the weird and wonderful
Unusual and hidden free things to do in London
The London the guidebooks skip. A bombed church turned sunken garden, a candlelit architect's house crammed with treasures, a neon graveyard out east and the little noses hidden around Soho. All free, all odd, all worth the detour.
FREE
Unusual and hidden free things to do in London
LONDON FREE GUIDEThe list
1
St Dunstan in the East
City of London · Monument
A bombed-out City church left as a public garden, with climbing plants threading through the ruins. Free, peaceful and pure magic.
Daily · roughly 8am to duskFull details →
2
FREELONDON FREE GUIDE
Sir John Soane's Museum
Holborn · Holborn
An architect's labyrinthine home crammed floor to ceiling with antiquities, free in Holborn. One of London's strangest, best free hours.
Wed–Sun 10am–5pmFull details →
3
God's Own Junkyard
Walthamstow · Walthamstow Central
A dazzling warehouse crammed with salvaged neon signs in deepest Walthamstow, free to walk into, with a cafe and bar among the glowing chaos. Weekends only.
Fri–Sun only · roughly 11am–9pm · closed Mon–ThuFull details →
4
Leake Street Tunnel
Waterloo · Waterloo
London's only legal graffiti tunnel, under the platforms at Waterloo. Started by Banksy, repainted constantly, and you are welcome to bring your own spray.
Open access · lit · artists about most daysFull details →
5
FREELONDON FREE GUIDE
Postman's Park
City of London · St Paul's
A tiny, tucked-away City garden with the most quietly moving thing in London: a wall of ceramic tiles remembering ordinary people who died saving others.
Daily · roughly 8am to duskFull details →
6
Neal's Yard
Covent Garden · Covent Garden
A tiny, riotously colourful courtyard hidden off the streets of Covent Garden. Free to find, if you can spot the alley, and the prettiest two minutes in the West End.
Always open · cafes have their own hoursFull details →
7
FREELONDON FREE GUIDE
Seven Noses of Soho
Soho · Tottenham Court Road
A set of plaster noses stuck to buildings around Soho in a 1990s art protest, now a free self-guided treasure hunt across the West End.
Always there to huntFull details →
8
Little Venice
Maida Vale · Warwick Avenue
A tranquil canal basin where Regent's and Grand Union meet, free to stroll, lined with willows, painted narrowboats, a floating cafe and a puppet theatre on the water.
Towpaths always openFull details →
More guides
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.
Get it in your inbox
One email a week with the best free things to do in London this weekend. Before everyone else finds them.
No spam. One tap to leave. We never sell your email.