Free & affordable things to do in London plus our top money-saving tips💰

You can walk around the many sights in London for free without paying to go inside, as well as strolling through some of the stunning parks, gardens, as well as checking out monuments, and you will also be spoilt for choice with the many awesome markets London has to offer.

We also have some great tips on how you can save money when booking your London trip and during your stay, too!🙌

Our top free things to see & do

If you have a trip planned to London in the future, or if you have put off visiting as you know how expensive it is, then check out our list of cool things to do that cost absolutely nothing.

1. Sky Garden🔭

2. God's Own Junkyard🤩

3. Changing of the Guard💂

4. For Harry Potter fans: Leadenhall Market & Platform 9 3/4 (Kings Cross Station)⚡️

5. Barbican Conservatory🌿

6. Visit the many free museums & art galleries🎨

7. Find the seven noses of Soho (there are also ears to find in Covent Garden)👃

8. Chill out in the many parks & gardens, spying on the stunning wildlife including pelicans and squirrels🐿️

9. Explore the wide selection of different neighbourhoods such as Notting Hill, Shoreditch, Camden and the canals of Little Venice😍

10. West End Live🎭

There are also many free walking tours in London you can join, such as 'Jack the Ripper tours', 'food walking tours', 'sightseeing walking tours' and more, where you 'pay what you want' so if you think the guide done a great job you can tip accordingly.

Cheap things to do in London

There are actually loads of cheap things for you to see and do in London, that won't break the bank, and you can still have loads of fun and get the most out of the city.

1. 👑The Tower of London👑
   It can cost around £30* to £89* to enter, depending on the booking type, but you can enter for just £5 if you go to the Ceremony of the Keys. This books up quickly and must be booked online.
   🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: Tickets are released on the first working day of the month for the following month at midday - it really does sell out fast!

2. 🏛️Cheap museums🏛️
   We already mentioned there are lots of museums in London that are free to enter, but if none of them tickle your fancy, there are many that are super cheap too at under £10* per person, such as the Museum of Brands, The Cartoon Museum, The Jewish Museum and The Clink.

3. 🔎Exploration games🔍
   Of course, you can wander around London to your heart's content, or you can have some fun playing an exploration or escape game.
   GetYourGuide offers many different types such as music, neighbourhood and history themed from £2.63.

4. 🌯Eat street food🌯
   Wander around London's many markets and enjoy some street food, our favourites include Camden Market, The Truman Brewery Markets, Spitalfields Market, Seven Dials Market, Borough Market, and Hawley Wharf.

5. 🚡Transport isn't something you think of as something to 'do', but you can kill two birds with one stone, as there are a few modes of transport that are actually really fun.
   There are many different boats you can use to get from one place to another, the affordable options include river cruises, canal boats and Uber Boats by Thames Clippers which even have a café bar on them!🍻
   Our favourite mode of transport in London has to be the cable cars, they run between Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks and cost £6 one way for an adult.
   🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: You can get a London Cable Car Carnet Ticket for £17 and get 10 single one-way journeys, this can only be bought at the London Cable Car ticket office.

6. 🏀Watch sports for cheap🏀
   London is full of sports events, and they don't have to break the bank either, the woman's football has seen a huge boost in popularity since the lionesses became European champions, and you can see Woman's Super league games for under £10*. You can also book tickets to see the London Lion's basketball teams for a fiver*, with many more sports on offer too.
   🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: Time Out often offer half price basketball tickets from £2.50 so check there before booking.

7. 🤭Laughs for less🤭
   You can see all the big names of comedy in London, but you can also see up-and-coming comedians before they hit the big time at bargain prices, at many venues around London.

8. ❤️‍🔥Unique experiences❤️‍🔥
   Get the FeverUp app for a choice of unique events that you won't find anywhere else, many of them at really affordable prices.

London money-saving tips

Of course, us pirates don't like to spend more than we really need to, so here are some of our top tips to save money before your trip, and during your visit to London.

