Top 11 Things To Do in South Bank London: A 2026 Guide & Free Map

TLDR: South Bank packs more major attractions into a two-kilometre riverside stretch than anywhere else in London. It’s all walkable along the Queen's Walk, and many attractions are free. This guide covers the 11 spots worth your time, and at the bottom you'll find a free interactive map.

I've walked the South Bank end to end more times than I can count, and it's still the part of London I'd send a first-time visitor to before anywhere else.

The two-kilometre riverside strip between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge connects world-class art, food, theatre, and views in a single continuous walk. You can wander it without a plan and keep stumbling onto things. 

After covering the whole stretch in every season, here are the 11 attractions that genuinely deliver - starting with the best way to tie them all together.

1. Explore with a StoryHunt audio walk

South Bank is best explored on foot, following the Queen's Walk along the Thames at your own pace - and the smartest way to do it is with a guided audio walk from StoryHunt.

You can either walk in the footsteps of a local guide who has created a curated tour of the riverside, or roam freely using the interactive map in the app, picking up the stories behind each attraction as you reach it.

Try out StoryHunt for free here.

2. London Eye

The London Eye is the 135-metre observation wheel on the riverfront near Westminster Bridge, opened for the millennium in 2000. A full rotation takes about 30 minutes and gives the best high-level views over central London on a clear day - Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the river curving away beneath you.

Tickets are cheaper booked online in advance, and the summer queues are no joke, so go early or late in the day. The enclosed glass capsules mean it runs in almost any weather.

Did You Know? When it opened, the London Eye was the tallest observation wheel in the world, and it remains Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel - supported on only one side.

3. Tate Modern

Tate Modern is the national museum of modern and contemporary art, housed in the former Bankside Power Station directly across the river from St Paul's. Entry to the permanent collection is free, and it drew over 4.6 million visitors in 2024 - one of the most-visited attractions in the UK.

The vast Turbine Hall hosts rotating large-scale commissions, and the 10th-floor viewing level of the Blavatnik Building offers a free panorama back across the Thames. Allow at least two hours.

Did You Know? The building's chimney stands 99 metres tall - deliberately kept just lower than the dome of St Paul's Cathedral across the river, out of respect for Wren's masterpiece.

4. Borough Market

Borough Market is one of London's oldest food markets, trading near its current London Bridge site for centuries. It's a working market of specialist traders - cheesemongers, bakers, charcutiers, fishmongers - alongside street food stalls serving everything from raclette to salt beef.

It's busiest on Fridays and Saturdays, when all the traders are open and the atmosphere is fullest. Some stalls close earlier in the week. The market has appeared in Bridget Jones's Diary and the Harry Potter films.

Did You Know? A market has existed around London Bridge since at least 1014, and possibly Roman times, making Borough Market one of the oldest continuously trading food markets in the world.

5. The Shard

The Shard is the tallest building in the UK at 310 metres, designed by Renzo Piano and completed in 2012. The View from the Shard observation decks on floors 68 to 72 offer the highest public viewpoint in London, with views stretching up to 40 miles on a clear day.

Tickets are expensive. A good alternative: the bars and restaurants on the upper floors offer the same views for the price of a drink, with no observation-deck ticket required.

Did You Know? The Shard's distinctive design was inspired by the spires of London churches and the masts of ships on the Thames. Architect Renzo Piano first sketched it on the back of a restaurant menu.

6. Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe is a faithful reconstruction of the 1599 open-air theatre, built 230 metres from the original site and opened in 1997. During the summer season it stages plays in conditions close to Shakespeare's own - open to the sky, with cheap standing "groundling" tickets in the yard. Tours and exhibitions run year-round.

The original Globe burned down in 1613 when a stage cannon set fire to the thatched roof during a performance of Henry VIII.

Did You Know? The modern Globe is the only building in central London permitted to have a thatched roof - a special exemption from rules introduced after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

7. Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge sits at the eastern end of the South Bank strip, opened in 1894 after eight years of construction. The Tower Bridge Exhibition includes the Victorian engine rooms, where the original steam machinery is preserved, and a glass-floor walkway 42 metres above the Thames.

The bascules still lift around 800 times a year to let tall vessels through; the schedule is published online, and watching from the riverbank costs nothing.

Did You Know? In 1952, a London double-decker bus was crossing Tower Bridge when the bascules began to rise. The driver accelerated and jumped the growing gap between the two halves, landing safely on the other side.

8. HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast is a Royal Navy light cruiser permanently moored on the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, now run by Imperial War Museums. Launched in 1938, she served throughout the Second World War - including the Arctic convoys and the D-Day landings - and later in the Korean War before being saved for the nation in 1971.

Nine decks are open to explore, from the bridge down to the engine rooms, giving a genuine sense of life aboard a warship.

Did You Know? HMS Belfast fired some of the opening shots of the D-Day naval bombardment on 6 June 1944, supporting the Allied landings on the Normandy beaches.

9. Imperial War Museum

The Imperial War Museum sits slightly inland in Lambeth, in the former Bethlem Royal Hospital - the institution that gave the world the word "bedlam". Entry is free. It covers conflict from the First World War to the present, with two enormous naval guns flanking the entrance.

The Holocaust Galleries, reopened in 2021, are widely regarded as among the best in the world. Allow at least two to three hours for a proper visit.

Did You Know? The two 15-inch naval guns outside the museum came from the battleships HMS Resolution and HMS Ramillies, and together weigh around 100 tonnes.

10. SEA LIFE London Aquarium

SEA LIFE London Aquarium occupies the basement of County Hall, right beside the London Eye, making it an easy pairing for a riverside day. Opened in 1997, it's one of Europe's largest aquariums, home to sharks, rays, sea turtles, and a colony of Gentoo penguins.

The shark walkway - a clear tunnel through a large ocean tank - is the highlight for most visitors. It's popular with families; book online to skip the queue and save on tickets.

Did You Know? County Hall, which houses the aquarium, was the seat of London's government from 1922 until 1986, when the Greater London Council was abolished.

11. The London Dungeon

The London Dungeon is on the riverfront in County Hall, near the London Eye - an actor-led, walk-through attraction covering the darker chapters of London's history, from the Great Plague to Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd. It's theatrical rather than strictly historical, with live performers, special effects, and a couple of rides.

It skews toward teenagers and young adults, and works best booked in advance with combination tickets alongside the London Eye or SEA LIFE.

Did You Know? The London Dungeon features a recreation of Victorian Whitechapel, where you can walk the fog-filled streets stalked by Jack the Ripper - whose identity has never been confirmed despite more than 130 years of investigation.

Discover South Bank with StoryHunt

If you want the best way to experience all the top things to do in South Bank - which you can learn all about in this neighborhood guide - download the StoryHunt app for free and start exploring on your own terms.

The app generates custom audio walks based on your interests, whether you're into art, history, or food. Just open the interactive map, choose what you want to see, and let the app guide you along the Queen's Walk with engaging narration and insider tips.

Download StoryHunt for Android and iOS here and plan your South Bank day today.