25+ Free Things to Do in London: Parks, Museums, and Hidden Gems
London is a typical big city, but it doesn’t have to be expensive! Between the free museums and charming parks, you can pack in a full day of activities and sightseeing in London that are all completely free.
The only things you will likely have to spend money on are food, public transport, and coat check at the museums.
If you’re looking for completely free things to do in London, look no further!
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Free Attractions in London: Architecture and Sightseeing
London is filled with incredible architecture and sights to see! With buildings dating back to before the 10th century, secret and colorful courtyards, and iconic landmarks like Big Ben, it’s hard to run out of things to do in London.
Walk Through Saint Dunstan-in-the-East
One of my favorite hidden gems in London is Saint Dunstan-in-the-East church garden. After being mostly destroyed in WWII, all that remains is a haunting stone structure overgrown with moss and ivy.
It’s a really peaceful place to walk around or sit on a bench and watch the squirrels. I had the place to myself for a while when I visited! This seems to be an underrated, lesser-known spot to visit in London.
Admire the Kynance Mews
According to Wikipedia, “A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them.” The mews today is a cobblestone street of quaint homes.
Kynance Mews is one of the more famous mews in London, serving as a filming location for various movies and TV shows (including Joe’s home in season 4 of “You”). It’s a quiet, peaceful area to stroll through and admire the plants that the residents keep at their front doors.
Discover Neal’s Yard
Tucked away in Covent Garden is a colorful courtyard with shops and restaurants called Neal’s Yard. Enter through the alleyway from Monmouth Street or Short’s Gardens to reach the small courtyard.
There are string lights above the courtyard that I bet look beautiful when lit up at night!
View Landmarks in Westminster
Big Ben
Big Ben is what most people know the clock tower as, but its real name is Elizabeth Tower. It is quite possibly the most iconic landmark in London and can be seen from all angles in Westminster standing at 316 ft. (96 m) tall.
Some of the best viewpoints are from Westminster Bridge, Parliament Square, Westminster Millenium Pier, and the famous Red Telephone Box on Great George St.
It may seem touristy, but it’s really such a grand landmark to visit! Even on my third visit, it still was magnificent to see in person, especially since it was under construction when I saw it in 2019.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is an Anglican church founded in the 960s-970s. It has such grand facades on both the west and north sides that have made it a recognizable landmark in London.
It does cost money if you want to go inside. Purchase your tickets in advance as they are popular and have a minimal number of tickets available at the door.
London Eye
While it costs money to ride the London Eye, it’s free to admire from across the River Thames! The London Eye is also known as the Millennium Wheel but is much more commonly called the London Eye.
If you do want to ride it, purchase your tickets ahead of time to save money and ensure a ride. It costs almost twice as much if you buy it upon arrival.
Buckingham Palace
The monarch of the United Kingdom resides at Buckingham Palace. One of the most popular attractions in London is the changing of the guard in the forecourt, which happens every day from April to July, and every other day from August through March.
See Floral Displays in Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a lovely neighborhood in London near the National Gallery. It has upscale shops and great pubs and restaurants. These shops and restaurants often decorate their entrances with beautiful faux floral arrangements.
Mr. Fogg’s Tavern is one of the most well-known places that does these grand displays. They change seasonally too!
Free Things to See in London: Art and History at the Museums
The majority of London’s museums are FREE! Even the best ones won’t cost you anything to enter.
Many do charge to check your coat/bags if you are not a museum member, but it’s usually only £1-2 per item. If you feel so inclined, you can donate to support the museum.
Museums are also a great thing to do during winter when it’s too cold or rainy to be outside!
The National Gallery
The National Gallery has an impressive collection of artworks, which includes pieces from Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Johannes Vermeer, Paul Cézanne, and many more.
Although it is free, you can book a ticket (still free) ahead of time to skip the general line and enter through the Getty Entrance, which is only for members and people with tickets. You will have to select a specific date and time if you book ahead. I recommend doing this as the line can get extremely long on weekends, in summer, or during UK school holidays.
National Portrait Gallery
Another art museum near the National Gallery is the National Portrait Gallery. As you can assume by the name, the whole museum is all portraits!
You can also book tickets in advance for free. This will guarantee you entry, even if the museum is reaching capacity.
Tate Britain
The collection at the Tate Britain art museum might just be my favorite in all of London! They have a few famous John Singer Sargent artworks, including “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose” and “Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth.”
Tate Modern
This art museum collection contains modern artworks, featuring well-known artists such as Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Marcel Duchamp, and Roy Lichtenstein.
Victoria and Albert Museum
The massive collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum—also known as the V&A—includes paintings, pottery, statues, ironworks, vintage cameras, textiles, and so much more. It has a little bit of everything!
It’s easy to spend hours here browsing their collection of over 2.8 million objects, books, and archives. The V&A is a great place to visit on a rainy day to fill your time with somewhere interesting and indoors.
Museum of Natural History
Well-known for its 82-foot (25-meter) whale skeleton hung from the ceiling, the Museum of Natural History is a must-visit on your next trip to London. It has dinosaur bones, fossils, minerals, taxidermy animals, and much more history to explore.
It is located just across the street from the V&A, making it an easy stop after you’ve toured all those galleries.
I recommend booking tickets online in advance (completely free) to skip the entry line. When I went the wait was two hours to get in for people without pre-booked tickets since it was a UK school holiday.
Sir John Soane Museum
This museum is a hidden gem in London! It’s not as well known as other museums but is a unique place to visit since it was architect John Soane’s private home. It contains all of his drawings and models for his architecture, as well as his personal collection of paintings, sculptures, and other art.
It’s right across from Lincoln's Inn Fields, which is another free place to visit on this list!
