Traveling on a budget?

Don’t know where to go when you’re in London?

Read our first London On A Budget article and want even more great places to visit while you’re there – without breaking your wallet?

You’ve come to the right place. Gentlemen, London – as you may well know – is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. It’s rich in culture, and it’s simultaneously modern without sacrificing its history.

Because London has so much to offer, I wasn’t able to fit all of the great, affordable places you can visit in this city in my first article. So I’m giving you more.

Here are 6 more stunning places to visit that’ll provide you with some of the best experiences to have in London – some of which are free, while others are SUPER low-cost!

You can check out Guy the Gorilla, Darwin’s On The Origin of Species (arguably the most important book ever written about biology), the Barbary lion skull, and so much more it’s impossible for me to write it to you – you’ve just got to visit it! Apparently there’s something like 80 million items inside… insane, right?

Now let’s move onto…

2. War and Peace for Less: Affordable Explorations at the Imperial War Museum

Gentlemen, unfortunately I never visited the Imperial War Museum (IWM), a five-branched gallery spread all across England, three of which are in London. They’re supposed to be really f****** cool, showcasing England’s history of modern warfare since 1914. One of my biggest regrets is not going to at least one of them, so I highly recommend that you do.

Just like The Natural History Museum – or most galleries in London for that matter –, the IWMs are all free, with the exception of special exhibitions.

You want to visit these because they transport you into various wars and time periods throughout the 20th century, giving you a feel for what it was like to live in as well as survive those eras and conflicts.

One of the five museums is The Churchill War Rooms, which is right in Central London, and consists of the Cabinet War Rooms – the famous underground network that accommodated the British government command centre throughout WWII –, and The Churchill Museum, a fact-based gallery exploring Winston Churchill’s life.

If you’re into guns and the military, then you’ll probably have a great time here as the IWMs present London’s greatest collection of arms and hardware.

Everything from the naval guns, to the tanks - which developed INSANELY from WWI to WWII - and aircrafts on display - such as the Spitfire, one of the most lauded fighter airplanes of WWII - SCREAM excitement and espionage, since 20th century tech evolved so much over the course of these conflicts.

You’ll also see authentic WWII missiles (AKA Vengeance rockets), which destroyed just as many homes in Britain during the end of the 2nd World War as the Blitz, surveillance drones (the same ones used in Afghanistan to track the Taliban), secret war gadgets (i.e. James Bond reminiscent exploding briefcases, hidden cameras, microphone-concealing smoking pipes), and more from MI6!

There’s also a Holocaust exhibition for those brave enough to face something more somber and serious.

3. Serene Sundays: Relaxing on a Budget in Hyde Park

Another great, free place to visit if you’re into public gardens is Hyde Park, a heritage registered site in Westminster, Greater London.

This is a Royal Park, gentlemen, which means it belonged to the crown (for hunting or tenant purposes) until 1851, when the Crown Lands Act made it publicly accessible.

Long story short, it’s a gorgeous location to check out. Situated right next to Kensington Gardens, it is the largest of the green spaces interconnecting from Kensington Palace through Hyde Park, even going past Buckingham Palace.You also get to see (and potentially swim in or take a boat across) two lakes when hiking through this park: The Serpentine and Long Water Lakes.

Here you can see everything from colorful trees, to fountains, to gardens, to ponds, statues, monuments, and even houses!

You can also have a picnic or cycle through the trails – there are endless things to do, especially if you love nature.

The best part about this place - and pretty much every single park in London - is that they’re stunning all year round. During the spring, summer, and fall, you get to experience everything I mentioned above, and in the winter, the park has a Winter Wonderland festivity, which includes ice skating, a carnival, a huge Christmas tree, lots of colorful lights and fireworks, you name it, this place has probably got it - if you’re interested in this, it runs for about 2 months, November - January every year. This is considered to be the biggest and most renowned Christmas market in all of London, so definitely check it out if you’re there around this time.

In addition to the market, you have access to the stunning Italian Gardens on The Long Water Lake (between Hyde and Kensington Gardens), Apsley House & Gate, The Wellington Arch, Queen Elizabeth Gate, The Serpentine Galleries, Rose Garden, Diana Memorial Fountain, Parade Ground, Oxford Street (the busiest shopping street in all of Europe), and Harrods (arguably the most famous dept. store across the whole world, located just a short walk from the park), all for free!

