Freebies Around The World

/

As a mindful traveler, I love when I find great things to do or see that are free! I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to spend money to have an amazing experience and truly get to see and know the place you’re visiting. So, this is my ongoing list of all the fun freebies I’ve discovered around the world. Everything on this list is something I personally have done, and I update it regularly as I find more activities, events, and sights that are free to visit. (My definition of free is no admission fee and no requirement to buy something. This is excluding any costs for transportation, lodging, and food since those are guaranteed expenses of traveling and living.) Use this as a reference when you travel to these places, or just to inspire you to do more of the free activities in your hometown or abroad. To learn more about how I find free things to do on my travels, check out this post. If you have some awesome free things that you have discovered, I would love to hear about them in the comments!

**Disclaimer: If you are going to do any of these activities, you may want to call or do a Google search to confirm it is still free so there are no surprises when you show up.**

Last updated: December 20, 2017

Siem Reap

  • Walk the streets during Khmer New Year celebration

  • Made in Cambodia Market

  • McDermott Gallery of Fine Art Photography of Angkor Wat

  • People watch at any hour of the day on Pub Street

beautiful image and quote about angkor wat at the mcdermott gallery

Carcassonne

  • Walk around La Cité of Carcassonne (only have to pay if you want to tour the castle portion—you can walk the streets, walk on the ramparts, and look in all the shops for free)

Drawbridge entrance to Carcassonne

Cesseras

  • Free wine samples and tour of the winery at Domaine du Clos des Roques

Gruissan

  • Visit the Pink Salt Flats (quite possibly the most beautiful place I've seen!)

Lagrasse

  • Walk the 12th century stone bridge

  • Attend a Biodanza class (first one is free, read more about that experience in this post.)

  • Hike part of the GR36 route and get a beautiful view of the vineyards, hills, and the Pyrénées (trail connects the Normandy coast to the Spanish border)

  • Sit along the Orbieu River and birdwatch (if it’s warm enough, you can swim!)

  • Walk the tiny, cobblestone streets of the medieval fortress city

  • Browse the stalls at the 14th century covered market (many people will offer free samples of their olives and cheese)

La Livinière

  • Wine tasting at Château Faîteau (good luck not buying a bottle though, their wine is exceptional! The people who own it are also quite lovely.)

Narbonne

  • Explore the market at Les Halles de Narbonne

  • Walk the canal

  • Tour the unfinished Narbonne Cathedral (one of the tallest cathedrals in France)

  • Narbonne-Plage (beach) on the Mediterranean

Paris

  • View the Eiffel Tower and hang out in the Parc du Champ-de-Mars (only have to pay if you want to go up in the tower)

  • Sit at Sacré-Coeur on top of Montmartre at sunset (often with live music)

  • Walk the Champs-Élysées

  • Watch locals play boules at Arènes de Lutèce (very cool gladiator arena from the first century)

  • Parc Floral de Paris

  • Jardin du Luxembourg

  • Notre Dame de Paris (only have to pay if you want to go up in the bell towers)

  • Église Saint-Sulpice (Paris’ second largest church, seen in The Da Vinci Code)

  • Rue Mouffetard (oldest and liveliest neighborhood in Paris)

  • Place Louis-Lépine bird and flower market

  • Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

  • Take in the sights on Rue de la Huchette (one of the oldest streets along the Seine)

  • Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen (said to be the largest flea market in the world)

  • Visit 59 Rivoli - an art collective with six floors of artists' studios to check out!

Trausse

  • Annual Cherry Festival

Milan

  • Visit Milan’s most famous sight, Duomo di Milano (you do have to pay to enter, but it is just as magnificent viewed from the outside)

  • Explore the Navigli Canal District (the hip/artsy part of town)

  • Visit Sforza Castle (you only have to pay to enter the museum portion and can actually enjoy a lot of the castle for free)

  • Soak up the sun in Parco Sempione (right by Sforza Castle)

  • View Napoleon’s Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace - at the entrance to Parco Sempione)

  • Enjoy the architecture of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (one of the oldest shopping malls in the world)

  • Window shop on Via Montenapoleone (also known as "Europe's most expensive street")

