A vacation in the U.K. can be quite costly, especially if you’re taking the entire family. Between airfare, accommodations, and food, you’re likely to spend thousands of US dollars. However, there are still quite a few things to do in London that cost absolutely nothing that you should take advantage of while on your trip. The top ten are:

1. Museums, museums, museums! In 2001, the British government provided the necessary subsidies and tax law changes to allow the doors of many of London’s top museums to be propped open for the general public without any admission fees. You could plan an entire holiday around these locations alone, which include: the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert, the Natural History and Science Museums, the Imperial War Museum, both the Tate and Tate Modern, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, Covent Garden’s Theatre Museum, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Prior to this incredible scheme, it would have been prohibitively expensive to take an entire family for a day-out at a museum. Now you can enjoy all of these and still have money for lunch.

2. The Changing of the Guard. The grand tradition at Buckingham Palace is a must-see for those visiting London for the first time. The music, the horses, the pageantry — it’s all there. Check with your hotel concierge or online for dates and times.

3. Street Markets. Besides Portobello Road on Saturday mornings (which is terrific for peoplewatching as well as browsing), there are over fifty other locations in the capital city to wander through, including Borough Market, Petticoat Lane Market, Camden Market, and Greenwich Market. Most are at weekends.

4. Visit the park. There are dozens of parks in which to stretch out and relax, provided it’s a sunny day! The largest, of course, are Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, Green Park and Regents Park. It’s amazing that there is still so much greenspace in the middle of one of the world’s largest cities, and it may be more grass and trees than your children see back home in the States. Take advantage of it.

5. BBC TV and Radio shows. If you have enough advanced time, visit www.bbc.co.uk/whatson/tickets/ and get tickets to see a recording of either a BBC television or radio program. There are several locations in and around London where these tapings occur, and while you may find yourself arriving early and standing in line for awhile, these free events are very entertaining and provide a backstage look at something you would rarely even see back home.

6. London bridges. A stroll along the Thames, both north of the river and along the South Bank walkway, is a relaxing way to spend a day and can often provide you with some of the best photographic opportunities you’ll have during your trip. (Think Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, and the river itself!) Crossing back and forth on the Westminster Bridge, the London Bridge, the new Millennium Bridge, and the Tower Bridge, it’s one of the best self-guided walking tours you can take.

7. Bookstores in Charing Cross Road. Between Foyle’s and Borders and Blackwell, you have enough books and magazines to keep you browsing for an entire day — and Foyle’s has an especially wonderful children’s section as well. A cup of coffee halfway through the day and you’ll have enough energy to explore some of the other smaller independent shops nearby.

8. A Day at a Department Store. While most of us prefer shopping over browsing, there are so many amazing things for sale at Harrods in Knightsbridge or Selfridges in Oxford Street that you could spend a day looking, trying on clothes, and enjoying a cup of tea that you won’t feel badly if you leave at the end of the day empty-handed. It’s also a terrific way to spend some indoor time during one of London’s frequent rainy days.

9. Lunchtime Concerts at St. Martin’s. St. Martin-in-the-Fields, located in Trafalgar Square, hosts small live music concerts (most always classical) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 1PM. While donations are suggested, these are free to the public.

10. Old Bailey Courtroom Galleries. If you’re interested in seeing the British legal system at work, there are free public galleries at the Old Bailey (technically the Central Criminal Court) near St. Paul’s. Children under 14 won’t be admitted, and no recording equipment is allowed — leave it behind because there are no storage facilities.