London; our beautiful, but overpriced capital city… right? Living the London lifestyle is renowned for rapidly eating away at your purses, so before my trip to the big smoke, I decided to see what was available without breaking the bank (or even touching the bank), hence my friends and I took the challenge of enjoying 10 things in London FOR FREE. Whether you live in LDN or if you’re visiting for a city break then check out the exciting things we got up to that put us back £0!
1. Free Comedy Club Show
There are many free events available in London; the BBC invites audiences to some of their shows cost-free, as do The Top Secret Comedy Club in Covent Garden. So we decided we’d like to do something a little different, never having visited a Comedy Club before and had such a laugh! London, you’re spoilt for show choice!
2. National History Museum
A very well known option, but a good’un nonetheless! There are many free museums to visit in London; we picked the National History Museum as this seemed particularly interesting (next time I’d love to explore others too)! The moving floor ‘earthquake’ area bought back memories to when I’d previously visited as a child and the 25.2m long Blue Wale skeleton was incredibly impressive!
3. The Roof Terrace at One New Change
I was on the hunt for a roof terrace to soak up some views over London from above, however I had a slight issue in that I’m not the biggest fan of lifts (understatement) and after messaging the Sky Garden (which looks insane and is also free), they informed me that their staircase was not for public use (even though I assured them I’d be able to climb up 38 flights of stairs…. and I thought we wanted to encourage fitness…no?). Instead, we opted for the roof terrace at One New Change as it is only 6 floors high so this meant that we could walk up there. Admittedly we did have to be escorted by security as their stairs are not strictly for public use either, but it was pretty funny and I was super grateful to them…. the things people do for me!? After a few giggles feeling slightly VIP and a bottle of water down, we reached the top and the view was totally worth it; St Pauls from here looks awesome so I highly recommend it!
4. Visit Hyde Park
A more appropriate option for a Summer’s day when the sun is shining in full beam but nonetheless, we still enjoyed a walk by the river with the swans swimming alongside us. The many green spaces in London are a welcome opportunity to escape the craziness of the city, with many options from Richmond Park, Regent’s Park and Greenwich Park (among others). By chance, whilst we were in Hyde Park, we happened to walk past the sandpit where the royal horses were practising so we stopped to watch in admiration! In Hyde Park lies the Serpentine Art Gallery, so we popped in for a gander, which takes us to my next point…
5. Serpentine Art Gallery
The Serpentine Art Gallery sits in Hyde Park and is free to visit, so we wandered around the BOB exhibition where I had a turn at attempting to ‘move’ BOB virtually to the delight of my friends as they watched in fits of laughter. This art gallery is beautiful but petite so don’t rely on it occupying a full day out. There are many other free galleries in London; The Tate Modern and The Saatchi Gallery being two popular choices, so pick your fave to indulge in some creativity for the afternoon.
6. Get a snap of the most Instagramable spot in London
So you’ve probably seen numerous photos of the super cute pink cafe that everyone Instagrams? No? Here’s one –
We went to Peggy Porschen in Belgravia to take a few photos of this super stylish cake shop – make sure you get there early as it will be swarming with fellow Instagrammers trying to get that perfect shot. (NB: the cakes themselves are obviously not free, but my friend couldn’t help but get one as they look absolutely irresistible).
7. Watch the Changing guards of Buckingham Palace
You have to witness this at least once in your life, if not… have you even been to London? Buckingham Palace is one of the Landmarks of London so a visit there is a necessity and what better time to go than when the guards are changing? We were running late so by the time we arrived, it was past 11am and everyone else had taken the best spots for the show. We did still manage to listen to the marching music and soak up some royal atmosphere though, so if this tickles your fancy then ensure to get there early for a good view.
8. A window shop at Harrods
Please note my wording of ‘window shop’ – an actual shop here will put you back a fair few grand and would not make it on my FREE things to do in London. Despite this, Harrods is another London must-visit; it’s beautiful and fascinating to meander around wandering how the other half live… however even if I was the ‘other half’ I still don’t think I’d like to spend almost £200 on a pompom keyring? This store may leave you in shock at some of the prices…
9. Free night out
Everyone complains how expensive a night out in London is, so we wanted to disprove this theory and treat ourselves to a free night out. And we did (kinda)! We walked to the club (no taxi fare), free entry to the club (Adventure Bar, Clapham on a Friday night), boogied till the early hours and walked back – FREE! (Disclaimer – this does not include the bottle of Prosecco we each drank prior to going out, nor does it include the McDonalds we ate on the way home….ooops).
10. Borough Market
A food market like never before – from bread to cheesecake to sausages to paella; this market has everything! Some of the stands give out free tasters so I tried some mushroom pâté, sausage, bread and olive oil. Go at lunchtime for some extra temptation! Although we didn’t buy anything, we were spoilt with the delicious smells, sights and appetising atmosphere.
There you have it – challenge completed! There are so many free ways to enjoy London, so don’t let your purse come in the way of you and this exciting city. After a few days in London, besides money on transport and a little on food, we hardly spent anything! Result!
Let me know if you plan on visiting London for some free fun!
Ciao for now, Girl Going Global xxx
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