And despite the oncoming Brexit issue, with the British pound still holding fairly strong against other currencies, we don’t expect prices to be dropping anytime soon.

However, as documented throughout our London guide and our list of the best cheap hotels in Central London, it is possible to live it up in London on a modest budget — with a little planning.

Related: 21 ways we saved on our trip to London

How? Besides the obvious (choosing a budget hotel, knowing how to eat cheaply, and getting around with an Oyster card, you’d be crazy not to take advantage of London’s free museums and attractions. Most of the nationally-run museums and art galleries are publicly financed and don’t cost visitors a pence. There are literally dozens of options from the incredible (and very busy) British Museum to lots of lesser-known gems.

Free is always a beautiful thing, and we’ve put together a list of our 20 favorites:

9 Must-visit free museums in London

British Library
World’s largest library holding an impressive 150 million+ items. Browse hotels near the British Library.

British Museum
A true blockbuster with artifacts from the Rosetta Stone to the Elgin Marbles. Stay close by at these
hotels near the British Museum.

National Gallery
Stunning collection housing works from masters like Cézanne and Van Gogh. Get there early by staying at these hotels near the National Gallery.

Natural History Museum
Earth science hub with hands-on exhibits and millions of specimens.

National Portrait Gallery
See depictions of the most famous Brits in history up close. Find nearby hotels.

Science Museum
Interactive exhibits, historic collections, and an IMAX theater.

Tate Modern
Huge collection of modern art situated in a former power plant along the Thames. Book a hotel close to the Tate Modern.

The Tate Britain
British art, ranging from 16th-century pieces to contemporary works. Nearby hotels.

Victoria and Albert Museum
The world’s biggest destination for design and decorative arts.

The outside of Sir John Soane’s Museum. Photo: Craig Nelson

11 Notable free museums

Bank of England Museum
The story of the country’s main financial institution since 1694.

Imperial War Museum
Framing the British wartime experience from World War I to the present day.

The Geffrey Musem
Focusing on living rooms highlighting furniture, textiles, and decorative arts.

Museum of London
Walk through the entire timeline of the city at this urban history institution.

National Maritime Museum
The world’s biggest collection dedicated to seafaring objects.

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
Exhibiting 80,000 ancient artifacts from the Nile Valley.

Royal Airforce Museum London
Displaying over 100 military aircraft from historic to modern.

Sir John Soane’s Museum
Quirky personal art collection and effects in a stately townhouse.

V&A Museum of Childhood
Huge collection of toys, games, and clothes in an airy, historic space.

Wallace Collection
18th-century French painting, an armory, and more in a London townhouse.

Wellcome Collection
A fascinating collection exploring the intersection of medical history and art.

The Geffrye Museum is located in Shoreditch and offers a unique look into living room design. Photo: Heather C.

2 Bonus fun and free attractions

The Changing of the Guard
British pomp and ceremony at its best outside Buckingham Palace. Find the best cheap hotels near Buckingham Palace.

The Ceremony of the Keys
Witness an ancient Tower of London tradition. Book way in advance.

More budget help for London:

• Our article on budget tips for London
• What’s Free in London’s list of no-cost attractions, talks, tours, and festivals
• VisitLondon’s suggestions for free London attractions

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The development of free museum nights has really taken off across Europe, with city after city opening their doors once or twice a year for a free evening. Paris usually holds its free night each year on the third Saturday in May.

This year, Cheapos headed to Paris should mark their calendar for May 19, 2018, when most museums will be free and museums will keep their doors open later than usual to give guests the experience of a lifetime.

Paris hotels:  Our favorite budget picks for 2018

“La Nuit des Musees”: Museum Night in Paris

While there will be more 1,600 museums participating throughout France, we’ve narrowed down a list of 10 museums in Paris that will be open. Follow this Museum Night guide to quench your thirst for adventure and art while exploring the different neighborhoods that Paris has to offer.

1. Le Musee Nissim de Camondo

63 Rue de Monceau
8th arrondissement
website

Have you ever wondered what kitchen looked like the housed the inspiration for the movie Ratatouille? The museum of Nissim de Camondo was given by Nissim’s father, Moise de Camondo, to the French government upon his death. After his son and only heir died in World War I, Moise de Camondo was heartbroken and dedicated his house to his son in order to carry on his child’s memory and legacy.

This museum will give you a history lesson of what it was like to live in the 1% in France during the early 1900s. Amenities include two elevators (one for the guests and one for the maids), a food lift (forget farm-to-table fresh, Moise de Camondo demanded kitchen-to-table fresh), color-coated tile bathrooms (green, blue, and white for dad, his sister, and Nissim), heated floors and walls, a grand staircase, and many more opulent perks that were simply unimaginable in the early 20th century.

