The 20 best things to do in London Bridge

Oh, The Tate Modern. It is one of London’s – if not the world’s – most iconic art galleries. And it has an international collection of modern and contemporary art that few can beat. And the architecture? Well, it is worth a visit just to stare at. Welcoming a stonking five million (yes, really) through its doors each year, it is firmly one of the city's greatest institutions. 

The permanent collection features work by art royalty including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Barbara Hepworth. And new exhibitions are always on offer if you want to keep going back for more. For something a little bit different, head down to the Tate Modern on the last Friday of each month for Tate Lates. These free after-hours events blend art, music, workshops, talks and film, giving attendees the chance to get up, close and personal with the art in exciting ways.

A food market is an absolute must if you're in London. And the oldest one in the whole city, dating back to the thirteenth century, is certainly not one to skip. Borough Market is a sprawling cornucopia of gourmet goodies and now boasts more than 100 stalls.

While its roots are in British produce, these days you'll find a global smorgasbord of traders serving everything from salty French confit duck sandwiches and aromatic Ethiopian stews to Spanish chorizo sarnies, Tuscan porchetta-inspired spit roast and even the humble Scotch egg (elevated, of course). For doughnuts, head straight to Bread Ahead, which serves some of the best in the city.

You might recognise Borough Market from films including Bridget Jones's Diary and Harry Potter, too, so be sure to bring your camera to get a shot of British film history.

Fancy a pretty knockout view of London? Well, Western Europe's tallest skyscraper, the View from the Shard, will probably give you the best 360° views of the city. As soon as you step into the lift, the screens in the ceiling feed you fascinating facts as you hurtle towards the first viewing gallery on floor 69. From here, get ready to climb: there are three more levels to explore on foot (or lift) that will show off London in an even better light. The open sky deck on floor 72 is not to be missed.

From up there you'll get to see tiny versions of Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and even Wembley Stadium over in Brent. On a nice clear day, views stretch as far as Southend-on-Sea (yes, really!)

Interested in 19th-century medicine? Well, the Old Operating Theatre Museum, situated in a herb garret in the roof of St Thomas’s Church in Southwark, is Britain’s oldest surviving purpose-built operating theatre. Built in 1822 as part of the women’s ward for St Thomas’s Hospital, it predates both anaesthetics and antiseptics, and offers a unique (and often grisly) insight into the history of medicine and surgery. 

The theatre has been restored with original furniture and equipment, including a nineteenth-century operating table, surgical instruments and pathological specimens. Visitors enter via a vertiginous spiral staircase to view a semicircular operating theatre with tiered viewing seats for up to 150 medical students. The venue’s programme of temporary exhibitions often combine art with explorations of pathology. Be warned, you will have to climb a precarious spiral staircase, but once you’re up there, the whole exhibition takes around 45 minutes to an hour to explore. 

From the same minds behind Ducksoup in Soho and Little Duck The Picklery in Dalston comes Camille, a French-inspired restaurant that brings a little Montmartre magic to Borough Market. At first glance, it’s simple enough: classic French dishes made with British produce, plenty of wine and a chalkboard packed with daily specials.

But once you’re a course or two in, windows fogged with condensation and a few glasses deep, you might as well be on a Parisian backstreet rather than in Southwark. The rustic interiors strike just the right note, with bottles lining the walls, candles flickering on tables and a lively but never overwhelming buzz.

The food more than delivers. Oysters and rhubarb make for a fresh start, while shredded crab toast with garlic and bisque and tender pig’s head schnitzel showcase the kitchen’s flair. Save room for the potato pavé: crisp, layered, topped with tangy mayo and chives, and worth the trip alone.

RECOMMENDED: The 20 best French restaurants in London.

All aboard the HMS Belfast. This floating naval museum inside Europe’s largest WWII-era cruiser, is one of the most significant battleships to have survived the Second World War. With nine huge decks, including gun turrets, punishment rooms and an operating theatre, you can’t miss it if you’re walking through Tower Bridge, where it’s stationed on the south bank of the Thames. 

Under the care of the Imperial War Museum, the museum offers an immersive experience of what life would have been like for members of the ship’s 950-strong crew. You’ll learn all about its history, from Arctic convoys to D-Day, its role in the Cold War and beyond. It is also great for kids, with loads of interactive exhibitions. 

If you're a Shakespeare fan, you can't skip the painstakingly accurate recreation of the original Globe Theatre. The modern-day Shakespeare's Globe was built in 1997, just a short stroll from where the original once stood.

The first Globe opened in 1599 and quickly became the beating heart of London’s rowdy, pleasure-seeking South Bank. Shakespeare himself, a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, would have worked and performed here before it was destroyed by fire in 1613. Though rebuilt shortly after, it was eventually torn down in 1644.

