Free Things To Do On Your London Vacation


If you are like me, you love to travel.  You love it so much that as soon as you are home from a vacation, you are already planning the next one.  I have the travel bug… and I have it bad.

However, my income just doesn’t keep up with my love for travel!  Therefore, I had to make a choice – travel as inexpensively as possible and stay within my budgets so that I can squeeze more trips in to more exotic locales.

We are going on a family London vacation this summer and I know that the entry fees to all the museums, attractions, castles etc. will quickly add up.  So, to keep costs down, I started doing some research on free events and things to do while in London.  While most things will cost you money in London, a few things won’t cost you a penny – or pence!  In the spirit of sharing, I thought I’d post my list of free things to do on a London vacation!

  • Speaker’s Corner – Probably the most popular free thing to do in London is to visit Speaker’s Corner based at the Marble Arch end of Hyde Park.  The speakers gather on Sunday mornings, and from what I’ve read, it can be thought provoking, humorous or just plain weird.  I look forward to seeing what all the fuss is about!
  • Tate Modern Museum - Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern and contemporary art from 1900 onwards.  Admission is free and not surprisingly, the museum gets over 4 million visitors per year.  Another great find!
  • Museum of London – Actually, all of London’s major museums are free.  The Museum of London documents the history of London with seven permanent exhibition galleries telling the story of London from prehistoric times until the end of the 19th century.  Special exhibitions change regularly and will usually showcase info about modern London.
  • Changing of the Guard – No London vacation would be complete without viewing this royal pomp and circumstance.  The Queen’s Guard changes in the Forecourt inside the gates at 11:30 every day in summer and every other day in winter.
  • Buskers – Always entertaining and free (but consider tipping these hard working performers) the West Piazza of Covent Garden Market has performers every afternoon.  All performers are licensed and had to pass an audition to perform at this locale so you can be guaranteed of some good caliber, and free entertainment. 
  • Music – If you like Jazz, be sure to go over to the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank on Friday’s from 5:15pm to hear Commuter Jazz!

I hope you get to experience your own London vacation in the near future!  If your budget is tight or you would like to stretch your travel dollars, consider adding some of these freebies to your itinerary. 

Posted by on 06/27 at 10:22 AM

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