For a first visit to London, the stretch of the south bank between Blackfriars and London Bridge is the best-placed base in the city: Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe, Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral and the river are all on foot, Bank is two minutes away on the Northern line and Gatwick is a direct train. The rates reflect all of that, and the question worth answering before you book is what exactly the premium buys.
The short answer is walking. From a room here a couple can fill three days without using public transport, which in London is worth more than a view. The longer answer involves noise, the difference between three adjoining sub-areas, and the fact that London Bridge station is one of the few in Zone 1 where a wheelchair user can board a train unaided.
Our guide to Southwark and Bankside covers the history walk, and staying on the South Bank covers the whole riverside from Westminster Bridge eastwards, including what a river-view room really costs. This page is about the eastern end of it in detail.
Bankside and London Bridge as a base
- Fare zone
- Zone 1. Adult daily cap £8.90 on contactless or Oyster (2026)
- Single to Oxford Circus
- £3.10 peak, £3.00 off-peak, about 15 minutes with one change
- To the City
- Bank in 2 minutes on the Northern line
- To Gatwick
- Direct Thameslink from London Bridge, about 35 minutes; £19.20 peak and £10.70 off-peak on pay as you go
- Night trains
- London Bridge has Jubilee line night service on Friday and Saturday. Borough has none
- Step-free
- London Bridge has five lifts and designated level-access doors on both the Jubilee and Northern line platforms
- Best for
- A first trip, families, short stays with a long list of sights
Three areas that a booking site calls one
Addresses from Blackfriars to Bermondsey all get sold as "Bankside" or "London Bridge". On the ground they are quite different places.
Bankside proper, the riverside strip around Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe. The most attractive and the quietest at night, because almost nothing here is open after the galleries close. The walk to the Millennium Bridge and St Paul's is five minutes.
Borough, inland around the market and Borough High Street. The best food and the liveliest evenings, and the noisiest at weekends. Borough Underground station is Zone 1 on the Northern line and, like the market, is a short walk from almost everything.
London Bridge and the Shard, around the station. The most rooms, the newest buildings, the best transport and the least charm at street level. If you want a lift, air conditioning you control and a 24-hour reception, this is where to look; our guide to The Shard covers the tower above it.
East of the station, Borough and Bermondsey continue the same character with noticeably lower rates, at the cost of five to ten minutes' extra walking each way.
Photo: Acabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
What you can reach on foot, with honest times
These are TfL's own walking times between stations, which is the most neutral measure available. They run longer than a hotel description will tell you.
| From London Bridge station | On foot | Or |
|---|---|---|
| Borough (for the market and Borough High Street) | About 11 minutes | 2 minutes by Northern line |
| Tower Hill, across Tower Bridge | About 20 minutes | A sight in itself |
| Bank and the City | About 15 minutes over London Bridge | 2 minutes by Northern line |
| Southwark, for the Globe and Tate Modern | About 19 minutes along the river | 1 stop on the Jubilee line |
| Oxford Circus | Too far to walk | About 15 minutes, one change |
| North Greenwich and the O2 | - | 9 minutes, direct on the Jubilee line |
The last row is the one people miss. The Jubilee line puts the O2 arena nine minutes from your bed, which makes this a sensible base for a concert without paying peninsula prices on the night.
The rates, and the three things that move them
This is one of the more expensive parts of Zone 1 that is not the West End, and for a specific reason: almost every room here is within ten minutes of something a first-time visitor has on their list. The bands below are our own estimate from the market in September 2026 rather than a quoted tariff.
| Band (our estimate, September 2026) | What it usually buys here |
|---|---|
| Under £130 | A compact-room chain hotel inland, or a hostel bed; rarely a riverside address |
| £130 to £220 | A standard room in a modern hotel around the station or behind Borough High Street |
| £220 to £350 | A larger or higher room, a riverside address at Bankside, or a family room for four |
| Over £350 | River-facing rooms, the towers around the station, and any weekend with a major event on the south bank |
Three things move those numbers. Weekends are dearer here than midweek, unlike the City a few hundred metres north. School holidays are dearer again, because families work out the walking argument. And an event on the riverside, or a concert at the O2 on the Jubilee line, can fill the whole area on one night. Our guide to when to book a London hotel lists the dates that do it.
Noise, and the market's working morning
The riverside itself is quiet by midnight. The noise here comes from three specific places, and all three are avoidable once you know.
- Borough High Street and Tooley Street carry traffic and buses through the night, including five night bus routes at London Bridge and three at Borough. A room at the front of a building on either street will hear them.
- Borough Market's deliveries begin very early. The market itself is a wholesale and retail site with lorries and trolleys from before dawn, and the lanes around it are stone and glass, which carries sound.