2. Musee Gustave Moreau

14 Rue de la Rochefoucauld
9th arrondissement
website

After enjoying stunning architecture in the 8th, we’ll take a stroll into the 9th arrondissement to have a look at the house of the symbolist painter, Gustave Moreau. This three-floor museum is filled with his paintings that draw inspiration from the Italian Renaissance. Furthermore, you even get to see some of his unfinished paintings and sketches to truly experience the life of a Parisian artist of the mid- to late-1800s.

3. Musee de la Franc-Maconnerie

16 Rue Cadet
9th arrondissement
website

What’s a French vacation without a little conspiracy theory? The Museum of Freemasonry is also located in the 9th arrondissement, and it’s sure to scratch whatever itch you’ve had about the 14 US Presidents that were part of this organization. Yup, George Washington, the first president was indeed a Mason, and the Museum of Freemasonry will give you all the inside scoop on the French history of this secret society, complete with many paintings and drawings of the famous triangular Illuminati eye. You might have to unstrap your Ben Stiller Night at the Museum character for a more appropriate Nicholas Cage in National Treasure while you peruse through this museum.

Accommodations: Cheap Paris hotels in the 9th arrondissement

4. Musee des Arts et Metiers

60 Rue Reaumur
3rd arrondissement
website

Now that you have enjoyed the architecture, art, and organization of Paris, it’s only fitting that you also explore the scientific innovations that kept this city running. Located in 3rd arrondissement of Paris, this industrial museum of art and trade houses seven sections about the history of scientific instruments, materials, energy, mechanics, construction, communication, and transportation. You’ll get to explore early prototypes of carriages, printing presses, airplanes, industrial sewing machines, steam engines, satellites, locomotives, and many more technological inventions.

Visitors during Museum Night 2011 at Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature. Photo: Knowtex

5. Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature

62 Rue des Archives
3rd arrondissement
website

For this visit, we’ll need a bit of help from our Ben Stiller character from the Night at the Museum because this museum of “hunting and nature” is not so much about hunting as it is about animals and their relationships with humans. The exhibit has been heralded as one of the best-curated museum in Paris… as long as the animals don’t come back to life at night!

6. Musee Picasso

5 Rue de Thorigny
3rd arrondissement
website

Although he is a Spanish artist, Paris has a Picasso Museum that’s worth visiting. It includes over 5,000 works of art by Picasso including paper art, ceramics, sculptures in wood and metal, and paintings. The museum also houses the African art that inspired Picasso’s cubism style, as well as paintings that Picasso did when he was much older.

Accommodations: Cheap Paris hotels in the 3rd and 4th arrondissement

7. Centre Pompidou

Place Georges-Pompidou
4th arrondissement
website

The Centre Pompidou is not for the faint of heart (or legs). It is a large complex that houses three important structures: The Public Information Library, the Musee National d’Art Moderne, and Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music. Most people go for the Modern Art Museum aspect because it not only holds the largest collection of European modern art, but the top floor boasts one of the best panoramic views of Paris.

8. Musee Curie

1 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie
5th arrondissement
website

As we cross into the Rive Gauche (Left Bank), we’re met by a blast from the scientific past. Formerly Marie Curie’s laboratory, the Museum of Curie is a historical institution located in the 5th arrondissement focusing on radiological research. It holds archives and documentation about the history of radiology and oncology — the same two topics that allowed Marie Curie to become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

9. Musee des Arts Decoratifs

107 rue de Rivoli
1st arrondissement
website

A trip to Paris is incomplete without a visit to the Art Decoratifs. Not only does it house artifacts of decorative arts and design, but it also includes must-see exhibits that explore the Haute Couture fashion aspect of Paris (think Dior, Hermes, and Margiela). Furthermore, it even has part of the actual house of French designer, Jeanne Lanvin of the House of Lanvin! The Art Deco, as it goes by for short, houses jewelry, furniture, tableware, and carpets of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. It gives visitors a chance to see how the French upper class lived.

10. Musee du Louvre

Place du Carrousel
1st arrondissement
website

It’s always high on everyone’s list, so we certainly couldn’t leave the dear Louvre off of ours. Because it’s so big, it may be more beneficial to experience the Louvre when you have a full day and use Museum Night to take advantage of the smaller Parisian museums with free admission. Nonetheless, the Louvre is phenomenal and has come to represent the epitome of Paris and the resting place of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. And it is here, at the Louvre, in the center of Paris, that we end our Museum Night journey!

