What to do in London for free

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Anyone who knows me knows well that London it is not one of the cities in my Top 10 and perhaps it is not even in my personal Top 20, despite having lived there for a few years.

I don’t love it, but I have to admit that there are many things to do here and many are free, which is good news for penniless travelers like me and a good answer to the cost of living which is very high, in fact a weekend can be very expensive.

In this post I want to list the major free tourist attractions of the city, ideal for those who are touring the European Capitals, like my friend Giuseppe of EuroTrip.it or those who simply go to London on holiday and have little money.

London is a very populous city, some streets, like Oxford Street on the weekend they become literally impassable, armor would be useful for this walk where the bigger shoulder has the upper hand but from my modest point of view there are many things to see, you just need to know what and where.
These are the free attractions in London that I recommend, feel free to add or recommend anything that I haven’t put on the list.

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Read also: 17 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in London

Free attractions in London

Museums and Art Galleries

Tate Modern e Tate Britain they are exceptional art galleries and home to many works of art from around the world.
Tate Modern focuses on contemporary art while Tate British displays works typical of British Art from the 16th century to the present.
Other free art galleries are the National Portrait Gallery where I saw a beautiful Pop Art exhibition (paid £10, but it was worth it) and the National Gallery, both in Trafalgar Square.
I also recommend The Wallace Collection in Oxford Street, perfect for escaping the infernal bedlam of the shopping street.
For those who want to learn more about the customs and habits of the English that go well beyond the pint of beer after work, I recommend the Museum of London where you can follow the history of London from Roman times to the present day and the Geffrye Museum where instead the interiors of the houses, customs and habits of the English in the past are documented.
Il Museum of London it is located halfway between St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Barbican metro, obviously entry is free.
Geffrye Museum instead it is located in Shreditch, the tube stop is Old Street.
Map and directions from the official website

The museums and galleries always stay open until late, you could spend a “night at the museum” Ben Stiller style, furthermore those listed are all free, you would pay separately for the entrances to the temporary exhibitions.

Parks and Gardens

I think if there was an award for the most beautiful public parks and gardens London would win. A note of merit to this city that cares about greenery and offers its citizens and tourists beautiful parks where they can rest during lunch breaks or days of endless walking.
It is no coincidence that gardens are generally called English and not Roman, there must be a reason!
The parks well distributed in the city, in my opinion, manage to give a touch of green to a city that in itself is grey.
The parks I recommend are

Queens Mary’s Rose Garden a Regents Park
St. James Park which offers one of the most beautiful views of Buckingham Palace and where I recommend you see the changing of the guard. Otherwise it would be a bit like going to Rome and skipping the Colosseum. The Changing of the Guard can be seen from the gates of Buckingham Palace every day at 11.30am in summer and every other day in winter. Go early so you can be in the front row.
Hyde Park e Kensington Gardens (two parks practically attached) are enormous and here you can see both the memorial to Princess Diana and the statue to Peter Pan.

South Bank

Walking around London you will have the opportunity to see the whole city without having to pay a penny and in my opinion knowing it like this is tiring but the best way to give yourself points of reference and see something that is not mentioned in any guide but which could emerge in the future. sudden. So instead of the subway, walk a little!

My favorite walk is the South Bank one which takes you from the Ferris wheel (London Eye) to the Tate Modern, from which then crossing the beautiful Millennium Bridge you will arrive in St. Paul.
Download the PDF guides for walking tours from SouthBankLondon.com, the guides are in English but you can download them and at least have some itineraries to follow on foot.

Performers and Street Artists

If the day is beautiful it doesn’t rain (that’s why you have to be lucky) and it’s sunny I love taking my friends and guests to Covent Garden where we can have fun with street artists, ideal if you go with children. I’m sure they will have a lot of fun especially if they get involved in the games and dances.
All these artists work with licenses and to be able to work there they had to pass an audition, see when you say “the English” with a positive and admiring tone of voice!
In London there are many places to see street artists in action, in addition to Covent Garden you can also find them at South Bank especially right outside the National Theatre, where among other things you’ll see an area dedicated to skateboarders jumping from side to side.

London Markets

I have already written a post about these which I refer to from here London Markets.
London is famous for its markets, especially flea markets, those markets where the most absurd things are sold and which the English go crazy for.
For further information, I refer you to a post written previously, but to make a short list I think the markets to visit are:
Camden Market – Punk area in London where people dress in a slightly unconventional way. Now it has also been enlarged, after the fire that burned everything down a few years ago. Worth visiting
Borough Market – Famous food market from all over the world. Expensive yes but I found fresh ricotta, parma ham and homemade pasta.
Portobello Market – If you are looking for vintage clothes or want to see a flea market then this is the right market. Numerous art galleries and local designers.
Brik Lane Market – Do you like Indian food and big markets? Then this is the right market. You can eat everything at low prices. Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese food from £3.50.
Columbia Flowe Market – Flower market open only on Sunday morning

Music for free

London is music and art and my list couldn’t miss some advice regarding free music, events that increase significantly in the summer, generally all the parks always organize something. Nice idea to enjoy the city listening to good music, if it’s free, even better!

Southbank Centre you can listen to free music and numerous completely free events are regularly scheduled. Generally also the National Theatrealso on the South Bank, offers free concerts which are held regularly at lunchtimes or you can attend pre-performances.
Royal Opera House every Monday at lunchtime allows you to take part in free recitals
St. Martin in the Rock offers free concerts every day at lunchtime
Notting Hill Arts Clus Saturdays are free. To find out who plays and what I recommend keeping an eye on the official website www.nottinghillartsclub.com