The '''South Bank''' refers to an extensive river-edge locality in central London, located along the "South Bank" of the River Thames and extending into adjoining streets. Skirting through several riverside neighbourhoods, the South Bank has witnessed much redevelopment over the past 10-15 years, re-establishing it as a major tourist destination for visitors to London, as well as extremely popular with Londoners themselves. A walk along the South Bank of the river is an essential part of a visit to London, reflecting much of the varied history of the capital. Major sights along the South Bank of the Thames include County Hall, the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tate Modern and HMS Belfast.
Get in
By tube
''' SOUTH BANK'''
'''Waterloo''' (Jubilee, Northern, Bakerloo lines). In the heart of South Bank, perfect to access riverside walk.
''' Westminster''' ( Jubilee, Circle and District lines). Walk over Westminster Bridge to arrive at London Eye and County Hall
'''Embankment''' (Bakerloo, <span style="color: yellow;">Circle</span>, <span style="color: green;">District</span> and Northern lines). Walk south over the pedestrianised and recently-renovated Hungerford Bridge to the Royal Festival Hall area. Beautiful views.
''' BANKSIDE'''
'''London Bridge''' (Jubilee and Northern lines). Most convenient for the east end of the South Bank Walk.
'''Southwark''' (Jubilee line). Near the heart of the district.
By rail
South Bank: London Waterloo, London Waterloo East, Charing Cross
Bankside: London Bridge
Get around
The South Bank area is probably best accessed on foot or by bike - parking is difficult at times.
By bus
The Riverside Bus service (RV1)is an great way to get around. It links over thirty of London_fs attractions on its route from South Bank to Bankside, London Bridge, Tower Gateway and Covent Garden. [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/countyhall-2060.pdf]
By boat
The following piers [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2648.aspx] are in the South Bank area: Westminster, Waterloo Millennium, Embankment, Festival
Bankside is served by Bankside and London Bridge piers
The Tate Boat runs every 40 minutes between Tate Modern and Tate Britain (Millbank Pier), also stopping at the London Eye. It takes 20 minutes.[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Bankside-Pier-Spider-DR.pdf])
See
Landmarks
''' SOUTH BANK '''
From West to East:
County Hall. elvedere Road. ube: Westminster, Waterloo. 44 (0)8716 632501. The former seat of regional London government, now home to the '''London Aquarium''' and '''Dali Universe''' .
London Eye. estminster Bridge Road. ube: Waterloo, Westminster. 44 (0)870 9908883. ttp://www.londoneye.com. aily, June-September 10AM-9PM, October-May 10AM-8PM (except 25 December and 3-8 January). dult __15.17, Child __7.59, Senior __11.74, Disabled Person __11.74. ustomer.services@ba-londoneye.com. 44 (0)870 9908884. The London Eye is an enormous, 135 metre-high observation wheel with 32 exterior glass-walled capsules, the London Eye offers incomparable views over central London and up to 25 miles away on a good day. Tickets are sold for specific times, so if visitors wish to go on the London Eye at a specific time, they are strongly advised to book in advance - particularly in the summer. On a busy day, you can easily spend 1-3 hours queuing just to buy a ticket. However, you can also purchase tickets in advance online. Then you can collect your tickets at the London Eye in a separate queue, which takes a few minutes or less. There is also a 10% discount for tickets purchased online.
<see name = "Southbank Centre" address = "Belvedere Road" directions = "tube: Embankment, Waterloo" phone = "+44 (0)8716 632501" email= "" fax = "" url = "http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/" hours = ". The Southbank Centre is a large 1960's development on the south bank. Built largely of concrete, views on its architectural merits vary considerably. The centre is made up of a number of separate buildings housing various cultural institutions, notably the Royal Festival Hall and The Hayward, as well as other concert spaces. A host of new eateries and shops have now opened along the riverside and terrace.
The Royal Festival Hall hosts almost daily classical music concerts throughout the year, tickets often available on the day. The Royal Festival Hall has recently been through a long redevelopment though still holds it's classic 1960's design. The Hayward Gallery is a gallery hosting a single temporary exhibition at any one time.
Free events are held daily, ranging from free music to festivals, interactive art installations to the popular slow food market.</see>
<see name = "BFI Southbank" address = "Belvedere Road" directions = "tube: Embankment, Waterloo" phone = "" email = "" fax = "" url = "http://www.bfi.org.uk/" hours = "" price = ". Tucked under Waterloo Bridge, BFI Southbank, formerly known as the National Film Theatre, pitches itself as the home of film and has three screens showing classic (including silent), foreign language and less mainstream films.Recently redveloped, it now has a new entrance on Theatre Alley, a shop dedicated to film, an interactive exhibition space and an excellent bar/restaurant at the back. Visitors can also access the Mediatheque - wind your way through the BFI's extensive film and TV archive for free. Tickets are generally available on the spur of the moment.
