image showing The South Bank

Area Guides


The South Bank

Running along the right of the River Thames – or the left, depending on which way you’re looking – is this buzzy cultural hub, heaving with restaurants, bars, theatres, galleries and more. As well as being home to tourist attractions like The London Eye and the Sea Life Aquarium, it also boasts a whole load of London’s most iconic cultural institutions: the National Theatre (a brutalist assembly of some of the most cutting-edge programming in the city); the BFI (home to British cinema); the Tate Modern; the Southbank Centre; Shakespeare’s Globe; The Old Vic; The Young Vic; The Middle-Aged Vic. And that’s just the start. In fact, the Southbank might just have the most culture per square kilometre in the country.

national theatre southbank

National Theatre

Get lost in the brutalist halls of the Hayward Gallery before a cocktail or two at the glamorous river-side Lyaness. Have an ice cold rooftop beer at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden or make a life-long impression with cocktails and oysters at sunset on the rooftop terrace at Seabird. For a cheap afternoon out, pick up a second-hand book at the market under Hungerford Bridge, watch skaters turn tricks in a concrete bunker and kick back in Jubilee Park.

southbank skate park

Kate Olfans/Unsplash

The Southbank’s like a giant cultural slot machine, with a never-ending amount of exciting, different experiences to uncover. But here are the best places to start…

The Best Restaurants

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The Best Bars

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The Best Things To Do

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