Free Things to Do in Central London W1: A Local Guide

There is a lasting myth that central London's smartest postcode is only for people with money to spend. In fact some of the best free things to do in central London sit right inside W1, among the Mayfair galleries and Marylebone squares. A world-class museum with no admission charge, a run of commercial galleries showing major artists for nothing, historic arcades, garden squares and two royal parks are all within a short walk of Oxford Circus and Bond Street. Here is how to spend a full day in W1 without paying to get in anywhere.

The Wallace Collection: the best free museum in W1

Start in Marylebone, a couple of minutes north of Oxford Street behind Selfridges, at Hertford House on Manchester Square. The Wallace Collection is a free national museum, open seven days a week, holding one of the finest collections of art in the country: old master paintings including Fragonard's The Swing and works by Rembrandt, Titian and Velázquez, alongside a spectacular armoury and rooms of French furniture and porcelain. It is entirely free, there is a beautiful glass-roofed courtyard for coffee, and it is quieter than the big-name museums across town. If you do one thing on this list, do this.

Mayfair's commercial art galleries

Mayfair holds the densest concentration of blue-chip commercial art galleries in Europe, and every one of them is free to walk into. Around Cork Street, Bond Street, Davies Street and Grosvenor Hill you will find the London spaces of major international dealers showing museum-quality exhibitions of contemporary and modern art, changed every few weeks. Nobody expects you to buy, the staff are used to visitors, and a self-guided gallery crawl through these streets is one of the best free afternoons in the city. Our guide to the galleries of Mayfair and Soho maps a route worth following.

The Royal Academy and Burlington House

On Piccadilly, the courtyard of Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy of Arts, is open to all and usually holds a large-scale sculpture or installation you can see for nothing. The major exhibitions are ticketed, but the courtyard, the shop and parts of the building can be enjoyed without a ticket, and it is a fine place to pause. Step next door into the Burlington Arcade, the covered Regency shopping arcade of 1819, still patrolled by its top-hatted Beadles, and the nearby Royal Arcade off Old Bond Street, both free to walk through and beautifully preserved.

Photography near Oxford Circus

Just off Oxford Circus on Ramillies Street, the Photographers' Gallery is the leading space in London dedicated to photography. General admission carries a charge, but entry is free on Friday evenings after 5pm, and it is free for under-18s, so time a visit for a Friday and it costs nothing. The ground-floor bookshop and print sales area are open to all at any time.

Window shopping and grand streets

Some of W1's best free entertainment is simply the architecture and the shopfronts.

Regent Street, John Nash's great curving Georgian boulevard, is worth walking for the buildings alone, and its Christmas lights each winter are among the best in London.
Liberty, the mock-Tudor department store on Great Marlborough Street, is free to wander and is effectively a museum of interiors in its own right.
Bond Street window displays are a free show of their own, and the surrounding streets are lined with plaques marking former residents.
Carnaby Street and the Soho streets around it carry the history of 1960s London and are lively without costing a penny.

Soho and Chinatown on foot

Soho rewards aimless walking more than almost anywhere in London. Wander Berwick Street and its market, the surviving record shops, and Soho Square with its mock-Tudor gardener's hut. Cross into Chinatown around Gerrard Street for the ornamental gates, the lanterns and the street life, which cost nothing to enjoy and are at their best in the early evening. Our Soho guide covers the area in more detail.

Green space in W1

For all its density, W1 sits between two royal parks. Green Park runs along the southern edge of Mayfair, free to all, with deckchairs in summer and a straight shot down to Buckingham Palace. A short walk west brings you to Hyde Park and, near Marble Arch, Speakers' Corner, the historic home of free public debate, busiest and most entertaining on a Sunday morning. Between the shops, the garden squares, Hanover Square, Golden Square and Fitzroy Square in Fitzrovia, give a quiet green pause.

Fitzrovia and the northern edge

North of Oxford Street, Fitzrovia is the least touristy corner of W1 and free to explore. Look up at the BT Tower, walk the Georgian terraces around Fitzroy Square, and take in All Souls Langham Place, Nash's distinctive round-porticoed church beside BBC Broadcasting House. Several W1 churches also host free lunchtime recitals during the week, an easy and civilised way to hear live music without a ticket; check the noticeboards outside as you pass.

A free day in W1, put together

If you want a ready-made route: start at the Wallace Collection when it opens, walk south through Mayfair taking in the commercial galleries and Bond Street, reach Piccadilly for the Royal Academy courtyard and the Burlington Arcade, then cut back up through Soho and Chinatown in the late afternoon, finishing with a stroll in Green Park. That is a full, rich day in the most expensive postcode in the country, without paying to enter anywhere.

For more on each district, see our Mayfair guide, Marylebone guide and Soho guide, or start from the W1 London homepage. Opening times for the free national museum on this list are published by the Wallace Collection, and the park details are on The Royal Parks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What free things are there to do in central London W1?

Plenty. The Wallace Collection is a free national museum in Marylebone, Mayfair's commercial art galleries are free to enter, the Royal Academy courtyard is open to all, and the Burlington and Royal Arcades, Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Soho and Chinatown cost nothing to wander. Green Park and the edge of Hyde Park sit right on the doorstep.

Is the Wallace Collection free?

Yes. The Wallace Collection at Hertford House on Manchester Square is a free national museum, open seven days a week, with no admission charge for its permanent collection of paintings, armour and French furniture. It is one of the best free things to do anywhere in central London.

Can you visit Mayfair art galleries for free?

Yes. The commercial galleries around Cork Street, Bond Street and Grosvenor Hill, including the big international names, are free to walk into and show serious work by major artists. There is no expectation to buy, and a Mayfair gallery crawl is one of the best free afternoons in the city.

Are there free museums near Oxford Street?

The Wallace Collection is a short walk north of Oxford Street behind Selfridges and is free. The Photographers' Gallery near Oxford Circus charges general admission but is free on Friday evenings after 5pm. Both are easy to fit around a day's shopping.

What can you do for free in Soho?

Soho rewards walking. Wander Carnaby Street, Berwick Street market, the record shops and Soho Square, cross into Chinatown for the gates and street life, and take in the neon and the architecture. None of it costs anything, and it is at its best in the early evening.

Is there any green space in W1?

Yes. Green Park sits on the southern edge of Mayfair and is free to all, and Hyde Park is a short walk west with Speakers' Corner near Marble Arch, busiest on Sunday mornings. Smaller garden squares such as Hanover Square and Golden Square give a quieter pause between the shops.