Everybody loves a free pass; something for nothing! Here's a mini round-up of things to see and do for FREE (or almost-free) in some of the world's best cities

~~~

Climb a volcano in AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

 C'mon, you know you've always wanted to do something like this! And the generous Kiwis in Auckland are happy for you to climb their lovely volcanoes (yes, they have several - 48 to be exact) for free.

Better still, these ones are green and grassy and totally dormant. That means they won't heave under your feet as you are on your way to the summit and some truly spectacular views.

You can spot the Auckland volcanoes dotted across the region – just look for the tell-tale green pastures – and many of them are also home to lush parkland just perfect for a picnic or a leisurely stroll. Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes and take your camera.

At 196 metres high, Mount Eden - Maungawhau in Māori - is the highest of the Auckland volcanoes. Drive or climb to the summit for a stunning expansive outlook over the city and the Waitemata Harbour beyond. Formed some 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, Mount Eden features three main craters in a row, creating an oval shape covered in lush green parkland. Occupation terraces, storage pits and housing sites give a glimpse into former Māori settlement.

Head for the harbour

Make your way to the waterfront and catch sight of a huge cruise ship, or watch the ferries or head for Wynyard Quarter, Auckland’s most recently developed waterfront precinct, for great dining, family friendly playspaces, and great markets and outdoor cinema in the summer. Enjoy a meal overlooking the water at North Wharf

More....

• 
Join the locals at the Auckland Fish Market and choose from a wide range of the freshest seafood straight off the boat. Try the delicious fish and chips for lunch in the open-air courtyard.
• 
Take the kids to play at the funky maritime-themed playspace. This great inner-city playground even has a cool sand floor, a basketball court and salvaged materials with a modern twist.
• 
In summer, check out Silo Park’s night markets and outdoor cinema every Friday. Browse the stalls for vintage clothing, contemporary art and a delicious array of food before the movie. 
• Visit Karanga Plaza Kiosk to explore the interactive displays, admire the Wind Tree sculpture and enjoy the great views of the harbour and super yachts. 
• With over 15,000 artworks, Auckland Art Gallery is home to world-class historic and contemporary displays. Free guided tours are available daily.
• Goat Island is a protected marine reserve and one of New Zealand’s top snorkelling and dive spots. Swim amongst the colourful fish or take a trip out on a glass bottom boat to view the sealife.
• The restored heritage Manukau Heads Lighthouse on the very tip of the Awhitu Peninsula overlooks the ocean. This lighthouse is one of only a few in New Zealand you can actually climb to the top of. Free but donation appreciated.

Find out more....

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Are you low on cash? Then go on a free guided tour of Copenhagen. Tours last for three hours and start every day in the summer season by the steps of City Hall at 11:00. 

The tour guides are all volunteers, and at the end of your tour you pay whatever price you like.

  On the tours you will learn about Tivoli, the Danish Royal Palace, the Marble Church (below), the nazi occupation and WWII resistance, the world's oldest royal family and much more.

Want to know more about princes and princesses, Vikings and power struggles? The Christianshavn Free Walking Tour starts at 16:00 from Bishop Absalon's Equestrian Statue on Højbro Plads square in inner city and takes you on a tour of  the Christianshavn area. It finishes in (the appropriately-named) Freetown Christiania. All tours are in English. The tours are free, but if you enjoy it, you are welcome to leave a tip for the guide.

Perhaps Copenhagen's most popular 'resident' is this little lady who was created by the Danish children's author Hans Christian Andersen in 1836, and has been sitting here on the waterfront since 1913. Anyone can come and have their picture taken with her as a free souvenir.

Just north of Copenhagen you will find Dyrehavsbakken - in short Bakken - which is the world's oldest amusement park. The 431-year-old amusement park is located in the lush woodlands of Jægersborg Dyrehave, a wonderful green area, where you find yourself surrounded by 400-year-old trees and almost 2,000 freerange deer. It is the perfect spot for a ride in a horse carriage or a picnic before your visit to Bakken.

Admission is free, but of course you'll need to pay for rides on the 33 roller coasters, ferris wheels, drop towers, and many other exciting and extreme adventures. Bakken offers more rides than any other amusement park in Scandinavia. It also has many places to eat, snack, or enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Or perhaps you fancy a pint of beer in the old London bus converted into a pub.

More....

• The Botanical Garden is located in the centre of Copenhagen. The garden covers 10 hectares and is noted for its extensive complex of historical glasshouses dating from 1874. The garden is open to the public.

• With its 106 metres, the Christiansborg Palace tower is the highest tower in Copenhagen, and free to access. It offers a magnificent view of the city's rooftops. 

• Buy a Copenhagen Card and visits to many other city attractions, such as the Open Air Museum, the National Gallery of Denmark, and the National Museum, can be free. 

Find out more....

ROME, ITALY

The eternal city need not be too expensive. There is plenty to do and it need not empty the euros from your pockets, or max-out your credit cards. The ancient Pantheon (rebuilt by Hadrian in AD 126) is free to enter and you can always listen in as tour groups are told the vital snippets of historical information. And do look upwards! There is a great opening in what is the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built.

Shop in the Campo de' Fiori - literally, the field of flowers – (near the Piazza Navona with its street performers, artists and tourists, baroque grand houses and fountains) and make like a local, buying smallgoods, cheeses, bread and fruit - and flowers, of course!

People-watching is always free, and this is the spot in Rome to see almost anyone whose anyone – if you stay long enough. Camp out on the steps, buy a gelato (or three), a paper cone of hot freshly roasted chestnuts if they are in season, and watch the crowds go by.

More....

• Stroll the Villa Borghese Gardens to the north-east of the city. At an area of 80 ha, this is the third largest public park in Rome.
