Whether you do it by boat, by bus or by moving your feet to the beat, the attractions along the banks of the Thames are more than enough reason to visiting London. From Battersea to Bermondsey and beyond, the banks of the river are packed full of great things to sea and do, here are some the best.
Standing at 135 metres, the London Eye is one of London’s most recognisable landmarks allowing it’s is passengers one of the best views of the city of London available to the public.
Opened in the year 2000, The Eye was the brainchild of architects at Marks Barfield and offers visitors various ways to experience the view; private capsule rentals, interactive guides, i pad apps and guided capsules all mean tourists truly get the most out of there trip.
London Eye, UK
One of the most iconic buildings in the world, The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben’s clock tower stands proudly on the banks of the Thames at Westminster Bridge. The chance to visit is one that should not be passed up, although a visit must be organised in advance, UK residents can organise a visit any time by contacting their MP and overseas guests can visit on Saturdays and throughout the summer opening.
The O2, or Millennium Dome as it was originally known, is another of London’s most iconic buildings. Located at North Greenwich it is now one of the country’s most versatile venues hosting anything from NBA Basketball to WWE Wrestling not to mention a never ending stream of the world’s biggest music acts, in the coming months alone you could catch Beyonce, The Vaccines, Kings of Leon, Rod Stewart or The Who taking to the O2 stage. The venue also has a various restaurants and bars as well as a multiplex cinema that is home to Europe’s biggest 3D movie theatre.
O2 arena (Millennium Dome), London, UK
For a slightly different experience of the stage why not visit Shakespeare’s Globe. A beloved recreation of Shakespeare’s original globe theater your visit will let you see the works of Stratford’s most famous son brought to life in surroundings they were originally penned for. The globe also offers talks, tours lectures and workshops.
There are a number of historical buildings along the river banks that are well worth a visit, Southwark Cathedral is the oldest standing Cathedral church building in London and archaeologists have dated as far back as AD606 and also believe there to have been a place of Roman pagan worship there before that.
Southwark Cathedral, London, UK
The beautiful Cathedral buildings are open Monday to Saturday 8am – 6pm and 8:30am – 6pm on Sundays; visitor restrictions may be in place during worship. Another great slab of history and legend, The Tower of London, also sits on the Thames’ banks and has been the enforced home to Kings, Queens, Politicians and Playwrights many of whom would never leave once inside!
Now home to the Crown Jewels and a thousand years of history the tower is one of London’s best loved attractions and is a must see for anyone taking in the sights of the Thames.
With many more great attractions along the banks of the Thames just waiting to be explored, a weekend messing around on the river would be one well spent. Transport links into and around London are frequent, fast and easy to navigate so that shouldn’t be an issue for anyone choosing to visit and there are plenty of places to stay that would give you a great start to explore the attractions of the Thames, hotels in the Victoria area of London keep you nice and close to both the main travel links and the river itself.
