Most popular free attractions in London and the south east

GO Outdoors have highlighted what family-friendly activities the UK has to offer for those on a budget, and two of the star attractions are located right here in the capital.

London - Science Museum

The capital's Science Museum was ranked as the second most popular free attraction in the whole country.

Home to award-winning exhibitions and narrating incredible stories of scientific achievements, this attraction pulled in almost a million visitors in 2021.

Since it was founded in 1857, the Science Museum has steadily grown to become one of the city's leading tourist venues.

The popular museum was also in the top 10 most viewed attractions on TikTok, amassing 46,600,000 views (Image: The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Group)

With its two million years of human history, it's no wonder it ranks high on the list of popular free attractions.

London's Science Museum was not only one of the most visited but also one of the most googled free attractions in the UK.

With over a million searches recorded just in 2022, this museum repeatedly piqued the public's interest.

London - Imperial War Museum

Following on from the Science Museum, London's Imperial War Museum also found a place in the top 10 free attractions in the UK.

A world leader in war and conflict exhibits, this institution showcases interesting recreations of WWI trenches and the Blitz.

The Imperial War Museum is the second most 'instagrammable' in the UK

With rotating military exhibitions and the opportunity to get up close and personal with real tanks and planes, its standing on the list of free attractions is well earned.

The Imperial War Museum also claimed a victory in the Instagram arena, amassing over 73,300 posts with the hashtag '#ImperialWarMuseum'.

South East England - Windsor Great Park

Windsor Great Park grabbed the top spot as the most popular free attraction in the UK, having welcomed a whopping 5.4 million visitors last year.

Located in Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, this beloved park boasts a royal history stretching back over 1,000 years.

Windsor Great Park's ancient forests, rare wildlife, and historical monuments make for a fantastic low-cost day out for whole families, which explains why it outperforms all other free attractions.

South East England - Jeskyns Community Woodland

Jeskyns Community Woodland, situated in Cobham, Kent, welcomed an impressive 878,626 visitors in 2021, making it the third most popular free attraction in the UK.

This woodland region is open to the public for free and is spread over 360 acres featuring newly grown meadows and orchards.

The research team at GO Outdoors scrutinised over 50 of the UK's top visited free attractions, and the data was then subjected to ranking based on visitor numbers, Tripadvisor reviews, Google search volume, and Instagram and TikTok popularity.