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.
Church in London
St Paul's Cathedral
Paid entryThere is an entry charge.
St Paul’s Cathedral is Christopher Wren’s masterpiece and one of London’s defining sights, the church where Charles and Diana married in 1981 and where state funerals are held. Wren rebuilt it after the Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the medieval cathedral on the same spot, and the dome he raised dominated the London skyline for more than two centuries.
Sightseeing entry is paid, and the ticket buys the cathedral floor, the crypt, and the climb up the dome. Inside the dome, the Whispering Gallery, the Stone Gallery, and the Golden Gallery offer increasing levels of panorama as the steps get steeper, more than five hundred of them to the top.
For budget travelers the smart move is to skip the admission ticket. The iconic view of the dome is free from the Thames: walk the footbridge from the Tate Modern side (the gallery itself is free to enter) and the cathedral lines up perfectly for photos. To see the inside without paying, attend Evensong, the sung daily service held in the late afternoon, where the choir fills the cathedral and there is no admission charge. Combine St Paul’s with a loop of free City sights: the rooftop Sky Garden a short walk east is also free, and the riverside path runs on toward the Tower of London. For the full free-and-cheap picture of the area, see the London guide.
Practical
Before you go
- Address
- St Paul's Churchyard, EC4M 8AD 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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