Exploring London on a Budget: Discover Free Things to Do in the UK's Capital City

Ever dreamt of exploring London, but the hefty cost of sightseeing has stopped you? This week, we're embarking on a budget-friendly journey, uncovering London's hidden treasures that won't cost you a penny.

Picture this - you're sipping your cuppa, overlooking the city from Sky Garden, the stunning sky-high atrium in the Walkie Talkie building, and later watching the iconic Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace. All for free! I'll guide you on how to secure a spot at these fascinating places, ensuring an affordable and unforgettable London adventure.

Not only that, our journey takes us through the rich cultural heritage of the city. We'll experience the bustling energy of Trafalgar Square, step back in time at the Natural History Museum, and much more.

For art connoisseurs and nature lovers, prepare to be mesmerized by the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, hosting masterpieces from 1300 to the present day.

And when you need a break, we'll retreat to London's serene parks, where beauty and tranquillity await you. So, buckle up for this thrilling expedition through London's best, sans the hefty price tag!

Shownotes - UKTravelPlanning.com/episode-81

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is the founder of the UK Travel Planning website, tracy Collins. In this podcast, tracy shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation. Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.

Speaker 2: 0:37

Hi and welcome to episode 81 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. This week I thought I would talk about some of the free things that you can do in London. As you're aware, you know, london is a fairly expensive read very expensive city to visit. So if there's any ways we can actually save a bit of money when we're visiting, I think it's always useful to do so, and there are actually quite a lot of free things to do in London that you may actually not be aware of which would be useful to incorporate into your itinerary. If you're a budget conscious traveler, certainly many of these things you can add into your itinerary, and actually some of the most these places that I'm going to talk about actually must cease for visitors really and feature on many bucket lists, so you won't be missing out if you add some of these free things into your itinerary anyway, and really a good mix of free and some of these attractions will some of the attractions at charge will certainly help to make a visit to London more affordable. I'm also going to include some of the things in this list which are free things to do with kids as well, so if you're visiting with younger family members, it's good to know that there are plenty of fun free things to do in London and that you can choose from. So there's basically five categories that I'm going to talk about free things. I think it roughly comes out to about 32 free things to do London. I have got an article on UK travel planning which goes through all of the free things that you can do, but I thought I would summarise them into five categories and give you some ideas in this podcast. So say, even if you choose one or two out of each category to include, you'll find that you know you can have quite a decent itinerary from this and, you know, add in some of the things that you do have to pay for in London and you're going to have a pretty full itinerary. So let's start with the first category of free things to do in London, and that is some of the attractions that you can see in London that aren't going to cost you anything, which is always good to know, isn't it?

Speaker 2: 2:37

There's certainly lots of things that people want to do when they go to London, and I'm sure you have an idea in your head or written a list out of things that you want to do and see, so obviously you can see a lot of buildings from the outside. You don't actually have to go in, so one of the most famous one is actually Big Ben. So I will say Big Ben is actually the name of the bell which is located in the Elizabeth Tower at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, and the tower with its four face clock is probably the most iconic symbol of London and I know everybody who wants to go and see that. The bell was installed over 160 years ago and rings on the hour every hour and it's the largest of the five bells in the tower, the one called Big Ben. So obviously the tower itself, because all been renovated, it was all covered in scaffolding until recently and since the unveiling, I have to say it's spectacular and one of the nice things that you don't actually have to pay to see the Elizabeth Tower. Obviously, if you want to go and see Big Ben itself, as in the bell, you would have to pay and try to get tickets, for that is extremely difficult, because I've been trying, but you can see the actual Elizabeth Tower. You can see the clock face for free. You can see that from outside. So there you are, that's one of the first attractions, and if you jump on a bus and you can take one of the Red Double Decker London buses, you can go around and you'll pass Big Ben, or if you're walking around, you'll be able to see Big Ben, and that's free.

Speaker 2: 4:14

So the second attraction that you can do an experience in London for free is the changing of the guard. So the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace lasts about 45 minutes, so many is really an iconic example of pomp and pageantry and really should be a feature on every visitor's first-time visitors itinerary. To be honest, it is something to see. It doesn't occur every day, though, so you need to check on the official website before adding it into your itinerary. Make sure you arrive in plenty of time, because it is very, very popular. Alternatively, you can head to St James's Palace, claremont's House, which is a smaller, shorter ceremony at 11am daily. I think it's 10am on Sundays, but that's not as well known as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and therefore I'm going to say it's less crowded. But actually when I was there in I think it was May time during time it was still really, really busy. But definitely include a changing of the guard's experience into your itinerary so you can do that for free.

