Battersea Park is free and open until 10.30pm, the children's zoo is £17.50 and Tooting Bec Lido is the UK's largest freshwater pool. Prices checked this week.
Wandsworth’s best days out are unusually cheap, because most of them are parks and commons that cost nothing. The paid attractions are concentrated in Battersea, and the borough’s single most unusual one is a 91 metre unheated outdoor swimming pool in Tooting.
Everything below was checked against the venue’s own website in August 2026. Prices and opening hours change, so the links go straight to the operator rather than to a listings site.
Battersea Park
The borough’s flagship park, free to enter, with gates open from about 6.30am and closed by 10.30pm daily. Inside there is boat hire on the lake, cycle hire, a trim trail, and Putt in the Park for crazy golf. A junior parkrun runs there too. (Enable Leisure and Culture)
The park’s Victorian Cascades, a rockwork waterfall built in the 1860s, is being restored with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the project will have the water flowing again powered by solar energy.
Getting there: Queenstown Road and Battersea Park stations are both about a ten minute walk from the Rosary Gate entrance. There are three pay and display car parks inside the park, at Chelsea Gate, Rosery Gate and Albert Bridge Gate, all charging seven days a week including bank holidays, and the machines do not give change. Bear in mind that Albert Bridge is currently closed to vehicles, so approach from Chelsea Bridge or Battersea Bridge.
Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
Inside the park and separately ticketed, open daily from 10am to 5.30pm. It is a small, family-run zoo built for young children rather than a day-long visit, with keeper talks, feeding times and adventure playgrounds.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (16 to 59) | £17.50 |
| Child (2 to 15) | £13.95 |
| Under 2s | Free |
| Senior (60+), student or military | £16.50 |
| Family (2 adults + 2 children, or 1 adult + 3 children) | £53.95 |
| Registered disabled adult (1 carer free) | £16.50 |
Booking is not required, and tickets are valid for one visit within 30 days of purchase. Children under 16 must be with an adult. (Battersea Park Children’s Zoo)
Tooting Bec Lido
The borough’s genuine one-off. Tooting Bec Lido is the UK’s largest freshwater outdoor pool at 91.4 metres, and it is unheated, which is the point. It opens every day from 1 May to 30 September, with two sessions a day alongside lane swim times.
There is a children’s paddling pool, a café, a sunbathing area and changing rooms on site, and you can bring a picnic. Small lockers need your own padlock. Booking ahead is recommended to guarantee a space, and bookings are non-refundable.
Getting there: limited free parking serves both the lido and Tooting Bec Common, and the 319, 249 and G1 buses stop a short walk away. The lido is run by Places Leisure as agent for Wandsworth Council. (Places Leisure, Tooting Bec Lido)
The site is shared with the South London Swimming Club, which is linked from the lido’s own page.
Battersea Power Station
The Grade II* listed power station reopened as a shopping and leisure destination and is now the busiest visitor draw in the borough. Entry to the building and the riverside is free; the attractions inside are ticketed.
Things to do there include the Chimney Lift, a glass lift that rises inside the north-west chimney for a 360 degree view, the Cinema in the Power Station, the Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold exhibition, and a land train around the site. (Battersea Power Station)
Dated events on at the time of writing: Electric Summer, a riverside fairground, runs 29 July to 31 August 2026; the River Walk Market of independent food traders runs every Sunday until 30 August; and celebrASIA, three days of South East Asian performance, street food and artisans, lands 11 to 13 September 2026.
Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station Underground stations are both a few minutes away on the Northern line, five and seven minutes from Waterloo.
Battersea Arts Centre
The old Battersea Town Hall on Lavender Hill, now a theatre programming new and experimental work rather than touring shows. Its autumn 2026 season includes NINA, a new play by Caroline Williams inspired by Chekhov’s The Seagull, from 6 to 24 October, and Room 13, an immersive horror piece the venue describes as exploring what was left behind by the fire at the building more than ten years ago, from 16 October to 1 November. (Battersea Arts Centre)
Tooting Market
An indoor market on Tooting High Street with shops, a food court and salons, and one of the reasons Tooting keeps turning up on lists of London neighbourhoods worth visiting. It was voted Best Small Indoor Market in the UK at the Great British Market Awards in 2017. (Tooting Market)
Tooting Broadway station is on the doorstep, 24 minutes from Bank on the Northern line.
Free days out
- Wandsworth Common, Tooting Common, Putney Heath and King George’s Park are all free, open all year and managed for the Council by Enable Leisure and Culture.
- The Thames Path runs the length of the borough’s river frontage, from Nine Elms past Wandsworth Bridge to Putney Embankment, and is the best free walk here.
- Putney Embankment is the start of the Boat Race, which next runs on Sunday 11 April 2027. The towpath crowds are free to join. (The Boat Race)
- Northcote Road closes to traffic at weekends for street events between 11 July and 30 August 2026, which is worth timing a visit around.
What it costs
Planning a visit
| Place | Cost | When |
|---|---|---|
| Battersea Park | Free | Daily, gates 6.30am to 10.30pm |
| Battersea Park Children's Zoo | £17.50 adult, £13.95 child | Daily, 10am to 5.30pm |
| Tooting Bec Lido | Paid session, see operator | Daily, 1 May to 30 September |
| Battersea Power Station | Free to enter, attractions ticketed | Year round |
| Battersea Arts Centre | Ticketed by show | Autumn season from 6 October |
| Tooting Market | Free | Year round |
| Commons and Thames Path | Free | Year round |
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Wandsworth for free?
Battersea Park, Wandsworth Common, Tooting Common and King George’s Park are all free, as is the Thames Path along the borough’s river frontage and entry to Battersea Power Station itself. Putney Embankment on Boat Race day costs nothing to watch from.
How much is Battersea Park Children’s Zoo?
£17.50 for an adult, £13.95 for a child aged 2 to 15, free for under 2s, and £53.95 for a family of two adults and two children. It opens daily from 10am to 5.30pm and booking is not required.
Is Tooting Bec Lido open all year?
No. It opens every day from 1 May to 30 September. Outside that season it is used by the South London Swimming Club. The pool is unheated all year.
How big is Tooting Bec Lido?
91.4 metres long, which makes it the largest freshwater outdoor swimming pool in the UK.
What can you do at Battersea Power Station?
Shopping and restaurants are free to browse. Ticketed attractions include the Chimney Lift up the north-west chimney, the Cinema in the Power Station and the Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold exhibition, with seasonal events on the riverside through summer.
When is the Boat Race at Putney?
The next Boat Race is Sunday 11 April 2027, starting from Putney Embankment.
Sources
- Enable Leisure and Culture, Battersea Park for park opening hours, facilities, car parks and the Cascades restoration.
- Battersea Park Children’s Zoo, day visits for ticket prices and opening times.
- Places Leisure, Tooting Bec Lido for the pool dimensions, season, facilities and transport.
- Battersea Power Station for the attractions and the dated summer and September events.
- Battersea Arts Centre for the autumn 2026 season.
- Tooting Market for the market and its 2017 award.
- The Boat Race for the 2027 date.
Prices and opening hours were checked in August 2026. Confirm with the venue before travelling, particularly for the lido, where sessions are booked in advance.
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