Hotels in Southwark

Covering the historic areas of Bankside, Borough, London Bridge and many of the cultural riverside attractions of the South Bank, Southwark is one of London’s most visited boroughs.

Hotels in Southwark are on the increase as this area becomes more popular with tourists.  The Novotel London City South is located very near to the Globe Theatre and offers great family prices.  It is also easy walking distance to the London Eye.

Even long-term Londoners don’t tire of the limitless charms of a stroll along this tree-lined path following the Thames from Big Ben to London Bridge, passing some of the finest entertainment venues the city has to offer, animated markets and excellent riverside pubs – there’s always something happening along the South Bank.

Starting at Embankment Bridge, after passing buskers, street entertainers and some devil-may-care skaters putting on a show for the crowds, you’ll pass the Southbank Centre (South Bank, 0871 663 2501, www.southbankcentre.co.uk), a cultural hub made up of the Hayward Art Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Saison Poetry Library and the cavernous Royal Festival Hall. There’s a brilliant schedule of live events including the annual Meltdown Festival, where guest artists like David Bowie, Massive Attack and Nick Cave curate their very own festival, plus some of the world’s best orchestras.

The brutal 60s concrete architecture of the National Theatre (South Bank, 020 7452 3000, www.nt-online.org) contains one of British drama’s crown jewels, four theatres offering the absolute best in new drama and the classics; there’s free events on the National’s ‘lawn’ every summer, and movie buffs will love the BFI South Bank (formerly National Film Theatre, South Bank, 020 7928 3232, www.bfi.org.uk) next door.

Further along the river, take some time to browse the handmade crafts, jewellery and paintings in the Oxo Tower’s studios – and maybe even a romantic cocktail in the top floor, Harvey Nichols-owned bar before spending some serious time in Tate Modern (Bankside, 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk/modern). This vast, free modern art collection sits inside the former Bankside Power Station with all the giants of contemporary art – Warhol, Picasso, Rothko, Kandinsky – represented and so much more.

The next landmark is one of the city’s most atmospheric venues, where for just £5 you can experience the rough magic of Shakespeare as he would have himself – standing shoulder-to-shoulder, under the stars. Shakespeare’s Globe (21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, 020 7401 9919, www.shakespeares-globe.org) is a painstaking recreation of Shakespeare’s Bankside playhouse built in the Elizabethan manner on the same location with oak balconies, a thatched roof and open pit for the ‘groundlings’, and its Spring-September season – original dress productions of the Bard’s classics plus a smattering of new work – is incredibly popular, and a memorable experience.

The Gothic Church of England  Southwark Cathedral, has been a place of worship here for over 1000 years.  Only since 1905 has it had Cathedral status.

Make sure you sample the delights of Borough Food Market (www.boroughmarket.org.uk) before you leave Southwark. This is a truly magical place to shop or just browse around for all things foodie.  You can sample some great British fayre at many of the stalls.  It is best to go early in the day loaded with a huge shopping bag!

The closest Underground stations are London Bridge (Jubilee and Northern Lines plus rail services) and Southwark (Jubilee).