Explore the city,
February 03 2023
London has an expensive reputation. But there are places you can go and activities you can enjoy without spending a penny. You just need to know where to look! Whether it’s a day in a museum, art on the street or a hidden freebie you’d never know was there, there are plenty of top free London attractions. Here are some of the best free sights in London.
On the third floor of the Barbican Centre is the Barbican Conservatory, one of the best free sights in London – and one of the most hidden. You can wander through thousands of tropical plants wrapped around the brutalist concrete architecture.
This is also now home for London’s notorious terrapin gang The Terrorpins, who caused havoc on local wildlife on Hampstead Heath in the early 2000s when families who bought them as pets following the release of the 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle film returned them to the wild. Although free to visit, you need to get a ticket and book a time slot in advance.
Visit the Barbican Conservatory
Some of the best free London attractions are museums, abundant in educational riches in some of the capital’s grandest buildings. Founded in 1753, the British Museum has a truly incredible collection of historical treasures telling the story of human history. The Imperial War Museum displays the objects and stories of wars and conflicts through the ages, focusing on World War I and World War II.
Now, this one is not for the squeamish. You can see a collection of 70,000 animal specimens and plenty of skeletons at The Grant Museum of Zoology. It’s London’s only remaining university zoology museum and a fantastic resource for budding zoologists. Plus, there’s a preserved Tasmanian Devil and a jar of moles. It’s open in the afternoons only.
High on any cool places to visit in London for free list is the amazing street art in some of London’s trendiest neighbourhoods. The East End of London is a hot spot for street art: Brick Lane is popular, particularly around Hanbury Street, the Truman Brewery and the Nomadic Community Gardens. Visit Shoreditch and wander around Redchurch Street, Old Street and Curtain Road. And there’s plenty of creative art around the canal, bridges and market stalls of Camden.
A chapel of neon, God’s Own Junkyard in Northeast London is a fantastic place for a potter. It’s a lifetime labour of love for creator Chris Bracey, and it’s Europe’s largest collection of its kind. Starting out making neon signs for Soho strip clubs, Chris then made and hired out signs for Hollywood movies. It’s open Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. This free London attraction continues to grow in popularity thanks to its Instagramable opportunities.
Whether you’re on holiday with family, a weekend break with friends or spending time with a loved one in the capital, discover plenty more fun places to go in London for free when you stay in one of our London Thistle hotels such as Thistle Holborn or Thistle Bloomsbury Park.
