After you’ve moved to London you’ve probably hit the coolest bars, been to countless restaurants and seen all the paid attractions in the city. Instead of sulking that you can’t enjoy what London has to offer anymore because you’re now strapped for cash and have to wait until your next student loan comes through before you can go out again, why not try to do something that won’t cost you anything and it’s still entertaining?
There are plenty of free things you can try out, things that will enrich your life and make you grow as a person. And London’s the best place to do it.
Visiting a Museum or Exhibition is the most rewarding weekend activity you can do. You can learn new things, broaden your horizons and see wonders of the world inches away from you. London’s biggest and most interesting museums are free. Whether you’re interested in old masterpieces (The National Gallery), modern art (The Tate Modern), history (The V&A), nature (The Natural History Museum), or science(The Science Museum), there’s a museum for you. Exhibitions, like the ones held at the Welcome Collection are also a good thing to look out for, as they change regularly and offer a more varied subject matter.
If you enjoy theatre, films and music, London has an array of free events to offer. At the Greenwich Docklands International Festival you can see plays, dancing numbers or music performances. The Scoop, near Tower Bridge is an outdoor theatre where you can hear live music, see plays or film screenings all throughout the day. Also, you can attend classical music concerts hosted by churches. Dozens of other free events can always be found in London after a simple Google search.
London is famous for its dozens of beautiful parks. Going out for a walk in one of them is a great way to escape the suffocating concrete jungle London can sometimes become no matter how much you love it. Your lungs will thank you for the fresh air, your body for the exercise and your mind for the well-deserved relaxation.
Self-guided walks are great for tourists wanting to see every London attraction from Westminster to Tower Bridge. But why not try one yourself? You can make it fun and choose spots that your favourite characters have been to, for instance. London is the home of many fictional heroes and if you’re a fan of any of them, it will be a delight to see places associated with them. Not to mention you’ll make all your friends back home jealous that you’ve been to Baker Street or seen a TARDIS. Alternatively, if no fictional characters interest you, you can delve back into history and go on a Jack the Ripper tour to see all the spots where he committed his heinous crimes.
Finally, reading is a very useful and worthwhile thing to do in London. Yes, you can do that anywhere but if you don’t have much time on your hands, those tube rides into Central give you the perfect opportunity to read more. Don’t waste those long journeys staring at the people seating in front of you but get a novel and let it transport you.
