Had a perfect $0 day in London last Wednesday

I was in London for work and decided to spend my free day exploring without spending a penny. Started at the British Museum (free entry!), then walked along the South Bank to Borough Market just to look around. Ended up at a free gallery opening in Shoreditch where they had free wine and snacks. Has anyone else found good free days out in expensive cities like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

williams.sage1mo ago

Heard a podcast a while back where someone mapped out all the free museums across London and parks that do guided walks for nothing. Really changed how I see the city. @the_harper is right about Borough Market being cruel for a free day, I tried to just smell my way through once and ended up cracking and buying a single cheese toastie that set me back like six quid. Westminster walk along the Thames is solid though, just watch out for the crowds.

the_harper1mo ago

Oh man, a perfect $0 day sounds amazing! I tried that once in London but ended up spending £5 on a sad-looking pretzel from a street vendor because I got so hangry walking between the free stuff. My free day turned into a "well, I saved on the museum so I can splurge on snacks" kind of day, which basically defeated the whole point. The British Museum is brilliant for free though - I spent like two hours just staring at that giant Rosetta Stone pretending I understood what it said. Borough Market is pure torture for a free day though, all those smells and samples you can't really grab without feeling guilty.

uma_williams29d ago

Wait, have I been doing London all wrong this whole time? I used to think you had to drop at least £20 to have a decent day out there, but now I'm wondering if I've been missing out. Gotta hand it to @the_harper though, that Borough Market mention hits too close to home, I've definitely sniffed my way through there and ended up broke.