Free and almost-free things to do across the UK
Museums that charge nothing, parks that beat any paid attraction, and the views Londoners pretend they don't know about. Curated for full-day visits, not quick laps.
Museums — London
British Museum
Two million years of human history. Free.
The Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, the Enlightenment Gallery. The deepest free collection in Britain — comes with the obvious crowds. Go on a weekday.
- Free entry
- World-class collection
- Open late Fridays
Tate Modern
A power station full of modern art, by the river.
Permanent collection is free. The Turbine Hall commission changes every few months and is the most reliable piece of free contemporary art in the country.
- Free entry
- Riverside terrace
- Turbine Hall
Victoria and Albert Museum
Design, decorative arts, and the best garden in South Ken.
The Cast Courts on the ground floor are the single best free room in London — full-scale replicas of European monuments under a Victorian skylight.
- Free entry
- Cast Courts
- Garden café
National Gallery
Western painting from 1250 to 1900, in one room after another.
Free permanent collection — Velázquez, Vermeer, Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Turner. On Trafalgar Square, so easy to combine with the National Portrait Gallery next door.
- Free entry
- Open late Fridays
- Audio tours
Wellcome Collection
A medical-history museum that keeps surprising people.
Small, free, near Euston. Permanent gallery on what it means to be human; rotating exhibitions punch well above their budget. Two hours, then a coffee.
- Free entry
- Reading Room
- Strong rotating shows
National Portrait Gallery
Faces of British history, recently and beautifully refurbished.
Reopened in 2023 after a major renovation; navigation is finally good. Free permanent collection includes the only known portrait of Shakespeare from life.
- Free entry
- Renovated 2023
- Rooftop restaurant
Views & walks
Parks & outdoors
Hampstead Heath
320 hectares of wild in the middle of London.
Parliament Hill has the postcard view; Kenwood House is a free 17th-century country home with a Vermeer. Three swimming ponds, free if you arrive early.
- Free
- Swimming ponds
- Kenwood House
Greenwich Park
Hill, river view, prime meridian. Free.
The view from the Royal Observatory hill is one of London's three best. The Observatory itself is paid; the hill is the point. Combine with Maritime Museum (free).
- Free park
- Prime meridian
- River views
Regent's Park
Roses, herons, and Primrose Hill at the top end.
166 hectares, formal gardens, the open-air theatre in summer (paid), Primrose Hill at the north for a sunset view that beats most paid London attractions.
- Free
- Open-air theatre
- Primrose Hill
Outside London
Kelvingrove
Glasgow's free flagship — and the museum that understands children.
Beautiful red-sandstone building, organ recitals at 1pm most days, a Mackintosh room, a Dalí Christ of St John of the Cross. One of the best free museums outside London.
- Free entry
- Daily organ recitals
- Mackintosh room
National Galleries of Scotland
Three sites, free, ten minutes from Waverley.
The Scottish National Gallery (Old Masters), the Portrait Gallery, and Modern One/Two. Together a serious half-day in Edinburgh, all free.
- Free entry
- Three buildings
- Walking distance
Manchester Art Gallery
Pre-Raphaelites that rival anything in London.
Free permanent collection with a Pre-Raphaelite holding to match the Tate. City-centre, on Mosley Street, easy to combine with the People's History Museum nearby (also free).
- Free entry
- Pre-Raphaelite collection
- Central