London can compete for the title of the most beautiful city in the world anytime. It is also one of the most intellectually stimulating. And you must know that half of that fun can easily be yours for free. Yes, London offers its best public services for free or at very affordable rates. Here is a list of the 8 best things you can do in this city of dreams for free.
Free museums
All the major museums in London are free for entry, though you may be required to pay to enter some niche exhibitions and events. The British Museum is not offers free entry, but also it is also one of the best places in the world to be in. It is literally bursting with artefacts from all over the world, with 80,000 objects on display at any one time, and these make up just 1% of the 8 million items on its possession! Then there is the Natural Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Anaesthesia Museum, the Horniman Museum, the Wellcome Museum, among dozens of others.
Westminster Abbey
Entry to this place is not free as it relies on its patrons to cover the running costs. However, everything inside is, and that means a lot as a significant portion of British history is located there. Those who want to worship in the Abbey can do so for free. A special attraction is the Evensong of the Abbey at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends. It is among the most beautiful choir services anywhere and is performed by extremely talented Choristers trained at the Westminster Abbey Choir School.
Music
London is one of the most happening centers of music in the world. There are of course often exorbitantly charged music concerts by mega-selling bands and musicians. But it also has a very lively music scene which you can enjoy for free and watch how music itself is evolving. There are a zillion free music events at the Southbank Centre, Free foyer concerts at the National Theatre and the South Bank, free Monday lunchtime recitals at the Royal Opera House and concerts at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Also, many students of the Royal College of Music perform free lunchtime and rush-hour concerts all across the city. Every night from Sunday to Thursday, enjoy free entry to the blues bar Ain’t Nothing But…
Street markets
London has a large number of internationally reputed street markets where you will not only get things dirt-cheap but also things and people who are wonders of the world in their own right. The Camden Market and the Portobello Road Market are the most famous and popular. Many are there only during the mornings, like the Columbia Flower Market on Sunday mornings. The weekend markets get the largest footfalls for obvious reasons.
Trafalgar Square
This place was designed by John Nash in the 1820s and constructed in the 1830s. 0ver the years, it has become one of the most recognized squares on the planet. It has also been the site for some of the most iconic political demonstrations. It most recently featured in Wonder Woman as the place for the Armistice Day celebrations. The National Gallery and Nelson’s Column are here. Want to know a very beautiful thing about this place? Every November, Norway gives it a beautiful Christmas tree to thank Britain for helping drive away the Nazis.
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Art galleries
How can there be London without its art galleries? Today these are among the bestrepositories of human culture, along with the museums. There are the Tate Modern and the Tate Britain house, the former displaying the best contemporary art while the latter having some of the best pieces from the 16th century to the present. In fact, London seems to be full of the moderns. In addition to the Tates, you have the palatial Saatchi Gallery at Chelsea and the White Cube Gallery. If you are a Classics fan, you can stroll down to the National Gallery for Rembrandts, Da Vincis, Botticelli and even Renoir and Van Gogh. Then there is the Wallace Collection with the Laughing Cavalier’s eyes following you all around, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Parks and gardens
London is a place which takes its open spaces seriously. And so, it has some of the most beautiful parks and gardens, and you can take a stroll there any evening or morning you feel like. There is the famous Hyde Park, which was once the haunt of King Henry VIII and which has the Speaker’s Corner, used by Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell. That is probably the true beauty of the city! Then there is the Barbican Conservatory, a most alive repository of tropical plants, trees and fish. Bringing in the 20th century is the Kyoto Japanese Garden in Holland Park. In the St Dunstan in the East gardens, you get the ruins of a church bombed during the Blitz which have become eerily beautiful over time.
So when you are in London, if you have already not tried any of these as of yet, definitely do. And these have been there for free for a very long time actually, adding to the coolness quotient of the city. You can consider these other things as well.