The London Eye, South Bank and Embankment Riverside Loop (4 Km)
- philip carey
- Aug 16, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 16, 2024
Start at Westminster Bridge by Big Ben
Finish at Westminster Station
THE EXPERIENCE
A stroll along the banks of the Thames in Westminster is one of the best ways to experience London’s most famous riverside sights, learn about its history, and discover special places of tranquillity, wonder, art, and entertainment.
Great for history, iconic sights, fantastic river views, entertainment venues, hotels, gardens and open spaces, crowds, bridges, markets, galleries, and music, with places to eat and drink along the way
MUST SEE PLACES
What to See List
1. The View from Waterloo Bridge
2. National Theatre
3. Somerset House
4. BFI
5. Royal Festival Hall
6. The London Eye
7. Old County Hall & Attractions
8. Views from Westminster Bridge
9. Big Ben & the Elizabeth Tower
10. The MOD and Scotland Yard
11. Whitehall Place and Gardens
12. Views from Golden Jubilee Bridge
13. Victoria Embankment Gardens
14. Cleopatra’s Needle
PLACES TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Areas to Eat, Drink and Be Merry List
1. Somerset House
2. National Theatre
3. Royal Festival Hall
4. Inside Old County Hall
5. Behind Old County Hall
6. Southbank Centre Food Market
7. The Arches by York Road
8. Around & Inside Waterloo Station
9. Whitehall near Trafalgar Square
10. Hotels on Northumberland Avenue
11. Along Villiers Street
12. Along St Martin’s Lane
Overview
The main eating and drinking areas are around Waterloo Station and the Royal Festival Hall, with others spread out along the route, which gradually gets thinner towards the end by the Houses of Parliament.
Highlights
There is no shortage of things to do and see, especially along the river – including cultural venues such as the Old Vic Theatre, the Young Vic Theatre, the National Theatre, the BFI, (British Film Institute), the BFI IMAX, the Royal Festival Hall, the Haywood Gallery, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Purcell Rooms. There is also The Vaults (near Graffiti Tunnel and Leake St), which is London's home for immersive theatre and alternative arts
Major attractions such as the London Eye, the London Dungeons, the Shrek Adventures, SeaWorld, and the Florence Nightingale Museum
There are over 26 pubs, bars, and cocktail venues where you can drink and socialise – mostly around Waterloo Station, the Royal Festival Hall, and behind County Hall.
You can get afternoon tea at the Park Plaza and The Library at the Marriot Hotel on the eastern side of Westminster Bridge.
The route around the Royal Festival Hall, Waterloo, and Old County Hall offers a good variety of eating places.
Most pubs usually serve great food and a decent pint, and some, such as the Anchor and Hope, are award-winning Gastropubs.
There are several fast-food outlets inside and around Waterloo Stations and a large M&S Supermarket.
Breakfast is readily available in cafés - the main areas are in and around and behind Waterloo Station, County Hall, and the Royal Festival Hall.
·Some high-end venues, such as the Skylon in the Royal Festival Hall and Gillray’s in the Marriott, offer great London views.
At the back of the Royal Festival Hall is the Southbank Centre Food Market, open Friday to Sunday from around midday – the nearest thing we get to a hawker stall
Links to nearby Eat, Drink and Be Merry Routes
Waterloo and the South Bank – which covers the main attractions on the south side of the river between Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Station.
Around the Centre of London – which covers the attractions and places to eat and drink around Charing Cross
https://www.photoruns.com/post/centre-of-london-sightseeing-eat-drink-and-be-merry-photorun
Westminster St James to Victoria – which covers the main iconic sightseeing areas to the north side of the Thames and the best places to eat and drink going west from Westminster Abbey towards Victoria Station
BEST TIME
Morning - The best time to do this route is on weekends in the early morning when it is quiet and free from crowds and heavy traffic.
Day - Westminster Bridge, the South Bank, the London Eye, and the Golden Jubilee Bridge are busy most of the day. Quieter along Victoria Embankment
Evenings - Generally quieter, especially along the Victoria Embankment
ROUTE OVERVIEW
This 4 Km visual riverside route takes you along London’s famous river Thames between Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge in the middle. The route starts on Westminster Bridge, looking at Big Ben, and then follows the Victoria Embankment, past the Ministry of Defence, Whitehall Gardens and White Hall Court before crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge with its great views of the London Eye. It continues past the Royal Festival Hall and the National Theatre before crossing Waterloo Bridge. It then heads back towards Westminster via Victoria Embankment Gardens and Cleopatra’s Needle, before crossing over the Golden Jubilee Bridge again with its views of the City of London. The final section takes you past the London Eye, County Hall and Westminster Bridge before finishing at Westminster Station.
Route at a Glance Video (3:25)
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DESCRIPTIVE PHOTO GALLERY
This gallery provides a descriptive and visual reference to many sights along this route. Use the Google Map above to find their location. Double-click to see its full size.
