69 Amazing things you can do in London for FREE or under £5

By R.M. team
Updated on 01 April 2018.

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Explore London for under £5

Are you visiting London? Do you want to discover the best things in London without having to splash too much cash? Great! This post is for you!

I compiled a list of places to visit that I believe would appeal to visitors who might be visiting London for the first time or want to explore various sites and enjoy photo opportunities without spending loads of money.

In my list I tried to include activities that either my friends visiting London or I have enjoyed at some point in time.

This is a collection of sights and experiences, some sights of more significance, some off the beaten tourist track, ultimately including places or experiences that have a specific unique appeal.

I included places that are accessible pretty much all year round and that can give a London visitor a varied experience.

Visit free museums in London

A great thing about London is that many of our museums are free to visit. Here are some suggestions:

1. Victorian and Albert Museum (V&A) - free

2. Natural History Museum - free

There may be a charge for some temporary exhibitions. However, the admission to the museum is free and there will be A LOT to see for free at the museum.

The museum exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history, including dinosaur remains, casts and fossils, Pompeii casts, huge mammal exhibits, a collection of meteorites and more, much more…

3. The National Gallery - free

This is a gold nugget for art lovers. You can visit the National Gallery, enjoy the free admission and see a collection of over 2,000 paintings.

4. The British Museum - free

This is another golden nugget - for history lovers. For me the most memorable exhibits were the mummies in the Ancient Egypt section. The museum has great exhibits on various ancient cultures and will take several hours if not a day to go through everything.

5. Science Museum - free

6. Tate Modern - free

Tate Modern is a British national gallery of international modern and contemporary art. Entry is free and it’s a great way to explore modern art and draw inspirations.

7. Museum of London - free

8. Wallace Collection - free

9. Tate Britain - free

10. Imperial War Museum - free

11. Horniman Museum and Gardens - free

The permanent galleries and Gardens are free, but a charge applies for the Butterfly House, the Aquarium, temporary family exhibitions, and some events.

12. National Maritime Museum - free

13. V&A Museum of Childhood - free

14. Museum of London - free

15. Sir John Soane’s Museum - free

16. Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheatre - free

17. National Portrait Gallery - free

18. Royal Air Force Museum - free

19. Wellcome Collection - free

20. Bank of England Museum - free

21. The Chocolate Museum - free

22. Museum of London Docklands - free

23. National Army Museum - free

24. Queen’s House, Greenwich - free

25. The Ragged School Museum - free

This is a great little family adventure where you can get a feel for a Victorian school and experience Victorian lessons.

26. Anaesthesia Heritage Centre - free

Unless you're a med student, you might find it a bit weird. I cenrtainly did. But once I got over the initial weirdness I found it quite interesting and informative.

27. London Sewing Machine Museum - free

London Sewing Machine Museum documents the history of the humble sewing machine from the 1830's onwards. This is a very small but cute museum open 2-5pm on the first Saturday of the month at 292-312 Balham High Rd, London SW17 7AA.

28. Grant Museum of Zoology - free

Get a taste of London on public transport

29. Take the cable car over the River Thames - £3.50

I chose to include the Emirates cable car experience, as this experience gave me a good thrill for only £3.50!

I initially underestimated the experience and I didn’t take the cable car until the last summer when my friend and I had to cross the Thames and this happened to be a convenient transport link.

To my surprise the car was lifted quite high up in the air over Thames and was swinging in the wind. My friend and I are both scared of heights, there was no one else in the car but us, and the swinging was pretty frightening. It was, in retrospect, a thrilling experience.

The one way fare cost me £3.50 in Oyster card credit. Without the London Oyster the cash fare would have been £4.50. Either way, it’s a very fun experience for little money. You get to see London from above, get to take a cable car over the huge river Thames, and enjoy 360-views form the cable car.

And remember, if you’re scared of heights this can become a wonderful emotion-stirring challenge. Good luck!

Pictured: I'm sat inside the Emirates Air Line cable car with the view of the River Thames enjoying the London cityscape.

Tip: If you’re visiting London for a good few days and you expect to use public transport it might be worthwhile purchasing an Oyster card at the tube station as public transport fares are cheaper using the Oyster.

30. Take a bus tour of London with bus number 24 - £1.50

We have great central London bus routes that allow visitors to sightsee London on a bus for a fraction of the price compared to various London tour bus operators.

The London tour bus tickets can set you back anywhere in the region of £30. If you’re using buses only, the Oyster card will cap at the maximum of £4.50 no matter how many bus journeys you take that day. A single bus fare using the Oyster card will cost you £1.50.

