Free Things to Do in the World's Most Expensive Cities

I have visited every city on this list, and in each one, the experiences I remember most vividly cost nothing at all. Expensive cities intimidate budget travelers, but the truth is that the best museums, parks, viewpoints, and neighborhoods in places like Zurich, Singapore, and Tokyo are either free or priced far below what tourists expect. Here is a city-by-city breakdown based on my own visits.

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich regularly ranks among the three most expensive cities in the world, with a average hotel room costing over 250 Swiss francs per night and a simple restaurant meal running 30 to 40 francs. But the city has a surprising number of free activities that make a visit manageable on a tight budget. The Old Town, centered on the Limmatquai along the river, is free to explore on foot and contains medieval guild halls, Roman-era ruins at the Lindenhof hill, and the Fraumunster church, whose stained glass windows were designed by Marc Chagall.

The Fraumunster charges 5 francs to enter the choir, where the Chagall windows are located, but the nave is free. The Grossmunster, the other major church, charges 4 francs to climb the tower, which offers the best view of the city. Skip the tower and walk along the Limmat River instead: the path from the Hauptbahnhof to Lake Zurich takes about 25 minutes and passes through some of the most attractive scenery in the city. The Chinese Garden at Zürichhorn, a gift from Zurich's sister city Kunming, is free to enter and a quiet spot for a picnic.

For swimming, the river baths at Oberer Letten and Unterer Letten are free and popular with locals in summer. You can float down the Limmat River from one to the other, a trip of about 20 minutes, with the current carrying you past the Old Town. Buy a cheap sandwich from a Coop or Migros supermarket (about 7 francs) and eat it on the riverbank. The total cost of a full day in Zurich, excluding accommodation, can be under 20 francs if you stick to free activities and supermarket food.

Singapore

Singapore is expensive by Southeast Asian standards, with hotel rooms averaging 180 to 250 Singapore dollars per night and restaurant meals frequently exceeding 30 dollars. But the city-state has invested heavily in free public amenities, and several of its most iconic attractions cost nothing to visit. Gardens by the Bay, the futuristic park with the Supertree grove, charges no admission for the outdoor gardens. Only the two conservatories (Cloud Forest and Flower Dome) and the OCBC Skyway require tickets, at 28 Singapore dollars for both conservatories.

The Supertree Grove light show, called Garden Rhapsody, runs twice nightly at 7:45 and 8:45 p.m. and is free. Arrive by 7:15 to get a good spot on the ground. The show lasts about 15 minutes and is synchronized with music. The nearby Marina Bay Sands light show, projected onto the building's facade, is also free and runs at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. nightly. The Merlion Park, with its iconic statue, offers a free view of the Marina Bay skyline and is a good spot for photographs at sunset.

For culture, the National Gallery Singapore offers free admission to its permanent collection on weekdays from 6 to 9 p.m. The gallery occupies the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings and houses the largest collection of Southeast Asian art in the world. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown is free to enter and, despite the name, is an active place of worship rather than a tourist attraction. The Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, is also free. For food, the hawker centers are the city's great equalizer: a meal at Maxwell Food Centre, Lau Pa Sat, or any of the dozens of neighborhood hawker centers costs 4 to 8 Singapore dollars and is often better than what you find in restaurants.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is less expensive than Zurich or Singapore in absolute terms, but it feels expensive because the yen has strengthened in recent years and because the quality of even basic goods is so high that you are tempted to spend more than necessary. The city's free attractions, however, are among the best in the world. Meiji Shrine, located in a 170-acre forest in the Harajuku district, is free to enter and offers a peaceful retreat from the surrounding city. The shrine's gravel paths, towering camphor trees, and wooden torii gate make it one of the most atmospheric places in Tokyo.

The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are free and open to the public on weekdays. The gardens contain the ruins of Edo Castle, a traditional Japanese garden with koi ponds, and a small museum of imperial artifacts. The main palace buildings are not open to the public, but the gardens alone are worth the visit. In Asakusa, the Senso-ji temple complex is free to enter, though the surrounding Nakamise shopping street is designed to separate you from your money. The temple itself, with its giant red lantern and five-story pagoda, is one of Tokyo's most photographed landmarks.

For modern culture, the teamLab Borderless digital art museum in Azabudai Hills has a free outdoor installation, though the indoor museum requires a ticket at 3,800 yen. The Shibuya Crossing, the world's busiest pedestrian intersection, is free to watch from the Starbucks overlooking the crossing or from the Shibuya Sky observation deck (which costs 2,000 yen). The Tsukiji Outer Market, while not free, offers affordable food: a fresh sushi breakfast for about 2,000 yen, which is cheap by Tokyo standards. Walking along the Sumida River from Asakusa to Tokyo Skytree takes about 45 minutes and costs nothing.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, with Reykjavik hotel rooms averaging 200 to 350 US dollars per night and restaurant meals frequently exceeding 40 dollars for a main course. But the natural attractions that draw most visitors to Iceland are free. The city's most famous landmark, the Hallgrimskirkja church, charges 1,000 Icelandic krona (about 7 dollars) to go up the tower, but the church itself and the view from the square in front of it are free. The Harpa Concert Hall, with its distinctive glass facade, is free to enter during the day, and the building's interior is a work of art in itself.