Speaker 2: 5:13

Another excellent experience in London to have for free is to go to the Sky Garden. So the Sky Garden is central London's. It's located in the Walkie Talkie building and it's described as London's highest public garden. But it's like a sky high atrium. It's amazing. It's like just windows, observation deck, open air terrace. There's cafes, their restaurant. It's free to visit, but tickets are highly sought after so you have to book as early as possible. So bookings open three weeks before. So make sure that you book your reservation, your tickets, so that you can actually get to go to the Sky Garden, because quite often this is one of the most popular places that people miss or they forget about. And it's free. So, seriously, book your tickets to the Sky Garden. Make sure you go on the website three weeks before and reserve them. I think the sort of from four onwards are the most popular. So if you can't get on there, just go earlier on the day. I mean, if you're really lucky and it's a beautiful, clear day, you're going to get absolutely fantastic views.

Speaker 2: 6:20

Another of my favourite places actually to go which is free is the Queen's House in Greenwich. So that's located in the gardens of the National Maritime Museum, and the property was, as the name suggests, formerly a Royal residence and was designed by Inigo Jones, so it houses an internationally-routed art collection. There's lots to see and do there, it's all free. And don't miss the iconic tulip stairs. You will want your camera handy to take pictures of that, and also, you know it's absolute delight to see the paint, the seal and the Queen's presence chamber. So really, just head, make sure that you go into Greenwich anyway. It's something that I highly recommend.

Speaker 2: 7:01

We have an article on itinerary for Greenwich for the day, and you'll enjoy the views from the House of the Old Royal Nail, labour College, the Thames it's just fabulous, absolutely fantastic, and again somewhere free to go Trafalgar Square, diconic Square and the city of Restman. It's often seen during public demonstrations and rallies in the capital, so that's where you might see things going on. In the centre you'll see Nelson's Collab, a monument to Admiral Horatia Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and that's surrounded by four stone lions. They're known simply as the Lancia Lions, after the artist who created them. And then you'll find four prints that mark the corners of the square, with three bearing bronze statues. The fourth print is used to showcase contemporary artwork, so take a look then see what artwork is on show there.

Speaker 2: 7:54

So there's a few places that are free and I'm going to call Harry Potter fans. I'm going to add in their platform nine and three quarters at Kings Cross Station, because if you're a fan of Harry Potter, then a trip to Kings Cross train station is going to feature in your itinerary. So, unfortunately, if you want to have a professional photo taken between nine and nine pm, there's somebody there who can take your photo, or you can take your own photo, which obviously then you can do for free. Obviously, if you wander into the shop, it's probably going to cost you something, because there's some fantastic things to buy in there, but you actually can go and visit that. So if you're a Harry Potter fan, head to platform nine, three quarters at Kings Cross station.

Speaker 2: 8:34

If you like street art, there's some great examples of street art to enjoy in London. Obviously, free popular areas to street art including bricklaying, shawdish and Camden and Hidden Gem often overlooked by visitors and actually went because I was staying in the area in April are the Leek Street Tunnel, which is near Watloo station, which is a 300 meter tunnel which is completely covered in street art. So, again, free. So so those are just some of the attractions that you can see in London that aren't going to cost you anything. So that's the first category looked at.

Speaker 2: 9:06

So the second category I'm going to talk about are museums. So, of course, london is world famous for some, having some of the most fantastic museums in the world, and you'll be pleased to know that quite a lot of them are actually free. So, yeah, free. I think that came in under a Labour government a while ago. I think it was decided that that a lot of the museums would give free access so everybody could go and visit. And, honestly, some of these museums are extremely popular with British people as well. So you'll find everybody good at these museums.

Speaker 2: 9:43

In fact, I remember going to the Natural History Museum with my daughter a few years ago and seeing a couple of famous faces there. So first museum that I will talk about is actually the Natural History Museum. So if you've got kids, this is an absolute must. It's just bursting at the seams of the exhibits and specimens of all sorts of creatures, great and small, perfect place to go with children. Honestly, if you've got kids, go to the Natural History Museum. It's the museum that I would say every British kid goes to at least once in their childhood. I used to take my daughter there a lot. You can spend a whole day there. Honestly, it's fantastic. The dinosaur exhibition brilliant. I remember going with my father in the 1970s. So, as I say, it's a very, very popular museum to go to.

