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Free Places In London With Kids
London has so many amazing museums and attractions to visit. Many are paid entry, but there are also plenty of free places to visit in London. So have a read through the lists below and save a little money on your trip to London with the best free things to do in London!
Free London Museums
London has a plethora of free museums to choose from. Read through this list and choose a few to visit on your next trip to the big city!
London Science Museum
The Science Museum in London has free admission, however you do need to book your free tickets online to guarantee entry. There is the possibility to queue up to get entry if there is space, but it can be a lengthy queue at peak times and you may be turned away if it’s busy. The only area of the Science Museum you won’t be able to enter without a further cost is the Wonderlab, which is £9 for a day ticket of £14 for an annual pass (worth it if you’re visiting more than once a year!). The science museum has hundreds of interactive exhibits that everyone will enjoy!
The Natural History Museum
Round the corner from the Science Museum is the Natural History Museum. A well visited museum with plenty for all the family to see. Choose from the many galleries including the dinosaurs, mammals, fossils and volcanoes. Younger children will be interested to see Andy’s clock from the famous CBeebies television show.
The National Gallery
The National Gallery in London is located at Trafalgar Square and has free entry throughout the year. You can find many beautiful pieces of art, although do check the website for current exhibitions and events, as these can change regularly.
Tate Modern
The Tate Modern is a modern art museum with free admission. There are a variety of art exhibitions that change regularly, including some interactive art. In 2022 they included a white room called the ‘Obliteration Room’ where visitors were given a number of coloured dot stickers to place in the space. It turned into a very colourful room!
Tate Britain
The Tate Britain is another of the Tate art galleries, with many beautiful pieces of art made in Britain. There are various exhibitions that change over time, but also various regular events. If you have kids don’t miss the Tate Draw, where kids can create a digital piece of art that appears on a screen in the gallery above!
British Museum
The British Museum has free entry for its general exhibitions. However, if you would like to visit any of the time limited exhibitions (they change throughout the year) then you will need to pay for these. You will find items from Sutton Hoo ship burial, ancient Egyptian and Islamic artefacts within the free galleries.
The National Maritime Museum
Within the Greenwich area are the Royal Museums of Greenwich, including the Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory. The National Maritime Museum is free to visit, but tickets must be booked in advance due to limited numbers. You can visit the polar gallery, see a Fijian canoe, marvel at Nelson’s jacket and the largest Turner painting. The National Maritime Museum is the biggest of it’s kind and one of the best things for families to do in London.
The National Portrait Gallery
At the National Portrait Gallery you can explore a multitude of portraits from a huge variety of artists from all over the world. Both modern and historic portraits are represented, with notable artworks including Tudor royalty and modern celebrities.
Museum of London Docklands
A fantastic free museum to visit, located at Canary Wharf, is the Museum of London Docklands. This museum is family friendly with a children’s gallery for under 8’s called Mudlarks, plus lots of interesting galleries about the history of the city and river Thames. Including slavery, the British empire and World Wars.
Imperial War Museum London
Permanent displays range from the First World War through to more recent wars and witness accounts of war. There are a lot of interesting displays at the Imperial War Museum with a huge number of artefacts on display.
Victoria and Albert Museum
The V&A museum holds 2.8 million artefacts, books and archives on art, design and other creative expressions. It’s free to enter and a great place to discover beautiful creative pieces.
Free London Places of Interest
Sky garden
The Sky Garden is the capital’s highest public garden and bar. You can also book a table at the restaurant to dine looking out at London’s skyline. However, if you are just looking for a free amazing view then you can book free tickets online to climb up and see one of the best places to view London from above. Tickets are released several weeks in advance and can run out quickly.
The Roof Garden at 120 Fenchurch Street
The roof garden at 120 Fenchurch Street is a little lower than Sky Garden, but instead of booking tickets in advance you just walk up on the day to visit. So if you can’t get tickets to Sky Garden then this is a good alternative to look at London’s skyline.
Changing of the Guard
Many visitors to London like to visit Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. This is free to watch and the best way to see the Changing of the Guard is to arrive early and choose one of the 3 locations (you can’t see them all from one spot), Buckingham Palace, St James’ Palace and Wellington Barracks. Check dates and times on this website for where it starts and the timings.
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral is at the heart of the Catholic faith in London. The cathedral is open every day free of charge with morning prayer, mass and choir at different times throughout the day. Please check the website for times if you would like to visit at a certain event. You can also pay a fee to climb to the top of the bell tower to view London from the viewing gallery (around £12 for a family of 4).
