Free things to do in London

[snuffy]

smallpaul said:

While not quite free, get a oyster card delivered before travelling.

That was true once, but not now.

Several years ago, I did just that, ordered one before a weekend stag do from oop North. Whilst all the others were pissing around buying tickets, I had none of that.

But now, you can just tap with your debit card, phone or whatever.

But for me, because I've a brightly coloured Oyster card (not a plain blue one), I still like using mine!

[Cotty]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Many of the stations on different lines are really close, something that i think they now highlight on the tube map. Worth looking out for. Getting out at one station and walking 5 mins to another before continuing your journey can save you a tonne of time. And don't get the tube from Queensway to Bayswater!

Here is a tube map that gives walking times between stations. By the time you have got down to the platform wait for the tube and get back to the surface you can often walk to the next stop quicker.
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/walking-tube-map.pdf

[Byker28i]

Borough Market, walk across the bridge, Brick lane, whitehall gallery

[The Mad Monk]

Cotty said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Many of the stations on different lines are really close, something that i think they now highlight on the tube map. Worth looking out for. Getting out at one station and walking 5 mins to another before continuing your journey can save you a tonne of time. And don't get the tube from Queensway to Bayswater!

Here is a tube map that gives walking times between stations. By the time you have got down to the platform wait for the tube and get back to the surface you can often walk to the next stop quicker.
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/walking-tube-map.pdf

Moorgate and Liverpool street on the Elizabeth Line.

One end of the platform is Moorgate, the other end is Liverpool Street.

[B'stard Child]

Cotty said:

B'stard Child said:

On the subject of walks - If you’ve got kids with you (or even if you haven’t) play hunt the “sculpture in the city”

https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/

In it’s 18th year and I think we’ve done it every year

There is one happening at Canary Wharf but they have not released the trail map yet. I think there will only be 25 sculptures
https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/paws-on-the-wharf/

Thanks - didn't know about that one although it will be interesting to see if they are the same base dog painted in different colours

[Cotty]

B'stard Child said:

Thanks - didn't know about that one although it will be interesting to see if they are the same base dog painted in different colours

Thats the usual way of these things. When they did the Morph Sculptures recently, same scupture different artists.

[AC43]

B'stard Child said:

Cotty said:

B'stard Child said:

On the subject of walks - If you’ve got kids with you (or even if you haven’t) play hunt the “sculpture in the city”

https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/

In it’s 18th year and I think we’ve done it every year

There is one happening at Canary Wharf but they have not released the trail map yet. I think there will only be 25 sculptures
https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/paws-on-the-wharf/

Thanks - didn't know about that one although it will be interesting to see if they are the same base dog painted in different colours

Another top tip; don't try to catch an Elizabeth Line train from Liverpool St. Much easier from Moorgate...

As others have said, walking is fantastic free way to get around and see the city.

One walk I really enjoy is walking from the Eye to the Tate, over the bridge to St Paul's then back to Embankment Tube via Fleet St.

My daughter's very interested in design an architecture so the other we walked from City Thameslink to 1 New Change and then onto the Guildhall. In the basement of the (free) art gallery there are the remains of a Roman amphitheatre (who knew?). From there down Gresham St then round the back of the Bank of England to Tower 42 and on to Bishopsgate. Here there's a least one free viewing platform but I cheated by taking her to Sushi Samba in the Salesforce tower from where you get amazing views of East and South London as the lights go down. You can see the new Spurs ground in the distance, Spitalfields, Brick Lane, The Brewery, you have the Cheesegrater below you, the Gherkin alongside and you can see Tower Bridge, the Shard and Crystal Palace,

The other day my wife wanted to look at sofas. We started in Loaf somewhere south of the River and ended up in Heals on Tottenham Court Road. Stopped for lunch near Soho.

I've often walked from the City to the West End and vice versa

TL;DR waking is great and it's free.

[essayer]

Nobody has recommended walking along Oxford Street to marvel at the shops

[AC43]

essayer said:

Nobody has recommended walking along Oxford Street to marvel at the shops

I've never been a fan of it and now it's worse than ever. Best thing to is walk across it on the way to somewhere more interesting - like Marylebone to the north for example. That's worth exploring on foot. Or Soho to the south. Or the stuff around Regents St.

[vixen1700]

Good shout with Columbia Road flower market, my mrs.is contantly buying house plants from there.
It can get absolutely rammed there though, so be aware if you don't like crushes/crowds.

The Docklands Museum at Canary Wharf is free (well a small donation) and quite interesting.

[miniman]

ClaphamGT3 said:

The Design Museum in the old Commonwealth Centre on Kensington High Street

This is a great shout.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

The Mad Monk said:

Cotty said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Many of the stations on different lines are really close, something that i think they now highlight on the tube map. Worth looking out for. Getting out at one station and walking 5 mins to another before continuing your journey can save you a tonne of time. And don't get the tube from Queensway to Bayswater!

Here is a tube map that gives walking times between stations. By the time you have got down to the platform wait for the tube and get back to the surface you can often walk to the next stop quicker.
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/walking-tube-map.pdf

Moorgate and Liverpool street on the Elizabeth Line.

One end of the platform is Moorgate, the other end is Liverpool Street.

Yup, similar on the Elizabeth line for Farrigdon & Barbican. The Tottenham Court Rd station entrance on the Elizabebth line is half way to Oxford Circus.

[Wacky Racer]

If you are going to visit the Beatles Abbey Road zebra crossing at Abbey Road studios on the tube don't get off at Abbey Road which is miles away, use St John's Wood.


The Covent Garden street performers. (Chuck some coins in their hat)

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Wacky Racer said:

If you are going to visit the Beatles Abbey Road zebra crossing at Abbey Road studios on the tube don't get off at Abbey Road

Getting off the tube at Abbey Road would be tricky as there's no station by that name.

[Mobile Chicane]

The King's Road is entertaining for window shopping and people watching.

There is always, always someone to laugh at.

Often nice cars too.

[Tango13]

miniman said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

The Design Museum in the old Commonwealth Centre on Kensington High Street

This is a great shout.

I visited The Design Museum a few times when it was in Shad Thames, I'd go for a particular exhibition and discover they had something else on show that was equally interesting.

[snuffy]

Museum of London Docklands is good. Me and missus went a couple of years ago. The mouse tooling around under our feet in the cafe was quite amusing, but then the missus was encouraging it by putting crumbs down for the little chap !

[Cotty]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Wacky Racer said:

If you are going to visit the Beatles Abbey Road zebra crossing at Abbey Road studios on the tube don't get off at Abbey Road

Getting off the tube at Abbey Road would be tricky as there's no station by that name.

There is a DLR station called Abbey Road, I think thats the one people get confused by.

[White-Noise]

Off topic, but OP, you mentioned a couple of other threads that inspired you to start this one. Would you mind sharing please, I'd be interested in other stuff? Tks

[B'stard Child]

LeoSayer said:

Visit some normally closed buildings on open house day
https://open-city.org.uk/open-house-festival-2024

Only missed one Open House London is the past 20 years - great weekend but following that rona thing less building are rock up and visit and more a pre-book or ballot - still some are turn up without booking but it's not as fun as it used to be

LeoSayer said:

Walk along the grand Union canal from the Thames to Little Venice which takes you past some great sites like Regents Park, London zoo, Camden Town and go to the cavalcade...
https://waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-get-invol...

Love that walk you are going thro the middle of London Zoo

Someone mentioned the Thames Path - we often stay in or around Victoria Dock and quite happily walk into London along side the Thames (if there is nothing specific that needs us to be somewhere at a certain time)