24 Hours in London Bridge – Things to see, eat and do

Updated January 2025

The area around London Bridge is a corner of London that has seen a lot of history. There has been a bridge crossing the river here since the Roman times. But today, it is a hive of activity. Visitors to London flock here on the weekend to visit the markets, eat at the many restaurants, walk along the river and see the historical sites. This is not the historical London Bridge. That is the next bridge along the river.

Fun Fact: Another modern London Bridge stood in this place until it was sold to an American and moved brick by brick to Lake Havasu, Arizona. It is now the second most visited attraction in the state after the Grand Canyon.

If you have 24 hours in London, here are the things to see and do and places to eat around London Bridge.

1. Roasting Plant Coffee Shop 

Start your visit with a great cup of coffee at the Roasting Plant. Just a few steps away from the bridge, this coffee shop has London’s first coffee robot. The specially designed machine will roast their single estate coffee beans to their optimum temperature, then grinds it to order, which is then delivered to the barista to make your coffee. Grab a coffee to go and let’s explore London Bridge.

3. Borough Market

Walk around Borough Market, taste some local artisan cheeses or some street food from the many stalls there. Grab a snack like these Breadaway doughnuts or a quick lunch at one of the street food stalls.

Borough Market used to be a wholesale market and was only open for 3 days a week. In the last decade, it has been transformed into a street food and artisan market and now a major tourist attraction. Most of the food stalls are quite mediocre so I have selected a few that you can’t miss.

• Doughnuts at Breadaway
• Comte Cheese at the Cheese Shop
• Brindisa for some tapas or just a few slices of Iberico ham
• Avoid the chocolate covered strawberries

If you want to the best-curated food around Borough Market, take a Borough Market food tour. They will make sure you don’t miss the highlights.

4. Leon

Just outside Borough Market, stop for a quick lunch at Leon’s, a home grown alternative to fast food restaurant serving healthy seasonal “fast food”. 

5. Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

Walk over to this tiny museum, on the site of the old St Thomas’ Hospital. The original operating theatre is still intact, along with all the scary surgical equipment. This is one of those quirky little museums that people don’t often tell you about. The Herb Garret is a treasure trove of old medicinal curiosities.

6. Shangri-La Hotel

Stop for a cup of tea or a snack at the lounge of the Shangri-la Hotel. You don’t need to pay to go up the Shard. This is a great alternative to visiting the Shard. You get great views of London from a very high floor. They offer afternoon tea in the lobby lounge, an Asian menu for full meals and next door, Ting offers a more formal dining option with an Asian menu.

From the lobby lounge on the 34th floor, you get some amazing views across London, over historic Tower Bridge and along the Thames. This really is not to be missed.

You can find the best prices for the Shangrila Hotel here.

Other Hotels in London Bridge

There are a lot of options for hotels around London Bridge, on both the north and south side of the Thames. Many of these hotels are along the river so you will have great views. Besides the Shangrila Hotel, have a look at The Lalit hotel,

A short walk away, along the Southbank towards the National Theatre, there are even more hotel choices like Bankside Hotel, Sea Containers, Hilton Bankside and

7. HMS Belfast

Walk towards the river where you can visit HMS Belfast, the warship Museum. If you like Maritime history, this is a must-visit. You can see what life was like on board this Second World War Royal Navy warship. You will need to be able to climb up and down the narrow steps to get into the bowels of the ship.

8. City Hall

As you exit the ship, you will see the odd-shaped building which is our City Hall. In front of that is the Amphitheatre which holds shows in the summer. The lawn along here is a favourite picnic spot with a view of Tower Bridge and the river.

9. Rosa’s Thai Cafe

The new development at One Tower Bridge now houses a variety of cafes and restaurants. Rosa’s Thai Cafe is a place to stop for an authentic Thai meal.

10. Tower Bridge

As you walk further, you can’t miss the magnificent Tower Bridge. This is the bridge in the famous London Bridge nursery rhyme, not the modern one where you just came from. You can visit the towers in the middle of the bridge and if you are lucky, you might see the drawbridge rise up to let tall ships pass.

There are various tours of Tower Bridge, Tower of London and the surroundings :

11. Tower of London

On the other side of the river is my favourite Historic landmark, the Tower of London. I read too many stories about Henry VIII and all his wives and about the Tudor period, so this place makes it all come to life. If you are there, make sure you talk to the Beefeaters/ Yeomen in the red coats. They have some great stories to tell.

You can buy tickets online but if you have a regular rail ticket, you can get 2 for 1 entry tickets. You don’t need to a book a paid tour as the Beefeaters run regular timed tours inside the Tower for free. I’d advise going early in the morning and head straight for the Crown Jewels as the queues for this can be very long.

12. Santo Remedia

Santo Remedia is a Mexican restaurant that serves authentic dishes. If you stop here for lunch, they have a £15 for 2 courses menu. This place was recommended to me as one of the better Mexican restaurants in London.

Do you have other places that you like to visit around London Bridge? Do share in the comments.