Things to do in London today — What’s On —

Barbican conservatory

The Barbican is one of London’s best cultural venues – set in a series of striking Brutalist buildings near Smithfield. For the most part, though, you need to pay to make the most of the cool programme of theatres, films and concerts on offer.

However, the Barbican has a little secret – a rather cool free thing to do in London…

How about a gorgeous conservatory packed with all manner of tropical plants, cacti and flowers tucked away on the third floor of the building?

As far as secrets go, it’s a pretty good one. Simply check the schedule of opening (it used to only open on Sundays but now it opens every day – booking required) and get yourself down there pronto.

Read More: This is Why You Need to Visit the Barbican Conservatory

British museum

London is a pretty cool city in many ways, but we think one of the things that really sets it apart is the number ofmuseums you can visit for free.

Many of the city’s biggest museums also double up as some of the biggest free attractions in London (that’s why we’ve got a whole section on free museums below).

Can’t decide which one to pick? Go for the British Museum. It’s pretty much unrivalled when it comes to the sheer scope of curios, artworks and artifacts on display.

Just be sure to wear a comfortable pair of shoes when you go, because that’s a mistake that you most certainly don’t want to make.

Read More: 25 Free Museums in London

Brompton cemetery

OKAY. So we can all agree that cemeteries are hella creepy – probably something to do with all the rotting bodies and grief… but they can be beautiful too.

While you have to pay to go to London’s most famous cemetery, Highgate, Brompton is pretty spectacular too.

Brompton Cemetery has been named as one of the greatest treasures of London (yeah, that’s weird, but go with it) thanks to the beautifully carved mausoleums and a domed chapel that was based on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Care to max out on the creepy factor? Hunt out the graves of famous figures buried in the cemetery including suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.

Columbia road flower market

Columbia Road Market is one of London’s more unusual markets.

Every Sunday, Columbia Road bursts into bloom, with a long-established flower market that is really rather delightful.

Now, of course, buying something in the market is most certainly not free (cash cash dollar dollar bills rule yo) but you’re more than welcome to turn up and have a meander.

Preferably whilst imagining what your life would be like if you lived around the corner and could buy armfuls of blooms to decorate your huge but stylish pad.

OK, that last bit is clearly a personal fantasy, but we’ll bet you find yourself doing it too when you visit. 

Read More: London in Bloom: What You Need to Know about Columbia Road Market

Design museum

What makes good design?

That’s the central question that sits at the heart of the Design Museum.

Feast on london’s food and drink scene

Whether you’re starting the day with breakfast or brunch, indulging in afternoon tea, dining at a restaurant or ending the night with drinks at a pub or bar, London has all sorts of foodie treats up its sleeve. Or enjoy a meal with a difference with dinner cruises along the Thames or afternoon tea tours.

Drink or dine outside this summer in a beer garden, find fun rooftop bars, seek out alfresco restaurants or grab a rug and relax at picnic spots across the city.

Find family activities

With so many things to do for families in London, it’s easy to make great memories with the kids, whatever their age! Visit top family attractions and see spectacular kids shows. If it’s raining today, check out these rainy day activities!

Free things to do in london: galleries & museums

Are all museums in London free? No. But a large number of galleries and museums in London are free to visit.

Look, there are so many free museums in London that you could write a whole a whole piece on it (oh wait, we have – read it here). So we’ve restricted this section to my absolute faves.

Free things to do in london: map

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Free tours at somerset house

Somerset House is the last of the huge palaces that used to line the Thames in central London.

Striking neoclassical architecture surrounding an equally jaw-dropping quad –  it’s a must for any list of free places to go in London.

Cool as it is to poke around on your own, we recommend booking on for one of Somerset House’s free tours to delve into the nitty gritty of the palace’s rather brow-raising history (it belonged to Queen Henrietta, whose husband Charles I was executed as part of the English Revolution for starters).

Tickets are only released on the day and get snapped up quickly – but it is absolutely worth the effort.

Read More: Somerset House: History, Architecture and Tours – The Full Guide

Fulham palace

Fulham Palace has been around since 704, which tells you one thing: it’s seen a lot of intrigue and drama over the years.

