Top 5 Free Things To Do In London

I love to travel but like many I don't have unlimited funds. I do not like to spend a lot of money when I travel. The less on spend on a single destination the more I get to see. My London trip was planned on my way to Morocco. Seeing that I would have a layover in London I decided to reschedule my outbound flight and decided to stay for four days. I decided to do London as cheap as possible. I probably could have cut a few more corners but I did want to treat myself a little bit.

Accommodation: Instead of booking a hotel or checking out Air BNB I decided to try out the Couchsurfing app. Couchsurfing is pretty handy. Hosts make accounts offering a place to stay and travelers can post when they will be in a particular city. They offer verified accounts and stays are always free. If you do stay with someone I recommend bringing them a gift, cooking a meal or taking them out to dinner. That being said I stayed with a nice guy in East Ham with his other tenant. He gave me my own room and keys to the house so I could come and go as I please. Not every situation is like that but I was very happy with my experience. So lets talk about free sightseeing.

1. Platform 9 3/4- Platform 9 3/4 is located (as any Harry Potter fan knows) at Kings Cross Station. You can take a picture for free at the trolley in the wall on the platform. There are also paid options available if you would like a professional photo. There is also a Platform 9 3/4 shop on site the station just built with it's newest renovation. It can get really busy so I would suggest getting there as early as possible during the day. King's Cross is a clean, beautiful station and the architecture is pretty impressive so even if you aren't a Harry Potter fan it's still worth a look.

2. Guided Walking Tours: Strawberry Tours London is absolutely fantastic. I encourage you to check them out. Their tours are free, donations/ tips to your guide are appreciated but there is no set amount. I think I tipped £10 and my tour guide was fantastic. They offer Landmark tours; London in a day and landmarks based on section of the city. The London in a Day tour is 6.5 hours long and the regional tours are all 2-3 hours long. They also offer niche tours like Street art, a pub tour, food tour, soho tour, and if you are like me you might want to check out my favorites which are the Harry Potter tour, the Ghost tour and the one I took last July, the Jack the Ripper tour. The tour guides carry a strawberry umbrella to be identifiable. All are very knowledgeable and well spoken. I got to see things in London I otherwise wouldn't have. The Jack The Ripper tour was held later at night and we ended in a market that had closed for the night but I went back the next day to check it out.

3. Changing Of the Guard: No free list is complete without the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It is a huge tourist attraction so it is recommended you get there early. This can be seen daily in June and July. The rest of the year, August - May you can catch them on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The ceremony takes place at 11am and is 45 minutes long. If you are a fan of Royal life or tradition this is a must see.

4. Notting Hill: If you are a lover of the movie like me then Notting Hill is a great spot to check out. I took the tube there and walked up to the Portobello Road Market. This is the market Hugh Grant walks through in the film. The house with the blue door from the film is also there. Notting hill has a good size Spanish and Moroccan population which is reflected in the shops and market stalls. You can negotiate the price of goods. There is a small street food market in the area as well. I went earlier in the day on a Friday and it was nice and calm.

5. London Markets: For those of you that love to shop London has several Markets. I am going to touch on only two of them.

The Borough Market: has been in the same general space for approximately the past 1000 years. The market says it first opened in 1014 though the first mention of it is dated to 1276, regardless a really long time. Being London's oldest food market it is a hot tourist attraction. The market is covered so even if you get hit with a typically rainy day you can still enjoy the sights and smells.

Old Spitalfields Market: Located in the Whitechapel area of London this is the market my tour ended in that I went to check out the next day. This market is also covered unlike the one on Notting Hill so you can check it out rain or shine. There are fantastic food stalls so this is a great place to grab a quick lunch while you are checking out Whitechapel. Walking distance from the Tower Of London makes it an ideal stop before or after a tour there if you plan to spring for the admission, which I highly recommend. Just outside the Market is a Pub called The Ten Bells that has been a popular public house in 1666. It is thought that Jack the Ripper stalked some of his victims there as it was the last place they were ever seen. Today it is a nice place to grab a drink after a day of sightseeing.

This is only 5 of many things to do in London that wont cost you a thing. London is known for being an expensive city but if you do your research and plan well you can see London pretty inexpensively. I did all of these things and then treated myself to Tower Of London admission as it was always a dream of mine. I also treated myself to some really nice dinners. Sometimes cutting in some areas can allow you to splurge on others without breaking the bank. Happy Travels.