The Reykjavik waterfront walk, from the Harpa to the Sun Voyager sculpture, takes about 20 minutes and passes through the old harbor area. The Sun Voyager, a stainless steel sculpture of a Viking ship skeleton, is particularly beautiful at sunset. For a longer walk, the path along the coast from the city center to the Grotta lighthouse takes about 90 minutes round trip and offers views of the Snæfellsjökull glacier on clear days. In winter, the path is one of the best places near the city to see the Northern Lights, because it is far enough from streetlights for the sky to be dark.

The Reykjavik Art Museum has free admission on the first Thursday of each month from 5 to 9 p.m. The National Museum of Iceland is free on Wednesdays during winter months (October through April). For food, the Bonus supermarket chain offers the lowest prices in the city. A prepared sandwich from Bonus costs about 500 krona (3.50 dollars), and the supermarket's hot deli counter sells roasted chicken and sides for about 1,200 krona per meal. The city's public swimming pools, including the famous Sundhöllin, cost about 1,000 krona and are an essential Reykjavik experience.

New York City, United States

New York City is expensive, but it also has more free and low-cost activities per square mile than almost any other city in the world. The Staten Island Ferry, which runs 24 hours a day between lower Manhattan and Staten Island, is free and offers views of the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan skyline, and the Brooklyn Bridge. The ride takes 25 minutes each way, and you do not need to disstart in Staten Island; just stay on the boat for the return trip. This is the best free view in the city.

Central Park is free and enormous: 843 acres of paths, lawns, lakes, and gardens. The park's highlights include the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, the Bow Bridge, the Conservatory Garden (a formal garden that is free and far less crowded than the park's main areas), and the Great Lawn. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a pay-what-you-wish policy for New York State residents, but for visitors, the suggested admission is 30 dollars. The museum is worth the price, but if you are on a strict budget, the Cloisters, the Met's medieval art branch in Fort Tryon Park, charges the same admission and includes the building itself and the surrounding gardens, which are free to walk through.

The High Line, an Lift park built on a former freight rail line on Manhattan's west side, is free and offers an unusual perspective on the city's architecture. The walk from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street takes about 30 minutes. The 9/11 Memorial, with its two reflecting pools built in the footprints of the former Twin Towers, is free to visit, though the museum underneath charges 26 dollars. For cheap food, the city's dollar slice pizza shops, halal carts, and dumpling houses in Chinatown and the Lower East Side offer filling meals for under 10 dollars.

Oslo, Norway

Oslo is routinely ranked among the five most expensive cities in the world, with a beer costing 12 to 15 dollars and a restaurant meal averaging 35 to 50 dollars. But the city has invested in free cultural institutions that make it possible to have a rich experience without spending much. The Oslo Opera House, designed by the architectural firm Snøhetta, is free to enter during the day, and visitors can walk up the building's sloped roof for panoramic views of the Oslofjord. The roof walk takes about 10 minutes and is one of the most photographed spots in the city.

The Vigeland Park, located in the Frogner neighborhood, is the world's largest sculpture park created by a single artist. Gustav Vigeland's 212 bronze and granite sculptures are installed across 80 acres of parkland and are free to visit at any time. The park is open 24 hours, and early morning or late evening visits, when the light is soft and the crowds are thin, are the most rewarding. The Akershus Fortress, a medieval castle overlooking the harbor, charges 80 Norwegian krona (about 7.50 dollars) to enter the inner buildings, but the fortress walls and the surrounding grounds are free and offer views of the harbor and the city.

The National Gallery, which houses Edvard Munch's "The Scream" among other Norwegian masterworks, charges 120 krona (about 11 dollars). The Munch Museum, dedicated entirely to Munch's work, charges 160 krona. For budget travelers, the Karl Johan street, Oslo's main boulevard, is free to walk and connects the Royal Palace to the Central Station, passing the Parliament building and the National Theatre along the way. The street is lined with cafes, but their prices are high; instead, buy a hot dog from one of the many pølse stands for about 40 krona (3.75 dollars).

Making the Most of Free Activities in Expensive Cities

The pattern across all these cities is the same: the most memorable experiences tend to be free, while the expenses come from accommodation, transportation, and tourist-trap restaurants. My strategy for expensive-city travel is to allocate my budget to accommodation in a central location and food that I genuinely want to try, and to fill the rest of my time with free walks, parks, markets, and neighborhoods. I have never regretted skipping a paid attraction in favor of wandering a new city on foot.

Timing matters. Museums that charge admission often have free hours or free days. Churches and temples are usually free or charge a nominal fee. Parks and waterfront walks are free everywhere. Walking tours, while not always free, cost 15 to 25 dollars and provide three hours of local knowledge that would take days to accumulate on your own. Public markets are free to browse and offer affordable food. Libraries, universities, and government buildings often have free architecture worth admiring.

The final piece of advice is to research before you arrive. Each city's tourism website lists free activities, and local bloggers often publish updated guides to free things to do. I spend about an hour researching free activities before each trip, and I usually find options that are not mentioned in mainstream guidebooks. In Oslo, a local blog led me to the Ekebergparken sculpture park, a free outdoor sculpture garden on a hilltop with views of the fjord. In Zurich, a Reddit thread pointed me to the free Saturday morning tour of the opera house. These are the kinds of experiences that make expensive cities feel accessible.