From being the hidey-hole where Catherine of Aragon was sent by Henry VII to ensure she didn’t get her claws into his son, the soon to be Henry VIII (it wasn’t successful – they married anyway and Catherine became the first of Henry’s notorious six-wife run), to doubling up as a place of torture in Mary I’s bloody reign, the palace has many stories to tell.

God’s own junkyard

Walthamstow’s neon gem might not be a secret London spot anymore, thanks to its oh-so-grammable looks, but it’s still one of the coolest free places in London.

The warehouse is a culmination of Chris Bracey’s life work – the neon man worked for the likes of Tim Burton, creating iconic signs and images. 

You can easily spend an hour snapping your way around this vibrant warehouse, decorated in neon lights and cheeky kaleidoscopic signs. 

Hampstead heath

Hampstead Heath is a popular walking spot in London… and for good reason. Who knew London was so leafy and green?

When we first stumbled across the heath as kids (far too many years ago than we would love to admit), we were in awe of the beautiful sights – particularly the ones from Hampstead Pergola.

Head to the royal parks

London is filled with Royal Parks – all of which are free to explore. Our favourites are Regent’s and Greenwich, though all are brilliant places to spend a few hours immersing yourself in nature.

House of minalima

Harry Potter fans rejoice!

There are so many brilliant Harry Potter related gems in London (psst – we’ve written a pretty fly self-guided Harry Potter London tourshowcasing the very best of them). Even so, The House of Minalima is something pretty special.

Founded by Eduardo Lima and Miraphora Mina – the two graphic designers in charge of bringing the iconic design elements in the films (think copies of the Daily Prophet and the wanted posters of the prisoners of Azkaban), the house displays cool posters and designs from the films.

It would be remiss of us if we didn’t also note that it is also a shop – one all too easy to spend your galleons in.

Read More: The House of Minalima – Bringing All Your Harry Potter Dreams to Life

House of vans free cinema

The House of Vans runs loads of cool events and workshops from its Waterloo location.

From skate school to live music nights – it’s always worth checking out the event calendar to see what’s going on.

It also just so happens to run a series of cinema nights that should go straight to the top of your list of top free things to do in London. Old-school action movies, feel good films – you name it, they show it.

No need to book, just check the schedule, turn up and watch.

Kenwood

There are plenty of grand houses and mansions dotted around London, but not many at all that you can visit for free.

Kenwood is an English Heritage property with a gorgeous interior and world-famous artwork (we’re talking Rembrandt, Vermeer and Gainsborough levels of art here) and one of my favourite places to visit in London for free.

Once you’ve finished exploring the interior, make time to meander around the 122 acres of landscaped gardens.

Leadenhall market

Tucked away in the heart of The City, Leadenhall Market is one of our favourite places in the capital to peruse for free.

The Victorian building is home to a whole host of restaurants, bars, and independent shops. You might just recognise a few spots from the Harry Potter series (cough, cough Diagon Alley). 

If you do fancy splashing the cash, head to Cheese wine bar for a glass or two – and some accompanying cheddar. We’ll be very jealous.

Read our guide to Leadenhall Market

Leake street graffiti tunnel

Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel is London’s largest legal graffiti wall and also one the coolest street art spots in the city, which is why we always recommend it as one of the best things to see in London for free.

It was transformed from a dingy old railway tunnel into the riot of colour you find today by none other than Banksy, who organised a street art festival down here in 2008. There’s always something new going up and you’ll almost certainly catch an artist or two at work when you visit.

Read More: Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel – Street Art Comes to Life at London’s Largest Legal Wall

Listen to a lecture at gresham college

Tired of doing the same old same old? Who isn’t. Widen your horizons and challenge your brain matter by attending one of Gresham College’s cool London lectures.

The subjects are diverse – but bound together by the fact that they are delivered by some of the leading experts in their fields and are totally fascinating.

Forthcoming lectures include “Creativity: Can Computers Cut It?” and “Toothpaste, Custard and Chocolate – Mathematics gets Messy” – guaranteed to be more interesting than a night in front of the telly.

