London/South Bank

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View of the London Eye at night
View of the London Eye at night

The South Bank refers to an extensive river-edge locality in central London, located along the "South Bank" of the River Thames and extending into adjoining streets. Skirting through several riverside neighbourhoods, the South Bank has witnessed much redevelopment over the past 10-15 years, re-establishing it as a major tourist destination for visitors to London, as well as extremely popular with Londoners themselves. A walk along the South Bank of the river is an essential part of a visit to London, reflecting much of the varied history of the capital. Major sights along the South Bank of the Thames include County Hall, the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tate Modern and HMS Belfast.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By tube

  • London Bridge (Jubilee and Northern lines). Most convenient for the east end of the South Bank Walk.
  • Southwark (Jubilee line). Near the heart of the district.
  • Vauxhall (Victoria line). Most convenient for the west end of the South Bank Walk.
  • Embankment (Bakerloo, Circle, District and Northern lines). Walk south over the pedestrianised and recently-renovated Hungerford Bridge to the Royal Festival Hall area.

[edit] By rail

  • London Bridge.
  • London Waterloo.
  • London Waterloo East.

[edit] Get around

The South Bank area is probably best accessed on foot or by bike - parking is difficult at times.

[edit] By bus

The RV1 bus [1] goes from City Hall in the east of the district to County Hall in the west via Hays Galleria, London Bridge railway and tube station, Southwark Cathedral and the OXO Tower.

[edit] By boat

The following piers [2] are in the South Bank area: Bankside, Festival, London Bridge and Waterloo. By boat it is only 20min from the Tate Modern gallery (Bankside Pier [3]) to Tate Britain in St James's (Millbank Pier).

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Landmarks

From West to East:

  • London Eye, Westminster Bridge Road (tube: Waterloo, Westminster), ☎ +44 (0)870 9908883 (, fax: +44 (0)870 9908884), [4]. Daily, June-September 10AM-9PM, October-May 10AM-8PM (except 25 December and 3-8 January). The London Eye is an enormous, 135 metre-high observation wheel with 32 exterior glass-walled capsules, the London Eye offers incomparable views over central London and up to 25 miles away on a good day. Tickets are sold for specific times, so if visitors wish to go on the London Eye at a specific time, they are strongly advised to book in advance - particularly in the summer. Adult £13.50, Child £6.50, Senior £10.00, Disabled Person £10.00.  edit

  • South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road (tube: Embankment, Waterloo), ☎ +44 (0)8716 632501, [5]. The South Bank Centre is a large 1960's development on the south bank. Built largely of concrete, views on its architectural merits vary considerably. The center is made up of a number of separate buildings housing various cultural institutions - the most obvious being the National Theatre and The Royal Festival Hall, but also galleries, concert spaces and museums. Most of the buildings have cafes and restaurants of various descriptions and quality.

The Royal Festival Hall hosts almost daily classical music concerts throughout the year, tickets often available on the day. The Royal Festival Hall has recently been through a long redevelopment though still holds it's clasic 1960's design. The Hayward Gallery is a gallery hosting a single temporary exhibition at any one time.

The National Theatre has three large auditoriums - the Olivier, the Littleton and the Cotosloe. The Olivier theatre is the largest with an open stage and a fan shaped auditorium around it. This ensures that all seats provide a good view. Most of the more 'popular' productions are put on here as the space provided is much larger than most theatres. The Littleton theatre is more traditional with a procenium arc with good views from most seats. The Cotosloe is a small studio theatre, seating around 400. Some tickets will be available on the day, either day seats (arrive before 9:30am and queue) or standby (arrive before 6PM and queue), or you can buy online. Popular shows, especially those around Christmas in the Olivier sell out months in advance. Tickets to The National Theatre are generally better value than most other theatres. There is also the '£10 Travelex' season in the Summer that provides a large number (over 100,000 seats a year) at £10. Booking in advance is required for these. There is also an exhibition space in the Littleton theatre foyer that frequently holds popular photographic exhibitions. Free jazz is often played in the evening in the ground floor foyer of the Littleton Theatre. During the summer there are free daily outdoor performances outside the National Theatre - these vary from music to plays to gymnastics and seats (and artificial grass) are provided to watch on. Listings for all the events at the National Theatre are provided on the National Theatre website, including ticket booking.

