east London, all free
Free things to do in Shoreditch and East London
East London does free brilliantly. The best street art in the city, three proper markets, a flower market on Sundays and a museum of childhood, all packed into a walkable patch of Shoreditch and Hackney.
FREE
Free things to do in Shoreditch and East London
LONDON FREE GUIDEThe list
1
Brick Lane Market
Shoreditch · Shoreditch High Street
A sprawling Sunday tangle of vintage, flea finds and street food in the East End, free to wander and brilliant for people-watching.
Sundays roughly 10am–5pm · some stalls SaturdaysFull details →
2
Old Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields · Liverpool Street
A covered Victorian market on the edge of the City, free to wander, with a different mix of stalls each day and some of the best street food in east London.
Daily · stalls and theme vary by dayFull details →
3
Columbia Road Flowers
Bethnal Green · Hoxton
An ordinary East End street that erupts into a wall of flowers and cockney banter every Sunday. Free to wander, a bargain by closing.
Sundays only · 8am–3pmFull details →
4
Broadway Market
Hackney · London Fields
A buzzing Saturday street market in Hackney, free to wander, lined with food stalls and independents and bookended by London Fields and the Regent's Canal.
Saturdays · roughly 9am–5pm · some traders SundaysFull details →
5
Shoreditch Street Art
Shoreditch · Old Street
An open-air, ever-changing gallery of murals and graffiti across the streets of Shoreditch, free to explore, where world-famous artists and unknowns paint side by side.
Open access · best in daylightFull details →
6
FREELONDON FREE GUIDE
Young V&A
Bethnal Green · Bethnal Green
The V&A's brilliant, award-winning museum of childhood in Bethnal Green, free, packed with toys, games and hands-on design made for kids but a joy at any age.
Daily 10am–5:45pmFull details →
7
Whitechapel Gallery
Whitechapel · Aldgate East
The East End's pioneering art gallery, free for over a century, the place that first showed Picasso's Guernica to Britain. Cutting-edge shows, no ticket.
Closed Mon · Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun 11am–6pm · Thu late till 9pm (Gallery Lates)Full details →
8
Victoria Park
Hackney · Hackney Wick
The People's Park, free in East London, with a boating lake, old drinking fountains, weekend stalls and a canal towpath that walks you all the way into the city.
Daily · roughly 7am to duskFull details →
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Guide
Free
The stories hiding above Clerkenwell's pubs
A free ~45-minute walk from Angel to Farringdon past six Clerkenwell pub signs, each hiding a story you'd never guess from the street: a prince replaced by a Tamil king, a freed slave in chains, a mystery mural, the man who funded England's first atlas, and a 400-year-old typo. Every stop is free to look at, this is about the signs, not drinking.
Guide
FreeEvery weekend
Go East Vintage Flea: a free vintage market in Bermondsey
Go East Vintage runs a free vintage flea market most weekends at Maltby Street in Bermondsey, plus an indoor edition inside the railway arches on selected weekends. Free entry, no ticket, dog-friendly, just turn up. Expect 40 plus vintage sellers with furniture, vinyl, cameras, fashion, jewellery and odd little treasures, right by Maltby Street Market's food stalls. Dates move around a little, so check Go East Vintage's Instagram for the exact weekend before you go.
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