The Musical Museum in Brentford, across the river from Kew Garden. Not free but fascinating - music boxes, theater organs, phonographs players, Nipper (HMV and RCA mascot). https://www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/
Gods Own Junkyard is free unless you buy something and has a great coffee shop. Open only on weekends and sometimes closed for private events so check the web site. Far east side of London.
The Dorich House Museum near Kingston on Thames is the former home of sculptor Dora Gordine. An amazing 1936 moderne house. Open only on weekends and you should reserve a space. https://www.dorichhousemuseum.org.uk/
We went to the Sky Garden about 6 weeks ago. It was fabulous and free. You need to book online and they open up hew dates every Monday. We were up there around 90 minutes. Views are amazing!
The British Museum and The Tate Modern are both fabulous and free.
If you want to see inside Westminster Abbey for free just turn up for a church service.
The best ever free thing we did was attend the Tower of London Ceremony of the Keys (the 700 year old traditional lock up of the Tower that happens at 9.30pm every night). You have to apply in advance and itâs not guaranteed that you will be granted a ticket but it is so worth applying. One of the best views of the Tower of London is from outside Tower Hill tube station. There is also a fantastic giant sun dial there and a section of the original Roman wall. Just near there is the Seafarers Monument to all the Merchant Navy personnel who died during the wars. Itâs very moving.
Go and see Harry Potterâs luggage trolley disappearing into the wall at âPlatform 9 3/4â at Kings Cross station.
If you visit the Sky Garden, check out the London Monument right near there.
Youâve had some great recommendations. I would just add - walk up to Hampstead Heath(or take bus/tube and then walk). Your doggie charge will love the open space and you get some fabulous views across London from Parliament Hill. We are currently sitting for 3 months just a 20 minute walk from the Heath and enjoy going there for weekend walks. Also look at investing in a book of self-guided walks - we like âLondonâs Hidden Walksâ but if you Google London Walks I am sure there are plenty of other options.
@KC1102 The OXO Tower is also a great place for some photos of a great view of London. You can take the lift up to the 8th floor for free and then gaze out over the beautiful city. You can also eat and drink up there if you want to.
The Oxo Tower is famous for having the word âOXOâ embossed in the brickwork at a time when advertising on a building was not allowed. The building is now a series of shops, apartments and restaurants, but the brickwork and name remain exactly the same.
Get yourselves a Wise card or cards. You can have accounts in multiple currencies including UD dollars and British pounds. You should be able to top up your Wise account online from your US bank, then you can use the Wise app to convert your dollars to pounds. Youâll get a much, much better exchange rate than either your US bank or credit card provider. The Wise card is also contactless. If you think you might pop over to Europe itâs easy to set up a Euro account on the Wise app, then transfer funds. You can also set daily limits on amounts withdrawn or online payments, good protection. The app sends notifications of transactions for real time monitoring. I used mine extensively in the US, Brazil and Argentina and in multiple European countries.
When my husband and I go on a housesit we create a weekly menu so we know exactly what we are going to have each day and buy most of it before we go where we can. We even take any necessary herbs & spices, sauces etc with us to save buying any. You canât guarantee that the owners will have what you need. We do tend to fill the car so we are not spending unnecessarily.