<see name = "National Theatre" address = "Belvedere Road" directions = "tube: Embankment, Waterloo" phone = "" email = "" fax = "" url = "http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/" hours = "" price = ".
The National Theatre has three large auditoriums - the Olivier, the Lyttelton and the Cottesloe. The Olivier theatre is the largest with an open stage and a fan shaped auditorium around it. This ensures that all seats provide a good view. Most of the more 'popular' productions are put on here as the space provided is much larger than most theatres. The Lyttelton theatre is more traditional with a procenium arc with good views from most seats. The Cottesloe is a small studio theatre, seating around 400. Some tickets will be available on the day, either day seats (arrive before 9:30am and queue) or standby (arrive before 6PM and queue), or you can buy online. Popular shows, especially those around Christmas in the Olivier sell out months in advance. Tickets to The National Theatre are generally better value than most other theatres. There is also the '__10 Travelex' season in the Summer that provides a large number (over 100,000 seats a year) at __10. Booking in advance is required for these. There is also an exhibition space in the Lyttelton theatre foyer that frequently holds popular photographic exhibitions. Free jazz is often played in the evening in the ground floor foyer. During the summer there are free daily outdoor performances known as the Watch This Space festival- these vary from music to plays to circus acrobatics and comedy. Deckchairs (and artificial grass) are provided to watch on. Listings for all the events at the National Theatre are provided on the [http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk National Theatre website], including ticket booking.</see>
<see name = "BFI IMAX" address = "" directions = "tube: Waterloo" phone = "" email = "" fax = "" url = "http://www.BFI.org.uk/" hours = "" price = ". Set back from the riverside is the BFI IMAX, the largest cinema screen in the UK. Shows family-friendly 3D IMAX films as well as action films etc which work well on the huge screen. Also hosts various all-nighters such as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
<see name = "Gabriel's Wharf" address = "" directions = "" phone = "" email= "" fax = "" url = "http://www.coinstreet.org" hours = ". A riverside oasis with a range of bars and cafes as well as designer studios, including pottery, fair-trade furnishings and artwork. Can also hire bikes here.
<see name = "OXO Tower" address = "" directions = "" phone = "" email= "" fax = "" url = "http://www.coinstreet.org" hours = ". Home to designer-marker boutiques, selling everything from hats and homeware to wedding dresses and jewellery. Modern gallery on the ground floor which is free and open every day, various cafes, a florists and hairdressers here to. Upstairs there's the Tamesa Brasserie and Bincho Yakitori (Japanese Tapas). Also contains a restaurant and bar on the top floor, giving you a great view over the Thames. You pay for the privilege through the food bill, though.
''' BANKSIDE'''
HMS Belfast. organ's Lane. ube: London Bridge. ttp://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk. aily March-October 10AM-5:15PM November-February 10AM-4:15PM. _7.20-__10.30, child under 16 free. atitude. A historic boat, part of the '''Imperial War Museum'''.
Southwark Cathedral. ondon Bridge. ube: London Bridge. ttp://www.southwark.anglican.org/cathedral/. atitude. Off the traditional tourist path, Southwark Cathedral has been the site of worship since the year 852. Literally in the shadow of London Bridge, the Cathedral is a shelter from the noise of the city. Next to the Cathedral is the Borough Market open Th-Sa with a wide range of speciality food to buy - a good area for lunch.
City Hall. he Queen's Walk. ube: London Bridge"
url="http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/city_hall" hours="M-F 8AM-8PM" price="" lat="latitude" long="" tags="">Greater London Authority offices. The brand new headquarters for London's Mayor and Assembly, a radically-designed glass fronted and rounded building.</see>
Museums and galleries
From West to East:
<see name = "Imperial War Museum" address = "" directions = "" phone = "" email= "" fax = "" url = "http://www.iwm.org.uk/" hours = ". ree except some temporary exhibitions. An afternoon's worth of British military history. The same institution owns the Central London '''HMS Belfast''' (South Bank, a WWII cruiser, now a floating museum extensive enough to satisfy the most warlike husband or son), '''Cabinet War Rooms''' and '''Duxford Air Museum''' (