Borough Market
Borough Market is London's oldest food market, trading since the 13th century beneath the Victorian railway arches by London Bridge in London. Entry is free.
Palace in London
Buckingham Palace
Partly free, partly paidSome of it costs nothing, some of it charges.
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch and has been the sovereign’s main home since 1837. For budget travelers the good news is simple: the parts everyone wants to see cost nothing. The exterior, the gates, the forecourt, and the grand Victoria Memorial out front are all free, and so is the Changing of the Guard, the ceremonial handover of sentries that runs more often in summer than in winter. Watch it from outside the railings or, better, from the steps of the Victoria Memorial, which give a clear view over the gates and the balcony without paying a penny.
The only paid part is the State Rooms inside, which open to ticketed visitors during a short late-summer window when the monarch is away. Skip that and the palace is still a full free stop. Time a visit around the guard ceremony, then walk straight into St James’s Park, the oldest royal park in London, which runs off the forecourt and is also free. From there it is an easy free stroll to Trafalgar Square and on to Westminster and Big Ben, stringing several of central London’s best no-cost sights into one walk.
Practical
Before you go
- Address
- Buckingham Gate, SW1A 1AA London
- Good to know
Nearby
More in London
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Brick Lane
Brick Lane is the heart of London's Bangladeshi community, a curry-house spine through Shoreditch and Spitalfields that doubles as the city's loudest open-air street-art gallery. Free to walk, and one of the best-value corners of East London for a budget traveler.
British Museum
The British Museum in Bloomsbury is one of the greatest museums in the world, and entry to the permanent collection is completely free. The Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles, the Egyptian mummies, and the Enlightenment Gallery are all here.
Camden Market
Camden Market is a sprawling complex of connected markets, stalls, and food vendors around Camden Lock in Camden Town, north London. Free to enter, and one of the city's most visited attractions. For a budget traveler it is a full afternoon that costs nothing until the moment a street-food box is bought.
Columbia Road Flower Market
Columbia Road Flower Market is a Sunday-only street market in Shoreditch, East London, where vendors pack a narrow Victorian street with flowers, plants, bulbs, and garden supplies. Free to walk and browse, and one of the cheaper ways to spend a Sunday morning in the East End, especially when paired with Brick Lane a short walk south.
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a covered market and piazza in the West End of London, one of the city's best spots for free entertainment. The central market halls date from the 1830s, built to house what was then London's main fruit and vegetable market.
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