Exploring London Bridge

Being a northerner in the south, I am still kind of blown away that I live in the outskirts of London. It is my favourite city, and I feel like a proper tourist every time I head in. I’m sure that would change if I had to commute there everyday, but I find it such a brilliant place with so much to see and do.

An area of London that I have not really explored that much before is London Bridge. I have walked through it plenty, as I use that train station a lot, but there is actually a lot of things to see and do. There are some great hotels near the Shard, restaurants, tourist sites, markets, and things for locals. And as I recently discovered, at the weekend, it is actually a pretty quiet spot to be. The children and I headed there a week ago, and had a fun time exploring, walking around, and seeing what there is to offer.

Where the Pancakes Are

If you are going to the London Bridge area, then there are a whole host of restaurants to choose from. But we were looking for something a little different, and headed to ‘Where the Pancakes Are’ located in the Flat Iron Square little area of the city. As the name suggests, it is a restaurant dedicated to pancakes, both sweet and savoury. The children loved it! As did I! London is full of some really unique restaurants, and London Bridge has plenty of options for you.

Street Art

I am always amazed by London at its street art. It is definitely just that, art, rather than graffiti. We discovered this stunner under a bridge on the way to the restaurant, but there are a few other lovely spots in the London Bridge area. Instagram-worthy, anyone?

Borough Market

The amount of times I have walked by Borough Market is a huge number. But the number of times I’ve actually headed into the market is zero. The sights, the sounds, (and the smells), are a lot to take in, and there are so many different things to see, buy, taste, and enjoy. It is quite a busy area, but the prices are really reasonable, and although we had already eaten, they had some lovely looking spots to grab some food.

Southwark Cathedral

Right by Borough Market is where you find Southwark Cathedral. Again, this is somewhere that I have been past a number of times, but not really taken the time to look at. It really is a stunning place! Although you can attend any of the services in the cathedral, you can visit and have a look inside at other times. You need to buy a photo permit for £2 if you want to take photos, but other than that, there isn’t an entrance fee but donations are welcome.

City Hall / South Bank of River Thames

Only a short walk away from the London Bridge station is a great area to have a look at. There are some tourist spots like London Dungeons and there is HMS Belfast located right in the Thames on the south bank of the river, which is a fun spot for children. My two really liked seeing Tower Bridge ‘close up’ and seeing City Hall. Across the road from the river you can also see the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie building, which Max was loving as he has learned all about them at school. It is a fun area to just walk and explore with some really amazing architecture.