Today I want to bring you my London Bridge guide. Right on the Thames, this part of south London is great to explore. There are a lot of restaurants, shops, galleries, and markets here that make the area worth a special trip.
London Bridge Guide
The view from The Shard is like no other in London. The 72nd floor observation platform is the highest in the city, and from up here London resembles a sprawling toy town.
The trains and boats are Brio, Tower Bridge is a miniature model, and even the Gherkin—London’s most famous skyscraper—is dwarfed. I can’t take my eyes off the view, especially that of London Bridge.
London Bridge Area
London Bridge is one of the most unique neighborhoods in the city. Named after the bridge that connects the area to the City of London, it’s a great place to explore.
This is not least because it features a mix of old and new, with historic stone churches sitting below sleek new skyscrapers and World War II battleships floating next to contemporary waterfront architecture.
The area is home to London’s most famous foodie destination, Borough Market, and also its city hall and lots of great London hotels.
It has a bustling train station around the corner from a laid-back street with some of the best places in London to relax and unwind.
Bermondsey Street
I find myself in one of those places not long after my trip to the top of The Shard. The Woolpack pub on Bermondsey Street has a great beer garden, and a friend has staked out tables in the sun for his birthday drinks.
The Woolpack is one of many highlights of Bermondsey Street, which is a hotspot on London’s dining and arts scenes.
Down the street are Jose, the famous tapas bar, and Pizarro, its sister restaurant. They’re two of the best restaurants in London Bridge.
Also on Bermondsey Street is the iconic White Cube gallery, one of the most famous contemporary art galleries in London.
On the opposite side of the street is the Fashion and Textile Museum, which focuses on modern and contemporary British and international design.
More London
Back up towards the Thames, I pass by historic brick warehouse conversions and under railway arches before reaching More London, a riverfront development brimming with contemporary architecture, sculpture, and water features.
It opens onto the giant squashed gumdrop that is London’s City Hall. It’s a striking work of contemporary architecture on the Thames.
The wide open plaza around City Hall is one of my favorite places in London Bridge. There are excellent views across the Thames to the Tower of London and the skyscrapers in the City of London.
Closer in, Tower Bridge—one of the city’s best examples of Victorian (over)engineering—faces the HMS Belfast, a warship-turned-museum that looms large on the skyline.
London Bridge Riverfront
Next to the ship is Hay’s Galleria, one of the most aesthetically pleasing places in London Bridge. The historic 19th-century wharf has been redeveloped into an atrium-covered space full of pubs, restaurants, and cafes.
On the other side of the actual London Bridge are more foodie treasures.
In addition to Borough Market and the food shops and restaurants that surround it—think Brindisa, Roast, Monmouth Coffee, and Neal’s Yard Dairy—there are great cafes and pubs.
Interspersed among the culinary highlights of the area are more historic ones. For example, the ruins of the great hall of Winchester Palace, an English Heritage site in London, can be seen from Clink Street.
Next to the ruins lies a life-size replica of Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hinde, the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe.
Behind it is Southwark Cathedral. William Shakespeare’s brother was buried here in 1607, the same year John Harvard—founder of the famous American university—was baptized in the church.
And speaking of Shakespeare, just down the river is a replica of his famous Globe theater, where the Royal Shakespeare Company stages his plays throughout the year.
Guide to London Bridge
But that’s getting on towards the heart of the South Bank, which has enough to do and see for a blog post of its own. I circle back to the station, craning my neck up at The Shard as I enter.
It’s hard to believe I was just 72 floors above ground looking down on London Bridge. As great as the views are, I have to say it’s even better to see the neighborhood from the ground.
I hope this London Bridge guide has inspired you to explore the area. This London neighborhood is one for your bucket list. If you want to see more, my self-guided London Bridge walk is just the thing.
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