• 🤑Use discount sites🤑
  There are 100s of things to do in London that you can find on sites such as Wowcher, Groupon, Buyagift and Red Letter Days, where you can bag yourself a big discount on activities, gigs, sports, events, and restaurants.
  Use our exclusive codes at Buyagift (HOLIDAYP2023) and Red Letter Days (RHOLIDAYP2023) for a further discount of 15%.
  🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: Sign up to Buyagift's newsletter to receive a £10 voucher code

• 🚂Book the cheapest transport🚂
  To get transport at the cheapest possible price, it is best to book in advance, and travel off-peak. Many trains companies and airlines allow you to sign up for alerts, which will let you know when the dates you want go on sale, then you can book the cheapest fare available.
  🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: Check if a railcard is worth getting, as you can sometimes save the price of the railcard on one trip alone.

• Get 2️⃣ for 1️⃣ offers
  If you do get the train into London, (the tube doesn't count, please check if your ticket qualifies before booking) you can get 2-for-1 entry into loads of attractions in London. See the full list here.

• 🏨Get great-value accommodation🏨
  To get the cheapest option for your hotel in London, try to book as far in advance as you can. Check out the range of budget hotels on offer including Travelodge, Premier Inn, easyHotel, ibis, and our fav budget hotel chain: Premier Inn Hub.
  Other ways to save when booking your London hotel can be to use a booking site with a good loyalty scheme, or member sites such as Secret Escapes and Voyage Privé, we would also check what perks and discounts are on offer when booking with the hotel direct.
  🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: Love animals? Sign up to TrustedHousesitters from under £10* per month, and you can pet sit in exchange for free accommodation, unlimited times.

• 🎡Get the London Pass🎡
  Purchasing the London Pass can save you money if you are looking to do some of the attractions included with the pass. You can choose how many days you want to have the pass, from 1 through to 10 days, and then cram as many attractions in as you can during your trip.
  🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: Sign up to their newsletter for 5% off.

• 💌 Sign up💌
  Register to be on the mailing lists of any restaurants or bars you are planning to visit, as many offer discounts or freebies to their subscribers. You may also get discounts or rewards for using the venues' app.
  🏴‍☠️ Pirate tip: Add your birthdate if asked, as you may receive a treat for your birthday🎉

• 📱Check your priority apps📱
  Apps such as O2 Priority can get loads of discounts on tickets and restaurants, free food & drinks, free gym passes and other cool offers.

• 🍕Save on food🍕
  There is, of course, the amazing street food, but there are other ways to save on food in London. You can enjoy a picnic in one of the lush parks, use one of the discount sites such as Wowcher and Buyagift to get great discounts of loads of restaurants such as Marco Pierre White, and even The Savoy, and you will find many lunch-times deals to be had in restaurants too.
  One of our favourites are bottomless offers, where you can enjoy unlimited food for a certain amount of time, Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza restaurants offer bottomless pizza and bottomless ice cream, but there are many other bottomless offers around too.
  🏴‍☠️ Pirate tip: If you would prefer to eat out in the evening, check the time the lunch-time specials ends, if it is 5pm, you can book for around 4:45pm and still enjoy the bargain prices, but on your evening meal.

• 🎤Enjoy free entertainment🎤
  If you are planning to have a night out, why not head somewhere that offers entertainment at the same time. There are many bars and venues that offer cheap or free games, music and more.
  🏴‍☠️ Pirate tip: Try Roof East for free games such as giant jenga & cornhole, and the Records venues, Hard Rock Cafés, Hard Rock Hotel and Between the Bridges for live bands, singers and DJs you can enjoy for free.

• 🥂Free drinks🥂
  We have saved the best until last, there is an app you can download which allows you to enjoy free drinks in many bars. The app is called Dusk and you can enjoy a range of different drinks, including spirits, pints, wines and even cocktails, on certain days and times.
  🏴‍☠️Pirate tip: Add your payment cards in the app to earn rewards when you use your card in participating bars.