Speaker 2: 10:26

Another museum which is very popular with visitors is the British Museum, which is the most visited museum in London, I guess of a six million visitors a year. So obviously there's some very popular things to see at the British Museum. So Sutton Hoo ship burial helmet is probably my most famous. But there are obviously some controversial things that are also housed at the British Museum. There's the Rosetta Stone there, there's the Easter Island statue, there's Egyptian mummies and treasures and a lot of Greek antiquities, including the Parthenon marbles at the moment. So yeah, if you're going to go to the British Museum again, plan a long visit Because it will take you a few hours, or in fact plan ahead so that you know actually what you're going to go and see, because things like the Rosetta Stone are always incredibly popular. Another museum that's again free the Imperial War Museum. It's got six floors of exhibition Exhibitions covering both world wars, heavy weapons, special forces and covert operations, plan to spend at least three hours exploring this historic museum. So the busiest time in that museum is from 11am until 4pm. Weekends and public holidays are always busy, so just be aware of that. So I'm going to mention I'm going to last. Obviously there are other free museums in London and I've kind of gone for the most popular ones.

Speaker 2: 11:51

My favourite person. I'm going to go to the Royal Museum. My favourite personally is the V&A. I absolutely adore the Victorian Albert Museum. For me it's a must visit. It was founded in 1852 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It's the world's largest museum of applied and decorative art. Fabulous, honestly. The cast courts I can spend. I can spend ages, hours, hours in fact I have in the cast courts Fascinating. You can see fashions through time. Head to the cafe Cafe is absolutely gorgeous. Art Deco was the first museum cafe in the world. So definitely go to the V&A museum, head to the cafe, go and enjoy the cast courts, have a wander around the museum. I always spend at least two or three hours there Every time I go to London. It's hugely popular, wonderful museum, a fantastic shop as well, I should say. So definitely add the V&A into your itinerary.

Speaker 2: 12:48

So next category are art galleries. So if you enjoy art, obviously there's lots of possibilities in London in terms of art galleries. So for art lovers, there are just so many free art galleries to visit. There are some special exhibits may have a charge. It's the same at museums, actually, so you do have to check. If there's something in particular like a special exhibition, they generally are chargeable and you have to buy tickets. Same with art galleries If there's something special on, you may have to purchase a ticket. So art galleries National Gallery, located in Trafalgar Square, houses over 3,000 paintings.

Speaker 2: 13:26

The gallery's collection includes works of art from 1300 to the early 20th century. Dlc artists featured then include Van Gogh, constable, canaletto, monet and Da Vinci. The gallery also holds exhibit exhibits focused on particular artists or themes. So you know, say, these exhibits will be a small charge for non-members if you're not a member of the National Gallery, but entry itself to the National Gallery is free. And right next door to the National Gallery is the National Portrait Gallery, which actually just opened in 2023. Fabulous, I have to tell you. I went to visit in, I think, with June Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. So it houses the most extensive collection of portraits in the world and absolutely go and visit. Go and visit. Really it's beautiful and a beautiful building and it's been extremely well done. So they're on Trafalgar Square, so you've got the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Trafalgar Square.

Speaker 2: 14:27

Two more galleries that I'd recommend are Tate Modern, so you'll find art treasures from 1900 to the present day. It's a former power station, so it's not the prettiest building in the world Located in Bankside, but it's home to masterpieces by some of the most famous artists in the last century, including Piquetto, dali and Klee. There are also a variety of temporary exhibitions held throughout the year, but you will have to pay a small fee for those. Tate Britain. So at the Tate Britain you'll find British art from the 1500 to the present day. So, as you've noticed, there are quite a few art galleries. Tate art galleries in the UK there's Tate Modern and Tate Britain. In London there's Tate Liverpool, which obviously are Liverpool, and there's a Tate St Ives in Cornwall, so those you can discover artworks from British artists such as David Hockney and William Blake at the Tate Britain. So, again, absolutely free.

Speaker 2: 15:21

So next category are London parks. So if you enjoy the outdoors, take a stroll and through some of London parks because absolutely free and it doesn't matter what time of year it is, if the weather's good, if it's dry. There's nothing more beautiful having a walk through some of those London parks and also gives you a bit of a break from the thickness of London itself. Hyde Park First one Largest of the four Royal Parks and it's the go-to place for Londoners to take a jog, walk the dog, just get some fresh air. It's been the site of massive demonstrations and epic concerts like the Rolling Stones, paul Simon, eric Clapton. So if you look for the famous marble arch, which is a former entrance of Buckingham Palace that was actually moved to Hyde Park in 1851. You'll find lots of restaurants in the park and you know there's bicycle boat rentals. There's also a lovely memorial to Princess Diana that shouldn't be missed. So put on your walk and choose, plan to spend a peaceful day during all that the park has to offer.

