Although London is often thought of as one of the most expensive cities in the world, it is more than possible to visit the city and spend barely a penny. You can see famous paintings, ancient artefacts, fascinating buildings, rare wildlife and even films and plays for free. Most of the city’s major museums and galleries have free entry, and there are plenty of opportunities to visit places for free that normally charge admission – it’s just a matter of knowing how and when… here are our top tips
Top free things to do in London
• Go up to the Oxo Tower restaurant and step out onto the viewing balcony for a classic view over the city.
• See deer roaming wild in Richmond Park – the largest open space in London, covering almost 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres).
• Put a foot in each hemisphere at the Greenwich Meridian line, outside The Royal Observatory. The centre of world time is marked here with a metal line in the paving stones.
• Get into Westminster Abbey for free when you attend a service – evensong is particularly atmospheric to be present at.
• Catch free performances and film screenings at the Scoop theatre – an open-air amphitheatre on the South Bank by Tower Bridge.
• Join the Roller Stroll, a communal skate each Sunday in Hyde Park.
• Witness one of the oldest and most familiar ceremonies associated with Buckingham Palace – the Changing of the Guard at 11.30 every weekday morning through the summer.
Sightseeing
Most of the major museums and galleries have free admission, as well as some smaller, quirkier ones. Here is the unmissable:
Top 10 free London museums
1. The British Museum - houses a vast collection of ancient artefacts from around the world, including Egyptian mummies (www.britishmuseum.org).
2. Natural History Museum - world-famous collection of dinosaur skeletons, among thousands of other exhibits from the natural world (www.nhm.ac.uk).
3. The Science Museum - a leading technological museum, with impressive exhibits including the Apollo 10 spacecraft (www.sciencemuseum.org.uk).
4. V&A (the Victoria and Albert museum), South Kensington - museum of art and design (www.vam.ac.uk).
5. Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green – one of the world's largest and oldest collections of toys and childhood artefacts (www.vam.ac.uk/moc).
6. Imperial War Museum houses an extensive collection covering all aspects of 20th and 21st century conflict involving Britain and the Commonwealth (www.iwm.org.uk).
7. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, consists of the Maritime Galleries, the Royal Observatory and the 17th-century Queen's House (www.nmm.ac.uk/collections)
8. Museum of London documents the history of London from the prehistoric to the present day (www.museumoflondon.org.uk).
9. The Wallace Collection – fine works of art, paintings, furniture, arms & armour and porcelain in a historic London townhouse in Marylebone (www.wallacecollection.org).
10. The Bank of England Museum. Having been in existence for more than 300 years the Bank of England has, unsurprisingly, accumulated a considerable number of items associated with its history (www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/museum).
Top 5 free London galleries
1. Tate Modern - international modern and contemporary art (www.tate.org.uk).
2. Tate Britain - the home of British art from 1500 to the present day, including a massive Turner collection (www.tate.org.uk).
3. Both in Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery houses one of the greatest collections of western European paintings in the world (www.nationalgallery.org.uk) and The National Portrait Gallery, opened in 1896, features portraits of the most famous people in British history (www.npg.org.uk).
4. The Saatchi Gallery, Kings Road, Chelsea – forum for contemporary art, presenting work by largely unseen young artists or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK (www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk).
5. The Photographers’ Gallery is the largest public gallery in London dedicated to photography – from historical to modern (www.photonet.org.uk).
Historical homes
There are some lovely historical homes in London that you can nose round for free:
Victorian architect Sir John Soane decreed that his house in Lincoln's Inn Fields and its eclectic collection of art, sculpture, and artefacts should be left for the public to view for free. And that’s how it remains to day – virtually untouched since his death in 1837 (www.soane.org).
Hogarth's House in Chiswick, built around 1700, was the home of the great painter, engraver and satirist William Hogarth, from 1749 until his death in 1764. Normally open to the public for free; the house is currently closed for repairs and restoration. It is due to reopen in September 2009, with new displays and a programme of activities (www.hounslow.info/arts/hogarthshouse)
See how English middle-class homes have changed over the centuries at the Geffrye Museum, housed in old almshouses in Shoreditch, east London (www.geffrye-museum.org.uk).
The ancient (1730) Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow houses some intriguing exhibits such as the oldest British-built petrol driven car and a Victorian police cell (www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/leisure/museums-galleries/vestry-house.htm).
Van Gogh for free
Certain museums and galleries that normally charge admission often have times or days of the week when you can visit for free – investigate before you visit. For example, The Courtauld Gallery, with its collections of Old Master, impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, and drawings by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Cézanne and Turner, offers free entry on Mondays between 10am–2pm (www.courtauld.ac.uk).
Walk, walk and walk some more
One of the best ways to see London is simply strolling the city's streets. Read our walking London article for inspiration.
And for more ideas, see Harden's London for Free and 1000 Things to do in London for under ten pounds.
Author: Rachel Ricks
Date: 16 April 2009
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