No matter how much you budget on a trip nowadays, at home or abroad, you tend to spend more than you planned – a catch-22 that’s especially true in big cities (which can sneakily suck bank accounts dry if you’re not careful). But guess what? Many of the world’s most popular – and expensive – cities offer a wealth of things to see and do entirely for free. From New York’s Central Park to Hong Kong’s Symphony of Lights to D.C.'s Smithsonian and National Zoo, we’ve combed the globe for the top 10 cities with free attractions. Our homework has paid off – not only did we round up the go-to hubs with the biggest roster of freebies, we uncovered secrets on gaining backdoor access to some of the world's top sites. Check out some of the spectacular gratis sights in our Cities with Free Attractions slideshow.

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