*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission. Click here for the full disclosure*
Accurate or not, travel has a reputation for being expensive. Whether you’re splashing out on the trip of a lifetime or sticking to a shoestring budget, it can be nice to enjoy some free activities wherever you are. Many places can boast a list of unique things to do that are free of charge, but there are also many free things to do anywhere you travel.
Wake up to Watch Sunrise
I am absolutely not a morning person, but I will get up early when traveling because I don’t want to miss a single moment of the day. As hard as it can be to get up early, sunrise is lovely to see in a new place. If Mother Nature is agreeable, you can have a gorgeous experience at no charge. As a bonus reward for heeding that wakeup call, early mornings mean that you might have popular tourist sites mostly to yourself.
Visit Local Markets
Whether it’s a town’s weekly farmer’s market, an artisanal handicraft market, or an open air souvenir market, markets are great free things to do anywhere. The atmosphere and types of goods available for sale can vary greatly depending on where you are, but I love to wander through markets when visiting places.
Walk Around City/Town
I never walk more than I do when traveling, exploring a place on foot allows you to notice details you might miss on a bike or in a car, bus, or train. Not only is walking one of the best free things to do anywhere, it’s also a free mode of transportation. Walking will allow you to set your own pace to take in the vibe of a town, and also to stop to smell the roses if you see any.
Hang Out at a Local Park
Most city and town parks are free for anyone to enjoy so take advantage of them while traveling! Parks not only provide a green space, but are also often home to local landmarks, monuments, and points of interest. If you have kids with you, you may be able to find a local playground for them to enjoy too. It’s worth checking if any nearby state or national parks have free admission too. Many national parks in the US charge for entry, but will have certain days throughout the calendar year when that fee is waived.
Visit Religious Buildings
Religious buildings are often historic sites with beautiful architecture and are a great example of free things to do anywhere you go. I have visited many beautiful cathedrals and temples around the world and find them to be wonderful places to visit regardless of personal beliefs. Please do be respectful when visiting and adhere to any dress codes.
Attend a Local Event
Throughout the year towns and businesses will host a number of festivals and events that are free to attend. Holiday celebrations, cultural events, and arts or food festivals are common and events like outdoor movies or free concerts are often held during summer months. Sometimes you just happen to stumble upon a random local event, and it turns out to be the best activity you did in a destination!
Take a Free Walking Tour
Walking tours are offered in many places around the world to help visitors learn about the town they’re visiting and introduce them to local points of interest. They can be a great starting point and a good way to become familiar with a new city. Keep in mind that while the tours are free, it is often customary to tip the guides.
Visit Local Government Buildings
City halls, regional legislative buildings, or capitols, government buildings are often open to the public. Visitors can enjoy beautiful architecture, local information, and sometimes even free tours when visiting local government buildings. I’ve actually made it a life goal of mine to visit all 50 state capitols in the US!
Take in City Lights at Night
There’s something about the glow of lights illuminating buildings and landmarks at night that can make you fall in love with a place all over again. Just look at these photos of Rome at night to see what I mean! Many times people worry about safety when in new places after dark, but using common sense and sticking to well-lit and well-populated areas can reduce the risk of anything happening. The difference is quite literally day and night, so definitely take the opportunity to explore places after sunset if you can.
Go for a Hike
Hiking is a great free activity that allows you to enjoy the natural beauty of the destination you’re visiting. Depending on where you are, the local state or national parks may charge an entrance fee so be sure to check in advance when you’re looking for free things to do anywhere you travel. Since I got inspired to get into hiking reading Hold for Hiker Trash, I have enjoyed hiking in different states and countries to admire nature’s beauty. If you’re not sure where to find local hikes, I love using AllTrails which allows me to search based the distance, difficulty, and a number of other factors.
Explore a Local Museum
Local museums can be a treasure trove of information and local history. I love finding free museums, but many do charge admission. Check for public free entry days, free entry days for specific groups like students, seniors, or military veterans, or reciprocal entry if you’re a member of a museum near your home.
Go on the Hunt for Street/Public Art
I love how a mural or piece of public art can add so much life to a neighborhood and become an attraction all its own. Plus going on the hunt for art in a new place gives you the perfect excuse to wander and get a little lost while exploring. Sometimes that’s how you discover the best hidden gems, even in popular destinations.
Indulge in Window Shopping
The beauty of window shopping is getting to admire lovely things without any obligation to buy them! During many visits to New York City I’ve enjoyed walking down 5th Avenue, famous for its high end designer shops, and just window shopping. This is particularly fun at Christmastime when many of the stores put up festive decorations and extravagant window displays.
