10 Exciting Free Things To Do in London With No Money

From a simple view of the city from Sky Garden London to a visit to the posh royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea, there are so many free things to do in London when you’re broke! I’ll grant you there’s not always much will to go out in London with no budget. However, a cool walk around Shoreditch House and London St Pancras is always welcome when you need to take in some fresh air.

The reason I wanted to write this post about the best free things to do in London is that The London Local is primarily a free and cheap guide. I do write about some of the best halal fine dining restaurants in London and high-end restaurants in Mayfair, however, I want to keep this website a true way for you to explore London on a budget. It’s an expensive city, and we all know it. So, it’s really something important for me to share all the free London events and things to do in the city when you’re broke big time.

10 Coolest Free Things To Do in London When You’re Broke

There’s a lot to see in London when you’re broke. You can go sightseeing and lose yourself in the most famous spots in London. You can visit unusual, underdog boroughs in East and South London, and take a stroll along Little Venice, Regent’s Canal near Bethnal Green and Mile End, or Southbank.

You can go to free museums in London, or spend some time at one of the most famous London libraries; there are so many! Or you can go to posh areas like London Paddington, or the famous Primrose Hill, that I told you about a few days ago. There’s so much to tell you about when it comes to amazing free things to do in London, so let’s dive in!

Free Things To Do in London: Visit The Free Museums & London Galleries

One of the best free things to do in London is, of course, visiting one of the countless museums. The national museums are almost all free, except for private and temporary exhibitions, like the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the V&A going on now.

If you like classic and modern art, the Tate Modern museum is one of my favorite museums in London. Located on Southbank, it has several floors and boasts huge rooms filled with incredible art. From there, you can have a walk on the Millenium Bridge (the dopest one, featured in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), check out Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and walk up to St Paul’s to snap some amazing shots.

The British Museum is also a great museum in London, and it has to be my favorite. All free, it features an impressive collection of Egyptian art and pharaoh’s statues. Add to it some Assyrian, Greek, and Roman statues and paintings, and you’ve got one of the best museums in London.

The National Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Science Museum are other amazing options for interesting free museums in London. I am very picky when it comes to museums; hating the ones where I feel trapped into a kind of art that I don’t identify with. Those really offer some amazing sections, like the Fashion section in the V&A, and some things about psychology and pedagogy in the Science Museum.

Don’t forget amazing free London galleries, like White Cube Bermondsey I have mentioned quite a few times on The London Local. The Serpentine Gallery also offers a nice view of contemporary and modern artistry that you should definitely visit if you love quirky London art galleries.

Explore London: Important Places to Visit in London

1. Visit London Posh Areas & Village Areas Inside London

I will definitely write a full article about all the village-like areas in London. Primrose Hill London is one of them, but when you explore London, you can also move away from famous boroughs. You’ll see, away from Paddington and Oxford Street, there are amazing fancy areas.

If you get off the Tube at Holland Park, you’ll find some amazing posh streets. In terms of villages inside London, take a look at Muswell Hill, Highgate, Hampstead Heath, and Stoke Newington. The streets are narrower, with small independent coffee shops and shops that are seemingly all worthwhile.

2. Visit London Kings Cross

King’s Cross and St Pancras are definitely worth a visit; plus, they’re among the best free things to do in London! Let’s say that Kings Cross is even more attractive (it was featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), with its old-school, reddish brick architecture. So many people walk by every day, and I’m one of those people snapping a shot of King’s Cross station whenever I’m out and about.

3. Visit London’s Touristic Landmarks

If you’d like to know more about the best London landmarks, I highly suggest you take a look at those amazing 15 landmarks and sights in London. Along with the best museums and shiny landmarks like Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, and Southbank, I want to add some lesser-known landmarks in London.

For instance, Sky Garden London – the Talkie Walkie building allows you to have the nicest view of the city, high up in the sky. Primrose Hill, the colorful houses in Notting Hill, Camden Town, Little Venice, and Paddington are certainly among the most touristic landmarks in London. Many other areas are worth a visit, like Holloway Road, filled with amazing restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and charity shops in North London.

