Start at Westminster Bridge by Big Ben
Finish at Westminster Station
THE EXPERIENCE
A stroll along the banks of the Thames in Westminster is one of the best ways to experience London’s most famous riverside sights, learn about its history, and discover special places of tranquillity, wonder, art, and entertainment.
Great for history, iconic sights, fantastic river views, entertainment venues, hotels, gardens and open spaces, crowds, bridges, markets, galleries, and music, with places to eat and drink along the way
MUST SEE PLACES
What to See List
PLACES TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Areas to Eat, Drink and Be Merry List
Overview
Highlights
Links to nearby Eat, Drink and Be Merry Routes
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 - Westminster Bridge, the South Bank, the London Eye, and the Golden Jubilee Bridge are busy most of the day. Quieter along Victoria Embankment
Evenings - Generally quieter, especially along the Victoria Embankment
ROUTE OVERVIEW
This 4 Km visual riverside route takes you along London’s famous river Thames between Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge in the middle. The route starts on Westminster Bridge, looking at Big Ben, and then follows the Victoria Embankment, past the Ministry of Defence, Whitehall Gardens and White Hall Court before crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge with its great views of the London Eye. It continues past the Royal Festival Hall and the National Theatre before crossing Waterloo Bridge. It then heads back towards Westminster via Victoria Embankment Gardens and Cleopatra’s Needle, before crossing over the Golden Jubilee Bridge again with its views of the City of London. The final section takes you past the London Eye, County Hall and Westminster Bridge before finishing at Westminster Station.
Route at a Glance Video (3:25)
These links open in a new tab
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
London Eye Facts
South Bank Facts
Golden Jubilee Bridge Facts
Victoria Embankment
The Savoy
Waterloo Bridge
VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE AREA
Click on the picture below to go on a virtual tour of the sightseeing area.
Use the red and black routes to explore this location by looking around in 360, taking in the sights and sounds, listening to an audio recording about the location and going on a virtual tour.
HISTORY & GUIDES VIDEO LIBRARY
This short video gives you a quick guided tour of some of the sites on this route north and south of the Golden Jubilee Bridge.
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
GUIDES
Part 1 - Westminster to the Golden Jubilee Bridge (5:46)
Part 2 - Golden Jubilee Bridge to Waterloo Bridge (5:58)
Part 3 - Waterloo Bridge to Embankment Station (5:53)
Part 4 - Embankment to Westminster Bridge (4:22)
Top of the London Eye View (1:15)
This video shows you some sights you can see at the top of the London Eye.
History
A Brief History of the Area
These short videos give you an overview of the history of each area and around the riverside.
Comments