Start at St Pauls Station
Finish at London Bridge Station
THE EXPERIENCE
This riverside route starts out from St Paul's Cathedral and heads towards London Bridge via the south side of the River Thames. It passes the College of Arms, the Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre, Southwark Bridge, the Clink, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, and the Shard. The southern part of the route takes you along the original entertainment area for the City of London that existed here until the Fire of London 1666 when it was replaced by Covent Garden, Soho and Leicester Square. Today, the area has gone back to its entertainment roots with Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Tate Modern. The route has two of London's most important religious churches, with St Paul’s Cathedral at the start and Southwark Cathedral at the end.
It is great for history, iconic sights, cityscapes, food markets, museums, entertainment venues, culture, art, fantastic riverside views, sunrise/sunsets, and cathedrals. Numerous eating and drinking spots along the way support it.
MUST SEE PLACES
What to See List
PLACES TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Areas to Eat, Drink and Be Merry List
BEST TIME
Morning - The best time to do this route is on weekends in the early morning when it is quiet and free from crowds and heavy traffic.
Day - Most of this route will be busy during the day.
Evenings - Quieter during the evening.
ROUTE OVERVIEW
This 2.1 Km route starts outside St Paul's Station and heads south past One New Change shopping centre and then right onto Cannon Street with its great views of St Paul's Cathedral. The route then turns left down the pedestrianised Peter's Hill towards the river crossing over Queen Victoria Street. It then crosses over the Millennium Bridge towards the Tate Modern. Then it heads east along Bankside past Shakespere's Globe Theatre, Southwark Bridge, the Anchor pub - and the wonderful City of London skyline. It then heads under the Cannon Street railway bridge and passes the Clink Prison Museum and the Golden Hind before emerging to Southwark Cathedral. The last part of the route goes around the edge of Borough Market and then heads toward the end at the Shard next to London Bridge Station.
Route at a Glance Video.
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DESCRIPTIVE PHOTO GALLERY
This gallery provides a descriptive and visual reference to many sights along this route. Use the Google Map above to find their location. Double-click to see its full size.
INTERESTING FACTS
Route Facts Pat 1
Route Facts Part 2
VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE AREA
Click on the picture below to take a 360-degree virtual tour of the area.
Use the black route to explore this location by looking around in 360, taking in the sights and sounds, listening to an audio recording about the area and going on a virtual tour.
HISTORY & GUIDES VIDEO LIBRARY
Please note - These date from before 2018 and have been done in a variety of styles to determine which one works best. They all provide very useful information and we would welcome feedback to help create the new version
SIGHT GUIDES
These short videos give you a quick guided tour of some sights on this route.
6:31 minutes
9:31 minutes
HISTORY GUIDES
This 3:31-minute video gives you an overview of the area's history.
This video gives you a short introduction to how the City of London grew during the Tudors (1560) and the Victorians (1860)
7:26 mins
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