Fun cheap things to do in London over a weekend
Recently, I’ve been getting lots of messages asking me about the best fun cheap things to do in London over a weekend. While there are many things to do in London, sometimes you might have no cash to splash. Trust me, it’s not the end of the world. Yes, London is indeed one of the most expensive cities to live in. However, luckily it has an enormous lists of free and cheap things to do! And I’ll tell you what, some of the best things in life do indeed come free, especially in this city. Check out my recommendations for amazing fun cheap things to do in London to make your weekend special!
P.s. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as we’d walk a lot.
Saturday
Portobello o’clock
First, start your day with the famous Portobello Road Market. The market is open every day other than Sunday but the main day is Saturday and I suggest you visit Portobello then. The market’s main hours are from 9am until early lunch. I highly advise to come as early as you can to get the most of it. Portobello is world famous for its antiques and collectibles, having Britain’s biggest selection to choose from, with over 1,000 dealers focused just on that.
The beauty of Portobello though is that everyone can find something for themselves, even if antiques are not your thing. Think clothes and accessories, both new and vintage, jewellery and of course food. From fantastic fresh ingredients to cook from to delicious meals and treats, like curries, burgers, vegan delicacies and weird treats like macaroons with cheese and chutney flavours. Many traders offer free food samples, no point of saying “No” to them, food here is really yummy. Portobello Market is a must-visit and a gorgeous free spot to enjoy, it will guarantee a great start to your awesome weekend!
Have a stroll in Hyde Park through Kensington Gardens
Next, head towards Kensington Gardens, walking passed gorgeous Notting Hill. Enter the park as soon as you see it and walk directly South. On your right, you’ll see stunning Kensington Palace that is the current active home for Prince William’s and Duchess of Cambridge’s family as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Walk through the beautiful palace gardens and continue your way South.
Next, you’ll see the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall that were both commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband Prince Albert. These are some of the most beautiful buildings and monuments in the world. Do make sure to stop and have a very good look at these stunning pieces of architecture and art. The memorial depicts a bronze statue of Albert surrounded by incredible sculptures. They represent “Agriculture”, “Trade”, “Engineering” and “Manufacturing” as well as “Africa”, “America”, “Asia” and “Europe”. It would have cost the equivalent of £10m if it was built in 2010. Royal Albert Hall is a stunning perfectly round concert hall. The venue has seen some of the most incredible events, performances and celebrities since 19th century. It’s an active hall and hosts over 390 shows each year.
Exhibition Road: My favourite London museums
As you continue to walk South, you’ll see some of the best (if not the absolute best) museums in the world: Natural History Museum of London, Science Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum. All three are FREE to visit and are absolutely extraordinary! These are, perhaps, the highlights of the fun cheap things to do in London. Natural History Museum will teach you all about dinosaurs, various species of flora and fauna, life and earth science, with an outstanding collection of over 80 million items. Head to Science museum for a dose of wonderful geekness: explore 300,000+ items of various machinery, such as spacecrafts and innovations of many industries. V&A Museum presents over 4.5m objects from around the world: from a cast of Michelangelo’s famous ‘David’ from the original statue in Florence to Greek columns and global royal jewelry.
Warning: you can and you should, if you have time, totally lose yourself in every one of these incredible museums. However, if your time is limited, make sure to stick to some deadlines. Otherwise you won’t have much time to do anything else on the day.
Dive into London nightlife
With evening approaching, it’s time to have some food and well-deserved drink. Jump on District or Circle line of the tube and head to Mansion House station. From here, head straight North to Shoreditch, in the meantime enjoying the views over St Paul’s Cathedral on your left side.
Shoreditch is a hub of creativity, all things hipster, funky food and nightlife. It is definitely not a representation of classic London and London in general. However, it is a very famous hipster area that is worth paying a visit to. I suggest you pop to Beigel Bake – one of the city’s most famous bagel shops that works 24/7 and serves the most heard of bagels with salt beef with mustard. Needless to say, they got this reputation for a reason and you have to try them! Afterwards, lose yourself in Shoreditch and Brick Lane, some of my recommendations to visit are: Queen of Hoxton, Boxpark and Dinerama. Many bars do 2-for-1 deal till early hours of evening or do promotional discounted drinks. Make the most of fun cheap things to do in London and ask bar staff about those great deals!
