Rick Steves' Secret To A 'World-Class Experience For Next To Nothing' In London, Europe's Priciest City

Often making it to the lists of the world's most expensive cities, London can seem like a destination that is out of reach for budget travelers. A study carried out by Time Out on London's affordability underlined this point, with 61 to 65% of its survey's participants rating the capital's leisure activities — such as restaurants, live music, and nights out on the town — as too expensive for them. But before you start scouring the web for cities around the globe with the same London vibes at a lower price, renowned travel guide Rick Steves has a solution. On his website, Rick Steves' Europe, he said that London, pricey as it may be, has incredible budget-friendly experiences hiding in plain sight: its free museums.

Entrance fees to world-class museums can be steep — Steves notes that visiting Michelangelo's "Last Judgment," Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," and Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" in Italy can cumulatively set you back $50. That's why the free access to London's Tate Gallery, British Museum, and National Gallery is such a priceless gift to tourists — and a gift that keeps on giving for locals. Since 2001, the British government's Department for Culture, Media, and Sport has sponsored of a number of museums and galleries across the country, permitting locals and tourists free access to their collections. Rain or shine, this makes London the best city to explore for its indoorsy art and culture activities. Whether you're in the mood to browse dreamy Pre-Raphaelite artworks, deep-dive into Egyptian history, or jolt your senses with some contemporary installations, London sheds its reputation as an expensive city with these cultural gems that, as Steves assures, won't cost you a pence. "You can have a world-class experience for next to nothing," Steves says, if you go to one of these museums over London's more expensive tourist activities.

Visiting Tate Gallery's London-based institutions, Tate Britain and the Tate Modern, hits two birds with one stone. Both free to the public, the Tate Britain allows visitors a stroll through 500 years of British art via an impressive collection dating back to the 16th century. After having his bequest of 65 paintings from his 19th-century art collection turned down by the National Gallery due to lack of space, industrialist and art collector Henry Tate founded Tate Britain in 1889. Tate's art acquisitions, notably John Everett Millais' "Ophelia," are among the museum's most famous artworks.

Just 20 minutes away by car across the river, the Tate Modern houses a worldly collection of modern and contemporary art — "an entertaining cocktail of Dali, Picasso, Stella, pop art, and Dada," as Rick Steves described in his London: Mod and Trad video. Both institutions are free to visit, and don't need any prior reservations. Relatively crowd-free, Tate Britain gives you room to browse its collection in peace, especially on Thursday or late Sunday afternoons, while the Tate Modern is best visited during late Friday nights to avoid the burgeoning weekend crowds.

Considered one of Europe's finest museums, the National Gallery spans European artworks from 1250 to 1900, with Steves noting how visitors can start at medieval altarpieces and traverse Renaissance, Baroque, and Impressionist periods without ever crossing the channel — or paying an entrance fee, for that matter. With more than 2,600 paintings and works of art — a far cry from the 36 tableaus it housed when it opened in 1824 — the National Gallery has more beauty than one could possibly absorb in a single visit. Aim for a midweek morning or late in the day for fewer crowds, or take advantage of late Friday nights, when the museum is open until 9 p.m.

The British Museum is Rick Steves' pick for the best free London museum. Not only is it free, but the travel guru expressed his admiration on his website, Rick Steves' Europe, for the museum, particularly its remarkably preserved glass-ceilinged Great Court. The museum houses a staggering collection of works that span Egyptian, Assyrian, and ancient Greek civilizations. The Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, and a bust of Ramesses the Great are just some of the museum's most intriguing pieces — if these aren't to your liking, there are over 9,000 other historical and cultural artefacts dating back 2 million years to sift through.

In his video London: Mod and Trad, Steves said, "A visit here is like taking a long hike through 'Encyclopedia Britannica' National Park." If pressed for time, the British Museum's official website offers one- or three-hour "object trails" that take you through the most essential highlights of the collection, as well as a 30-minute trail tour that traces the reign of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. 

Though entrance is free, the museum advises booking a free timed ticket in advance, giving you priority entry over those without tickets. With or without a ticket, it's best to forgo a weekend visit to avoid crowds. Thursdays from opening time to 4 p.m. are as calm as it can get for a museum of this magnitude, as are noontimes. Otherwise, use one of Steves' secrets to avoiding crowds while exploring European museums by dropping in on Friday night, when the museum stays open until 8:30 p.m.