Admire the Local Architecture
Depending on where you are in the world, architectural styles can vary greatly. Tourists in New York City love to tip back their heads to look for the tops of skyscrapers, while their counterparts in Ireland ooh and ahh over every castle or ruin they see, and others yet marvel over Antoni Gaudí’s designs in Barcelona, Spain. I’m definitely one of these tourists too, and why not when checking out the architecture around you is one of those great free things to do anywhere you travel?
Enjoy the Sunset
Sunset can be such a lovely time of day, and it’s definitely one of my favorite free things to do anywhere in the world I find myself. It can be a wonderful way to create special memories in places you visit when you take the time to stop and watch the sunset. I love to find a spot with a nice view to enjoy the sunset when I can while traveling.
Free Things are Fun!
When traveling I usually want to do and see everything a destination has to offer, but that can quickly run up your budget. There are so many free things to do anywhere you go, that I will often add free activities to our itinerary to keep to a reasonable budget on a trip.
What are your favorite free things to do anywhere you travel? Share them in the comments!
This is a great article with some awesome tips on how to enjoy free things to do anywhere you travel. I agree that sometimes the best experiences are the ones that don’t cost anything, like walking around, meeting locals, visiting parks, or watching sunsets. You have given some practical and creative suggestions on how to find free activities in any destination.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post! Even when exploring close to home I am able to find activities that are free and new to me. One of my favorite free experiences was visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. My daughter was a 4th grader at the time, and before I left home I found out that the NPS had a program that allowed 4th graders and their families to visit any National Park for free for a year. This included parking, which really helped us stretch our budget while visiting Big Island.
Thank you so much, Alecia, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Oh I absolutely love that the NPS provides free annual passes to 4th graders and their families. We just bought an annual pass this year as we have some upcoming National Parks trips, and I’m so excited! Finding free things to do is a wonderful way to stretch the budget both at home & when traveling.
This is such a sweet post 😉 While travel may mean spending some of one’s hard earnings for flights and accommodations, it doesnt mean that one misses out in the other pleasures of travel. I love snooping around a local market, parks and cafe’s while listening in to the hum of a city I am visiting. It’s such a treat and great experience #flyingbaguette
Jan – https://flyingbaguette.com
Thank you, Jan! Yes, I love the experience of just sitting on a bench or in a cafe and soaking in the vibe of the city!
We love finding free things to do when we travel. Money we save on some activities lets us splurge on other things. We too walk so much more when we travel and love to find green spaces to relax. Good thing we are early risers and can catch great sunrises too.
I’m only an early riser when traveling haha It’s so worth it to take in some of these free experiences as I feel they really add to your overall experience!
Sometimes the best things in life are free! I love all 15 of your best things to do for free while traveling!
Thank you so much, Karen!! I agree, some of our favorite travel experiences have cost absolutely nothing!
I love this idea for a post!
Thanks! I was working on a list of free things in a specific city & realized many were things that are free just about anywhere!
Great ideas for free things to do anywhere you travel. I do some of them. There’s a few I can add to my itinerary, thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Jennifer! I hope you get to enjoy some free activities on your next trip!
Great list there, Kelly. The sunrise thingy didn’t quite pan out for us on a recent trip, when we got up at 4:30am in order to make it on time to a beauty spot for the sunrise and then it started raining real hard just when we arrived haha… Still good advice, we were just unlucky.
How nice to see Kleinmarkthalle here. I regularly visited when I lived in Frankfurt.
I try to discourage Ellie from doing too much window-shopping as it can quickly get expensive, but the two of us certainly enjoy all the other activities you mention, in particular free walking tours and hiking.
Thanks, Stefan! Oh yeah, sunrise/sunset is totally dependent on the weather. We woke up early last summer on our 1st morning in Ocean City, Maryland, but went back to sleep listening to the rain. Next morning’s sunrise was lovely though so sometimes patience (and more than 1 day) helps.
Kleinmarkthalle was a great indoor (aka warm) stop for us when we visited the Christmas market in Frankfurt a couple years ago!
Haha oh I’m definitely guilty of window shopping becoming real shopping sometimes too! Glad you guys enjoy so many of the same things we do when traveling!
Excellent post. These are the things we do when we travel. People always wonder how we travel so cheaply.
Thank you! It’s the same with us, pick a mix of free and paid activities to stretch the budget. Some of our favorite travel experiences haven’t cost us a dime!