Fast forward to the 1990s, when American actor Sam Wanamaker led a decades-long campaign to bring the theatre back to life. Today, the open-air auditorium holds around half the original capacity, but it still delivers a vivid sense of what it means to be a ‘groundling’, standing in the yard just feet from the stage as the action unfolds above you. Standing tickets come cheap, and while standing through a three-hour-long Shakespeare play might seem daunting, the atmosphere is nothing short of electric. 

Next to the never knowingly chill Borough Market sits Stoney Street, a restaurant strip with a relentless popularity and a high chance of bumping into someone you ghosted pre-pandemic. Among its many draws is Rambutan, the debut restaurant from cookbook author and chef Cynthia Shanmugalingam.

While Soho has become a hub for Sri Lankan food thanks to Hoppers, Paradise and Kolamba, it remains a cuisine without enough mainstream visibility. Shanmugalingam, the first Tamil woman to open a restaurant in London, hopes to change that. Drawing on her childhood in Coventry and family roots in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna province, her cooking blends Tamil staples with a global grab-bag of ingredients.

The airy dining room, with its putty-pink walls, rattan-backed chairs and lush greenery, provides the backdrop for a menu packed with flavour. Must-order Gundu dosa dumplings are playful and moreish, while sticky chicken pongal rice is majestically creamy, rich with saffron, coconut milk, poppy seeds and cinnamon. 

Once known as Omeara, this intimate events space has been rebranded as Rae’s. Designed for small-scale gigs and big nights out, it carries a strong legacy of booking iconic names, from Jorja Smith and Skepta to Mumford & Sons, The Maccabees, Beck, Sam Fender, Miles Kane and Wet Leg.

Club nights also feature heavily, with the likes of Fatboy Slim having previously taken over the decks and dancefloor. Spread across two rooms with exposed brickwork and plenty of atmosphere, it’s also a versatile spot for live music, dancing, and private-hire parties. They even screen sports here and host big, loud and proud World Cup celebrations. They promise premium cocktails, too. 

A third outpost from the team behind the original Swift – a permanent fixture on the World’s 50 Best Bars list since it opened in 2016 – this two-floor cocktail bar opened in autumn 2022, just a stone’s throw from Borough Market.

Like its elder siblings in Soho and Shoreditch, Swift Borough is known for its understated elegance, well-priced aperitivos (£7 a pop before 6pm on weekdays) and its near-legendary Irish coffee. If you’re after a seriously good cocktail in London Bridge, this is the place to be.

The menu delivers across the board, but a standout is The Berkeley, which blends Beefeater Gin with cachaça, lime sherbet and pear. That said, you’re unlikely to go wrong with anything you order. Private events and full venue hire are also available for a proper party.

Oft overlooked by Borough Market shoppers (though its toilets are a handy stop, and its pretty churchyard an alfresco lunchtime destination), the nearby Southwark Cathedral is actually a fascinating historic site.

The oldest bits of this building date back more than 800 years. The retro-choir was the setting for several Protestant martyr trials during the reign of Mary Tudor. Inside there are memorials to Shakespeare, John Harvard (benefactor of the American university) and Sam Wanamaker (the motivation and driving force behind the reconstruction of the Globe.) Stained glass windows feature Geoffrey Chaucer and characters from 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream', 'Hamlet' and 'The Tempest', and displays throughout the cathedral explain its history.

The Cathedral operates as more than just a tourist spot, with daily services, classical music concerts and public events. It also offers a gift shop and cheerful café that has much shorter queues than anything you'll find in the market.

Ahoy there. Climbing aboard the Golden Hinde, a full-size reconstruction of Sir Francis Drake’s sixteenth-century flagship, is about as close as you’ll get to life at sea without leaving central London. You can explore the ship on a self-guided tour, ducking below deck to discover what life was really like for Tudor sailors.

For families, though, the real fun comes from the ship’s immersive ‘living history’ experiences. Here, costumed crew members regale visitors with tales of gruelling voyages, uncomfortable nights spent sleeping on bare wooden decks and the harsh punishments handed out to anyone caught stealing precious rations. 

The ship underwent a makeover in 2025, with its starboard repaired and materials including wood from English oak, elm and ash trees and Congolese iroko used to ensure the Golden Hinde stays in shipshape. 

This light, bright children's theatre has two performance spaces and an increasingly formidable reputation. It is also the largest children's theatre in the UK, making work for kids up to the age of 13. Producing new shows as well as spins on classic texts, the work is consistently exciting, entertaining and even educational. 