Venice

  • Visit Basilica San Marco (be prepared for long lines if you want to tour the inside)

  • Piazza San Marco (fantastic music in the square and beautiful lights at night especially, a great place to feel the heartbeat of Venice)

  • Stop by one of the oldest bars in Venice, the Cantina do Mori (it's been popular with the locals since it opened in 1462)

  • Take a walk and get lost, literally the best pastime in Venice's windy streets and alleys

  • See the Frari Church (you must pay to enter, but seeing the exterior and the bell tower is quite lovely)

  • Walk the famous Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) and explore the shops over the Grand Canal

  • Walk the wooden Accademia Bridge (Ponte dell'Accademia) over the Grand Canal

  • Visit one of the last churches built in Venice, San Simeone Piccolo (look out for the grand statue atop its dome welcoming you to the city)

  • Explore the Jewish Quarter (the oldest Jewish Ghetto in the world and the origin of the English word "ghetto")

  • Stand on the Ponte della Paglia to catch a view of the Bridge of Sighs

  • Check out the Doge's Palace (you have to pay to enter, but the exterior of the building is gorgeous to look at)

  • Take a break from the stone alleys and buildings in one of the few green parks in Venice, Giardini Papadopoli (there's even a playground for children)

Barcelona

  • Walk around El Raval and soak up the culture of Barcelona’s liveliest neighborhood

  • Mercado de La Boquería

  • Barcelona Cathedral (donation suggested at certain times, and if you come prepared for the dress code you don’t have to rent a cover-up)

  • Enjoy street performers and the sight of Barcelona Cathedral in the Placita de la Seu

  • Explore Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (site of the 1992 Summer Olympics)

  • View La Sagrada Família (only have to pay to tour the interior, but seeing the outside is still every bit as magnificent)

  • Enjoy street performers and great views of La Sagrada Família in the Plaça de Gaudí

  • View La Pedrera a.k.a. Casa Milà (only have to pay to tour the interior)

  • View Casa Batlló (only have to pay to tour the interior)

  • Parc de la Ciutadella (Barcelona’s most famous park with a fountain modeled after the Trevi Fountain in Rome)

  • Walk La Rambla (Barcelona’s most famous street)

  • Playa Mar Bella (one of two clothing optional beaches)

  • Walk La Rambla del Mar (a continuation of La Rambla into a boardwalk in the port)

  • Cool off and take in the sea view in the Maremagnum shopping mall at the end of La Rambla del Mar

  • Walk the medieval streets of the Gothic Quarter

  • Stop by Bar Marsella (the oldest bar in Barcelona, opened in 1820 and has hosted everyone from Hemingway to Picasso)

  • Walk the Passeig de Gracia (it is like the Champs Élysées in Paris)

  • Visit the Herboristeria del Rei (an herbalist shop serving Barcelona since 1823)

  • Enjoy the views from the 360 degree rooftop of the Barcelo Hotel Raval

  • Hang out in the Plaça Reial

Full moon at the base of monkey mountain in hua hin

Hua Hin

  • Wat Khao Lad on Khao Takiab a.k.a. Monkey Mountain

Koh Samui

  • Lamai Beach

United States of America

Phoenix Metropolitan Area

  • Free yoga and Farmer’s Market at Singh Meadows

  • Hike Sunrise Trail

  • Hike Camelback Mountain

  • Hike the Phoenix Mountain Preserve

  • Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade at Tempe Town Lake

  • Tumbleweed Christmas tree

  • First Friday Art Walk

  • Fourth of July block parties

  • Ride the Downtown Scottsdale Trolley

  • Outlets at Anthem Christmas tree (often the tallest in the nation)