Sunday
(Almost) free sightseeing bus tour
Budget weekend filled with fun cheap things to do in London undeniably includes a city tour. Take an (almost) free sightseeing tour on iconic red double-decker bus to see the main attractions of the UK capital. Jump on either bus 15 or 88. Their routes cross perpendicularly in Trafalgar Square, with 15 going all the way from there to Canary Wharf while 88 taking you from Camden Town to Clapham Common. Get on 15 to ride along the river Thames. See famous Isle of Dogs, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Monument and St Paul’s Cathedral. I suggest to go as far East as Tower of London as that way you’d get the most beautiful bits before going too far East. 88 travels through Clapham, Tate Britain, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus and goes all the way to funky Camden Town.
The price of one bus trip is £1.50 and you can make a second bus (or tram) journey for free within one hour since you started your first bus trip. Conveniently, kids under 11 travel for free as long as they’re accompanied by an adult.
Note: you can’t pay the fare in cash and need to use either a contactless bank card or an Oyster card. I’ll tell you more about everything you need to know about Oyster in another post.
Changing the Guard
See the world’s most famous palace and a residence of Queen Elizabeth II having its guards change in a beautiful ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace. I suggest to get here by 10:30am as the square gets very busy, with hundreds of tourists and locals flooding the area daily. The best sports to take are either straight in the middle of the gate in from of Buckingham Palace or The Victoria Memorial. From there, you’d be able to see above the crowd. The ceremony starts at 10:45 and lasts about 45 mins with new guards replacing the old guards, marching and playing music as this happens. It is a beautiful ceremony, where guards wear their traditional uniform with traditional Bearskin Hats, accompanied by a wonderful orchestra of classical music. Make sure to check the exact dates and times here as they may vary.
Note: beware of thieves that might use big crowd as an opportunity, keep all of your belongings with you tight.
St James’ Park
Walk through the Mall – a beautiful street connecting Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square – and pop to wonderful St James’s Park. Enjoy amazing flora and fauna of the park with pelicans who have been living there for 400+ years, see beautiful Duck Island Cottage and maybe even a fox, if you are lucky!
The National and / or The National Portrait Gallery
As you come out through Admiralty Arch, you arrive to the heart of London – Trafalgar Square. Here, it is a must take a picture of two with the famous lions in front of The National Gallery. Next, head to either to The National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery which is just around the corner. Or why not visit both? These galleries are free to visit and have some of the most extraordinary and fantastic art collections you’ve ever seen, I bet you.
Check our The National Gallery to see over 2,300 paintings from altarpieces to the Impressionists, to admire works by incredible Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Picasso, Michelangelo, Monet and Van Gogh. Try to get there by 11:30 or 14:30 to join the free gallery tour that is run daily. See more free events here.
National Portrait Gallery offers an incredible collection of portraits of some of the most amazing men and women who influenced history and culture. Think, Queen Elizabeth II, King Henry VIII, Rembrandt, Anne Boleyn, William Shakespeare as well as modern-day celebrities and influencers such as Dame Judi Dench and Dame Margaret Smith. With 250,000 paintings, photographs and sculptures, the gallery holds the largest collection of portraits in the world. See more details on the current exhibitions here.
Tip: check out superb Portrait Restaurant and Bar that offers a wonderful view over Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and London Eye! Come here for a tea break before you take off to more adventures!
Soho
By the time you finish with the galleries, it’s time to think about your evening plans. For that, I suggest you walk to Soho – the heart of London’s food, drink, performances and nightlife. The area is sometimes portrayed for tourists as unsafe and vulgar but trust me, while it’s indeed a hub of sex shops and all things kinky, it is full of culture, fun and some of the best bars and restaurants of London.
Get lost in the streets of Soho and try any place you like the look of – whether a restaurant in Dean Street or one of many theatres in the area (they sometimes sell great last-minute deals for performances). Visit mini-China by heading to China Town – the area with over 70 restaurants with the best Asian treats and shops. Or try one of my picks: Bao – their signature buns from £4.50 are to die for; Vinoteca – a wine bar with over 350 wines on offer; The O Bar – Soho’s most famous bar / club spread across three floors that does happy hour every day. Maybe browse some sex shops and bookstores, their staff is very friendly and doesn’t bite, don’t worry. Most importantly, relax and enjoy your time!