The National Film Theatre has three screens showing classic (including silent), foreign language and less mainstream films. Tickets are generally available on the spur of the moment. edit

  • OXO Tower, [6]. Contains a restaurant and bar on the top floor, giving you a great view over the Thames. You pay for the privilege through the food bill, though. edit

  • City Hall, The Queen's Walk (tube: London Bridge), [7]. M-F 8AM-8PM. Greater London Authority offices. The brand new headquarters for London's Mayor and Assembly, a radically-designed glass fronted and rounded building. (latitude, ) edit

  • HMS Belfast, Morgan's Lane (tube: London Bridge), [8]. Daily March-October 10AM-5:15PM November-February 10AM-4:15PM. A historic boat, part of the Imperial War Museum. £7.20-£10.30, child under 16 free. (latitude, ) edit

  • Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge (tube: London Bridge), [9]. Off the traditional tourist path, Southwark Cathedral has been the site of worship since the year 852. Literally in the shadow of London Bridge, the Cathedral is a shelter from the noise of the city. Next to the Cathedral is the Borough Market open Th-Sa with a wide range of speciality food to buy - a good area for lunch. (latitude, ) edit

[edit] Museums and galleries

View into the main Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern
View into the main Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern

From West to East:

  • Imperial War Museum, [10]. An afternoon's worth of British military history. The same institution owns the Central London HMS Belfast (South Bank, a WWII cruiser, now a floating museum extensive enough to satisfy the most warlike husband or son), Cabinet War Rooms and Duxford Air Museum (Cambridgeshire) (an airbase a day trip from London with five hangars' worth of historic aircraft). Free except some temporary exhibitions.  edit

  • London Aquarium (tube: Waterloo), ☎ +44 (0)207 9678000 (), [11]. Daily 10AM-5PM. One of the largest aquariums in Europe, it boasts a collection of 350 different species of fish. £9.75-13.25.  edit

  • Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, ☎ +44 (0)20 79210813 (, fax: +44 (0)20 74012664), [12]. Daily 10AM-6PM except Tu (10AM-8PM), W (10AM-8PM) and F (10AM-9PM) (except 24-27 December and 1-2 January).. Particularly strong on contemporary art exhibitions. Adult £7.50, Child (12-16) £4, Senior (60+) £7, Student £6.  edit

  • Tate Modern, Bankside (tube: Southwark, Blackfriars), ☎ +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (every day, 10AM-6PM) (), [13]. Daily 10AM-6PM (last admission 5:15PM) except Friday and Saturday 10AM-10PM (last admission 9:15PM). An enormous art gallery converted from the former Bankside Power Station, a visit to Tate Modern could easily take half a day on its own. The gallery collects together contemporary and modern art from around the world, arranged thematically. The most stunning aspect of the building, however, is the enormous Turbine Hall, which plays host to a single piece of work commissioned for the space each year. Until recently, the hall was filled with a vision of a misty dawn sunrise envisioned by Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. At present, it stands empty. See also: Tate Britain. Permanant collection free but all donations welcome.  edit

  • London Dungeon (tube: London Bridge), [14]. Brings to life the gorier elements of London's past, with faithful recreations of disaster, disease, and torture. Younger children may be scared. edit

  • Britain at War Experience, 64-66 Tooley Street, ☎ +44 (0)20 74033171, [15]. Daily except 24-26 December, April-September 10AM-6PM, October-March 10AM-5PM. Attempts to recreate the experience of the Blitz for visitors. Adult £8.50, child 5-15 £4.50, family (2 adults and 2 children) £20, student or senior £5.50, under 5s free.  edit

  • The Old Operating Theatre (tube: London Bridge), [16]. Daily, 10:30AM-5PM. Britain's oldest operating theatre is an unusual tourist attraction, located in the roof space of St. Thomas's Church along with the herb store originally used by St. Thomas's Hospital's apothecary. edit

  • Fashion & Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, [17]. Founded by veteran designer Zandra Rhodes. edit

  • Design Museum, Shad Thames (tube: Tower Hill, London Bridge) (), [18]. Daily 10AM-5:45PM (last admission 5:15PM) (except 25-26 December). A must for anyone with an interest in modern and contemporary design. The permanent exhibition follows the change in British homes from the early 20th century until present day, which is constantly updated to include new design classics. There are temporary exhibits which run for 3 to 4 months. Recent exhibits have included Saul Bass, Peter Saville and Archigram. The museum also runs 'Designer of the Year' which awards a prize to a person or organisation that has produced an impressive piece of design (past winner was Jonathan Ive, who designed the iMac and iPod). There is a small shop that has plenty of art and design books as well as designer goods to take home with you. Adult £7, student or concession £4.  edit

  • Saatchi Gallery (moved to Chelsea), [19]. Contemporary art gallery that showcases Charles Saatchi's art. edit

[edit][add listing] Do

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
  • South Bank Walk. The walk along the South Bank of the Thames is a relaxing walk through central London, away (albeit only a short distance) from the traffic. Pedestrians can walk alongside the river almost the whole way from Tower Bridge to Lambeth Bridge, following the route of the Jubilee Walkway [20] - a route through central London that takes in most of London's key attractions, which was developed for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. A full guide to the riverside walk along the south bank of the Thames can be found on the Wikitravel South Bank Walk page. edit

  • Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk (Tube: Blackfriars, Southwark), ☎ +44 (0)20 7401 9919 (, fax: +44 (0)20 7902 1475), [21]. Daily May-September 9AM-5PM, October-April 10AM-5PM. Sam Wanamaker's largely authentic reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, built using traditional techniques, stages plays in the Summer months. Around the year, there is an exhibition ending with either a tour of the theatre itself (in winter, and mornings in the summer), or a virtual tour (summer afternoons). Tickets for plays are often available on the day, particularly if you are prepared to stand in the yard. edit

  • BFI IMAX Cinema, 1 Charlie Chaplin Walk (tube: Waterloo), ☎ 08707 872525, [22]. Largest cinema screen in the United Kingdom: 26m wide, 20m high. edit

  • Menier Chocolate Factory, 51/53 Southwark Street (tube: London Bridge), ☎ Theatre +44 (0)20 7907 7060, gallery +44 (0)20 7407 3222 (), [23]. Restaurant, theatre, gallery and bar. edit

  • National Film Theatre, Belvedere Road (tube: Embankment, Waterloo), [24].  edit

  • National Theatre, Belvedere Road (tube: Embankment, Waterloo), ☎ +44 (0)20 7452 3000 M-Sa 10AM-8PM or +44 (0)20 7452 3400. (, fax: +44 (0)20 7452 3030), [25].  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

  • Borough Market (tube: London Bridge). F noon-6PM Sa 8AM-6PM. A great (if expensive) food market, offering fruit, veg, cheese, bread, meat, fish, and so on, much of it organic. Pick up some food and enjoy it under Southwark Cathedral. Free.  edit

  • Hay's Galleria (tube: London Bridge), [26]. Specialise in the sale of fine art including paintings, prints and sculptures. edit

  • Oxo Tower Wharf (tube: Waterloo), [27]. Huge galleria located in Barges House St. edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Mid-range

  • Cantina Vinapolis, 1 Bank End, London Bridge, ☎ 7940 8333. This high vaulted brasserie was converted from Victorian railway arches. With an affordable listing offers fresh produce, the dishes are full of flavour and tasty. edit

[edit] Splurge

  • OXO Tower Restaurant Bar & Brasserie, OXO Tower Wharf, Barge House Street (tube: Waterloo), ☎ +44 (0)20 78033888 (), [28]. M-Sa noon-2:30PM and 6:30PM-11PM, Su noon-3PM and 6:30PM-10PM. On the eighth floor of the Art Deco Oxo Tower Wharf, the Oxo offers spectacular views and the complete dining experience with mouthwatering dishes and indulgent wines to match.  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Pubs

  • The Hole In The Wall, 5 Mepham Street (tube: Waterloo), ☎ +44 (0)20 7928 6196. With a homey and comfortable decor, the appeal of the Hole in the Wall lies in its close proximity to the station and the excellent range of beers on the hand. edit

  • Windmill Tavern, 86 The Cut, ☎ +44 (0)20 7207 3984 (fax: +44 (0)207 928 5300). Friendly bar staff pouring chilled beers from a wide selection. Great pub food. edit

[edit] Clubs

  • Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street (tube: Elephant & Castle (last trains about midnight)), [29]. Consistently good with a reputation for strong DJ's and breaking-through music. edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

  • Express by Holiday Inn London Southwark, 103-109 Southwark Street (tube: Southwark), ☎ +44 (0)207 4012525 (), [30]. Situated on the River Thames, this clean and charming hotel offers good rates for its location. edit

  • Novotel London City South, 53-61 Southwark Bridge Road (tube: London Bridge), ☎ +44 (207) 0890400 (, fax: +44 (207) 0890410), [31]. Ideal for the weekend or holiday traveler, the Novetel offers great views along with a fitness gym and spa.  edit

  • Southwark Rose Hotel, 47 Southwark Bridge Road (tube: London Bridge), ☎ +44 (0)207 0151480 (), [32]. A luxury boutique hotel located in the bustling and popular South Bank area less than 200 metres from the Thames. Offering air conditioned rooms with en suites, this hotel also has meeting room facilities. edit

[edit] Splurge

  • London Bridge Hotel ****, 8-18 London Bridge Street (tube: London Bridge), ☎ +44 (0)20 7855 2200 (, fax: +44 (0)20 7855 2233), [33]. Check in: 2PM; Check out: noon. This 4 star boutique hotel is popular with business travelers with its sleek and contemporary design and furnishings. edit

  • Marriott London County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road (tube: Waterloo), ☎ +44 (0)207 9285200, [34]. Check in: 2PM; Check out: noon. With Big Ben checking on you across the st, the Mariott has an enviable reputation and is home to the largest pool in any London hotel. Providing first class service, enjoy a luxurious spa treatment on site or sip on a cocktail in the trendy bar downstairs. edit

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!

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