LIST: Free or Cheap things to do in London

Samantha's post got me thinking, and rather than let it get buried there I thought I'd start a list of free or cheap things to do in London.  I'm sure some of you Londoners know lots more than I do.   

Natural History Museum-well worth the visit, not just for the fantastic dinosaur collection. 

Science Museum-a huge museum with loads of interactive stuff

Tate Modern-a fantastic modern art gallery-next to the Millenium bridge and across the river from St.  Paul's Cathedral.   

National Gallery is free as well.  Lots of terrific art!

Yes lots of galleries & museums are free (except for temp exhibitions):

Museum of London
Victoria and Albert Museum
National Portrait Gallery (also has free film screenings and free music events)
Theatre Museum
Photographers Gallery
Serpentine Gallery
etc etc - there are lots of free smaller ones

Almost free: ICA (Institute for Contemporary Arts) - you pay a day membership of £2 I think.

A great way to see some of the sights on a clear sunny day is a boat trip along the Thames - most will cost you about £6 and leave from Embankment or Westminster piers in town and go along the river to places like Greenwich or Richmond.  There are also canal boat rides from Camden to Little Venice, similar price.

Some places you would expect to be free are NOT - Westminster Abbey is £5 I think and St Pauls Cathedral is £7.50 so be warned!

Highgate Cemetary is worth a visit, it is £2 to get in (if you don't have family buried there) and you can see graves of lots of notables including most famously Karl Marx.

Also free of course are the parks and open spaces: Hyde Park, Green Park, Kensington Gdns, Regents Park, Primrose Hill, Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park, Battersea Park.

The British Library is free and they usually have some very interesting exhibits.  The last time I was there (last year), they had an exhibit on Celtic Illuminations.

If you don't mind paying, Kew Gardens is lovely.  Loads of flowers and plants from around the world, plus the grounds are expansive.  Perfect for a nice long, contemplative stroll.  Prices are £6 (concessions) for adults with student IDs.

BTW, Kew will be putting on two Shakespeare plays soon:  Much Ado About Nothing (my personal fav) and Twelfth Night.  Admission is steep at £20/£18 concessions.

Oh! Oh! And if you're into ballet or opera the Royal Opera House does a few free performances during the summer.  This year they're doing Onegin in Victoria Park, Trafalgar Square and Faust in Covent Garden Piazza.  Tosca is also playing in Covent Garden and Canary Wharf.  Check out their website for info: http://www.royalopera.org/

The British Museum,  seeing the Elgin marbles, and the Rosetta stone were amazing.  Plus the 'reading room' made me get weepy, just an overywhelming site.

If you're doing the river trip to Greenwich as recommended by Britwife above (and I heartlily endorse her recommendation) you could take in the National Maritime Museum at the same time.  Also there's a little museum in the old observatory at the top of the hill with interesting chronographic, astonomical and navigational gizmos - and if you stand astride the brass plate there which marks the Greenwich meridian, you are in the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere both at the same time!  Also, if you do that, you will be absolutely due North of me - the 0 degree line runs through Lewes as well!

hi all....i know its not cheap but try the open top bus tours, we went one one when we were there for our interview, you can get on and off them all day for as long as they run your ticket last for 24hours and on the one we went on you get a free ride on the boats. but they do cost you £15 each.....ours was called the origional tour....
      jeannine & terry

The British Museum,  seeing the Elgin marbles, and the Rosetta stone were amazing.  Plus the 'reading room' made me get weepy, just an overywhelming site.

Thanks, tebs!  I was wracking my brain trying to remember if this was free.  I seem to recall you can make a donation but they don't demand one...so if you can, please donate so those of us who can't can still go!  (This of course applies to all free museums etc.)
When we went MIL made us a pack lunch, and we sat and ate it on the benches in front of the BM...it was one of those silly things that's a great memory later.  I can't wait to go there again!

the wallace collection is on my street.  that's free and supposed to be lovely.

hi all....i know its not cheap but try the open top bus tours, we went one one when we were there for our interview, you can get on and off them all day for as long as they run your ticket last for 24hours and on the one we went on you get a free ride on the boats. but they do cost you £15 each.....ours was called the origional tour....
      jeannine & terry

The ticket also includes a boat ride down the Thames.  Be warned though.. it's not um.. very exciting.  We were on the wrong side of the boat to see anything that the canned narration was describing.  I mean, it was a nice little 30 minute ride or something but I wouldn't pay separately to go.  We felt like we got it for free and that's about all we would've paid for it (aka NOTHING!).  The bus tours are quite good, especially if you are unfamiliar with the city and where things are.  The busses stop at all the big sites and you can just get back on whenever you want.  I've done 2 and they were worth £15 IMO. 

omg the free boat ride was kinda lame!  hehehhehe.  but we did it anyway!

I'm planning on doing at least one of the London walks - probably the Jack the Ripper tour first.  I believe it's only 5.50 pounds for the hour long tour...and it sounds like fun!

http://london.walks.com/

There are free classical music concerts Mon, Tue, Fri at 1pm  at St. Martin in the Fields in Trafulgar Square
I have gone twice, the acoustics and the setting enhance the music.  It's a great experience!

http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/jserv/home/index.jsp

I'm planning on doing at least one of the London walks - probably the Jack the Ripper tour first.  I believe it's only 5.50 pounds for the hour long tour...and it sounds like fun!

http://london.walks.com/

We did that walk when Stu's mum was here last year. At first I felt like a real DORK doing something so touristy but it was actually really interesting and it ended up right next to our favourite Indian restaurant which was a bonus!