When you explore London, don’t stick to the center of the city – go to fancy places like Knightsbridge London or trendy Hoxton to really get a feel of London life. Aren’t new discoveries the best free things to do in London?

Free Things to do in London: Visit Covered London Markets

I’ve always loved coming across new markets in London. Although we’re staying on the “London with no money” track here, I want to mention that London markets – especially covered ones – are a cool place to lose yourself in when you’re broke. To be fair, lists of free things to do in London always include going to parks and museums. However, when it’s cold or rainy, going to a London park really is the last thing on my mind.

Covent Garden Market and Camden Market have got to be some of my favorite markets in London. However, I’d like to point that Brixton Market in South London is a sight. It’s another world, filled with ethnic products, among which my favorite is the pure shea butter sold in little packs of cling film. While you’re at Camden Market, do pay a visit to Cyberdog – one of the trendiest shops you can find in London!

When you live in London, you quickly learn that you can’t do “anything” without money in the city. However, that also means that people have developed ways to do cool free things in London – excluding food and drinks, the city offers many amazing activities. You just need to keep your eyes peeled; there’s always an opportunity to find free things to do in London and really have fun, whether you live in London or are just planning a trip to London.

See The Dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park

Crystal Palace Park is far from Central London; I’ll grant you that. However, when you decide to explore London, it’s a shame to miss the Crystal Palace dinosaurs. In the huge park are scattered quite a few huge dinosaur statues, with explanations and specifics of each dinosaur. It’s one of the most interesting free things to do in London in my opinion, if you’re not afraid to step away from the posh Green Park or Kings Cross for a bit.

Free Things To Do in London: Visit Amazing English Parks

As I said, when the London weather is cold and whimsical, the last thing you want to do is find outdoor free things to do in London. You’d much rather stay at home, at a museum, or any other covered place. For when it’s not rainy in London, paying a visit to the London parks is one of the coolest things to do.

Walk along Regent’s Canal, go to Hyde Park and watch the swans and ducks, or explore London and find yourself staring at the tiny Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens. There are many other parks that are worth a visit; Green Park London is one of the poshest parks in London.

There’s also Wembley Park and Finsbury Park, further out from Central London, and of course, Primrose Hill, from where you can catch the whole spectacle of a true London sunset on the City. Sometimes, free things to do in London are the most wholesome.

Free Things To Do in London: Visit South London & South East London

South London is a real vibe, and one of the best free things to do in London for me is taking endless walks around there. Vauxhall and Bermondsey are some of my favorite areas in London. From there, you can take a stroll along the South part of the Thames, and enjoy some of the trendiest posh spots.

If you’d like something more lively and younger, then think of Brixton. There are endless coffee shops and nice little restaurants there, of the kind that you don’t find around St Pancras or London Paddington. Of course, this article is about the best free things to do in London. As such, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to grab a bite or just keep it no budget. As we’ve seen so far, there’s no shortage of free activities to do in London.

Free Things To Do in London: Go To Free London Events & Gigs

There are so many free events going on in London all year long that it’s hard to keep track of. Little by little, I will list for you all the free outdoor events and free things to do in London – by season and area. It’s nice to follow the seasons; between seeing the cherry blossom in Greenwich Park and the Christmas lights in Covent Garden or Trafalgar Square, there’s just so much to do if you remember to center yourself around the seasons.

One of my favorite free things to do is hang out around the Southbank Centre. On Fridays and Saturdays at lunchtime, you can enjoy lots of free events; including performances, concerts, and recitals. The skatepark there is always full of youngsters dancing and trying out new skateboard figures, and it’s an absolutely amazing vibe. If you like festivals, the Notting Hill Festival, the start of the Chinese New Year, and the Diwali festival are unmissable sights.

In Covent Garden, just outside the Covent Garden Market, you can also enjoy some really amazing street performances. Between clowns, street singers and musicians, there are plenty of free gigs in London that you can attend.

Spend Time At a Famous London Library

Away from all the Central London locations like King’s Cross, Leicester Square, or London Bridge, you can find peace and quiet at the countless London libraries. While I was living near Seven Sisters, I’ve been to quite a few libraries in North London. The Islington libraries allow you to sign up for a free reader card that allows you to borrow more books than you can read in two or three weeks. But my favorite library in London has got to be the British Library.