Ok, so £1.50 bus fare will not buy you a guided tour, but with so much information available all around and on your smart phone do you really need a guide? That’s up to you to decide.

One of the four routes I would suggest for seeing key sites in London is the bus number 24. This bus will get you past Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Horse Guards Parade and Trafalgar Square. Bus 24 goes to Camden Town where you could either start or end your journey and use the day to also experience and enjoy the market vibes of Camden.

Pictured: A typical double-decker red London bus going past Westminster Abbey.

Tip: For best views check out the front row seats on the upper floor of the double decker bus. This is a great way to see London!

31. Bus number 148 - £1.50

Bus number 148 will get you past The Imperial War Museum, The London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, The Wellington Arch, Park Lane, Hyde Park, Marble Arch and into Notting Hill where you can get off to explore the Portobello Market – Saturday is the main day for the market.

Alternatively you can stay on the bus for two more bus stops after Notting Hill Gate Station and get off for Holland Park – a very stunning park that’s a little less known with tourists. Among many other features the park has a stunning Japanese Kyoto Garden with peacocks freely roaming about. There’s also a café in the park for snacks and beverages. The park shuts 30 minutes before dusk.

32. Bus number 11 - £1.50

Bus number 11 is another interesting route that will get you past Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Horse Guards, Trafalgar Square, Royal Courts of Justice, St Paul’s Cathedral, and will take you into Shoreditch, an area popular with creatives and trendsetters, and it has lots of vintage and design shops, artisan coffee shops, quirky bars and good nightlife.

Pictured: the view of Trafalgar Square from the lower deck of a bus.

33. Bus number 15 - £1.50

Bus number 15 will take you from Trafalgar Square past Royal Courts of Justice, St Paul’s Cathedral and Tower of London. I think it’s lovely to jump on this bus get off at the Tower of London and have a walk around, see London Bridge, sit down for a coffee enjoying the scenery of old architecture, new architecture and the River Thames.

Transport for London developed a really nice map illustrating the key central London bus routes and main sights.

The Transport for London map illustrates key bus routes and popular sights in central London.

To download a high resolution PDF of the map visit the Transport for London page.

Tip: If you’re visiting London for a good few days and you expect to use public transport it might be worthwhile purchasing an Oyster card at the tube station as public transport fares are cheaper using the Oyster.

34. Take a train without a driver and sit at the front - £2.40

I used to love this as a kid! I grew up on a different side of London so I did not get to enjoy the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) regularly. On occasions we would go on family outings, for example to Greenwich, and that would include rides on the DLR. We’d go to the very front of the train platform and wait as long as it took until we got the train with empty seats at the front. This was the best way to enjoy the train without a driver. DLR also offers a nice way to see London as much of it is overground.

To this day I find it doesn’t fail to amuse people. When my friends from different parts of the world come to see London, especially the less traveled friends with a smaller pool of experiences, they absolutely love the train without the driver.

Places you can visit on the DLR route include Greenwich and the cable car.

The price for a single off-peak zone 1-2 fare using the Oyster card is £2.40. The price can vary based on what zones you're travelling and whether you're travelling during the peak hours or off-peak. The fares will cost more without the Oyster card.

Take unique London walks

35. Walk along The Regent’s Canal & Little Venice - free

The houseboats of Little Venice and the route along The Regent’s Canal are a pleasure to see. The houseboats are beautiful, set along pretty and varied sceneries. If you’re lucky you may even see some unusual or vintage boats that make a great photo opportunity.

To take a walk along the canal is free and there will be benches, cafes and pubs along the way where you can take a rest.

The best time to enjoy the walk on the canal is during the summer months, on a sunny day, during the daylight hours.

Pictured: A narrow boat on The Regent's Canal in London.

36. Walk under the river Thames - free

This is an odd one. The experience is totally free and you get to cross from one side of the river to the other. You can listen to your voice echo for half a mile in the passage. You might get a strange weird feeling in the tunnel if you’re not used to it. Other than that, there is nothing more to it but walking and walking, until within some minutes you reach the other side.

If Greenwich is on your sights list might as well experience the tunnel.

I think the wonder of this experience lies mostly in the knowing that you are under the Thames.

37. See graffiti inside the Leake Street Tunnel - free

I discovered the graffiti tunnel, officially known as Leake Street Tunnel, last year completely by accident. On the day when I entered the tunnel it was busy with graffiti artist creating graffiti street art.

The Leake Street Tunnel is very close to The London Eye, so if you’re visiting The London Eye you might as well check out the tunnel. It’s a striking feature and in my opinion it’s well worth seeing.

