London's defining feature for a visitor is that its greatest museums cost nothing. That is unusual anywhere and almost unique at this scale.
Free, and world-class
The British Museum — the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, Assyrian reliefs, the Sutton Hoo hoard. Enormous. Pick three galleries.
The National Gallery, on Trafalgar Square — western European painting from the thirteenth century to 1900, in a single walkable building.
The V&A — decorative arts and design, and the most beautiful museum building in the city.
The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, adjacent to it, both excellent with children.
Tate Britain for British art including the Turner collection, and Tate Modern in the converted power station.
The National Portrait Gallery, the Imperial War Museum, the Museum of London Docklands, the Wallace Collection.
Permanent collections are free. Temporary exhibitions charge. A donation is invited and is genuinely optional.
What charges
| Site | Worth it? |
|---|---|
| Tower of London | Yes — Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warder tour included |
| Westminster Abbey | Yes — the burials and the coronation setting |
| St Paul's | For the dome climb and Whispering Gallery |
| London Eye | The view is better and free from elsewhere |
| Kew Gardens | Yes, for a half day |
| Churchill War Rooms | Yes — the bunker is left as it was |
Free viewpoints instead of the Eye: the Sky Garden (booked, free), One New Change's roof facing St Paul's, Greenwich Park, and Primrose Hill.
The free city
The parks — Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Hampstead Heath, Richmond with its deer.
The markets — Borough for food, Columbia Road for flowers on Sundays, Spitalfields, Portobello.
Changing the Guard, on its published schedule.
The Thames Path, walkable for miles through the centre.
Neighbourhood walking — Shoreditch, Soho, Notting Hill, Greenwich, Hampstead.
Transport
Tap in and out with a contactless card or phone. Daily and weekly caps limit total spend regardless of journeys made.
Paper travelcards are almost never better value, and buying an Oyster card is unnecessary if you have contactless.
Buses are cheaper than the Underground and show you the city. The 11, 15 and 24 function as sightseeing routes for the price of a fare.
How long
Four days covers the centre and two or three museums properly.
London is very large and the temptation is to cross it repeatedly. Group by area: Westminster and the South Bank one day, the City and Tower another, South Kensington's museums a third, east London a fourth.
Practical
Accommodation is the main cost and the largest saving is location — zones 2 and 3 on a good tube line cost substantially less than zone 1 and add ten minutes.
Pub food at lunch is the cheapest reliable eating in central London.
Theatre — day seats and the TKTS booth in Leicester Square sell genuine same-day discounts, and matinees cost less.