- The pubs around the market on Friday and Saturday. This is the busiest drinking area on the south bank and it runs until closing time.
Against that, there is no late-night club industry here, and the streets between the river and the railway viaducts are empty and still after about 23:30.
Eating, and the Monday problem
Borough Market is the reason many people choose this area, and it is worth knowing that it does not run at full strength every day. Our guide to Borough Market on a Monday explains which parts trade and which do not, and what to do instead.
Beyond the market, Bermondsey Street behind the station and the lanes under the railway arches give you a genuine choice of small restaurants, which is more than the western end of the south bank manages. If you are here for a week, that matters: the riverside between the Globe and the London Eye is mainly chain restaurants aimed at theatre audiences.
Step-free, and the detail TfL publishes and nobody quotes
London Bridge is one of the better stations in central London for anyone who cannot use stairs. TfL's detailed station data lists five lifts, and it also names the designated level-access points on the platforms: on the Jubilee line, the two centre doors of car 5 in one direction and car 2 in the other; on the Northern line, the two centre doors of cars 5 and 6 one way and cars 2 and 3 the other. Standing in the right place is the difference between boarding unaided and waiting for a ramp.
Borough, by contrast, has two lifts and a single designated level-access point, and Southwark has two lifts. Our guides to step-free transport in London and to London Bridge station cover the routes through the building itself, which is large and easy to get lost in.
Getting out of London from here
London Bridge is a main-line terminus as well as a Tube station, and that is a genuine advantage over the West End. Thameslink runs direct to Gatwick in about 35 minutes, and north through the night towards Luton. Southeastern runs to Greenwich, Rochester and the Kent coast. Southern runs to Brighton and the south coast. Our guide to Gatwick to central London compares the fares.
Heathrow is the weak point, as it is for the whole south bank: expect at least one change, and a river crossing first. The piers at Bankside and London Bridge City put you on the river bus, which is pleasant and is not covered by the daily cap.
What to ask before you book
- Which street does the room face, and is it Borough High Street or Tooley Street? Both are busy all night.
- How far is it from the market, in minutes? "Borough Market area" covers a surprisingly wide circle.
- Is the "city view" a light well? The towers here are close together.
- Does the family room mean a sofa bed? Our guide to family rooms and rooms for three explains what the words mean in Britain.
- Is there anything on at the O2 during your stay? Nine minutes on the Jubilee line works in both directions.
Who should stay here
Stay on Bankside if
- It is your first visit and your list is the Tower, the Globe, Tate Modern and the river
- You are travelling with children and want to walk rather than ride
- You need a step-free station with level-access doors
- You are flying from Gatwick or travelling on to Kent or Brighton
Look elsewhere if
- You are flying from Heathrow and want a single-change journey
- You want the cheapest Zone 1 room you can find
- You are shopping on Oxford Street rather than sightseeing
- You want a quiet Friday night within sight of Borough Market
The obvious alternatives are the western end of the same riverside, covered in staying near Waterloo, and the comparison of every district in the best areas to stay in London.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bankside a good area to stay for a first visit to London?
It is the best in our view. Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe, Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge are all within a walk, St Paul's is over the Millennium Bridge, and Bank is two minutes away by Tube. The trade-off is that you pay for that position, and Heathrow is awkward from here.
Is London Bridge or Waterloo better as a base?
London Bridge, if your list is the Tower, the markets and the City, and if you want a direct train to Gatwick. Waterloo, if your list is Westminster, the London Eye and the South Bank arts venues, or you are travelling on to Windsor and Hampton Court. Both are Zone 1 with the same £8.90 daily cap.
Is Borough Market noisy if you stay next to it?
Early, rather than late. Deliveries begin well before dawn and the lanes around the market are hard-surfaced, so sound carries. The pubs are the other issue, on Friday and Saturday evenings. A room facing away from Borough High Street solves most of it.
Can I get home to Bankside after midnight?
On a Friday or Saturday, yes: the Jubilee line runs a night service through London Bridge. On other nights, and from Borough at any time, it is a night bus or a taxi, because the Northern line's night service runs on the Charing Cross branch and not through here.
How long does it take to walk from London Bridge to the Tower of London?
About twenty minutes according to TfL's journey planner, over Tower Bridge, and the walk is one of the best in London. If you would rather not walk it twice, take the Tube back from Tower Hill to London Bridge, which is a single change.
Sources
- Transport for London - Daily and weekly fare caps (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Single Fare Finder, London Bridge fares (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Journey Planner (sample journeys and walking times, Tuesday 29 September 2026) (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - detailed station data: lifts, ramps and level-access doors (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Night Tube lines and stations (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - About the River Bus (checked September 2026)