Things to do around London Bridge on a date

If seeing London from 800 feet up wasn’t breathtaking enough already, you can now get an extra adrenaline kick at The View from The Shard, thanks to the UK’s highest virtual reality experience. Hit speeds of up to 100mph on The Slide as you zoom through London’s skyline on an immense helter skelter, and test your never on Vertigo, as The Shard crumbles away from below your feet, leaving you balancing precariously. Thrilling stuff.

The View from The Shard, Joiner St, SE1 9QU

£10 per experience, tickets need to be purchase during a visit.

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Daily from 12 noon to 9.30pm, you and your date can make your visit to London’s highest viewpoint even more special by sipping a glass of Champagne Lanson while you stand together looking out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. A lovely experience at twilight. 

The View from The Shard, Joiner St, SE1 9QU

£33.95 in advance online. Age 18-plus.

Explore new art together in one of the area’s more intimate cultural spaces. Bankside is the gallery of the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, and offers a vibrant programme of changing exhibitions dedicated to contemporary artists. It also has a selection of art up for sale – perfect, perhaps, for a wall in your new place together?

Thames Riverside, 48 Hopton St, SE1 9JH

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A cheese shop might not sound like the most romantic of places to take your date, but if you like having something to talk about and focus on, the cheese classes hosted here offer a lively, sophisticated and fun break from the norm. Tastings and talks give you a chance to hear direct from artisan producers and sample incredible flavours, paired with wines or beers.

6 Park St, SE1 9AB

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From spring until October the main, outdoor theatre space here presents world-class productions of both Shakespeare’s masterpieces and contemporary classics, while the venue’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse provides a chance to enjoy drama and comedy all through the year in a Jacobean theatre setting indoors. If you don’t have time for a show, simply drop in and do the exhibition and tour, immersing yourselves in London’s – sometimes bawdy – cultural past.

21 New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT

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Before a dinner date, why not step out of your usual routine and head to Wine Pantry in Borough Market to discover the best English wines and British spirits. The store sells wines by the glass or the bottle, and if you want to explore what’s on offer, you can enjoy its drop-in tastings, which start from £5 for three samples (Wednesday to Friday).

1 Stoney St, SE1 9AA

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Dinner and a show doesn’t have to cost West End prices. The Menier Theatre – converted from an old chocolate factory – has an impeccable reputation for new productions and the 2016 season includes talents such as Patrick Marber and Tom Hollander. Even better, you can eat here beforehand in the classy, bistro-style restaurant. By showtime, the atmosphere is buzzing.

53 Southwark St, SE1 1RU

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