British Museum
The British Museum is full of incredible artifacts from all over the world. Their collection of Egyptian artifacts is massive and includes THE Rosetta Stone, mummies, sarcophaguses, and other items from tombs in Egypt.
They also have collections from China, Africa, and the Americas, in addition to artifacts related to animals, love, and death.
Design Museum
I happened upon the Design Museum on my way to Holland Park (another free spot on this list!) and popped in to use the restroom since it was free to enter. It’s a small museum but has beautiful high ceilings and wood architecture inside.
There weren’t many displays or things to look at, but many people were just enjoying the atmosphere, studying, or eating at the restaurant.
Walk Across a Bridge
It wouldn’t be a trip to London without walking across one of its bridges! The River Thames runs through all of London, which means you need many bridges to get across it.
Can you believe London has 35 bridges?! For the sake of this guide, I’ll just share the top five bridges which are all near each other.
London Bridge
Although this bridge is known well by name, it isn’t the most recognizable one in London. It isn’t grand or very picturesque, despite being the London Bridge that Fergie sings about.
The London Bridge connects City of London to Southwark.
Tower Bridge
The most iconic bridge in London is Tower Bridge, which is often confused for the London Bridge. It has two towers — one on either end of the bridge. You can get amazing views of London from this bridge!
It connects Tower Hamlets to Southwark.
Millennium Bridge
You may recognize Millennium Bridge from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Death Eaters attack and cause the bridge to collapse. It was also featured in Guardians of the Galaxy as part of Xandar.
This is a pedestrian-only suspension bridge so you can walk right down the middle of it without worrying about cars or buses!
The Millennium Bridge connects City of London near St. Paul’s Cathedral to Southwark near Tate Modern.
Blackfriars Bridge
Next to Millennium Bridge you’ll find Blackfriars Bridge. It’s recognizable by the decorative stone carvings of water birds on the piers and red color.
This bridge was also featured in a Harry Potter film: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when the Order flies under it on their way from Harry’s aunt and uncle’s house to Sirius Black’s family home.
Blackfriars Bridge connects City of London near Temple Church to Southwark near Tate Modern.
Westminster Bridge
This is the only bridge that isn’t in the same area as the other four. It’s painted green and is one of the best spots to get a photo of Big Ben! It’s a popular bridge for tourists since you can view both the London Eye and Big Ben from it.
Westminster Bridge connects Lambeth near the London Eye to Westminster near Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.
Free Things to Do in London: Enter The Magical World of Harry Potter
London is a prime location for Harry Potter-related activities and sights. The entire Wizarding World of Harry Potter Studio is about an hour-long drive from London and costs a lot to get in, but London itself has many filming locations that can be visited for free!
Find Magic at Leadenhall Market
Visit Leadenhall Market for a coffee (or chai!) at The Hagen Project espresso bar and experience yet another Harry Potter filming location! Leadenhall Market is where Harry and Hagrid walked through on their way to the Leaky Cauldron in the first movie.
The architecture is magnificent—some may even call it magical. There are some shops and restaurants here as well so you can spend your time exploring the whole market.
Jump Through Platform 9¾
The famous Platform 9¾ is at Kings Cross Station. Take the tube to that station and you’ll likely find a line of people waiting to take a photo with the luggage cart that is halfway through the wall.
I stood to the side and waited for a moment between people to snap a people-free photo of it!
Free Things to Do in London: Parks and Gardens
A magical aspect of London, aside from being the setting for a magical world, is the number of parks and community areas. Almost every neighborhood has a lovely open park to that is free to explore. Go for a walk, have a picnic, take a nap, or people-watch!
Picnic at Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill is one of the more notable parks in London. It’s large with sweeping views of central London and is often filled with happy people enjoying the park with friends and/or their dogs. It’s a great place to have a picnic and enjoy a sunny afternoon!
The surrounding area was subsequently named Primrose Hill as the park grew in popularity. Primrose Hill neighborhood is known for some notable residents throughout history, one residence being the home where Sylvia Plath died.
Relax at Battersea Park
Enjoy a walk through the trees, relax on the grassy area, or hop in a boat on Boating Lake. This is a peaceful park with plenty of shaded areas to escape from the sun on a hot summer day.
Stroll Through Hyde Park
Hyde Park is located in Kensington and has both lovely nature and art to admire. Visit the rose garden, check out the Serpentine Stephen Waterfall, dip your toes in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, or go ice skating at the UK’s largest open-air ice rink (in wintertime only).
Drink Chai in Kensington Gardens
Take a walk through Kensington Gardens at Golden Hour for a charming afternoon. Stop at the COLICCI Cafe coffee cart for a warm cup of chai to keep you warm as you view Kensington Palace and watch the swans and geese at the Round Pond.
Explore Holland Park
Kyoto Garden: This is a small, manicured Japanese garden with a waterfall that flows into a larger pond. I saw two wild peacocks there when I visited!
Dutch Garden: This garden has a statue in the middle surrounded by perfectly planted rows of flowers. Along the edge of the garden are many benches to sit and relax.
The Orangery: Within Holland Park is a gorgeous building with large windows and white, airy interiors. You can book this spot for events and weddings! It’s surrounded by gardens and a gorgeous fountain.
Holland House: This house was built in 1605 and was originally known as Cope Castle. It was bombed by Germany during the Blitz and very little of the house remains.
Bird Watch in Lincoln's Inn Fields
This public square has a long and rich history, including a public beheading, a feature in Charles Dickens’ novel Bleak House, and the place where the charter of the Bank of England was sealed. Lincoln’s Inn Fields is actually the largest public square in all of London!
It is now where the London School of Economics and Political Science sits and the center of the square is a lovely park with many different types of birds, along with squirrels. Stroll around the park or sit at one of the many benches while you watch the birds.
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