Conveniently enough, it’s located close to St Pancras station, where you can take a picture in front of the trolley at the reproduction of Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4. There, you need to be a member to borrow books, however, you can work and study on their many tables for free. Many times, I’ve been there to write articles and brainstorm business ideas.

If you’re looking for cheap places to study in London, I would say that McDonald’s is a great place to work. However, to be honest, but their plugs do not work in most restaurants. As such, if you’ve got time to explore London or are looking for a place to work with your earplugs in (or none, actually), the British Library, along with many other London libraries, are free spots to study in London.

Explore London: Walk Along Southbank

We’ve all noticed that I’m crazy about Southbank. So, if you’re down around Tower Bridge and are looking for free things to do in London, a big portion of your day can be spent strolling along the Thames. Go from The Shard down to Tower Bridge (6 minutes walk, roughly) and then up towards the Tate Modern and further up to the London Eye. When you decide to explore London, the Thames is a great spot because there are always more free things happening than you thought would even be possible.

You can enjoy some street artists, poets that you can get a free poem from (you can decide to give a tip or not), listen to music… Pass by Borough Market and walk up from Clink Street to Hay’s Galleria. Those are all really nice spots where you can see ancient ruins in London, an old prison, and even huge boats in the midst of the city.

Depending on how much you want to walk, you can follow the river down to Vauxhall. Some of the most beautiful penthouses in London are actually located around Vauxhall, Battersea, and Nine Elms, so those really are free spots worth noting.

Free Things To Do in London: Visit Free Churches

When I think of free things to do in London, I know from the get-go that you can visit plenty of churches in London for free. The one I have in mind is Southwark Cathedral, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in London. It’s located right next to Borough Market, so one more reason to visit this plentiful market in Central London. There, you can find not one, but two statues of Shakespeare along with other notable figures of English History.

People are praying there, but you can enjoy some free lunchtime events at Southwark Cathedral as you can at Southbank Centre. St Mary’s Church in Stoke Newington is another really great sight, located in a peaceful area filled with cute little coffee shops. If you’re looking for other religious monuments, I can also suggest the London Central Mosque at Regent’s Park, and the Aziziye Mosque in Stoke Newington (a beautiful blue mosque unlike anything you’ve ever seen in London).

Free Things To Do in London: Check Out The Famous London Street Art

I’m yet to write about the best London street art spots, but let’s start here. Thought I would include a little bonus point because, after all, the London street art is really amazing. Wander around the streets of Shoreditch and Brick Lane to find rebellious, Banksy-like street art. Artists of all grounds paint the walls, apply huge stickers on the walls, or even real broccoli art in Brick Lane. The Banksy art in Shoreditch has helped make the area one of the most famous in London, and you shouldn’t miss it.

Then, of course, you have the Camden Town street art – follow Camden High Street up to Camden Lock, and around Kentish Town. There, you’ll find not only colorful streets (like Leverton Street in Kentish Town) but also amazing stickers and wall paintings. Then, here and there, London is filled with street art, from Caledonian Road to Fashion Street. Wherever you are, you’ll find cool sculptures, from tiny little sculptures to huge lifelike ones.

The lights of London are also a sight and I count them among the coolest street art in London. Go around Finsbury Park, Shoreditch, or even Leake Street near Waterloo station for paintings, and around Leicester Square and Covent Garden for unexpected lights.

10 Best Free Things To Do in London With No Money

You don’t need to be rich and spend all your money at Legoland and M&Ms World Leicester Square to really enjoy London. Actually, in my opinion, enjoying the city properly (understand: smartly) is being able to mix high end, cheap, and free things to do in London.

I wrote about the best cheap non touristy things to do in London alone a while back. I’ll also most probably write about the best things to do in London with £5, £15, £20… If you’re looking for the coolest activities in London under £10, it’s already ready for you to discover.

But for now, try to enjoy Primrose Hill, Kings Cross, and Little Venice – lose yourself in nature and architecture. Big cities are lucky enough to have plenty of free spots, and in the case of London, you can almost believe in miracles when it comes to free stuff!