Top 5 Free Things to do in London

Millions upon millions of people visit London every year, but no one can deny that it's an expensive city to spend time in. The pound is up and deals are few and far between for the average tourist, whether you're taking in a West End Show, touring the Tower of London, or going for a spin on the London Eye.

As with any large city though, there are plenty of things to do that don't cost a shilling. Here's our list of the top 5 free things to do in London:

Tate Modern - One of the most renowned modern art galleries in the world offers free admission... how great is that? The Tate Modern is housed in a former power station along the Thames, and doesn't charge admission to its permanent collection, which includes works by great 20th-century artists like Dali, Picasso, Matisse, Rothko, and Warhol.

Speakers' Corner - On peaceful Sundays in London, it's great to wander the leafy paths of Hyde Park, and enjoy activities like swimming, boating, tennis and horseback riding. One of the most interesting things to do in the park though, happens every Sunday from mid-morning to late afternoon. Speakers' Corner is a long-standing tradition where anyone can say their piece about anything as long as they're on a box. You never know what you're going to get, whether it's crackpots or undiscovered geniuses.

Changing of the Guard - It's one of the best-known traditions in London, one that most tourists see at one point or another. Sure there are hordes of tourists everywhere, but really, no visit to London is complete without seeing the Queen's Guard go through their paces, and it's free! Just get their a little early to get a good viewing spot. The Changing of the Guard happens every day at 11:30am in summer, and every other day in winter.

Camden Market - London has many street markets, but the most popular is Camden Market, a sprawling collection of antiques, t-shirts and food. With 100,000 visitors every weekend the people-watching here is especially good as well, and it's the best place to spot the remnants of the London punk scene. If that's too crowded for you, the Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill is also good.

Evensong at Westminster Abbey - One of London's most popular attractions, Westminster Abbery charges £10 admission during the day. Most people don't know that you can get in for free though, if you visit later in the day when Evensong takes place. Not only do you get to see the magnificent interior of the Abbey for free, but you're treated to a beautiful preformance by the Abbey Choir. Evensong takes place at 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays; and 3pm on weekends.

Image by Gabriel Villena.

Cheap Flights Song

This hilarious song chronicles the attempts of three women to find cheap flights to their friend's wedding.

It's a great round-up of the woes of unbundled fees... a little dig at Ryanair perhaps?

Top 5 Strangest Food Festivals

There are a lot of food festivals around the world, but some focus less on enjoying a good meal and more on playing with their food! Here are our top 5 strangest food festivals around the world:

Night of the Radishes (Noche de Rábanos) - There's a large radish found in Mexico that can grow up to 6.6 pounds (3kg) and 20 inches (50cm) long. The people of Oaxaca do something interesting with these radishes each December, carving them into people, animals, and anything else they can think of. The carvings are judged, and the winner gets their picture in the paper.

Sea Worm Festival (Bau Nyale) - Each year the people of Indonesia rush into the ocean to collect as many sea worms as possible, and then they cook them and eat them. Although there's nothing pretty about sea worms, there's a romantic legend associated with this festival. Long ago, a beautiful princess had so many determined suitors that she threw herself into the ocean to prevent their going to war over her. When she died, her hair turned into sea worms, now the symbol of the Sasak people.

La Tomatina - One of the world's biggest food fights, La Tomatina takes place in Spain each August. The festival starts with participants trying to knock a ham off the top of a greased pole. Once that happens, people throw tomatoes at each other until the streets of Valencia run red. No one knows quite how it got started, but people like it so it continues to happen each year.

Gloucester Cheese Roll and Wake - A tradition in Gloucester for hundreds of years, this popular event in the Cotswolds involves competitors rolling a large, round Double Gloucester Cheese down a steep hill and attempting to catch it. The first person over the finish line wins the cheese. Unfortunately, this event was cancelled in 2010 and it is uncertain if it will return.

Lopburi Monkey Buffet - This annual feast in Thailand is unusual, simply because no one who attends gets to eat anything. Well, no people get to eat anything. The guests of honour are the local Macaque monkeys, who chow down on fruits and vegetables, and even get to enjoy a soft drink or two. The monkeys live in the ruins of local temples, and are huge tourist attractions. The Buffet is the village's way of thanking them!

Win a Trip to the Royal Wedding!

Didn't score an invite to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding? No fear! You can win a trip to the Royal Wedding in London from CNN! All you have to do is send a short video convincing them that you would be the perfect correspondent!

More info here.

Image from Reuters.

Word Travels Forum Round-Up #12

Here are the hottest topics on our travel forum this week:

Sightseeing tips in London

Things to do in Zanzibar

Weather in St Petersburg

Do you have any travel-related questions? Post them on our forum and let our experts help you out!

Win a Trip to London!

Have an urge to see Buckingham Palace? How about the Tower of London? Looking to crash Will and Kate's wedding?

Then enter here with Independent Traveller to win a free trip to London!

Travel Movie: Eurotrip

Okay, so this isn't the most mature travel movie ever. But it pretty much epitomises what every American teenager imagines when they dream of a trip to Europe: sex, drugs, crazy people with accents, beautiful sites, and the most memorable times of their lives.

Four teenagers take a whirlwind trip through London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Berlin, and Rome, in order for one to find the girl of his dreams.

Negative stereotypes notwithstanding, the movie has some pretty funny scenes, including a robot dance-off, an impromptu Sheena Easton singalong in a London pub, and one of Matt Damon's best cameos to date.