StayAreasFree things to do in London
London is expensive, but its best museums are free, and so are its parks, markets, river walks and several of its best views.
Spend on the hotel instead: a central base means you can walk between free sights and skip most of your transport costs.
Free museums and galleries
1.British MuseumFree
Two million years of human history, including the Rosetta Stone.
Stay nearby: Bloomsbury · ~$255/night2.National GalleryFree
Western European painting from Giotto to Van Gogh, on Trafalgar Square.
Stay nearby: Covent Garden · ~$360/night3.Natural History MuseumFree
Dinosaurs, a blue whale skeleton and the Earth galleries.
Stay nearby: Kensington · ~$295/night4.V&AFree
Fashion, sculpture, jewellery and design from five thousand years.
Stay nearby: Kensington · ~$295/night5.Science MuseumFree
Space, flight and engineering galleries; some interactive areas are paid.
Stay nearby: Kensington · ~$295/night6.Tate ModernFree
Modern and contemporary art, plus a free viewing level over the Thames.
Stay nearby: South Bank · ~$295/night7.National Portrait GalleryFree
Faces from Tudor kings to pop stars, reopened in 2023 after a major refurbishment.
Stay nearby: Covent Garden · ~$360/night8.Sir John Soane's MuseumFree
An architect's house crammed with antiquities and paintings, left as it was in the 1830s.
Stay nearby: Covent Garden · ~$360/night9.Imperial War MuseumFree
Moving galleries on the two world wars and the Holocaust.
Stay nearby: South Bank · ~$295/night10.British LibraryFree
The Treasures gallery holds Magna Carta, Beatles lyrics and Shakespeare's First Folio.
Stay nearby: King's Cross · ~$270/night
Free views
11.Sky GardenFree
Gardens and terraces 35 floors up; book free tickets online.
Stay nearby: South Bank · ~$295/night12.Horizon 22Free
Europe's highest free viewing platform, in the City; book ahead.
Stay nearby: Shoreditch · ~$240/night13.Primrose HillFree
The classic skyline view from a grassy hill by Regent's Park.
Stay nearby: Camden · ~$215/night14.Greenwich ParkFree
Docklands, the City and the Thames from the hill by the Royal Observatory.
Stay nearby: Greenwich · ~$200/night
Free walks, markets and ceremonies
15.Changing the GuardFree
The ceremony at Buckingham Palace on its scheduled days.
Stay nearby: Westminster · ~$320/night16.The South Bank walkFree
Westminster to Tower Bridge along the river.
Stay nearby: South Bank · ~$295/night17.Regent's Canal towpathFree
From Camden Lock to Little Venice past narrowboats and the zoo.
Stay nearby: Camden · ~$215/night18.Columbia Road Flower MarketFree
Sunday mornings only, in a street of tiny shops.
Stay nearby: Shoreditch · ~$240/night19.Covent Garden street performersFree
Licensed acts perform all day in the piazza.
Stay nearby: Covent Garden · ~$360/night20.Watch Parliament debateFree
UK residents and visitors can watch from the public galleries when the Houses are sitting.
Stay nearby: Westminster · ~$320/night
Written by the StayAreas editorial team · Updated Oct 2026 · How we research our guides