London mithraeum

London has a long and winding history that spans many a weird and wonderful story. It’s no surprise then that sometimes you can dig out some pretty bizarre but cool places to visit in the city.

The Mithraeum is one such place. A Roman temple dedicated to the mysterious figure of Mithras, whose cult-like followers were shrouded in a veil of secrecy? Sounds too weird to be true…

Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Not only does the Temple of Mithras exist, but you can go and visit it without paying a single penny.

The immersive experience is hidden underneath the Bloomberg buildings in the City of London.

We won’t give the game away by saying too much, but we will say that this is one of our absolute favourite places to go in London for free. Fact.

Read More: The London Mithraeum – The Secret London Spot You’ll Love

Lunchtime concerts st martin in the fields

St Martin in the Fields sits at the corner of Trafalgar Square – more than just an imposing building, it’s one of the city’s musical hubs.

A constant stream of concerts grace the church’s interior – including a series of cool free lunchtime concerts during weekdays.

Lunch and a bit of classical music? What could be more refined darling?

Photographer’s gallery soho (before 12pm)

The Photographers Gallery is one of London’s most intriguing galleries – an ever-changing display of some of the most talented photographers of past and present.

Sounds great right? It gets better – if you go to the gallery before 12pm, entrance is completely free. Enjoy.

Read More: Brilliant Places to Visit in Soho

See a show

Grab a seat at one of London’s must-see musicals and top plays, which are performed most days in London’s West End and beyond. Find out what’s on today, check the latest availability, discover matinees and book with our guide to London theatre.

See the dinosaurs of crystal palace

You can read all about the Crystal Palace dinosaurs – strolling around this park and peeking at the quirky dinos is one of our favourite free things to do in London.

These prehistoric sculptures were actually unveiled during the Victorian era, and have since been a popular part of this London park.

Shop till you drop

Go on a shopping spree at London shops, from famous department stores, to high street and independent brands in London’s top shopping hotspots. Find our top tips on where to shop sustainably in London.

Sky garden

Wondering what to do in London for free? Go to Sky Garden – the gorgeous three-floored atrium at the top of the Walkie Talkie building.

It’s pretty inside, but it also happens to command some kick-ass views of central London.

However – a word from the wise. There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to Sky Garden.

The right way will find you breezing up in the lift, walking around a near-empty garden and soaking in some of the best views in London in peace and quiet.

The wrong way will find you queuing for hours, only to be admitted to a stampede of people all trying to live their best life and taking the same boring-ass shots of them and the skyline as if they had some kind of a hand in its creation.

We know which one we would choose. We think you do too – that’s why we’ve written this step-by-step guide to visiting the Sky Garden without the fuss and frazzle.

Obviously you should read it to help you plan your trip.

St dunstan in the east

Despite being a beautiful London park, St Dunstan in the East manages to fly under many people’s radar. 

Set in the ruins of an abandoned church, this is one of our favourite spots to visit when we’re in the Tower Hill area. Did we mention there are palm trees?

Read our full guide to St Dunstan here

Street art in shoreditch

London’s position as a vibrant street art hub is kinda set in stone – while other cities were pooh-poohing the idea of graffiti as art, we Londoners were welcoming it with our arms wide open.

If talented artists are going to use the city as a canvas to bring a little colour into our lives… well, we are here for that.

Shoreditch boasts one of London’s most established street art scenes.

You can barely turn a corner without coming across a piece (or five) from some of the biggest international street artists.

Read More: A Guide to Exploring the Best Street Art in Shoreditch – Complete with a Self-Guided Walk

Take a tour

Make use of special one-day sightseeing tickets, including a hop-on hop-off bus tour and the 24-hour Uber Boat by Thames Clipper River Roamer, allowing you to explore the city in your own time. Or see even more of the city by joining one of the many organised tours, from bus tours and Thames river cruises, to guided walking tours.

