London is the Capital City of England, and it’s quite an expensive place to live, and can be expensive to visit as a general rule, but there are actually quite a lot of things you can do there which are free. I’d advise getting a travel pass if you’re planning on zipping around to lots of places unless you really enjoy walking as the travel pass will let you move around on bus or tube within the zones of London much more cheaply than if you have to pay for each journey separately. Having said that, some of the places listed below are actually very close together, don’t be fooled by looking at a tube map and thinking that it’s all a long way apart, sometimes it’s actually easier and quicker to walk than you might think!

A good map showing where a lot of these places are is this one: http://www.england-hotel-reservations.net/images/key_bus_routes_big.jpg

See the Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall. People line up outside Buckingham Palace. Trumpets, stallions, officers in polished breastplates and helmets, it’s a real site to see. Takes place 11am Mon-Sat and 10am Sundays.

Visit Covent Garden where Street Theatre was invented. London’s best licensed ‘buskers’ perform on the portico and the piazza there, and at the weekends, you will find lots of market stalls appearing. You can see everything from mime to musical talent, juggling to well, every sort of street performance you can think of.

Lots of well-known jazz classical and world music artists perform on Saturdays in the National Theatre foyer on the South Bank. This is normally around lunchtime before the afternoon theatre performances begin. Obviously the theatre performances themselves cost, but there’s nothing to stop you from enjoying the foyer performances for free. St Paul’s Cathedral, St Martins in the field, and St James’ church also often hold free lunchtime concerts of classical music, so if you fancy this, give them a ring and find out what’s happening when.

If you enjoy walking, then there are lots of lovely walks that you can do in London, you could stroll down the Thames, if you start at Waterloo bridge going south, you’ll have the houses of parliament and big ben on your right, Somerset House and St Pauls on your left, and the Southbank Centre directly ahead. Turn left and continue along the Thames to Sir Norman Fosters Millennium Bridge, where you can stop, turn and look back at The Shakespeare Globe Theatre which looks pretty stunning. There are also lots of parks to walk in too, from Hyde Park, St James Park, and Greenwich Park over in the South East of London.

All the larger museums in London were made free entry back in 2001 and now only ask you to make a donation if you can. This includes the British Museum, Victoria and Albert, Science Museum, Natural History Museum in the heart of London, and the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.

A lot of the Gallerys were also made free at the same time, so even on a tight budget you can now visit the National Gallery at Trafalgur Square, and view some of our national treasures. Don’t forget to stop outside too and take a look at Trafalgur Square itself, where you can see Nelsons Column and the magnificent Lions beneath, as well as feeding the pigeons that live there, and will perch on your hand to eat seed. The Tate Modern Gallery in Bankside is also free, and well worth a visit if you get time with everything else on your busy free schedule. It’s linked to St Paul’s Cathedral via the Millennium Bridge, and is spread over seven floors. There you can see works by some of the most influential and famous artists of the modern age including Picasso, Dali and Bacon. On the top floor is a café which offers a breathtaking view of London and the Thames.