London The South Bank

Just across the river from the City, the South Bank has long been the center of London’s entertainment industry. In Shakespeare’s time it accommodated the lowest of low culture, but today it reigns at the top of the cultural heap. Theater and art giants the Globe and Tate Modern are here, as are the Hayward Gallery, National Theatre, and National Film Theatre. Farther inland, what were once industrial sweatshops are now giving way to posh restaurants and quirky bars and clubs. Cross the Thames on Waterloo Road, Blackfriars Road, Borough High Street, or Tower Bridge Road. Dominated by wharves and warehouses in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the South Bank was rebuilt after its destruction in WWII. Now, the “Millennium Mile” stretches from the London Eye in the west to Butlers Wharf in the east. Use Waterloo for inland attractions, Southwark for Bankside, and London Bridge for Borough and Butlers Wharf. Also check out the “Millennium Mile” Walking Tour of the South Bank.

More Neighborhood Overviews in London

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