The 20 most-visited attractions in England that are completely free to enter

Scottish Sun

15 hours ago

Plus, find out the historic attraction named best in the UK by Which? with free-roaming deer, water gardens and kids playground
FREE FOR ALL The 20 most-visited attractions in England that are completely free to enter
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AROUND England there's so much to see, but these are the top attractions that you can visit for absolutely nothing.
VisitEngland put together a list of the most visited free attractions across the country for 2024 based on visitor numbers, and most were in London.
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These are the most visited free attractions around the UK
Credit: Alamy
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Brighton Pier made the top 10 list - but has since introduced a fee for tourists
Credit: Alamy
At the very top of the most visited free attractions in England was the British Museum.
Found in Russell Square, the museum has the famous Rosetta Stone as well as Greek sculptures and holds exhibitions that change throughout the year.
The British Museum is absolutely free, but visitors are encouraged to book a time slot through their website to guarantee entry (although you can still walk-in on the day).
One of the most impressive museums came in second - the National History Museum in South Kensington.
This one came second on the list and had just under six million visitors in 2024 - which is a four per cent increase from 2023.
I recently visited in March for the very first time and there was a winding line around the outside just to get in.
Luckily, I booked a time slot ahead and was guaranteed immediate entry and walked inside to see the enormous Blue Whale skeleton on display.
There's so much to see, I spent hours looking around the various sections from the fossil collections to precious treasures in The Vault.
The third most popular free attraction was the Tate Modern, the gallery in Southwark is renowned for its enormous tower.
The gallery is full of modern and contemporary art and inside are works by Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol as well as as Jenny Holzer and Anish Kapoor.
One of the UK's most popular attractions reveals new £50million redesign - it's biggest in 200 years
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The Blue Whale is in the entry hall to the Natural History Museum
Credit: Alamy
Brighton Pier was the only non-museum and art gallery that made the top ten.
However since the survey, Brighton Pier has introduced a £2 entry charge for tourists between March and September - the costs go towards maintaining the pier.
In Northern England, top free attractions included the Museum of Liverpool and Durham Cathedral.
In Yorkshire, Cannon Hall Museum Park and Gardens had over a million visitors last year and topped the list.
In the West Midlands, the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) was the most visited.
And in the East Midlands, Wollaton Hall and Park - a huge Elizabethan mansion turned natural history museum received the most visitors.
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The Tate Modern was the third most visited free attraction of 2024
Credit: Alamy
The Top 20 Most Visited Free Attractions in England in 2024 British Museum National History Museum, South Kensington Tate Modern Brighton Pier V&A National Gallery Somerset House Science Museum, London Royal Museums Greenwich National Portrait Gallery Manchester Central Library Abbey Gardens British Library Tate Britain Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens The Lowry Ashmolean Museum Bodleian Libraries Horniman Museum and Gardens Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Another popular spot in the East of England was Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds, and in the South East, Brighton Pier was at the top followed by Ashmolean Museum - the oldest public museum in the UK.
The South West saw Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust, a historic property with a Victorian garden, at the top of the free attractions in the area.
Meanwhile, the top most visited paid attractions in England last year was the Tower of London with a whopping two million visitors.
Tickets for adults between 18 and 34 cost £35.80 with tickets for children between five and 15 at £17.90.
Check out this historic attraction named best in the UK by Which? has free-roaming deer, water gardens and kids playground.
Plus, this UK train line was bizarrely named among top places to visit in world this year - and here are Sun Travel's favourite places on the route.
Top 20 Most Most Visited Paid Attractions in England in 2024 Tower of London Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Chester Zoo Westminster Abbey St Paul's Cathedral Stonehenge Windsor Castle Windermere Lake Cruises ZSL London Zoo RHS Garden Wisley Roman Batha Tower Bridge Blenheim Palace Adventure Island Southend Yorkshire Wildlife Park ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Beamish, The Living Museum of the North The Trentham Estate Old Royal Navy College