36 Fantastic Free Things To Do in London | Leave Your Wallet at Home
Some people say the best things in life are free.
And, in all likelihood, those people are probably trying to sell you something.
HOWEVER… it turns out there actually are a great deal of extremely fun, informative, relaxing, fascinating, and endlessly entertaining things going on in this city that actually will cost you no money whatsoever. From concerts, to buried temples, extraordinary museums & art galleries, lush tropical conservatories, and a warehouse full of extraordinary neon, these are the very best free things to do in London…
FREE THINGS TO DO IN LONDON THIS MONTH – December 2024
Miracle on Leake Street | Christmas cheer in a, er, graffiti tunnel
This month, London’s longest graffiti tunnel (a coveted title, if there ever was one) is transforming into a pretty unconventional festive celebration. Exepect a mass karaoke session featuring rock, hip-hop, and R&B classics, with a hard ban on anything remotely classic, yes, including Mariah. Then there’ll be graffiti workshops, dance performances, quirky wreath-making, and a craft market. There’ll be food & drink stalls, and a ten-foot ‘Spray Can Christmas Tree’ just to really nail the quirk.
Details: 5th December, 5–9 pm | Leake Street Tunnel, Waterloo | Free
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Eel Pie Island Open Weekend | Explore a mysterious island on the Thames
Despite sounding like some kind of surreal culinary day camp, Eel Pie Island is actually a kind of artists retreat in the river Thames – and ordinarily, it’s completely closed off to Joe Public, except for two weekends a year. This will be one of those weekends. Head on over the tiny footbridge, and you’ll find a quirky enclave of artistic expression loaded with eccentric little touches. There isn’t really anywhere else like it in the city – and you can make a day of it by following our Twickenham itinerary.
Details: 7th & 8th December | Eel Pie Island, Twickenham Embankment, TW1 3DY | Free, book here
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Science Museum Xmas Lates | Go ohm for the holidays
The Science Museum’s Christmas late will look at the chemistry of festive food, the physics of Santa travel… and the universal law that mulled wine + silent disco = fun.
Details: 18th December | The Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD | Free
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Christmas Markets | Snow-dusted chalets and mulled wine
Most of London’s Christmas markets are entirely free to enter… though of course we can’t vouch for the state of your wallet by the time you leave. But given that Christmas shopping is basically a sunk cost, there aren’t many nicer places to spend your cash – especially when it’s going to support independent makers, and will net you a beautifully unique gift to earn serious brownie points. And even if you don’t buy anything, you can still enjoy the live music and general festive air…
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Carol Concerts | Hark! (Without Spending A Penny)
London’s carol concerts tend to fall into two camps: the uber-glitzy, star-studded affairs that cost a bomb (but do great things for charity), and the free, local singalongs that involve candlelight, mulled wine and mince pies. And luckily, the city is putting on plenty of the latter this month…
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Winter Wonderland | Ice slides, sing-a-longs, and cocktail bars
Winter Wonderland has become a mainstay in the capital’s festive calendar, but they do at least make a noble attempt to innovate every now and then – this year, they’ve got an actual ice slide which you can careen down in an inflatable tube. And that’s to go with the parade of street food chalets, alpine lodges, sing-a-longs, ice bars, rollercoasters, and more.
Details: Until 5th January 2025 | Hyde Park | Free (off peak), £5 (standard, £7.50 (peak)
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Nicola L: I Am The Last Woman Object | Camden Art Centre
Nicola L does tongue-in-cheek feminism. She also does leg-in-blanket feminism, and arm-in-purple-furry-cube feminism. Her wearable artworks, named ‘pénétrables’ are odd, brilliant things, showcased here alongside furnishings constructed from random body parts and films of her mass interactive artistic performances, like the time a group of people paraded one giant blue cape through the streets of Havana. It’s a fun and joyful, if slightly time-warped form of activism, and well worth a look – especially since it’s free to visit.
Details: Until 29th December | Camden Art Centre
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Astronomy Photographer of the Year | National Maritime Museum
© Gwenael Blanck
Want to see some truly stellar photography? Head on down to the Astronomy Photographer Of The Year. It’s free to visit, and it’s ready to blow your mind into cosmic dust until summer of 2025. This is the 16th year they’ve held the competition, and they’ve received thousands of entries from dozens of countries, whittling them down to just the best 100…
Details: Until summer 2025 | National Maritime Museum
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War and the Mind | Imperial War Museum
An RAF pilot’s lucky charm – his baby son’s mitten
Global warfare is often detailed by death tolls, injuries and other tragic, quantifiable losses – but there’s also the question of the long-lasting impact on the mind. The IWM’s free exhibition is a fascinating and important exploration into wartime psychology – from the propaganda used to boost the morale of civilians in war-torn countries to the tactics used to encourage military enrolment, the coping mechanisms of those fighting on the front-lines, and the long-lasting effects of trauma, shell-shock and PTSD.
