London area of Southwark guide
What to do and where to stay in London's Southwark neighbourhood
Renowned for its old inns and taverns, Southwark is also the historical home of the capital's arts and entertainments industry. London's first theatres - the Globe, the Hope and the Rose - were all built there in the 16th century and Shakespeare's plays first performed there. Nestles on the South Bank beside the Thames, the rebuilt Globe is now one of the most popular theatres in London, while the neighbouring Tate Modern, housed in an imposing former power station, is among the world's most popular art galleries. London's modern City Hall and the magnificent gothic Southwark Cathedral complete a remarkable set of buildings that show five centuries of London's architectural achievements. Next to the cathedral is the world-famous Borough Market, open Thursday to Saturday and brimming with fresh, organic produce. New to the Southwark skyline is the 306-metre tall Shard of Glass skyscraper, set to become the 45th tallest building in the world on completion. As well as Bankside, the borough takes in the up-and-coming areas of Bermondsey, Camberwell and Peckham, where the sitcom Only Fools and Horses was set. This part of London is currently popular with young professionals and artists due to its proximity to the centre of town and low property prices. In the south of the borough lies leafy, suburban Dulwich which forms a welcome contrast to the bustling energy that defines the rest of one of London's oldest areas.
See our recommended nearby Southwark Hotels, Entertainment, Sights and Attractions, Shopping, Restaurants, Pubs, Nightlife, Leisure, Education, and Meeting Venues.
Southwark Hotels
London > Hotels > Mid-Range Chain Hotel
5 More London Place, SE1
This plush, modern hotel south of the historic Tower Bridge is very convenient for exploring London. Just five minutes from the Tube station, it's 10 to ... More
London > Hotels > Mid-Range Chain Hotel
1 Seething Lane, EC3N
With Tower of London, London Bridge and St. Paul's just a step away, this hotel has a great location for both business and leisure travellers. It's ... More
London > Hotels > Mid-Range Chain Hotel
7 Pepys Street, EC3N
The brand new purpose built DoubleTree Hotel Tower of London is a few minutes walk from Tower Hill and Fenchurch Street stations. With iMac entertainment systems ... More
Southwark Entertainment

London > Entertainment > Cinemas
10 Bermondsey Square, Southwark, London SE1
Shortwave films, a company whose primary objective was to promote emerging film and video artists, have set up this independent cinema in Bermondsey Square. As you'd ... More

London > Entertainment > Theatres
3 Potters Fields Park, Southwark, London SE1
What Nicholas Hytner did next: after 12 years as director of the National Theatre, the theatre chief is building a theatre from the ground up. Designed ... More
London > Entertainment > Unit 7, 46 Willow Walk, Southwark, London SE1
... More
Southwark Sights and Attractions

London > Attractions > Art Galleries
144-152 Bermondsey Street, Southwark, London SE1
Jay Jopling's third - and largest - White Cube art gallery in London is located on Bermondsey Street and set in a former 1970s warehouse. At ... More

London > Attractions > Museums
83 Bermondsey Street, Southwark, London SE1
The fashionista behind the Fashion and Textile Museum is Zandra Rhodes, the colourful designer who won the Designer of the Year award in 1972 and in ... More

London > Attractions > Art Galleries
58 Bermondsey Street, Southwark, London SE1
Specialising in the work of established masters of Modern and contemporary art, Eames Fine Art Gallery offers collectors a selection of original prints, drawings and paintings ... More
Southwark Shopping


London > Shopping > Food and Drink Shops
55 Stanworth Street, Southwark, London SE1
Wake up on a Saturday morning and smell the freshly roasted coffee at Coleman Coffee Roasters, a small batch coffee roastery at No. 55 Stanworth Street ... More

London > Shopping > Bath and Kitchen
Brunswick House, 30 Wandsworth Road, Southwark, London SW8
Salvage bathrooms. A fantastic place to shop for very cheap bathroom fittings, or very expensive ones that are affordable having been rescued by the Lassco crew. ... More
Southwark Restaurants

London > Restaurants > Italian restaurants
161 Grange Road, Southwark, Southwark, London SE1
Italian Cuisine... More

London > Restaurants > Indian/South Asian restaurants
74-76 Tower Bridge Road, Southwark, London SE1
... More

London > Restaurants > Mediterranean restaurants
11 Bermondsey Square, Southwark, London SE1
Located in the modern development of Bermondsey Square, this branch of Del'Aziz, a Moroccan / Mediterranean cafe-cum-deli, has an unusual feature: a glass floor which gives ... More
Southwark Pubs


London > Restaurants > Gastropub
99 - 101 Bermondsey Street, Southwark, London SE1
Oh how we wish we lived in Bermondsey, then we could call this gem of a pub our local. We'd stop in for a regular drink ... More

Southwark Nightlife


Southwark Leisure

London > Leisure > Health and Beauty
41 Snowsfields, Southwark, London SE1
It's a relief to step into Snowsfields Wellness, with its shelves of carefully selected healthy and organic products. Unlike plenty of other places, each of the ... More

London > Leisure > Burgess Park, Albany Road, Southwark, London SE5
A legacy of the 2012 London Olympics, the state of the art £1.1m Burgess Park BMX Track opened to the public in August 2013, a year ... More
Southwark Education
London > Education > Business Faculties
The Leathermarket, Weston Street, Southwark, London SE1
... More
London > Education > Evening Classes
International Wine & Spirit Centre, 39-45 Bermondsey Street, Southwark, London SE13XF
... More
London > Education > Professional Training
23 Magdalen Street, Southwark, London SE1
... More
Southwark Meeting Venues

London > Business > Venue Hire
Drummond Road, Southwark, London SE16
Peek Frean & Co made biscuits here in Bermondsey for 123 years, from 1866 until 1989 when the factory closed. Home to baked goods like the ... More
London > Business > Venue Hire
159 Tower Bridge Road, Southwark, London SE1
... More
London > Business > Venue Hire
171-173 Bermondsey Street, Southwark, London SE1
Located on the edge of Bermondsey's 'Creative Quarter' (a regenerated area of 2-bedroom flats mostly inhabited by lawyers and estate agents), Village East is an ambitious ... More
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London Hotels
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