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.
I think youâll find restaurants in London to be much cheaper than in the USA as the advertised price includes taxes, and service is only 12.5%. When in Chiswick, Iâd recommend a tour of the Fullers brewery for a fun half day. Brewery Tours â Fullerâs Brewery Online Shop
Iâm glad you are enjoying Hampstead Heath. I live 20 mins from there too. Have you visited Regents Park? There is also a lovely walk along the canal from Primrose Hill to Kings Cross.
Hi @KC1102. Londoner here for last 12 years when not sitting! Remember you can also use applepay or googlepay for public transport.
If you want cheap eats (although not eating out) try the app toogoodtoogo. Itâs food outlets and restaurants way to sell off dated goods cheaply. Itâll show you places near your location.
Avoid rush hour on public transport if you can - 7am-9:30am and 4:30pm-7pm as things can be a bit mad! And while London is pretty safe pick pockets do exist so be careful with wallets, phones and expensive watches in crowded places.
Use citymapper or the new tfl travel app to plan any journeys around London.
When in Chiswick itâs worth visiting Kew Gardens and maybe Richmond/Richmond park.
Have fun.
It sounds as though you should visit the Wellcome Collection in Euston then - fascinating. Good to combine with a visit to British Library (both are free) as they are a short walk apart. Thereâs an amazing Turkish cafe halfway between the two that does freshly made authentic food extremely cheaply. A little hard to spot (last time I took friends they were convinced I was marching them into someoneâs house as thereâs just a little sign in the window) but a hidden and non-touristy gem. Itâs called The Pitted Olive cafe.
If you happen to be in London or heading that way then an eye-opening interactive animal sculpture trail has arrived in central London. These lifesize animal sculptures are part of a free public sculpture trail that shines a light on the pressing problem of wildlife extinction.
The trail, which is on until September 18 2024 , features 11 sculptures playfully depicting animals in peculiar poses and settings.
I havenât read through this thread, so I donât know whether this is redundant: On Facebook (and probably TikTok) you can find short videos that show plenty of quirky and often free or low-cost things to see in London. You can do a search for something like âfree things to do in Londonâ and probably find such.
Personally, its algorithms serve up a lot of travel content to me, because I joined various travel groups on Facebook over the years. I tend to drop out after a while, but I remember there were great groups for specific cities that many folks visit, including London. There were even locals in one of the London groups, whoâd answer questions with details, including low-cost transit, walking tours by donations, lower-cost hotels, etc.