INTERESTING FACTS
London Eye Facts
On average the London Eye receives 3 .5 million people every year go on the London Eye.
The 32 capsules on the London Eye represent the 32 London boroughs. Each one weighs 10 tonnes and can carry 25 passengers. The capsules are air-conditioned, and seats are provided, although passengers can walk around.
The London Eye pod can carry 800 people each, It takes 30 minutes to complete a revolution - rotation 26cm per second (just under 1 km a hour)
The London Eye had a predecessor – The Great Wheel in Earl Court, which operated from 1895 – 1906
From the top of the London Eye, you can see things up to 25 miles away. On a clear day, you can make out Windsor Castle..
South Bank Facts
There’s a skateboard cemetery that can be found on one of the piers of the nearby Hungerford Bridge.
The South Bank Lion is part of a pair and was initially located on the top of a Brewery near the site of the Royal Festival Hall - the other is at Twickenham Stadium.
County Hall was once the centre of London’s city government and served as the headquarters of the London County Council and Greater London Council until 1986. Today, much of the building houses tourist attractions and hotels.
The roof of the National Theatre is home to around 60,000 bees, and you can buy your honey in the shop.
The Royal Festival Hall is the only remaining original South Bank Centre building, built in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain.
The National Theatre was originally housed in a veteran theatre, the Old Vic
Golden Jubilee Bridge Facts
The first Hungerford Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, opened in 1845 as a suspension footbridge. It was named after the then Hungerford Market because it went from the South Bank to Hungerford Market on the north side of the Thames.
In 1859, the original bridge was bought by the railway company extending the South Eastern Railway into the newly opened Charing Cross railway station. The chains from the old bridge were re-used in Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge. The original brick pile buttresses of Brunel's footbridge are still in use.
The two new footbridges on either side of the railway were completed in 2002. They were named the Golden Jubilee Bridges, in honour of the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II
Victoria Embankment
The famous British board game Monopoly has a pink square on the board named after Northumberland Avenue
The concept of an embankment at this location was first put forward by the famous architect Christopher Wren in the 1660s.
The Victoria Embankment's was completed in 1870 under the direction of Joseph Bazalgette.
The original incentive for the Embankment was the need to provide London with a modern sewerage system and to relieve congestion on the Strand and Fleet Street.
The contractor for the work was Thomas Brassey - his business once had the reputation building of one mile of railway for every 20 miles built worldwide!
Although the Embankment was actually built in the 19th Century, much of it was rebuilt, extended, and improved in the 20th Century after the Thames Flood in 1928.
The Victoria Embankment became the first street in Britain to be permanently lit by electricity in 1878
Ships permanently moored by Victoria Embankment include HMS President, HMS Wellington, and PS Tattershall Castle.
Other notable attractions include the General Charles Gordon Memorial, Royal Air Force Memorial, National Submarine War Memorial, Battle of Britain Monument, and Cleopatra's Needle.
The Savoy
The Savoy Hotel was built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions. It opened on 6 August 1889.
The Savoy was also the first hotel in the UK to have electric elevators, in-suite bathrooms, and electricity for lighting.
Those who have stayed there include Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Laurence Olivier, Claude Money, , Audrey Hepburn,
At the Savoy, Kasper the Cat is available for a table with 13 people
You are required to drive on the right on the right when entering the entrance to the Savoy from the Strand
Waterloo Bridge
The first Waterloo Bridge was opened on 18 June 1817, the second anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo – It was going to be called the Strand Bridge.
The current Waterloo Bridge was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed the classic red telephone boxes and Battersea and Bankside Power Station (now Tate Modern)
Waterloo Bridge is nicknamed the Ladies' Bridge because it was built by a largely female workforce during World War II and was the only one damaged by German bombs during the Second World War.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE AREA
Click on the picture below to go on a virtual tour of the sightseeing area.
Use the red and black routes to explore this location by looking around in 360, taking in the sights and sounds, listening to an audio recording about the location and going on a virtual tour.
HISTORY & GUIDES VIDEO LIBRARY
This short video gives you a quick guided tour of some of the sites on this route north and south of the Golden Jubilee Bridge.
Please note - These date from before 2018 and have been done in a variety of styles to determine which one works best. They all provide very useful information and we would welcome feedback to help create the new version
GUIDES
Part 1 - Westminster to the Golden Jubilee Bridge (5:46)
Part 2 - Golden Jubilee Bridge to Waterloo Bridge (5:58)
Part 3 - Waterloo Bridge to Embankment Station (5:53)
Part 4 - Embankment to Westminster Bridge (4:22)
Top of the London Eye View (1:15)
This video shows you some sights you can see at the top of the London Eye.
History
A Brief History of the Area
These short videos give you an overview of the history of each area and around the riverside.
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