Quick Answer: There are countless unusual places to visit in London for free. A ruined church gone full jungle. A rainforest inside a concrete slab. A Roman arena hiding under an art gallery. Even a scavenger hunt for random noses glued to walls. All of them are free. A couple of them need a ticket booked first.
- Some free spots need booking, or you’ll turn up to nothing
- Free things to do in London aren’t just the big museums
- Most are a short stroll from a Tube station
- Weekday mornings, always, if you hate crowds
Best Places to Go in London Without Spending a Penny
You’ve enjoyed the Eye (cantilevered observation wheel), queued for the Tower, and watched some guards march about outside Buckingham Palace. Now what? Below are the must-visit places in London nobody puts on a postcard and, honestly, some of the best places to go in London if you want a story for the pub.
1. St Dunstan in the East
Located between Cannon Street and Lower Thames Street sits a 12th-century church flattened by the Blitz in 1941. Instead of patching it up, the City of London Corporation turned the roofless shell into a garden.
Ivy now crawls up the Gothic arches Sir Christopher Wren designed after the Great Fire of 1666. Yondle reports that it is open every single day, 8am to dusk. It is free. Turn up before 9am on a weekday, as office workers descend at lunch and it stops feeling like your own secret.
2. Barbican Conservatory
It is inside that grey concrete fortress on level 3 and there’s a rainforest. Over 2,000 plant species, koi carp gliding about, and terrapins doing their thing, all wrapped in raw concrete and glass.
The Barbican Centre calls it London’s second-largest conservatory, and it’s free but you need a ticket. They drop weekly on the Barbican’s website and vanish almost instantly. Set an alarm and refresh the page.
3. Postman’s Park
Named after the postal workers who used to scoff sandwiches here, this small park hits harder than it should. In 1900, artist George Frederic Watts installed a wall of hand-painted Doulton tiles, each telling the story of an everyday person who died saving someone else.
Alice Ayres gets mentioned most, as she pulled three children from a burning house in Southwark in 1885 and didn’t make it out. It’s free and open from 8am until dusk. No booking needed.
3. Guildhall Roman Amphitheatre
In 1988, some builders working underneath the Guildhall Art Gallery hit rock and realised it was Roman Londinium’s amphitheatre. Built around AD 70, it once packed in roughly 6,000 people watching gladiators go at it.
As per City Days, the ragstone and flint entrance walls are original. You’re allowed to touch them, and there’s even an old drainage sump still sitting there. Getting in means walking through the Guildhall Art Gallery, also free, so it’s two attractions for nothing.
4. Leadenhall Market
Traders have traded on this spot since the 14th century, though the burgundy, cream and olive-green cast-iron structure dates from 1881 and was designed by Horace Jones. Film buffs, this is Diagon Alley from the first Harry Potter film.
Wandering through is free at any hour. Weekends are less hectic since shops here cater to city suits during the week.
5. Sky Garden
Located on floors 35 to 37 of the Walkie Talkie at 20 Fenchurch Street, Sky Garden offers glass walls, planted terraces and an outdoor deck over the Thames, Tower Bridge and St Paul’s.
It’s free, but bookings open Mondays on the official website for slots weeks ahead, and sunset times go first. Missed the slots? Book a table at the bar instead.
6. God’s Own Junkyard
That Travel states that it is out in Walthamstow, in a spot you might not think to look, a warehouse rammed with neon. Old film props, retired shop signage, and glowing artwork are stacked wall to wall from decades of hoarding.
It is free to walk round, but grab a coffee at the café while you’re there. It keeps the lights on, literally.
7. Sir John Soane’s Museum
Architect Sir John Soane spent a lifetime cramming three Lincoln’s Inn Fields townhouses with paintings, statues and architectural oddities, then left it all to the nation on one strict condition: don’t move a thing.
The Picture Room has folding wall panels that swing open at set times to reveal hidden Turner and Hogarth paintings. It’s free, Wednesday to Sunday, and one of the more unusual things to do in London if you fancy feeling like a Victorian eccentric.
8. The Seven Noses of Soho
This one’s proper daft, but in the best way possible. In 1997, artist Rick Buckley stuck around 35 plaster casts of his nose onto buildings across central London, a silent protest against rising CCTV. He kept schtum until 2011, and by then most had already been chiselled off by annoyed building owners.
Only a handful survive, around Soho, Covent Garden and Admiralty Arch. Visit London says that there is a local myth that says whoever finds the lot comes into a fortune. Unproven, but the hunt is free.
Booking Lead Times Worth Knowing
Some of these need zero planning. St Dunstan in the East, Postman’s Park, the Guildhall Amphitheatre, Leadenhall Market, God’s Own Scrapyard and the Noses Trail – just turn up.
The Barbican Conservatory and Sky Garden are the tricky ones, as both release tickets weekly and go fast. Sir John Soane’s Museum can get a small queue at weekends, so aim for a weekday morning.
London rewards anyone daft enough to wander off the obvious route, and these unusual places to visit in London for free prove a proper day out doesn’t need a receipt. Group a few nearby ones into one loop. Check the booking windows the night before, and you’ll see a version of London most tourists never even knew existed.
FAQs
Q. Are there really free unusual places to visit in London?
A. Yes, spots like St Dunstan in the East and Postman’s Park are free every day of the year, no hidden catch.
Q. Do I need to book the Barbican Conservatory in advance?
A. Yes, tickets drop weekly on the Barbican Centre website and disappear within minutes.
Q. What’s the strangest free thing to do in London?
A. Hunting the Seven Noses of Soho, born from Rick Buckley’s 1997 anti-CCTV art prank.
Q. Is the Guildhall Roman Amphitheatre worth visiting?
A. Absolutely, one of the only spots to stand inside genuine Roman ruins in central London, free of charge.
Q. Which unusual free spot is best for photos?
A. St Dunstan in the East, no contest, ivy-wrapped Gothic arches framed by trees.
Q. Are these places quick visits or full days out?
A. Most take 20 minutes to an hour, so string a few together into one route.
Sources & References:
- Yondli – St Dunstan in the East is open every single day, 8am to dusk.
- City Days – The ragstone and flint entrance walls are still original in the Guildhall Roman Amphitheatre.
- That Travel – God’s Own Junkyard is in Walthamstow, a warehouse rammed with neon.
- Visit London – There is a local myth about The Seven Noses of Soho that whoever finds the lot comes into a fortune.