  • Art Festival at Civic Center Library

  • Camp on BLM land by Lake Pleasant

  • Glendale Chocolate Affaire

  • Tour the Cerreta Candy Company

Gorgeous view of the red rocks from sedona airport overlook

Sedona

  • Watch red rock sunset at Sedona Airport Overlook

  • Walk Main Street and view the red rocks

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

  • Hollywood Walk of Fame

  • Santa Monica State Beach

  • Muscle Beach

  • Venice Public Art Walls

  • Venice Beach

  • Dockweiler State Beach

  • Venice Beach Boardwalk

  • Santa Monica Pier

  • Walk Rodeo Drive

  • Griffith Observatory

  • Hike Griffith Park

  • Abbot Kinney Festival

  • La Brea Tar Pits

  • Koyasan Buddhist Temple

  • Explore fun shops on Abbot Kinney Boulevard

  • US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach

  • Visit the James Irvine Japanese Garden near Little Tokyo

  • Free day at George C. Page Museum (free the first Tuesday of every month)

  • Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre (site of the first-ever Hollywood film premiere)

  • Free events at Grand Park (they have everything from concerts to yoga)

  • Walk around Chinatown (can see where scenes from Rush Hour were filmed)

  • Walk around Little Tokyo (fun boutiques and history of buildings is engraved in the sidewalk)

  • Olvera Street Market (home to some of the oldest Los Angeles monuments)

  • Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard (famous for the concrete foot and handprints of popular celebrities)

  • Free day at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA is free the second Tuesday of every month and some holidays)

  • Explore the bustling LA Fashion District (90 blocks acting as the hub of the west coast apparel industry in the US)

San Diego Metropolitan Area

  • See harbor seals at Children’s Pool Beach

  • Walk the historic Gaslamp Quarter

  • Live music at Harrah’s Resort Southern California

  • Hike the Rincon Trail

  • See the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory

San Francisco

  • Ghirardelli Square

  • View the Golden Gate Bridge

New York City

  • St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church

  • Brooklyn Bridge

  • Walk on Wall Street

  • Explore interesting shops in Chinatown

  • View the Flatiron Building

  • Visit Grand Central Station

  • Enjoy street performers and shops in Times Square

  • Rockefeller Center

  • St. Patrick’s Cathedral

  • Battery Park

  • 9/11 Memorial

  • View the Empire State Building (only have to pay to go to the observation deck)

Niagara Falls

  • View Niagara Falls at Niagara Falls State Park

  • Fourth of July fireworks over the falls

Columbus Metropolitan Area

  • Tour the Ohio Statehouse (one of the oldest working statehouses in the USA)

  • Walk, bike, or bird watch in Glacier Ridge Metro Park

Dayton Metropolitan Area

  • National Museum of the US Air Force

  • Yellow Springs Street Fair

  • Explore cool Yellow Springs shops on Xenia Avenue

  • Cityfolk Festival at RiverScape MetroPark (the region’s largest multi-cultural festival)

  • Everything from fireworks to yoga and live music at RiverScape MetroPark

  • Visit Hawthorn Street home of the Wright Brothers

  • Hike John Bryan State Park (free for day use and claimed to be the most scenic state park in western Ohio)

  • Hike Glen Helen Nature Preserve

  • Tour the working dairy farm, Young’s Jersey Dairy (you can feed and pet the animals, as well as watch them milk their cows)

  • Explore neat shops and live music in the Oregon District (Dayton’s oldest neighborhood)

  • Live music at the Trolley Stop (the oldest continuously operating tavern in Dayton)

  • Live music and other events at The Greene

  • Free concerts at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (I once saw Lonestar perform there with an air show and fireworks!)

Fredericksburg

  • Sit in the Japanese Garden of Peace

  • Sample chocolate at the Quintessential Chocolates shop

  • Visit Das Peach Haus (beautiful history with free samples, pine tree garden, and a small lake to sit by)

  • Walk around Wildseed Farms (largest working wildflower farm in the US)

  • Walk Main Street for the shops, markets, and wineries (Rustlin’ Rob’s has free samples of every food item they sell!)

Junction

  • Swim in the South Llano River

  • Watch sunset at Lover’s Leap

  • Visit the O.C. Fisher Museum

  • Schreiner Park on the South Llano River

Deer spotting just off the trail in Mcallister park

San Antonio

  • Walk the trails in McAllister Park (San Antonio's largest park)

Sitting on the banks of the guadalupe river

Spring Branch

  • Hang out on the Guadalupe River