One caveat: We tried getting into the Louvre at midnight during previous Nuit des Musées only to find the entrance closed at 11 pm, so check the hours in advance. Our advice? Plan ahead. Fortunately, the Louvre’s terrace bar overlooks the pyramids. And, of course, there’s the adjacent Jardin des Tuileries, with its much more hospitable hours.

Hotels: And if you need a place to stay close to this world-famous museum, you can browse our list of cheap hotels near the Louvre.

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The center of Dublin is packed with free museums–the following three options are less than a five-minute walk apart.

The National Gallery of Ireland
Merrion Square West, Dublin 2
website

When you first enter the National Gallery of Ireland, get yourself a map and head straight for the Jack B. Yeats gallery. These vibrant paintings hardly seem Irish–their intense colors seem to belong in another country. This gallery does an incredible job of showing how the artist progressed through the years.

After wandering through the many other galleries (check out the temporary exhibitions too) stop in the gift shop on the way out. Here you will find cheap postcards of the Jack B. Yeats paintings you can send to friends.

The National Library of Ireland
2 Kildare Street, Dublin 2
website

The National Library offers an exhibit devoted to a different Yeats brother: W.B. Yeats. Any fan of literature or poetry–or anyone looking to delve deeper into Irish culture–will want to explore this multimedia exhibit. Not only does it include artifacts (including the poet’s passport, handwritten poems and other memorabilia) but it also includes recordings, videos and more.

The most exciting part of the exhibit is an interactive experience. Walking up to a touch-screen, visitors have the chance to flip through the pages of the poet’s journals. You can zoom in, turn the page and try to decipher the Nobel Laureate’s scribbles. All for free.

The Natural History Museum
Merrion Street, Dublin 2
website

In Dublin, the Natural History Museum has a nickname: the Dead Zoo. This museum transports you back in time. The two floors of this ancient-feeling museum are packed with a huge variety of species–many indigenous to Ireland. The total collection of this museum reaches over two million specimens.

Some favorite exhibits include the Giant Irish Deer with massive antlers, stretching to 12 feet. Seeing the skeleton of this extinct species is striking when you first walk into the museum. Also be sure to check out the hundreds of butterflies, displays of birds you will find along Irish shores, and gaze up at the whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling.

More free museums

Beyond these three options, other free museums in Dublin include IMMA (the Irish Museum of Modern Art), the Hugh Lane Gallery of Art and the Chester Beatty Library.

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Poggio a Caiano, a small town about 30-40 minutes northwest of Florence, is a great example of amazing Tuscan history integrated into a modern Italian town. The highlight of the town is the country villa of the Medici family, which you can visit for free!

The villa’s history

The Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano was first built in the 15th century for Lorenzo the Magnificent, Grand Duke of Florence. It remained the summer residence of the Medici family for hundreds of years. The villa was where the Medicis’ foreign brides were received before being welcomed to Florence.

Outside the Medici Villa

Francesco I and his famous mistress Bianca Cappello were found mysteriously dead here in 1589, most likely poisoned by the grand duke’s power-hungry brother. (The livers of both were discovered hidden in the church you can see upon the hill in the distance.)

During the first years of the unified Italian Monarchy in the 19th century, the villa was used as the royal residence. Later on, during the Second World War, residents of the town took shelter in the villa’s basement as protection from the bombing.

How to get there

Start by catching one of the large blue buses that stop at the end of Via Nazionale near the train station. You can buy tickets in the small ticket office on Largo Alinari. It is best to buy two one-way tickets (€2 each) so as to be prepared for the return journey. Buses leave every 15 to 30 minutes.

You can take a bus leaving for either Poggio a Caiano, Pistoia or Quarrata, all of which will stop in front of the Villa (however, ask the driver just to be sure). You will most likely need to request your stop. Although the Villa is a popular stop, make sure to press the “stop” button on the wall when you see that you are entering Poggio a Caiano and you can see the villa walls right next to the road. Don’t worry, they’re hard to miss!

A view from the entrance

Get off of the bus right in front of the villa gates. The public entrance is slightly to the left through a small gate. Entrance to both the garden and villa are free. You can enter the villa with the assistance of an employee, who opens the doors to visitors every half hour. However, the employees are not tour guides, so if you’re very interested in learning about the history, it is best to do some research before you visit.

What to look for

Highlights of the villa include the full-sized theater on the ground floor, the 19th-century décor left over from its days as a royal residence, the elegant ceramic motif and the sweeping iron-railed staircase.

