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.
Historic district in London
Greenwich
Also known as Maritime Greenwich
FreeCosts nothing to visit.
Greenwich is a riverside maritime quarter east of central London where most of the famous sights cost nothing. The National Maritime Museum is free, the Queen’s House gallery beside it is free, and the whole quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that costs nothing to walk. The Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory museum do charge entry, but the Prime Meridian line still runs through the observatory courtyard whether a ticket is bought or not, and Greenwich Park and Observatory hands over the same view of the river and the Canary Wharf skyline from its hilltop for free. Getting there is part of the saving: the Docklands Light Railway runs out from the centre on the same fare-capped contactless or Oyster card used across the rest of London, and a Thames boat down the river turns the trip itself into a sightseeing ride for the price of transit. Budget travelers take the boat or the DLR, walk the free quarter, visit the free museums, stand on the meridian line, and claim one of London’s best skyline views from the Greenwich hilltop without paying for it.
Practical
Before you go
- Address
- Greenwich, SE10 9HF 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.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch and one of the city's signature free sights. Nobody pays to stand at the gates, photograph the famous balcony, or watch the Changing of the Guard, which makes it a reliable anchor for a no-cost day in central London.
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.
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