No Money, No Cry: Experiences In Bangalore That Cost Nothing

Housed at the Manikyavelu Mansion, the NGMA promotes the arts with a slew of complimentary activities. Walks organised every Wednesday and Saturday introduce you to the arts, film screenings during the weekends bring alive the work of the masters, and talks by leading curators paint a picture on varied aspects.

Focusing on regional literature, Atta Galatta is a cosy nook for book lovers in the city. Here, surrounded by books, you can participate in select events that don’t come with a fee attached. And, this includes readings of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series to Allen Ginsberg’s poems, and book launches, followed by workshops and special events.

It's a thriving activity centre that encourages Bangaloreans to come by for classical dance recitals, traditional board games, jam sessions, hoop circles and plays. You can even get your hands dirty at pottery classes and voice your opinions on citizen initiatives. With three gallery spaces in the centre, there’s also plenty of art to gawk at while you’re there. While you are there, check out the Friendship Point too with your gang. 

Women can drink and lose the bar tab at nightlife spots around the city. On Wednesdays, you can pop by Cirrus for drinks on the house. It’s i-Bar’s turn on Thursdays, and Friday nights can be spent grooving at ICE. Want more places to head to? Check out our complete list of ladies’ nights around town here.

If you love world cinema, you’ll reel at what Alliance Francaise de Bangalore has in store for you. On second Wednesdays each month, movie buffs from the AF Cinéma Club meet up for a 7pm screening of the latest French movies. There’s more: fourth Thursdays are dedicated to French documentaries.

Walk into any Starbucks outlet and ask for a free coffee tasting session which introduces patrons to some of their in-house blends of coffees sourced from all over the world. The countries range from South America to Italy and Africa to India. The good folks at Starbucks not only give you free coffee and cake, but also help you understand and relish the flavours, aroma and taste associated with these blends.

When it comes to beauty and skincare products, who doesn’t like a free sample or two? American apothecary and beauty company Kiehl’s provides free skin consultations, after which you can walk out with free samples of products that suit your skin type. Don’t be shy: just ask for samples and you shall receive. Our favourite: the ultra-pricey but so good Midnight Recovery Concentrate, a few drops of which every night will leave you with supple skin.

From cheeses and exotic dips to special dishes that are prepared as part of Foodhall’s monthly themed food festivals, there are quite a lot of goodies to be sampled here. 

Love dogs but can’t keep them because of your busy work schedule? Or, perhaps, the idea of being around a pup (or two) just turns your day around? Well, then there are dog shelters like Second Chance (CUPA’s adoption centre) and Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE), for you to hit up. Open to pet lovers (particularly over weekends), this is where you can freely spend time petting the dogs or even volunteering for the day.

Come Sunday, Cubbon Park turns into a breezy, eventful space with gatherings for everything from music jams, storytelling sessions, poetry readings and even plays. All for free, too!

Yup, no need to pay for a fancy gym membership. Just hit up Ulsoor lake, run along it, and then at the far end of it, towards the Gurudwara, there’s a lovely open-air gym which you can work on cardio and core. From leg presses and exercise bars for your pull-ups to twisters and air walkers, you can peacefully workout for free!

Read more about that here.

If you are heading to Kiehl's in Phoenix Marketcity in Mahadevapura, we recommend that you stay there get a load of the wonderful free things you can do in Whitefield. There's everything from unlimited doggy cuddles to channeling your inner grease monkey.