls vintage and those scented with fruit and sweets. You will breathe a unique atmosphere, snobbish and populated at the same time, and if you have a nose for business here you can prove it. The occasions you will not miss, especially if you go there on Saturday, when on display you will also find antiques. Good Luck!
11. British Museum and National Gallery
Well yes, the British Museum and the others, because of museums to see free in London there are many, including the best and most important ones. Don’t miss the National Gallery, the Tate’s collections, the Victoria and Albert Museum or the many science museums, such as the National History Museum. These are just cues, refine your research, even based on your interests, and you’ll see that the museums and galleries you can visit for free are countless, really. You find time to make a leap, that time you will “spent” well!
10. Look for the statue of Peter Pan
Once upon a time there was an English child who did not want to grow. James Matthew Barrie narrates his adventures on the island that is not there, between pirates and bright fairies. Do you already understand? That’s right, it’s Peter Pan that just in these gardens begins his adventure and that right here. Near the Serpentine Lake, is remembered with a beautiful bronze statue. Have fun looking for it, give yourself an inevitable selfie with Peter who plays the flute and then left for the next stage. How do you say? Growing up is a trap? We taped our mouths, let Peter suggest you!
9. Watch the change of the guard for free
A must for every tourist, the change of the guard, whose tradition goes back to 1660, is an appointment that you can not miss. With the scenographic background of Buckingham Palace, with the stately atmosphere of horses and guards in uniform, with the rigour of Band playing military marches, this is a moment that strongly characterizes the city. Find out about the times of the ceremony, which varies according to the seasons and you have the concern to arrive on the spot with at least half an hour in advance, since the event always attracts many curious. Then you just have to choose your favorite ice cream and enjoy the show! It is free and it is in London!
8. Free souvenir photo on the Abbey Road Strips
London has always been synonymous with a lively musical undergrowth that has given notoriety to musicians of considerable thickness. The Beatles, for example, interpreters of those sixties so revolutionary and full of artistic and cultural ferment. Once in London, you absolutely have to go home with the free souvenir photo on the famous pedestrian strips of Abbey Road, the group’s eponymous album, playing the cover. Take a spin!
7. See the open Tower Bridge
Among the free things to do in the City of London, the Tower Bridge is an obligatory stop and will conquer you in its majestic grandeur. Walk on it, enjoy the lights of the Thames, which runs below, and if you can try to see it open, according to the hours of lifting. Thanks to modern technologies the bridge can open in just 90 seconds to let the ships pass. As you say, try to be in the right place at the right time!
See the most popular places to visit in Rome here
6. Visit Westminster Abbey
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, Westminster Abbey is one of the icons of the city as well as place of important institutional ceremonies. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror, which was held here in 1066, the Abbey is now home to the coronations Of the Kings of England and the burial of important people. The monumental beauty will leave you breathless already from the outside, but once inside you’ll be absolutely kidnapped, like in a time machine. Try to believe!
5. Free relax in a Japanese Garden
If it is true, as is true, that in London you can find everything, do not be surprised if you will also find a corner of Japan in which to relax and enjoy oriental atmospheres, magical and unconventional. The Kyoto Garden is a small, free to visit, paradise within Holland Park, the ideal place to relax and unwind after a visit to the museums or after a hectic day wandering around the city: Go to Spring, when it is easier to see the fishes In the waters of the pond and the cherry trees are in bloom. You will fill your eyes with beauty!
4. The Carnival of Notting Hill
Every year, since 1965, the streets of West London Animate and fill with music and colors for one of the biggest street festivals in the world. The carnival of Notting Hill, which represents the different Caribbean communities present in the English capital. Ballerinas with sumptuous clothes, pompous carts with CALYPSO and Samba orchestras and fast paced atmosphere, for memorable parades. An unmissable appointment for those who are in London during the Summer Bank Holiday, the last festive weekend of August. It starts on Saturday and culminates on Monday. Choose the flight and the hotel, just miss you!
3. Visit the Parliament in London
You would have stumbled upon the Palace of Westminster, the iconic historic building with Big Ben, one of the most representative in the city. But perhaps without knowing that it houses the British Parliament and you can visit it for free. Booking in advance you may also participate in a parliamentary session. It is possible to visit all the imposing structure that houses the House of Lords and that of the communes only after having endured a very long line and a careful search, and after having filled out a form with all its own data. Once inside, visitors can attend, clearly in religious silence (penalty expulsion), the parliamentary sessions in the special areas dedicated to them, the Stranger’s Gallery. You wanted to leave, didn’t you?
2. Go for a walk in South Bank
Between Waterloo Station and the Thames, enjoy the magic of South Bank, the beautiful stretch of the South Bank of the Thames. The city’s neuralgic and cultural center, rich in buildings that show a quality architecture, boutiques of great names, theaters and venues of all kinds. The neighborhood is crammed with free things to see and do all year round and at all times. Here you will feel Londoners. What else to tell you? Enjoy it for free!
1. Visit the British Library, it is free
And the first place in this Traveler Magazine‘s top 13 for free things to do in London goes for…
The National Library of the United Kingdom, the British Library, near King’s Cross, is considered the most important research library in the world. With a quantity of portentous books and treasures with inestimable value. It is kept here, for example, the Magna Charta of 1215, fundamental document for this land; Original scores and texts of the Beatles; Fleming’s notes on the discovery of penicillin and notes by Leonardo da Vinci and still an essay by ISAAC Newton on the force of gravity. Besides being very rich, the library is beautiful and worth your free visit. Let us have a little thought!
