London for free ★★★
Free sights, experiences, and activities in London, England
I was once chatting with a Londoner who loves visiting New York because everything's so cheap.
Got that? He thought America's priciest city was a bargain.
Just goes to show how expensive London can be. Everything else from lodging to a pint in the pub costs much more in London than in most European destinations. The amounts on price tags across the Pond may look the same, but they're in pounds, not dollars.
London offers lots for free
London is odd in that it charges admission to its top churches, but lets you into its major museums—as well as dozens of lesser-known ones—for free. (Most of these place do have a "suggested donation" policy, so if you can spare a pound or two it's worthwhile to help keep these institutions free for everyone.)
You could spend several days in London without spending anything on sightseeing. (And, if you invest the London Pass, you can get into most of the others for free—well, since the pass itself is expensive, what you're actually getting is a discount.)
But it's not just the sights.
One of my favorite London experiences is to settle into a time-polished pew at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and listen to a chamber orchestra fill the gorgeous, 280-year-old church with music...for free.
You needn't pay West End theater prices to see a performance in London. The city is packed with cultural institutions offering live entertainment for free or for a pittance. In addition to music, you can listen to political debates (at Parliament or on Speaker's Corner), attend lectures and art workshops, and get gardening tips from the greenest thumbs in Britain.
- London Pass - Covers more than 60 major London sights and tours, plus discounts on several others, and an option to buy a transit pass to use on the Tube and buses.Partner
- iVenture Card - Covers several sights not on the London Pass, plus a handful of tours, free meals, 40% off last-minute theatre tickets, and other discounts. Worthwhile if you'll be doing the three popular sights it covers (St. Paul's, Madame Tussauds, London Eye).Partner
- English Heritage Pass - Covers Stonehenge, plus loads of castles, historic homes, ancient sites, and monuments across England.
Tips
Yes, this sightseeing pass itself is pretty pricey.
However, if you get it and use it to visit—for free—all of the other top London sights that do happen to charge admission—and do it strategically, scheduling all of those sights within the same few days—you end up getting a major discount over paying individual admission to each.
Plus, you get to skip the long ticket lines. » London Pass
Related
This sightseeing pass gets you into more than 60 London sights and attractions for free (skipping the line at each), with loads of other discounts, and it comes with a public transportation option
More on Free in London
Sights in London
One of the greatest museums on the planet, a repository of astounding artifacts from throughout human history all around the globe, from the Rosetta Stone to the Parthenon Marbles to an Easter Island moai and much, much, much more
England's greatest repository of Old Masters paintings, with works by Leonardo, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Monet, Degas, and more
A collection of the English language's greatest books and manuscripts, from Beowulf to Beatles lyrics by way of the Magna Carta, Shakespeare, James Joyce, and more
Fantastic modern art museum in a massive former power plant, with blockbuster exhibitions and a fab gift shop and bookstore
The history of London Town from prehistoric times to the 21C, told in artifacts, scale models, archaeological finds, photographs, and paintings
A small, free city museum of London life, Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite art, and Roman ruins in the basement
A vast park in North London, with lovely views, wooded rambles, swimming ponds, cozy pubs, and Old Master art in a genteel manor house
A 17th century manor house in Hampstead Heath with a fabulous free art collection
London's 18th century church steepling Trafalgar Square hosts excellent free lunchtime concerts with a cheap cafe in the crypt
A gallery of some of the greatest hits of British painting and sculpture
Fantastic, small, bit-of-everything museum—ancient Roman and Egyptian sculptures; paintings by Turner, Reynolds, and Hogarth; architectural remnants and Cantonese furniture—all crammed into the formerly private home of an eclectic collector
An historic London townhouse filled with 18C antiques and French and Old Master paintings—all for free
London's Catohlic cathedral is notable for free organ concerts and boys' choir—and for NOT being the far more famous Westminster Abbey
Experiences in London
Planning a trip to London
This sightseeing pass gets you into more than 60 London sights and attractions for free (skipping the line at each), with loads of other discounts, and it comes with a public transportation option
Enjoy free admission to various London sights and monuments (along with skip-the-line privileges), discounts at other attractions, and even transportation
This London Flexi Attractions Pass covers some of the pricey sights the London Pass does not:
Topics in London
Sights in England
Experiences in England
Free greeter programs around the world encourage locals to welcome you to their hometown
Lodgings in England
Free lodgings in Britain: Hospitality networks (couchsurfing), home swaps, and house sitting services
Couchsurfing and other hospitality networks allow you to sleep for free in other member's homes
Hospitality networks gather folks who are willing to put up fellow members in their homes for free or for a small fee
Sleep for free on vacation by watching someone's house (and, often, watering their plants and feeding their cat)
Trading spaces isn't just a show on basic cable anymore. It's a way to live life like a local on your travels absolutely for free—so long as you let the local borrow your life (and home) in return.
Programs like WWOOF and Helpx let you barter your services for a free place to stay
If you love sailing, or just have an unquenchable taste for adventure and new experiences, you can sign on to help crew a boat just about anywhere in the world, including the U.K.
A network of free stone cabins where you can sleep off the beaten path in the U.K.
Planning for a trip to England
Use Skype (and an internet connection) to make and receive free voice and video calls—or have your friends and family Skype your cell in the U.K. for 10¢ per minute or $1–$2 per month.