Details: Until 27th April 2025 | Imperial War Museum, Lambeth
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Looks Delicious! | Japan House
Jeremie Souteyrat
Ceci n’est pas un orange. It’s just one example of the thriving Japanese industry for creating hyper-realistic replica food, supplying a century-old trend for restaurants displaying their menu by the entrance in alluring 3D format. Japan House’s free exhibition walks you through the history, hand-crafted production and unexpected applications of these fake foodstuffs. And of course, there’s dozens of impressive trompe l’oeil dishes to drool over, including some particularly imaginative creations arising from the leading manufacturer’s annual competition.
Details: Until 16th February 2025 | 101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA
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Women Of The RNLI | No buoys allowed
© Jack Lowe / National Maritime Museum
As of this month, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is putting on a free exhibition showcasing the vital roles women play in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The show will feature not just striking portrait photography (using an old fashioned ‘ambrotype’ camera from the 1850s), but also film and personal testimony too…
Details: Until 1st December 2024 | National Maritime Museum, SE10 9NF
FREE THINGS TO DO IN LONDON ALL YEAR ROUND
Take In Some of the World’s Most Famous Art
It’s wild when you think how much art you can see for free in London. The old Victorian philanthropic ideals of free access for all have stuck around, and now you can head into the National Gallery, the V&A, Tate Britain, Tate Modern and dozens of other smaller galleries like the Wallace Collection without paying a penny…
LONDON’S BEST ART GALLERIES | SEE THE BEST EXHIBITIONS IN LONDON NOW
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Take A Tour Of A London Museum
London’s also spoilt for free museums. There’s the British Museum (which contrary to its name is filled with fascinating objects from around the world); the Natural History Museum (home to animatronic dinosaurs, an earthquake simulator and a dimly-lit library of preserved Victorian worms in jars); and the Science Museum (rockets, steam engines, iron lungs). There’s more unusual ones, too, like the Horniman Museum (which wins points for name alone, if not the overstuffed walrus) and the Wellcome Collection’s unsettling array of 18th century surgical instruments.
SEE LONDON’S BEST MUSEUMS | SEE UNUSUAL MUSEUMS IN LONDON
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£1 Comedy at The Top Secret Comedy Club
£1 for a whole night of comedy?
You must be having a laugh.
Because it’s here that you’ll find line-ups of top-quality comedians off the TV and stand-up circuit – plus drinks so well-priced for London that you’ll find anything funny by the end of the night. And you’ll end up saving enough to make up for your technically-not-free entrance fee.
Details: Every Monday, Saturday & Sunday night | The Top Secret Comedy Club, 170 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5PD
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Pay What You Can For Theatre Tickets
Every Tuesday evening, Hackney’s Arcola Theatre sells Pay What You Can tickets on a first-come, first-served basis – and you fork out whatever you can, no judgement. Find more cheap theatre hacks here
Details: Every Tuesday from 6pm (but aim to queue before then) | Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL
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Dance To Live Music at Hootananny Brixton
Brixton’s perennially packed live music dance hall, with street food outside and a stage inside, where you can bop along to anything from Balkan gypsy folk to Bhangra hip hop.
Details: Free entry most weekdays and before 9pm on weekends | 95 Effra Road, SW2 1DF
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Learn Something Niche On A Lunchbreak
Swap actual food for food for thought at one of London’s many lunchtime lectures – pick up a bit of art history at the National Gallery, attend a philosophical debate at Conway Hall or hear about the latest discoveries on Mars at Gresham College.
UCL | V&A | National Gallery | Conway Hall | Gresham College | The British Academy
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Explore London’s Secret Gardens
A guide to greenery in London: 1) Hyde Park. 2) Regent’s Park. 3) Hidden walled gardens, canal boat rooftops and an urban community garden on a former railway track…
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Browse The Best Food Markets in London
acmanley/iStock
They’re all free to enter, and there’s usually samples to be had if the sight of mountains of cheese is too much to resist.–
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Enjoy A Stellar View of St Pauls
The One New Change shopping centre in St. Paul’s has an incredible rooftop viewing platform that manages that rare combination of being both free and relatively uncrowded – head up for a great view of the cathedral dome and sunsets over the Shard.
Details: Open daily, 6am-midnight | 1 New Change, EC4M 9AF
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Get Down for Free at Pop Brixton
Dancing in a village of shipping containers.
It’s a crate night out.
And surprisingly for a night at such an atmospheric, al fresco venue – packed with pop up street food kitchens and bars – you won’t have to part with any pennies to catch the live musicians and DJs taking to the Pop Brixton stage. And if you’re in need of some restoration the morning after, there’s also regular free tai chi and urban gardening classes.
Details: Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ
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Get Lost In The Sir John Soane Museum
The eccentric home of 19th century architect Sir John Soane has been kept exactly the way he left it – with moving walls, a 3000 year old mummy in the basement, and a gothic hideaway for his monk alter-ego, Padre Giovanni. And somehow, it’s totally free to visit.
