If you're staying in one of our apartments in and around Tower Bridge, pat yourself on the back - you're nestled yourself in a quiet area of South Central London, packed with character, famous attractions and hidden museums.
Located in the borough of Southwark, you're well located to reach both the West and East End from by public transport. London is such a huge city but many of the city's main attractions, such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Harrods are all just a tube journey away.
The Stunning Tower Bridge
Your first port of call if of course Tower Bridge, one of London's key iconic landmarks - a beautiful bascule and suspension bridge completed in 1894. Tower Bridge offers beautiful views of riverside buildings and is a great starting point if you want to catch a glimpse of some of the city's great architecture - City Hall, the Mayor's HQ and the "Gherkin" designed by Sir Norman Foster.
If the weather's warm, we suggest a picnic in Potters Field Park just in front of City Hall - you get a great view of Tower Bridge opening for cruise liners. Plus the Tower of London, a fortress built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, is facing you across the Thames and is just 15 minutes walk away.
Just East of Tower Bridge Road, you'll find the Design Museum, a must-visit for lovers of art and design. The building itself is worth a look, the talks and exhibitions are world famous and the bookshop is a true hidden gem.
You can find the Southwark Playhouse on the corner of Tooley Street and Bermondsey Street, offering unbeatable value. Tickets can be as little as £10 and you're safe in the knowledge that you're supporting relatively undiscovered talent.
Potters Field Park and Tower Bridge
If you can't bear to leave the tube behind, your key station is London Bridge, served by the Northern and Jubilee lines. The Jubilee line will get you quickly to Westminster to see the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben as well as Bond Street and Oxford Street for shopping a few more stops along.
Change onto the Victoria or Piccadilly lines for Buckingham Palace, Harrods and Knightsbridge and the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A. You can also take the Northern line northbound to see the City and Camden.
Borough (Northern) and Elephant and Castle (Northern, Bakerloo) tube stations are also walkable from the Tower Bridge area and you can use these stations to get to Oxford Street, Madame Tussauds and Sherlock Holmes' house on Baker Street.
Buses run across the river to East London (Liverpool Street and Shoreditch) regularly from Tower Bridge Road near Bermondsey Square - look out for numbers 42 and 78. Plus if you head back to New Kent Road - away from the river - you can get buses to almost everywhere in London (apart from the more Western boroughs) including Oxford Street, Victoria and Marylebone.
Taxi wise, there's a rank outside London Bridge station but it's also fairly easy to flag one down on Tooley Street or Tower Bridge Road. Most of the time, mini cabs wouldn't save you much money so get a Black Cab.
If you want to find a lively spot in the Tower Bridge area, head to Bermondsey Street which runs from the Shard and London Bridge tunnels almost to Old Kent Road in Elephant and Castle. Here you'll find the impossibly bright Fashion and Textile Museum, unusual shops and boutiques (from pets accessories to glass blowing) and great, quirky pubs like The Garrison.
At the end of Bermondsey Street you'll come out onto the new entertainment hub, Bermondsey Square. The square has a nice atmosphere with outdoor cinema showings, gigs and impromptu performances - there is always something going on.
Beneath the apartments surrounding the square, there's also a boutique cinema, art gallery and bookshop and the excellent Mediterranean restaurant Del Azziz. And around the corner on Tower Bridge Road is another secret gem - Manze's famous Eel, Pie and Mash shop for some authentic South London cuisine.
Otherwise, head to the river past Tooley Street to the Hay's Galleria just East of London Bridge station - it won't be as crowded with tourists as the South Bank around Waterloo so it's sometimes easier to get a table to eat. But be warned, on a weekday there'll be plenty of City workers. Still, there's plenty of bars in this area too if you want a bustling, evening drink.
City Hall (Photo Credit: The London Daily News)
You can't turn a corner in London without bumping into excellent good value eateries, coffee shops and supermarkets or mini marts to get your basic shopping done. And the same goes for Tower Bridge - stop by any of the number of newsagents in the area for necessities like stamps, PAYG phone cards and on-the-go snacks.
There's a Sainsburies in Bermondsey Square and a Tesco Express further down Tower Bridge Road if you fancy eating in one night and want to get some ingredients. For changing currencies and if you've forgotten to get travel insurance or any other travel essentials, the Post Office by London Bridge station is your best bet. Otherwise, there's a number of banks on and around Tooley Street.
+44 (0) 845 680 0 679
Download the BLL brochure
Send us an email
Use the contact form
.png&width=120)
Customer support
"One of my favorite attractions in London is actually the Harry Potter Museum (part of the Warner Bros Studio Tour until March 2013) since I'm a big fan of the books and films". Read more from the team
