Battersea Power Station: Opening Times & What's Free

The lowdown

For decades Battersea Power Station stood as a magnificent brick ruin, its four white chimneys familiar from the cover of a Pink Floyd album and countless films. After years of decay it has been restored and reopened, and while the chimney lift charges, simply walking into the building and around the riverside grounds is free.

Inside, the vast old turbine halls have been kept as soaring brick-and-steel spaces lined with shops, and you can wander them just to gawp at the scale and the preserved Art Deco control rooms. Outside, new parks and a riverside promenade run along the Thames.

It is a strange and impressive piece of industrial London brought back to life, and you can soak up the architecture without spending a penny. The walk along the river to or from Vauxhall, past the new district that has grown up around it, is a free outing in itself.