St. Paul’s Cathedral
In the heart of Central London is the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It is free to enter St Paul’s for the regular worship times, if you are choosing to worship in the cathedral. However, it costs a ticket fee for tourists visiting the building outside of worships. Alternatively you are free to walk around the outside of the building and there’s a lovely small garden, Reflection gardens, across the street from St Paul’s. It’s the perfect place to get beautiful photos of the cathedral dome.
Millennium Bridge
Cross over the Millennium bridge, a footbridge opened in 2020 linking St Paul’s Cathedral with Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre on the opposite side of the river. The bridge was structurally unsound when first built, pedestrians kept falling over due to tremors when walking across the bridge. However these tremors have now been fixed and it’s safe to cross, although it still has the nickname of the Wobbly Bridge. It’s also famous from the Harry Potter film the Half-Blood Prince, where the bridge is attacked by Death Eaters and collapses.
St. Dunstan in the East
The little church, St Dunstan in the East was designed by Christopher Wren (many buildings in London were designed by him after the great fire). However, it was then destroyed during World War 2 and now remains as ruins with a beautiful garden growing up and around the stonework. It is small but can get busy, you may also find grey squirrels in the gardens too!
Tower Bridge
Although it costs to climb up and walk along inside the bridge, it is free to walk along the bridge at ground level. Yes, being inside is exciting and gives you good views, however if you want great photos of the bridge you will want to walk along the river to get the best views to tower bridge.
King’s Cross Platform 9 3/4
King’s cross station is worth visiting for any Harry Potter fan. The luggage trolley and sign prop is in the main station near the Harry Potter shop. You will often find queues to take a picture, but it’s definitely worth a wait if you’re a fan!
Free London Parks To Visit
There are many green spaces to visit in London, here are a selection of beautiful parks in London you may like to visit.
Hyde Park
One of the 8 royal parks in London you can enjoy an open water swim in the Serpentine Lido during the summer months or dip your toes in the Princess Diana memorial Fountain. You can also walk through the park and enjoy the greenery, children’s play parks and wetland areas.
Kensington Gardens
Previously attached to Hyde Park, this is now a separate garden which also has the Serpentine Galleries (the North Serpentine gallery was designed by famous architect Zaha Hadid) with free to visit art collections. Children will love the Princess Diana memorial playground which is based on Peter Pan, with a wooden pirate ship, sensory trail and play sculptures.
Richmond Park
Just a stone’s throw from Central London you will think you are in the countryside! Another royal park, this time with deer roaming around the parkland, the Isabella plantation and woodland gardens this is a national Nature Reserve with many important habitats for wildlife.
Greenwich Park
A beautiful park right beside the river Thames. Iconic views over the cities landmarks and home to the Prime Meridian, where longitude is zero and every other latitude and longitude is measured from. It is also a reference point to where GMT is measured from.
Children’s Playparks
You can find a great play park for kids beside the London Eye – The Jubilee Adventure Playground. Other great playgrounds include Archbishop’s Playpark near Westminster Bridge, Mint Street Adventure Playground and Little Dorrit’s. All are easily found on Google Maps.
Free City of London Walking Tour
There are several companies offering a free walking tour of London. These walking tours may be free, but if you enjoyed the tour then a tip as payment is expected. You can also find self guided free walking tours online.
Free Must See Areas In London
Chinatown
In the City of Westminster is Chinatown, an area of various Chinese restaurants, cafes and street stalls. It’s the centre of London’s Chinese community, with a beautiful wonder of shops and services.
Soho
Just beside Chinatown is Soho, it’s London’s West End and filled with theatres, expensive shops and restaurants, along with an interesting night life.
Portobello Road
On Portobello Road you will find the world’s most famous street market. Stretching a mile long on Fridays and Saturdays, it is open 7 days a week, although it’s shut on Thursday afternoons. If you have ever watched the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks then you will have heard of Portobello Market!
Covent Garden
Located in London’s West End Convent Garden is a shopping and entertainment hub. You can also find Convent Garden market here selling different products depending on the days of the week. From general market shops Tuesday to Friday, to craft markets at the weekend.
Abbey Road
The famous Abbey Road runs through the borough of Camden and City of Westminster. Made famous by the legendary Beatles, many people like to recreate the album cover featuring the zebra crossing.
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