The Ultimate Guide to Exploring a City for Free

September 19, 2025
No Comments

One of the things I swear by is that travelling doesn’t have to be expensive and I wrote this guide to prove it. Every city I have visited so far has had quite a few free activities and they often turn out to be some of my favourites. Here is the guide on how you can explore a city for free and make the most of your travel budget!

After 3 years of full-time travel and 35 countries visited, I can confidently tell you that travelling doesn’t have to break the bank. Though people often think flights and accommodation are the most expensive items (I have guides for those too), activities can actually quickly add up.

But activities don’t have to be expensive, in fact many of my favourites are completely free! I will go through the many options that most cities will offer in this guide, so that you can plan your next budget-friendly trip:

This blog may contain affiliate links to support the running of the blog. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you.

Table of Contents

Things to Do for Free While Travelling

1. Join a free walking tour

“Free” Walking Tours are one of my favourite ways to get to know a new city, and while they are technically not totally free, they are still a fantastic way to explore one a budget. I usually just Google “Free Walking Tour” and the city I’m in and choose one of the best reviewed ones.

There are several great things about free walking tours:

They are super affordable. You tip at the end, usually around 5-15€ per person and depending on the city and cost of living.
You get to know the city lead by a local. There is no better way to explore a new city than from a local’s perspective. Most free tours will also give you a list of their favourite restaurant and other tips on things to do at the end, which makes them so helpful when travelling alone.
I almost always meet other solo travellers. Sometimes I go on these tours just to meet other people and 90% of the time it works. You will quickly notice the other travellers and it is easy to start a conversation when walking around together for 2-3 hours. A lot of the time I end up leaving the tour together with another traveller to continue exploring.
You have other people around to take photos for you. Whether you are solo travelling or want a shot of your whole group, a walking tour means there’s always someone around to take that photo for you!

2. Explore some free museums

Pretty much every city I’ve visited has had some free museums and they are usually such a great way to spend an afternoon.

In Europe especially, you will find SO many free museums and many more have deals where entry is free for students or under 26-year-olds. Great examples are the National Gallery in London, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Berlin Wall Memorial in Berlin, the list goes on.

Related article: The Best Free Museums in London for Art Lovers

3. Join some hostel events

If you are on a budget and looking for accommodation, I would often recommend hostels. Even if it is in a private room instead of a dorm, they are such a great budget-friendly way to see a city and usually offer tons of activities and ways to meet new people.

The best part about said activities is that many of them are completely free, or at least super affordable. From Yoga lessons to walking tours to events to creative workshops, hostels often have some incredible free things on offer.

4. Go for a long stroll

This may sound obvious, but the absolute best way to explore a new city is by walking. A LOT. I usually hit about 20k steps a day when exploring and it’s because I love seeing a city on foot.

You just see so much more than if you get transport and can explore some hidden backstreets or random local shops. In addition, I always feel like I get a better impression of what makes a city unique when I walk, because the pace is much slower and you are able to connect with locals. Plus, this is really the cheapest way to explore.

5. Visit a temple or church

Apart from some major tourist hubs, many temples and churches are free to enter and they are often some of the most beautiful buildings in a city. When I was in Japan for example, I spent a ton of time exploring temples. Partly because they have so many and partly because they were all so beautiful and serene and best of all, absolutely free.

Other great examples of famous free churches are Basilica di Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona, St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice and many more.

6. Find some street art

If you are in a city with lots of street art, you can do a kind of self-guided tour and explore them for completely free. I LOVE cities that have a lot of street art as they feel so alive and its always super distinctive to the city.

Some of my favourite cities I have explored the street art in have been Valparaiso in Chile, Berlin in Germany, London (of course) in the UK and Melbourne, Australia. You can search the city name and “self-guided street art tour” and some great walking routes will come up.

7. Head to a local event/festival

One of my favourite free activities to do in a city is join local events and festivals. A lot of the time entry is completely free and you get to enjoy the festivities together with the locals.

Biarritz is a great example for that. I spent a month there volunteering in a hostel and there was an event or surf festival on like every second day. I honestly had the time of my life.

Great ways to find these events are by putting city name and “What’s on” into google, looking for event pages for the city on Instagram (e.g. biarritzevents or cheapskate.london) or asking in your accommodation.

8. Check out the botanic gardens

The majority of cities have Botanic Gardens and the majority of those are free, which makes for an amazing activity when visiting a new city. I find visiting Botanical Gardens across the world fascinating, as each is super unique and showcases the flowers and plants of that country. It is also a nice break from the city, especially after a few days of sightseeing.

Some of the most famous free ones are Singapore, Edinburgh, Paris, Sydney and Washington, D.C.

9. Stroll through local markets

Local markets are another great, free activity. You might buy something while there, but it isn’t any extra cost if you combine it with e.g. lunch, plus you get some great affordable and local food.

Some places also have markets for things other than food, like the Central Market Hall of Budapest where you can buy clothes and souvenirs on top of local delicacies.

10. Head to a viewpoint for free vistas

Last, but by no means least, is heading to a viewpoint to see a city from a totally different perspective. I do this in literally every city I visit, at least where possible. If there is a hill or vantage point to climb, I will do it.

There’s just nothing better than seeing the skyline of a city from above at sunset. And unless it’s a viewing tower or something like that, it’s completely free too.