Speaker 2: 16:16

Next park we're considering Hampstead Heath. So it's just four miles from Trafalgar Square You'll find Hampstead Heath, which is one of the largest and most comprehensive green spaces in the city, open 365 days a year, very popular, so obviously you've got the. Don't Miss the Zoo, butterfly Garden and the Restored Edwardian Garden, hampstead Heath. Also, climb Parliament Hill for a snapshot-worthy view of the city. If you want to take a stroll, there's a six-mile circular walk that goes all the way around Hampstead Heath. Next is Primrose Hill, which always comes up when people talk about where you can get beautiful views of London. So that's on the north side of Regent's Park. So take a picnic if the weather's good and enjoy the views. Take it all at 256 feet up Primrose Hill, spread a blanket out and enjoy the views. This gorgeous piece of land used to be Henry VIII's Hunting Grounds. Now it's known for spectacular panoramic views and you can see many famous landmarks like the London Eye, st Paul's Cathedral. Again, it's a favourite with locals. It's very peaceful and you can enjoy a sunset from Primrose Hill.

Speaker 2: 17:29

Richmond Park is the largest of London's Royal Parks, created by Charles I as a deer park in the 17th century and still remains one today. So you'll see deer wandering around, which is lovely, and often you can actually forget that you're on the outskirts of London. You can have a walk. Enjoy, just enjoy looking around the lovely woodland as you stroll the park. Honestly, gorgeous, lovely park.

Speaker 2: 17:58

To have a walk around Regents Park if you like wildlife and its natural habitat, then a trip to Regent's Park would probably be a wonderful go-to. Open to the public in 1835, it's one of the royal parks and covers 410 acres. So if you like bird watching, it's a great place to go to. There are at least 200 species of birds called Regent that call Regent's Park home. Other creatures to spot as well, that when you look around maybe you'll still see some squirrels. So you know, just have a look around when you have an airstraw around Regent's Park and see what you can spot. Some parts of Regent's Park have been left to grow wild. Other sections, like Queen Mary's gardens, have formal rose beds that are very precisely manicured. So throughout Regent's Park you'll find sports pictures, formal gardens, water features. So again, you can spend a long time walking around and in the spring it's beautiful for cherry blossom on the trees in Regent's Park.

Speaker 2: 18:59

So Kensington Gardens I actually used to work back and on to Kensington Gardens. There you'll find the Diana Memorial Playground, albert Memorial, statue of Peter Pan and, of course, kensington Palace. Kensington Gardens will once the private gardens on the palace and are actually now one of the royal parks of London. St James's Park, another of London's royal parks is surrounded by famous landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, whitehall and Clarence House, which was the former home of the Queen Mother. The Mile and Horse Guards Parade are included within the boundaries of the park and this is the setting for many of the ceremonial events, such as the annual Trooping of the Colour. So see if you can spot the resident penguins that would be interesting pelicans and enjoy views of the lake and Tiffany fountains as you stroll around. For a little fun fact, the jet of the fountain can reach ahead of 8 metres and is aligned to the balcony of Buckingham Palace. So if you head to the Blue Bridge you'll get spectacular views of Quos'troods, buckingham Palace, big Ben and the London Eye.

Speaker 2: 20:02

Category 5, markets and Stores. So I love a good. I don't know about you, but I love markets and I also love some of the shops. And so London has some fantastic markets and some fantastic shops. Obviously, brie, you just be careful you don't spend too much money at some of these places. But I will mention some of their most famous markets and shops Portobello Market so if you see in the movie Notting Hill, then the Portobello Road Market will look familiar. Hugh Grant saw us through the market on the way to his bookshop, dazzling moviegoers with his self-deprecating charm, so, but he missed out on some spectacular deals. The Portobello Market is one of the most famous street markets in the world, known for its lively sellers. On weekends, countless stalls, lively streets, sell antiques, hot food, second-hand treasures, clothing and whatever else one wants to buy. Very busy. It's absolutely wonderful. Have a walk around Notting Hill as well, because obviously beautiful, beautiful area of London, gorgeous, coloured, the beautiful coloured homes.

