Cheap and free family days out
Sourced prices and opening times, with the date we checked them. Prices and opening times can change; check before you go.
Last checked: 10 November 2026
Prices and opening times can change; check before you go.
These are days out in the borough that are free to enter, or that have a published price we have checked with the venue. "Free entry" here means the operator or the council says entry is free. We do not call anything a bargain or a treat, and we do not rank the places.
Parks with free entry
Ealing Council's page of other parks in Ealing says that, except where specified, those parks are open all the time. It lists parks including Ealing Common, Dean Gardens, Drayton Green, Blondin Park and Bramley Gardens. The council says Bramley Gardens, in Northfields, is free to enter. Lammas Park, on the same set of pages, is listed with facilities including a playground, and the council says that park is locked overnight. Walpole Park sits next to Pitzhanger Manor; the manor has its own admission prices, below. There is more about these parks in our Ealing town guide and West Ealing guide.
In Hanwell, our Hanwell guide covers Brent Lodge Park, the canal locks and other green spaces. Canal & River Trust says there is no charge to visit the Hanwell flight of locks, that the towpath is always open, and that there are no toilets on site.
The council's Northolt town page names Northala Fields as one of the town's green spaces. We have not found a current dedicated council park page for Northala Fields in the Northolt parks section we checked, so we say no more about opening times or facilities here. Check Ealing Council's website before you go. Paths and facilities can change; follow on-site signs.
Sources: Ealing Council: Ealing parks, Other parks in Ealing; Ealing Council: Ealing parks, Walpole Park; Ealing Council: Ealing parks, Bramley Gardens; Canal & River Trust: Hanwell Lock Flight; Ealing Council's Northolt town page. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Hanwell Zoo
Hanwell Zoo is in Brent Lodge Park, Church Road, Hanwell, W7 3BP. The zoo's plan-your-day page, checked on 10 November 2026, lists single tickets at £5 for an adult and £4 per child, with under-3s free, and season tickets at £21 for an adult and £16 for a child or a concession. It says carers with supporting documents enter free. It gives opening hours of 10am to 5pm from 1 April to 11 September (last entry 4pm) and 10am to 4pm from 12 September to 31 March (last entry 3pm), open every day except Christmas Day in the winter period. Tickets can be booked on the zoo's website. Opening times can change, so check the zoo's website before you go. There is also a short note in our Hanwell guide.
Sources: Hanwell Zoo: Plan your day; Hanwell Zoo website. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
The photograph here is an illustrative picture of a meerkat. It is not a photograph taken at Hanwell Zoo.
Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, and Walpole Park
Walpole Park is a public park at the edge of Ealing Broadway. The manor and gallery stand on its north-east side and have a separate admission charge. The venue's tickets page, checked on 12 November 2026, lists, for visits from 25 November 2026, adult admission as £15 without a donation or £17 with a voluntary donation, and it says children aged 15 and under have free admission when accompanied by an adult. It also describes a Pay What You Can offer for residents of the London Borough of Ealing at stated times. The plan-your-visit page says the venue is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and until 8pm on the first Thursday of each month, and that it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays except bank holidays. The full figures and conditions are in our Ealing town guide. Current exhibitions, ticket prices and any temporary closures are on Pitzhanger's own tickets and plan-your-visit pages. Prices and opening times can change; check before you go.
Sources: Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery: Plan your visit; Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery: Tickets and admission. Last checked: 12 November 2026.
Sources: Ealing Council: Ealing parks, Walpole Park. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Gunnersbury Park and Museum
Ealing Council says Gunnersbury Park is jointly run by Ealing and Hounslow councils, with the entrance on Popes Lane, Acton W3 8LQ. The operator's plan-your-visit page, checked on 10 November 2026, says the park and museum are free to visit, with a suggested donation of £5 per person. It says the park is open every day from 7am to dusk. It says the museum and shop are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4.30pm, closed on Mondays except for pre-booked school groups, and open 10am to 4.30pm on bank holiday Mondays. It also says parts of the museum can be closed for private events, and that parking charges apply. Check the operator's page before you go.
Sources: Ealing Council: Ealing parks, Other parks in Ealing; Gunnersbury Park & Museum: Plan your visit. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Libraries
Ealing Libraries' join page says joining is free if you live, work or study in the borough, and that books are free to borrow. It says there is a small charge for audio-visual items. See Join the library (Ealing Libraries), or the first-month note on our New to Ealing page.
Sources: Ealing Libraries: Join the library. Last checked: 10 November 2026.
Markets
Looking around a market does not have a ticket price. Days and hours are on our markets calendar, taken only from the organiser's own page.
Checked by the About Ealing team. Last checked: 10 November 2026. Details can change. Please check the linked source before you travel or visit. To report a mistake, use our corrections page.