A ceramic border on the villa

Before or after you visit the interior, make sure to take a walk through the gardens. To the right of the villa you will find a pleasant “Italian-style” garden alongside the Limonaia (a greenhouse for lemon trees). Feel free to explore the gardens in the back as well. Though they have grown unkempt over the past years, it is fun to wander through and find the statues, small buildings and winding passageways from the villa’s heyday.

After winding away the afternoon in this pleasant spot, walk down the hill to the left. Here you’ll find a café which serves the ultimate Tuscan treat: the bombolone. At around 4 p.m. each day, this café bakes up fresh this Italian take on the doughnut, filled with rich cream and coated in sugar. Finish up with a hot espresso and get ready to head back into the Florence!

The Medici Villa
Piazza de Medici 14, 59016 Poggio a Caiano
Web site
+39 0552388796
Opening hours: 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (closing time varies depending on the season)
Admission: free

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The town also offered a museum that claims to be the smallest in the world, which is actually a piece of arrant self-delusion. The Superior museum turned out to be about as exciting as the Cawker City Twine-A-Thon, but did encourage us to start combing Europe for even smaller museums.

A Parisian contender

What about the tiny Paris apartment which was the one-time home of eccentric French composer Erik Satie? Open only by appointment, the one room where Satie spent most of the last twenty-seven years of his life not only has real content (and lots of it), but it also affords insights into the mind of a man who gave his compositions bizarre names like “Préludes flasques pour un chien” (Drivelling preludes for a Dog) and “Trois Morceaux en forme de Poire” (Three pear-shaped pieces).

The Musée-Placard d’Erik Satie is packed in just the way that Satie left it when he departed this world. He owned two pianos, one kept on top of the other, a hundred umbrellas, and he was an inveterate collector of clothes, bric-a-brac, and correspondence.

But the winner is… in Macedonia!

But even better (and smaller) is a truly diminutive museum in Macedonia in the village of Dzepciste just north of Tetovo. Oddly enough, Dzepciste has that same kind of frontier feel about it as Superior in Arizona. Dzepciste is an outback place of rugged faces, cautious smiles, and expressive simplicity. Plus one fabulous museum devoted to local history and ethnography with more than a thousand artifacts that document two millennia of Macedonian civilization.

With a total exhibition space of just seven square meters, visitor rules are strict: no more than one person at a time is allowed to visit. And, best of all for Cheapos, it is absolutely free. It is no bad thing, though, to leave a donation to support the work of the locals who have, over many years, developed this fine diminutive attraction.

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The museum is housed in a gorgeous 19th-century townhouse that drips with romantic ornamentation. The house was built by Joseph Lesoufaché, a student of Garnier, for whom the nearby Opera Garnier was named. (When we say “nearby,” we mean it. The museum is less than half a block west of the opera!)

The Fragonard Museum provides free guided tours throughout the day. Learn how perfume has been made through the ages, and inspect the elaborate tools used in their production.

Just don’t be surprised if you’re inspired to buy some wares at the end of the tour!

Visiting Fragonard’s Perfume Museum

Le musee du parfum
9, rue Scribe
Metro: Opera
Tél: +33 (0) 1 47 42 04 56

The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM, Sundays and holidays, 9 AM to 5 PM.

For more details, visit the museum’s website.

Join us again tomorrow, as our “Grand Tour” continues in Prague.

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For younger visitors, there’s a better way. The Louvre is absolutely free for everyone under 26 years old, every Friday evening. The free hours are from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Who knew the Louvre was the place to be on a Friday night?

This Friday, March 23rd, 2007, there’s the added bonus of free music to compliment your art. Students from the National Conservatory of Music will be playing in front of their favorite pieces of art throughout the museum. Two for the price of none!

Take metro lines 1 or 7 to Palais Royal Musée du Louvre. The station connects to the museum underground.

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Museums in Paris are free on the first Sunday of the month. So now that you have absolutely no excuse not to soak in a little culture, where to go?

We suggest avoiding the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, where there will be a herd of about 6,000 fellow Cheapos standing in line.

Try the Picasso Museum. The museum is in a huge 17th century mansion, tucked away on a little backstreet in the 3rd arrondissement. It’s one of the best (and least-crowded!) museums in Paris.

The museum is located in the Marais, which is a great weekend neighborhood to begin with. While the rest of Paris shuts down on Sundays, the Marais keeps going. You can grab some falafel and even go shopping post-Pablo.

Located at 5 rue de Thoringy, metro Saint Paul (line 1), open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

And if you need more ideas for sightseeing on a budget, check out 25 free things to do and see in Paris.

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