Free things to do in London with friends (or someone new)

When you're meeting someone new, the plan matters more than you'd think. A dinner booking locks you in for two hours across a table. A walk or a museum gives you something to look at, something to talk about and an easy way to end it whenever suits you both.

Free plans are also easier to suggest. 'Fancy a walk along the canal on Saturday?' is a small ask, and small asks get yeses.

Many of London's biggest museums and galleries are free to walk into (some special exhibitions charge). They're perfect for a first plan: there's always something to point at, and silences feel natural rather than awkward.

Walking side by side is one of the easiest ways to talk to someone new: no eye contact pressure, and the scenery fills any gaps.

A view gives you an easy destination and a reason to stop and chat. Primrose Hill in Camden and Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath both look out across the whole city, and are popular at sunset. Greenwich Park has a famous view down to the river and Canary Wharf, and Alexandra Palace in Haringey looks out over London from the north.

Bring a coffee from a nearby café, find a bench, and you have a plan that costs almost nothing and feels like an occasion.

Viewpoints also make an easy meeting point. 'Top of Primrose Hill at six' is simple to find, there's somewhere to sit when you get there, and if one of you is running late the other has a view to enjoy rather than a door to stand outside.

Wandering a market costs nothing (unless you're tempted), and the stalls give you a constant stream of things to talk about. Camden Market, Broadway Market in Hackney, Borough Market in Southwark, Brixton Village and Portobello Road are all good choices.

Markets are especially good for a first meeting because they're busy, public and easy to leave, and nobody has to agree on a restaurant in advance.

Go with a loose plan rather than a list: walk the length of the market once, then go back to whatever caught your eye. Sharing a snack from one stall and a drink from another is an easy way to make a free plan feel like a treat, and it gives you plenty to talk about.

Once you've done the classics, there's plenty more that's free.

Bad weather doesn't have to cancel the plan. Most of the free museums are big enough to spend a whole afternoon in, and they're at their most relaxed on a wet weekday. The British Library near King's Cross is free to walk into, with exhibitions and plenty of places to sit. The Southbank Centre's public spaces by the river are open to wander, and Borough Market and Camden Market both have covered sections where you can browse out of the rain.

A rainy-day plan can be as simple as one museum and one café nearby. Pick somewhere with a good café inside or next door, and you have an easy way to keep talking once you've seen enough.

Sometimes the hardest part isn't the plan, it's finding someone to do it with. That's where PingMee can help. Post a status like 'Walk along the canal this afternoon?' or 'Anyone up for the British Museum on Sunday?', see people nearby who are open to meeting, and send a ping. If they ping back, a private chat opens for the two of you. It's free, and it only ever shows an approximate distance, never your exact location. See how to make new friends on PingMee.

If you'd rather go alone first, our guide to things to do alone in London covers the best solo plans, and our London page lists good places to meet in every part of the city.