The building itself is full of quirky flourishes, including scratchy wall illustrations, a piano, and a kid-tempting range of snacks sold at its Unicornershop. But it's only been in situ there since 2005. Unicorn Theatre's history stretches right back to 1947, when it was known as Mobile Theatre, a theatre company that toured post-war Britain bringing performances to culture-strapped young people.

There's still a seriousness to its regular programming, with shows tackling gory Greek myths, exploring opera, or bringing in the most exciting experimental theatremakers around. But the venue also comes into its own with its joyful string of hit Christmas shows.

A faceless new build in the shadow of the Shard might be a strange place to expect innovation, but there’s nothing as exciting as a blank canvas. Painting culinary masterpieces are Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki, a married couple who met at Le Cordon Bleu in London and opened Sollip in August 2020.

The idea is simple: Korean flavours (think ferments and seaweeds) made with British ingredients using French techniques, with a hint of molecular gastronomy, and the execution is deft. At eight-ish courses, Sollip’s Michelin-star tasting menu opens with truffle tartare, followed by sheep’s milk and green-pea foam, then a soup of artichoke milk with lobster, tomatoes and almonds that lands an unexpected pairing of lobster and strawberry.

Sollip is a graceful, modest place – even though with food like this, it certainly doesn’t have to be. In fact, they could slap 10ft tall graffiti proclaiming their excellence on the walls outside and everything would be all well and good. 

There’s a lot to like about this fascinating gallery and exhibition space close to London Bridge. It’s part of King’s College London, and operates as their flagship public space where they can showcase work that brings together the research and student communities, artists and collaborators, and young adults from the local areas. 

What’s curated here is often hugely compelling and entry to all exhibitions is free. Keep an eye on their site for news on upcoming exhibitions, and if you head along make sure you check out the ‘Living Room’ – a space where you can explore ideas with students and researchers, as well as enjoy things like zine launches, crafting sessions and more. 

Padella, the sleek but casual pasta bar from the duo behind Islington’s Trullo, is just a stone’s throw from Borough Market. Dishes are small enough – and, at around £10-15, cheap enough – to let you order three between two. Do this. In fact, bring extra friends so you can order a bit of everything. Who cares if you’ll likely be sat in a row? Talking is so overrated. There’s a changing mix of classics and lesser-spotted varieties such as tagliarini (skinny tagliatelle) and pici cacio, a hand-rolled no-egg noodle from Siena. The latter is chewy and deeply satisfying, a bit like Japanese udon, and comes smothered in a simple yet moreish sauce of parmesan, butter and cracked black pepper.

Trullo fans will be pleased to see the signature eight-hour beef shin ragù served over pappardelle, too. Just be prepared to queue: there are no bookings, but arrive for an early lunch or early dinner and you won’t have to wait long to get fed.

Maltby Street Market is a bit like a calmer, more curated version of Borough Market. It’s only been going since 2010, doesn’t open during the week and the tourists haven’t quite cottoned on yet. 

Nestled in and around the atmospheric Victorian rail arches of the Ropewalk you’ll find around 30 artisan food and drink traders. The stalls are always being switched up, but in the past there’s been everything from vegan bakes and bahn mi to empanadas, gyozas and oysters. And, if there’s one thing to know about Maltby Street Market, it’s that the earlier you go, the better. You'll beat the crowds and get your pick of the vendors. 

Just a few minutes’ walk from London Bridge is Hay’s Galleria, a place for eating, drinking and shopping rolled into one. But it’s much more than your classic arcade; Hay’s Galleria is a thing of real beauty. Set within a restored 19th-century warehouse, with a glass-vaulted roof and central sculpture, The Navigators, it’s a visual wonder with plenty of nods to its maritime history.

For food, head to The Horniman at Hays, where we'd recommend ordering one of their famous pies. Or, try the all-day brunch at Cafe Piazza. For chain fiends, there's also Côte Brasserie, Bills and a Pret A Manger (because, this is London after all).

A haven of tranquillity in a Borough sidestreet bookended by Peabody Trust residences, the Lord Clyde is a lived-in home from home for middle-aged regulars and penny-conscious students. A Truman’s landmark – note the pub sign outside and the etched mirror within (‘Unrivalled Mild Ales & Double Stout’) – the Clyde now offers a multitude of brewery flagship ales: Young’s, London Pride, Adnams.

Prices are more than reasonable, but perhaps not as affordable as the 1/6d pale ale on offer when England last won the World Cup, as revealed by a July 1966 price list mounted under a large TV linked up to Sky Sports. Draught lagers are glugged by regulars playing darts in a back room otherwise decorated by a print depicting the Lord Clyde’s heroic action at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. Pictures of ships and Spitfires, and an old Player’s cigarette ad, continue the armed forces theme. You can watch the World Cup here, and you're bound to meet some proper characters in here.