• The Vatican's Basilica is free (be prepared to queue) and see Michelangelo's Pietà statue and Bernini's baldachin (altar canopy).
• Ensure your return by tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain. OK, it may not seem like a free throw, but think of it as an investment in destiny.
• Cross the Tiber to wander the alleys and courtyards of Trastevere. A coffee at an outdoor cafe table costs, of course, but the atmosphere is free.
• Take a Rome Free Tour for a daily walking tour of the historic centre.
• Dress up and enjoy the evening passeggiata (that's Italian for 'stroll') in the Via del Corso.

Even more things....

NEW YORK, USA

New York recycles in a BIG way. The High Line is an elevated freight rail line, now out of use (of course!) and transformed into a public park on Manhattan’s West Side. It is owned by the City of New York, and maintained and operated by Friends of the High Line. Founded in 1999 by community residents, it is maintained as an extraordinary public space for all visitors to enjoy, a 3.5 km New York-version of Paris's Promenade Plantée, a huge oasis, with flowers, fountains, benches and stupendous views of Chelsea below. There are various access points and rulles to be observed when using this great free addition to the city.

Whatcha gonna do? Run to Moma? YES! If you mean MoMA, New York's sensational Museum of Modern Art. Every Friday, think of it as cultural 'happy hours', the museum stays open to 8pm and you can get FREE tickets after 4pm if you ask nicely. Getting there at half hour or so later means the worst of the queue might have cleared.

New York's massive Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883 is one of the oldest steel-wire suspension bridges in the States. Stroll (power-walk if you must) across the pedestrian walkway (careful, bikes use this too!) and get some great views and camera-angles of the city from this elevation. It's a good workout too of over 1.8 miles or close to three kilometres. Beats gym fees!

BYO padlock and you can add to those starting to adorn the mesh fencing.

More....

• Visit Central Park for free events, space to exercise, place sto sit and people-watch. Some of the sites to locate include Strawberry Fields, and an 'Imagine' mosaic near the Dakota, where John Lennon was killed in 1980. Another site is 'the Pond' and the ducks.
• Get a free dose of culture at the galleries in Chelsea, mostly in the 20s Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues. Check Gallery Guide for listings. You may be lucky enough to crash a wine-and-cheese opening on a Thursday evening.
• Take a free ferry (yes, there is such a thing) to Governor's Island opened in 2003. There's free access to the bike path, mini golf, picnic area, plus military sites such as Admiral's House and a 'ghost town' at Nolan Park. 
• Take a trip on the Staten Island Ferry and see Manhatten from another angle. The ride is FREE!

More things for free.....

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Did you know? Sydney's grand Town Hall, constructed between 1868 and 1889 was built on the site of Sydney’s first official European cemetery. Now you might even see some of those grave with a free Friends of Sydney Town Hall tour. These 'friends' are volunteers passionate about the Town Hall and its history who will introduce you to parts of the building not generally accessible to the public. You’ll see the ‘finest organ ever built by an English organ builder’ and much more. Bookings are essential. Meet at the main stairway.

Like most parks, Hyde Park in Sydney is free to enter but it offers much more than a picnic spot. The War Memorial is here, many statues and fountains, gracious gardens and it is flanked by many of Sydney's most elegant and historic buildings. There's a giant chess board and cafes nearby too. 

Observatory Hill is, as you'd expect the hill on which the observatory was built in 1859, on the highest piece of land. There are gardens and lawns to explore and picnic on, (sometimes a wedding group having photographs taken) and great views of 'The Coathanger' the locals' affectionate term for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, where you can do yet another thing for free. While climbing to the top of the bridge has a fee, you can walk across the bridge and back, on the pedestrian walkway, for no cost. As you'd expect the views of the city and harbour are closer, but still spectacular, for free!

More.....

• Visit the 30-hectare Royal Botanic Gardens, for splendid views of Sydney Harbour and the constant water traffic as well as one of the world's best public gardens.
• Chinatown is always bustling and alive with wonderful aromas.
• Watch the street theatre at Circular Quay - mimes, 'statues', singers, jugglers, musicians - they're all here with the harbour as a backdrop.
• Centennial Park is immense, with kilometres of cycling, walking and horse-riding paths and tracks. There are lakes with waterfowl, and many picnic spots.
• Visit a weekend market for food and bargains. The Rocks at Circular Quay has a weekly food market on Friday as well as a weekend one.

Even more.....

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

The British Museum’s inner courtyard is the largest covered public square in Europe. It is a two-acre (.8 hectare) space enclosed by a spectacular glass roof with the world-famous Reading Room at its centre. Elsewhere you'll find Egyptian mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and other priceless artifacts and acquisitions.

See London at another time and from a different persepctive when you walk across Millennium Bridge from St Paul's Cathedral to Tate Modern with its wealth of world artworks (also free) especially you do it at dusk.

Famous Covent Garden is another place to 'window-shop' the stalls (or even buy something!) and take in the free entertainment. On a weekend, the Portobello Markets at Notting Hill are worth visiting. You may even pick up a 'treasure' worth far more than you've paid for, although the dealers here are pretty sharp!

(images: Visit London)

No matter how often you see it, the pomp and pageantry of London takes away most visitors' breath. Whether it's the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, The Horseguards' parade, or simply some unexpected celebration that involves bright uniforms and often horses, these are the lovely free experiences which will come home on your cameras and in your memories.

More...

• Come face-to-face with a roaring T-Rex at the Natural History Museum.
• Learn about the history of the River Thames at Museum of London Docklands. 
• See what life was like for the poor and destitute of London's East End during the late 1800s in The Ragged School Museum. 
• See the Peter Pan statue at Kensington Gardens.
• Follow the towpath through tranquil Little Venice to discover a slew of waterfront cafes and pubs.

And many more extras....