things to do in London
FREE
Top 20
Bicycle wheel over the Millennium footbridge towards the Tate Modern, London
No city in the world has more or better free things to do than London.
In addition to world-class museums – almost all of which have free admission – the city is home to beautiful parks, buzzing markets, stunning churches and phenomenal viewpoints.
Here are just 20 of the hundreds of free attractions in Britain’s capital.
British Museum
The British Museum is one of London's top attractions, and absolutely free.
It is bursting at the seams with enthralling artefacts from all over the world, from Egyptian mummies to samurai armor and Anglo-Saxon burial treasures to the Rosetta Stone.
Remarkably, the 80,000 objects on display at any one time only make up 1% of the eight million objects in the museum’s possession.
Greenwich Park
Head to the top of the hill in the centre of Greenwich Park and you’ll be treated to a spectacular free view of the city.
The skyscrapers of Canary Wharf loom up behind the 17th-century Queen’s House, and beyond, the Thames snakes its way into the heart of London. It’s a perfect spot for a picnic on a summer’s day.
East London
street art
The ephemeral nature of street art makes it difficult to say with confidence where you might find specific displays at any one time.
However, areas of East London, notably Shoreditch, are famous for having impressive graffiti. The side streets around Brick Lane always yield decent artwork, as do Middlesex and Sclater streets.