Details: Open Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm | 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP
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Wear Shades to God’s Own Junkyard
Essentially the modern-day equivalent: a huge, glittering warehouse space crammed with neon signs and artwork collected over decades.
Details: Open Friday – Sunday | God’s Own Junkyard, Unit 12 Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall Street, E17 9HQ
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Visit London’s Silver Vaults
A subterranean treasure trove occupied by expert silversmiths, where you can browse through everything from contemporary jewellery to flamboyant Georgian salt pigs.
Details: Open weekdays 9am-5.20pm, Saturdays 9am-1pm | The London Silver Vaults, Chancery Lane, WC2A 1QS
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Crane Your Neck at Fitzrovia Chapel
Image: Colin/Flickr
Oh, just a secret chapel hidden amongst some Fitzrovia apartment blocks with a completely gold ceiling.
Details: Open Wednesdays 11am-7pm | Fitzroy Place, 2 Pearson Square, London W1T 3BF
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Design Your Victorian Dream House at the William Morris Gallery
Designer, writer, poet, campaigner: William Morris was a Victorian Renaissance man. You can admire his artwork at his Walthamstow childhood home which is now a free-to-enter museum dedicated to the many facets of his work.
Details: Open Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm | William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 4PP
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Bask In A 13-Acre Botanical Garden
Fulham Palace, the official residence of the Bishop of London since the 11th century, has a history stretching back a casual 6,000 years. You can wander round its historic rooms for free, before picknicking in the enormous gardens outside, many of which have been quite beautifully designed.
Details: Open daily | Fulham Palace, Bishop’s Avenue, Fulham, SW6 6EA
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Talk With The Animals at Stepney City Farm
You can cuddle rabbits, baby goats and lambs. For free.
Details: Open 10am-4pm, Tuesday-Sunday | Stepney City Farm, Stepney Way, E1 3DG
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Make Up A Secret Handshake at Freemasons’ Hall
Surprisingly for one of the world’s most famously secretive organisations, you can have a snoop around the grand art deco Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden whenever you like.
Details: Monday-Saturday, 9.30am-5pm | 60 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5AZ
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Revel in the Charms of Kenwood House
A grand stately home atop Hampstead Heath, filled with priceless artwork, insanely beautiful rooms, and no less than 112 acres of gardens.
Details: Open daily, 10am-5pm | Hampstead Lane, NW3 7JR
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Browse the Blooms at Columbia Road Flower Market
If you can resist the urge to buy multiple succulents, you can enjoy all the bustle of London’s biggest flower market for free.
Details: Sundays 8am-2pm | Columbia Road, E2 7RG
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Sunbathe in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Rooftop Garden
The perfect spot to take a picnic, the rooftop garden and bar atop the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank is free to enter, and offers a leafy oasis amidst the brutalist concrete jungle of the Southbank Centre.
Details: Open Wed-Sun | Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
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Take A Stroll Along The Thames
Image: Martin Hesketh/Flickr
By a convenient fluke, many of London’s most interesting sights can be found along the river – take the Nudge’s walking tour here.
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Head Underground To Roman London
Image: James Newton
It’s an ancient Roman temple. In London. Plus you can see how much lower the ground was 2000 years ago.
Details: Open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm | 12 Walbrook, EC4N 8AA
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See London From 500ft In The Air
Granted, you need to be fairly organised booking tickets for Sky Garden (they’re only released a few days in advance) – but it’s totally worth it to get up to one of the best viewpoints in London for free.
Details: Weekdays 10am-6pm, weekends 11am-9pm – must book ahead | Sky Garden Walk, EC3M 8AF
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Perambulate the Hampstead Pergola
As elevated walkways built by the aristocracy out of rubble from the Northern Line go… this is probably one of the loveliest. Follow our Hampstead Heath Itinerary to carry on from here and find a free miniature zoo, too.
Details: Open daily from 8.30am (closing times vary) | The Pergola, Inverforth Close, NW3 7EX
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Visit The Terrapins At The Barbican Conservatory
They also have tropical fish, and over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees in a very literal concrete jungle.
Details: Open most days, book in advance | Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
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Toe-Tap To Live Blues At The Blues Kitchen Camden
Entry’s free most nights of the week… though it’s going to take some willpower to resist the scents of mouthwatering BBQ dishes from the American south wafting out of the kitchen.
Details: Free entry Monday-Thursday | 111-113 Camden High Street, Camden, NW1 7JN
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Walk Your Way Through London’s Best Walks
Simon Wilkes / Unsplash
From the Jubilee Greenway to Richmond Park, we’ve put together a guide to some of the best ways to see London’s neighbourhoods on foot, without spending a penny. Fancy more of a challenge? Step up and try one of these amazing hikes near London…
Looking for more things to do in London? Check out our roster of 101 London Date Ideas