38. The River Thames walk near The London Eye - free

Once you’re done with The London Eye (expect long queues!), and the Leak Street graffiti tunnel mentioned above, have a stroll by the river Thames.

I visited there during the weekend and it was full of music, street entertainment, and beverage offers. It was very lively, a bit touristy as one would expect it to be near The London Eye, but nonetheless it was fun. Try it!

39. Visit Highgate Cemetery - £4

Highgate Cemetery has over 170,000 people in 53,000 graves. Here you can explore the cemetery, soak in the creepy atmosphere and visit graves of the people you love. The most famous resident of Highgate Cemetery is Karl Marx whose grave is visited by people from all over the world.

George Michael fans, please note: George Michael’s grave is in a private part of the cemetery which is not accessible to visitors.

Also, the West side of the Cemetery can only be accessed by a guided tour, which will cost a little bit more.

40. Enjoy street entertainment in Covent Garden - free

Covent Garden is an elegant car-free piazza with cafes and restaurants that also offer outdoor seating. During the summer season on weekends you might find lots of street entertainment performed by musicians, mime artists and other talent.

There is also a market and food stalls. Covent Garden’s Jubilee Hall Market sells everything from antiques to food, arts and crafts to souvenirs and its open on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. In my opinion the best day is Saturday.

There is no entry fee to visit the piazza and it’s free to enjoy the street entertainment. If you like the entertainment you see, throw in some coins for the entertainers.

41. Soak it up in Trafalgar Square fountains - free

Walk around Trafalgar Square and then soak up your feet in the fountains...if the weather is hot.

Here’s the thing though; I’m not entirely clear on whether soaking your feet in the fountains on Trafalgar square is really allowed. However, I saw lots of people doing this, so I assumed it is ok. If it wasn’t allowed I expect a magical person would have appeared with a warning or a penalty charge (such a magical person appeared very quickly when we attempted to film there without a filming permission, so I know they exist). Also, at the time I didn’t see any signage saying not to put feet in the water. I therefore assumed it was ok. And let me tell you, this was one of the most pleasant experiences on a scorching summer’s day. The hot sun and city heat and the cool water of the fountain was better than an ice cream in my childhood.

42. Cross the zibra crossing like The Beatles - free

…and write a message for The Beatles on the Abbey Road Studios wall.

This one is for the fans of The Beatles. Abbey Road Studios is where The Beatles had recorded their music. The white-washed wall outside of the studios gets lots of messages from The Beatles fans every single day, you can leave yours too. When there is no more space on the wall it gets washed again, and the process goes on.

In addition, the typical English lollypop crossing outside the Abbey Road studios, much the same as on The Beatles album cover, is a very big attraction with The Beatles fans. Despite the dangers of road traffic and the nuisance and obstructions caused to drivers and cyclists (something I don’t advocate for), visitors frequently try to get a selfie or a photo on the Abbey Road zebra lollypop crossing. The most popular composition for tourist snaps is having a line of four family members or four friends crossing the road, referencing The Beatles album cover.

The zebra crossing is often referred to as a lollypop crossing because the traffic lights are the shape of a classic lollypop.

44. See the Meridian Line for - free

See the Meridian Line for free and save yourself a tenner!

Find a street called Park Vista at junction with Feathers Place (SE10). There you will see a metal line and a plaque on a white washed wall. The line represents the Meridian. The plaque says 'Prime Meridian'. Here's the link to the Google Maps with coordinates.

45. The Millennium Bridge - free

46. Brompton Cemetery - free

47. Richmond Riverside - free

Stroll along the riverfront in the village of Richmond.

48. St Dunstan-in-the-East - free

Explore London’s beautiful parks and gardens.

49. Visit the world famous Hyde Park - free

I will start with Hyde Park as the park has always been on the bucket list of each and every friend of mine that came to London on a holiday.

Hyde Park is most pleasant during the summer months when the weather is good.

There is a lovely rose and flower garden. Although my favourite place to hang out is near the Serpentine, anywhere that overlooks the water.

You can bring your own blanket, snacks and drinks and have a picnic. In fact, you can even bring wine or bubbles or beer – whatever your beverage really is, and enjoy it at your picnic in the park. Unlike some places in Europe where I heard drinking alcohol in parks is forbidden, in London it’s not, as long as you don’t create a nuisance and clear up after you’re done.

If you visit Hyde Park on a Sunday check out the Speaker’s Corner for some entertainment and inspiration. This is where individuals can stand and address the public the traditional way. You can observe, listen or get involved in debates. You might find topics ranging from something serious to something absolutely gob smacking ridiculous. If you’re brave enough you can get onto your own soapbox and start orating. This is a traditional site for public speeches and debates since 1800s.