Speaker 2: 21:06

Another market to go to is Borough Market, so this is one of the oldest and largest food markets. The only thing you can go there. I guarantee it won't be free because you will be. It'll be impossible to resist the temptation to taste some of the delicious, delicious produce on sale, but it's free to go. It's located under the arches of a railway viaduct and offers a wide selection of specialty food, numerous cafes, restaurants and bars in and around the market offering takeaway food and drink. Well worth a visit. Always go to Borough Market. Very popular, is incredibly popular on a Saturday, though, so I wouldn't avoid it if you can.

Speaker 2: 21:46

Next market to go to is Camden Market, so that consists of six distinct markets which together form the entity known as the Camden Markets, and these are probably, I would say, the most popular markets for visitors to London. So at Camden Market you'll find clothing, accessories, handicrafts, vintage jewellery, antiques and more and fantastic food as well Really really good food stalls and restaurants there. So the markets are spread out along two streets Camden High Street and Chalk Farm Road in Camden Town, and nearest tube for that is Camden Town, kentish Town, chalk Farm I don't see people say Chalk Farm today and next market is Common Garden. So this is an area in London's West End that has lived many lives. It was a thriving food and fruit and vegetable market in the 1600s, went on to become a hub of prostitution seediness in the late 1700s. Later in the 1800s it became a flourishing theatre community. Today it's now perfectly respectable, culturally rich and happening in entertainment destination, pedestrian. At Piazza at its centre we can watch street performance as you decide which are the cafes, shops, markets, stalls and pubs that you want to go to. It's also home of the Royal Opera House, london Transport Museum and the London Film Museum. Really, the best way to enjoy Common Garden even is to check out what's playing at theatres, have a fabulous dinner and then finish the evening with a show. So that will cost you a bit, but wandering around Common Garden is free, wonderful, wonderful area to go to.

Speaker 2: 23:16

Now shops again, I will say and these are free to go to where they spend money is up to Harrods, okay. So a trip to Harrods is like stepping into a luxury shopping whirlwind the fashions, the color of excitement. It's easy to understand why the largest department start store in Europe attracts over 15 million shoppers per year. So you've got seven floors, over 330 departments to find. There's lots and lots of things to buy, if you wanted to.

Speaker 2: 23:43

Personally, I head to the the food halls Because they are fabulous and they are described. They really live up to the description of the world's greatest food emporium. You can find any type of food that you desire, honestly and this you can, if you feel, in Hungary you can go to the dining hall, the sushi bar, wine bar, pasta bar, fish bar, the grill, as well as a 26 seat at Indian restaurants. So you could, you're not gonna leave Harrods hungry. And then for the kids, okay.

Speaker 2: 24:09

So I'm gonna have to say this, because this is just such a tradition in the UK is Hamleys toy store. So this is the place. Definitely take the kids and big. I visited when I was 11 with my dad and I have never forgotten so, and that was well over 40 something years ago. So if you've got kids, honestly take them to Hamleys. It's wonderful. It's on Regent Street, so it's filled with toys, games. It's the Hamleys flagship store. It's the oldest and largest toy store in the world, so take your time, explore all seven floors. Each are dedicated different categories of toys and games.

Speaker 2: 24:43

You know, whilst this is a list of free things to London, I'd be surprised we've actually if Hamleys empty-handed but again definitely worth a visit. So I've covered, in approximately 25 minutes, five categories of free things to do in London. So we've got museums, we've got galleries, we've got parks, we've got markets and shops and we've got some of the sites and attractions in London. So, as I said at the beginning, a combination of some of those Free things with, obviously, some of the things that you'll probably want to pay for, like go into the Tower of London, for example, we'll leave you with a absolutely fantastic itinerary.

Speaker 2: 25:22

So if you're after some London itinerary ideas, we have got some a variety of different itineraries. We've got itineraries for Museum lovers. I've got itineraries for history lovers, we've got three, a three-day itinerary for first-time visitors to London, so we've got various different itineraries. If you are planning to visit London, so I would check out our London travel planning comm website and obviously our UK travel planning comm website too, because we have a variety of different ideas on both of those websites. I want to say a huge thank you for listening to this podcast. You can find the show notes for today's episode, which links to articles, which gives more details about the things that I've spoken to to you about today at UKtravelplanningcom. Forward slash, episode 81. Anyway, that just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK travel planning.