It’s not a secret that London is hella expensive. Here are some proofs to make sure we’re on the same page. I paid £10 for an espresso and 3 mini cupcakes, and I mean… teeny tiny mini cupcakes; when in home I can probably buy around 12 regular size cupcakes from a good quality bakery (rolling eyes emoji please!). I paid £5 for snacking a plate of Dutch pancakes with warm Nuttela and icing sugar, take away, in a market, not in a fancy cafe when you can sit down in a comfy sofa with the fastest wifi ever. Another example, £11 for a regular lunch (burger, fries, and lemonade), super basic! Not to mention by the time I was there, more than 1.5 years ago, before all of the Brexit drama, the British Pound Sterling’s still very strong (£ 1 = around IDR 20.000). Now you do the Math!
But the truth is, behind these crazy price tags in London, this hectic city also offers so much free things to do and see. There are still a lot of activities that you can do in London without breaking your bank account. Most of the museums are free to enter, and I tell you, London takes their museums seriously! Sightseeing is also free. For example in Indonesia, if you want to see Borobudur temple you need to buy a ticket to enter the area and see the temple up close, right? In London you can stand as close as possible to the landmark without paying any penny. I mean, I can totally see why London is always flooded with tourists from all around the globe.
If you’re thinking twice about visiting London because it’s so freaking expensive, please don’t. Go ahead because London is simply amazing with so much free things to do. Here are just 20 of them!
1. Admire BIG BEN (both day and night)
2. Try to take a perfect LONDON EYE picture
3. See the TOWER BRIDGE fold up the bridge to let the big ship pass by (usually happen twice a day) or just walk across it
4. Get lost in CAMDEN & STABLES MARKET
5. Meeting dinos at NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM and admire the old building
6. Find PLATFORM 9 ¾ in Kings Cross Station and head to Hogwards
7. Visit BUCKINGHAM PALACE and find out if the Queen’s home (Hint: if the Union Jacks’s flying on top of the Palace, that means the Queen is out!)
8. Find Sherlock Holmes tiles in BAKER STREET TUBE STATION (This is tricky! You need to find the right Tube Line to find it!)
9. Make a phone call (or pretending to) inside a RED TELEPHONE BOX
10. Window shopping in OXFORD STREET
11. Watch the CHANGING GUARDS (watch your wallet as well! Apparently there’re pickpockets)
12. (Maybe) tease the HORSE GUARD
13. Learn history from around the world in the BRITISH MUSEUM
14. Go inside a PRETTY BOOK STORE (it’s called Daunts Books)
15. Drooling at BOROUGH MARKET
16. Find the famous rainbow houses in NOTTING HILL
17. Watch street performers at COVEN GARDEN (Whoops! Ladies, don’t be distracted by the store behind!)
18. Picnic in the PARKS
19. Spot the tallest building in London, THE SHARD
20. Enjoy the night in PICCADILLY CIRCUS
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25 comments
This makes me miss London :'(
Go back Wen! Solo! 😀
Great tips! I hardly ever go to London as the price puts me off, but it’s great to know there are still some fab free things to do to! Strolling around markets is one of my fave things to do anyway so yey for me! 😀
Yes Claire, that’s my fave as well! London’s markets are amazing. My fave is Camden, I spent 4 hrs there! LOL
Numbers 6 and 16 are both musts on my list when I (eventually) visit London! Thanks for this. Beautiful photos!
Thanks! Platform 9 3/4 is funny to watch though. There are 2 officers, one for taking your pictures, and one for flying the scarf! Haha
I was overwhelmed with how many tourists there were flooding every attraction we went to…I ended up high-tailing it out of London pretty quickly and haven’t been back…. Maybe one day…
Brighton was more my pace 😉
Hi Nicole! Yeah London is always busy and crowded! And omg yes, I wanna visit Brighton as well, it seems super chill and relaxing! 😀
I’ve done 7 from the list. I’m def saving this for next time.
Wow, thanks Bee! 😀
Wow! Perfect post and perfect shots! I always love your travel tips! i save it for my next London adventure 😛 Thanks for sharing!!
Ira, thanks so much! Hope it’ll help! 😀
Okay, first of all – these pictures are insanely gorgeous. I’m especially fascinated with the building of the natural history museum, wow. 2nd – great article, i think these are especially useful because everyone benefits from it.
Thank you so much! And yeah, Natural History Museum’s building is so amazing indeed! 😀
What an awesome list of things to do! A friend of mine lives on Baker Street and I absolutely love strolling around that area – Regent Park is so gorgeous on a (rare) sunny day!
Thanks Flo! Hahaha yeah, London’s weather is a lil’ bit crazy! I love walking around Baker Street/Marylebone area as well, it’s pretty cool area!
Oh gosh that Bookstore is heaven! Definitely checking out the next time I go!!!!
Hi Carly! Yes, you definitely should check that out! It’s a travel-bookstore, a heaven for us who love to travel! Haha 😀
Loved this post because most people think London is so expensive, but there’s actually a lot of free things to do! I’d love to explore Camden more next time I visit. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Diana! I spent 4 hrs in Camden market, that was insane! There are so much interesting things to see. 😀
I’m from London and your post is making me miss it so much! You’re right about how expensive it is (imagine having to live there everyday, travel prices are the worst too!) You’ve covered so much ground in this post, although I wouldn’t really want to pose in one of those phone-boxes for long… they usually smell like piss haha.
Hi Natasha! Where are you living now? Yes, I can imagine how though to live there in London. Btw, thank God I didn’t really go in the telephone box! LOL
Love the list! I did about 10 of those things when I went 2 years ago. Didn’t get to go to the museum, will have to check it out next time!
Hi! Thank you Tay! The museums are always packed since they’re free. But the collections are amazing and the building itself is so beautiful! 😀
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