There’s never something to not do, and each season brings something fresh to this location, so it doesn’t matter when you visit - it’s always going to look stunning and bring you lots of joy.

4. Budget Birdwatching: Discover Avian Wonders in St. James' Park

If you're into Pelicans, history, beautiful scenery (including lakes and greenery), renowned architecture, and memorials, then St. James’ Park is another great - and free - public playground for you to visit.

The most Easterly of the chain of Royal Parks, visiting this place is almost like visiting a museum because of its rich history, which goes back to the 1530s, when King Henry VIII was alive.

While this outdoor garden isn’t all that different from Hyde Park, it’s just as stunning and beautiful. Here you’re going to find so many different species of trees and birds that it’ll feel like you’re in South America or something.

The Blue Bridge - which arches over a lake - looks out at Buckingham Palace, The Shard, and The London Eye, so if you’re into sightseeing, photography, sketching, or painting, then this is a great view.

Speaking of Buckingham Palace, it’s right next to it, so there are a lot of attractions for you to visit before or after your journey to St. James’ Park - including (and not limited to) St. James’ Palace, Whitehall, Big Ben, and even the Imperial War Museum that we discussed. Lots for you to do here, gentlemen.

5. Picnic Paradise: Affordable Al Fresco Dining in Regent's Park

And last but not least on our list of Royal Parks is none-other than Regent’s Park. Located in Inner-London (the interior boroughs of Greater London), this public garden offers up some of the most exquisite views of not just its own grounds, but of the city in general. It’s located atop high terrain, so the views - particularly from atop Primrose Hill, which is 64 meters off the ground - are breathtaking, and you can see the whole skyline from here. Perfect for a picnic!

Aside from its parkland and lake - which include Queen Marie’s Rose Gardens - , the perimeter of Regent’s includes The London Zoo, and Regent’s University.

You can also access Regent’s Canal from here, and that’s a really cool spot to see as there are tons of boats that people reside in, and they’re all sort of lined up one after the other.

This is a great spot to either hike, cycle, or jog as its views are breathtaking and it’s a long waterway.

There’s also the Regent’s Park Open Theatre, which is almost a century old (established in 1932) and is actually one of the largest auditoriums in London, seating 1304 people. So if you happen to stop by here during theater season (usually early May till late September or October), then you might be able to catch some really cool performances.

You might also want to take a look at The English Gardens (I’ve posted a picture below to give you a microcosmic idea of how stunning they are).

St. John’s Lodge is also a great private residence to check out while you’re on the grounds - it’s owned by the royal family of Brunei Darussalam.

Winfield House, the residence of the U.S. ambassador to the U.K., is located in a private section of the park on the West (next to The London Central Mosque). Also a great place to check out.

Much like St. James’ and Hyde Park, Regent’s is located next to some awesome attractions, like Madame Tussauds London, The Sherlock Holmes Museum (AKA 221b Baker Street), The Magic Circle (an event Theatre), the British Museum, Camden Market, and tons more! So you can basically plan an entire day (or several) in this area, and spend very little.

6. Changing of the Seasons: Experience Buckingham Palace Year-Round for Free

And last but not least, the almighty royal residence and administrative headquarters of the UK monarch.

Gentlemen, you may not always be able to go inside - the palace is only open for internal tours from July till October -, and you’ll ALWAYS be able to check out the castle’s exterior, as well as witness The Changing of the Guard Ceremony, which happens at 11:30AM every day during the summer, and every other morning in the winter. This is free, by the way, hence why it’s so popular.

While the internal tours aren’t free, they’re quite affordable if you get the non-guided tickets, which cost between £20-£30 ($25-$37 USD or $35-$50 CAD). The guided tours are heftier, with a price tag of about £90 or more depending on the season.

Either way, checking out the landmark from outside is gratis year round, and that in itself is an impressive site. I myself did not go inside (though I plan to sometime in the near future) so I can’t speak for the internal experience, and judging from the photos, it looks pretty darn cool.

Alright, gentlemen, that’s it for this week’s blog post. I hope you got some value out of it, and please feel free to comment down below and / or on our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter-X - which you can also like and follow for more content like this. We’re always keen to hear your backpacking stories, as well as ways that you’ve overcome the limitations of budget travel, and viewed them as a challenge rather than a hindrance. Afterall, that’s what resilience is all about, right?

Until next time, stay classy out there, and have an awesome week!

London On A Budget Part 2: Penny-Pinching in the UK

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