Alternatively, fill your day exploring beyond London with day trips taking in unmissable sights such as Stonehenge and Windsor Castle, as well as towns and villages including Bath and the Cotswolds. Check last-minute availability or book ahead.

Tate britain

London isn’t exactly struggling when it comes to free art galleries but IMHO (which isn’t at all humble if we’re honest), the Tate Britain is one of the best.

There’s the spectacular building for starters – a grand affair with a central atrium that’s guaranteed to make your jaw drop to the floor.

Sure, the architecture is great, but what we’re really here for is the insane amount of art stuffed within the gallery’s walls.

Gainsborough, Constable, Moore, Hepworth – the biggest names in British art over the centuries are all present and correct – there’s a whole wing dedicated to Turner and even weird but wonderful William Blake gets a good look in too. Allow at least a couple of hours to do it justice.

The best things to do in london this week | events, exhibitions, new openings

The petrie museum

Not many people know about the Petrie Museum – the quirky museum of Ancient Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology tucked away in the bowels of UCL. Hell, we didn’t even find out about it until a couple of years ago, but when we did, we realised we’ve been missing out on one of the coolest free places to visit in London.

Everyone else’s loss is totally your gain – the museum might be small but the collection is mighty. You’ll uncover all kinds of cool Egyptian artefacts (yes, there’s even a Mummy – not to mention the oldest item of clothing in the world). You’ll love it.

Visit london’s gorgeous forests and woodlands

Did you know that London is technically a forest? If you didn’t, now you do. 

It’s no wonder, then, that the capital is bursting with brilliant woodland walks – we love Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve.

Read our guide to London’s woodland walks

Visit thames barrier park

Behind the Royal Docks in Newham, Thames Barrier Park is a pretty riverside spot with plenty to see and do. From basketball courts to a secluded pavilion, bring a picnic and spend an hour or two here.

Visit the chapel of st peter & paul in the old naval college

Sometimes, you have to give kudos to whoever designed a space – if only for the outrageous over-the-top fabulousness of the end result.

That is certainly the case for the Chapel of St Peter & Paul at the Old Naval College in Greenwich.

The Neoclassical decor is pure drama and we love it – there’s a marble floor, a carved ceiling (with extra gilt for that finishing touch) and one of the most distinctive 18th century interiors you can find in the city.

Visit the public galleries in the houses of parliament

Whatever you say about today’s politics (don’t get me started, we have plenty to say about it all), there’s no denying that it’s anything but boring.

Walk the waterways in little venice

We adore Little Venice. Nestled between the Grand Union Canal and Regent’s Canal, the area is filled with cute cafes, colourful boats, and even a Puppet Theatre barge. 

Even on the greyest London days, this little strip of Italy is there to brighten up the capital.

Walk underneath the thames on the greenwich foot tunnel

Everyone knows about London’s bridges – Tower Bridge, London Bridge… even the controversial Millennium Bridge (which had to close as soon as it opened for some time because it wobbled too much). But did you know about the Greenwich Foot Tunnel?

The tunnel opened in 1902 and is still used by well over a million people each year today.

It’s one of London’s more unusual spots – 370 metres of straight tunnel to whisk you from one side of the Thames to the other.

We suggest hopping off at the Isle of Dogs and using it to get to gorgeous Greenwich.

Wander around borough market

Borough Market is one of London’s best-known food markets.

For good reason – the quality and range of fresh produce and street food is ridiculously high.

Of course, buying it isn’t free but so much of the Borough Market experience revolves around having a mooch, soaking up the atmosphere and having a cheeky sample or two. Definitely worth popping in.

Read More: Visiting Borough Market – The Insider’s Guide

Watch films in the bfi mediatheque

Central London is eye-wateringly expensive right? Wrong.

You can find fun free things to do in London, if you just know where to look.

Case in point? The BFI Mediatheque in the BFI South Bank.

How many times did we go into the BFI without knowing there’s a cool little area where you can snuggle into your own private viewing booth and watch your way through the BFI’s extensive film and TV archives?

Simply pick your programme (we went for vintage Wuthering Heights with Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff – phwoar), put on your headphones and settle in for the screening.