Planning to visit London on a budget could initially give a Cheapo a nervous breakdown. But, as documented throughout our London guide, it is possible to live it up in London on a modest budget — with a little planning.
How? Besides the obvious (choosing a budget hotel, eating cheaply, and getting around with an Oyster card), you’d be crazy not to take advantage of London’s free museums and attractions. Most of the nationally-run museums and art galleries are publicly financed and don’t cost visitors a pence. It’s a beautiful thing…
9 must-visit free museums:
British Library
British Museum
National Gallery
Natural History Museum
National Portrait Gallery
Science Museum
Tate Modern
The Tate Britain
Victoria and Albert Museum
9 notable, free museums:
Bank of London Museum
Imperial War Museum
London Political Cartoon Gallery
Museum of Garden History
Museum of London
National Maritime Museum
Petrie Museum of Egyption Archaeology
RIBA Architecture Gallery
Sir John Soane’s Museum
2 fun and free attractions:
The Changing of the Guard
The Ceremony of the Keys
More budget help for London:
- Our article on budget tips for London
- The “London Free List” of free and nearly-free London attractions
- VisitLondon’s suggestions for free London attractions

London sure does a doozy on the wallet, which is why it’s so wonderful to find free and low-budget ways to pass the time! Your readers will enjoy even more ideas in my post “No-Budget Tips for London and Stockholm, Revisited.”
[...] hotel rooms all tend towards the expensive end. Some added bonuses however: there are a ton of free museums in London, tipping at restaurants is minimal (10%) and tipping at bars is not required. Because the [...]
[...] so did not have a choice in airports. As you may already know, many of London’s museums are free. 20 Free Museums My favorite free activity is Speaker’s Corner at Hyde [...]
[...] to spend the night in Bath. One of the best things about London is that so many places are free. Free Museums in London Paris is very walkable and if you do some research and have a map you can fill days and days with [...]
[...] here for more museum suggestions and much [...]
The museum of garden history is no longer free but I have compiled a new list of 40 free museums in London at http://www.whatsfreeinlondon.co.uk/free_london_museums.html