50. The Regent’s Park - free

The Regent’s Park is particularly stunning during the summer season. This is because of the floral gardens and green spaces that are beautifully organised and kept. You can walk along the flower gardens, enjoy cafes or bring a picnic and enjoy the green spaces. See our guide to The Regent’s Park.

During the winter months it’s fun to bring some bread to the park and feed the birds. The birds in the park are not shy at all. As they get more hungry during the winter this is when you can have a field day feeding them. Regent’s park has a great diversity of birds that include swans, ducks, seagulls and other birds.

The park is directly next to the London Zoo so if you have a plan to visit the zoo you can explore the park on the same day.

if you like roses check out Queen Mary’s Rose Garden.

51. Hampton Court Palace Gardens - free

The last time I checked (March 2018), The East Front Gardens at Hampton Court offered free access between 9am and 10am.

As the name suggests, the East Front Gardens are situated on the east side of the palace. There you can see stunning and colourful flower beds, well maintained trees and other garden features. The gardens span the entire width of the palace grounds and also include The Great Fountain Garden – a spectacular semi-circular garden with a gorgeous fountain feature.

When I was growing up we used to have family day outings to the palatial gardens at Hampton Court. I didn’t visit the gardens for a few years now as it’s a bit long for me to get there, but I remember the gardens being very beautiful.

52. St James's Park - free

I know of a reasonable business person who claims to take his foreign prospect clients onto the Queen’s property, usually some palace, and apparently picks the prospect’s brains on the topic of the Queen and her assets. The discussion covers the Queen and her money, why she is so rich, the Queen having a birth right, and ultimately links it to her ancestors starting out as landowners.

While this is certainly an interesting background process to help convince a prospect to invest their money into a business endeavour and start building a family legacy, the Queen's manicured parks and jaw-dropping gorgeous palaces do make a nice culture tour.

St James's Park is the oldest Royal Park in London and you can sample a bit of that regal beauty for free. The park was opened to the public by Charles II of England.

You can also bring in a picnic, so long as you do what’s allowed (i.e. no bonfires and no barbeques as those are health and safety hazards), or you can enjoy the cafes in the park.

53. Kensington Gardens - free

54. Holland Park - free

55. Parliament Viewpoint - free

56. Sky Garden - free

Enjoy The Sky Garden's lush urban jungle and the panoramic views of London from The Sky Garden's viewing gallery on the 34th floor of the Walkie Talkie. It is advisable to pre-book your free ticket.

57. Hampstead Heath - free

58. Greenwich Park - free

59. Highgate Wood - free

60. Epping Forest - free

Visit London markets

61. Visit Portobello Market - free

You don’t actually have to buy anything to enjoy a vibe of a market. However, if you do want to shop, Portobello market is unique where you can find antiques, jewellery, clothes, fruit and veg, old vinyls, food stalls and even a flea market. There is so much you can find in Protobello. If you’re not looking for anything specific you can simply enjoy the music, cafes, restaurants, drinks, food stalls and soak in the vibe.

The market is free to visit and the prices on food stalls and in cafes or restaurants vary. The market is very lively and the best day is Saturday.

62. Visit Camden Market - free

Camden Town is well known for its market. If you can go there on a Saturday, as that’s the busiest day for the market, you’ll get to experience the full Camden buzz. You will find hundreds of stalls, some in the narrow alleyways off Camden High Street. There’s also great street food culture to enjoy, and a night scene with old-school pubs, live music and clubs.

If you’re visiting London for the first time and you’re trying to see as much of London as possible within a limited time frame, then consider pairing the Camden Town activity with a bus ride around some key sites in Central London using London’s public transport.

Bus number 24 goes past Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Horse Guards Parade and Trafalgar Square, and connects to Camden. A bus ride will cost you £1.50 using the Oyster card.

63. Borough Market - free

64. Jubilee Market in Covent Garden - free

65. Alfies Antique Market - free

66. Columbia Road Flower Market - free

Watch London in Action

67. Watch a Live Debate in Parliament - free

You are able to visit a live debate when Parliament is in Session, for free. This is a great way to see British democracy in action. Here are the sitting times and more information. You can also find out dates and times as well as business of the day here (sometimes this isn’t scheduled until close to the date).

68. Changing of Guard at Buckingham Palace - free

69. The Ceremony of the Keys at The Tower of London - free

Every night, for about 700 years, the Yeoman Warders have performed a gate-closing ritual known as the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. You can watch it for free. However the tickets have to be prebooked pretty much a year in advance.