The 17 Best Things To Do In Southwark This Weekend
If you are looking for fun and culture in and around SE1, check out our guide to the top places to visit in this part of London...
Planning a little trip to Southwark and looking for inspiration? Moving to the SE1 postcode area and need to make some weekend plans? Or maybe you’re local but haven’t been outside in a while. That’s OK. As a Southwark-based theatre venue, we are here to help anyone who is seeking out the best our part of London has to offer.
So here are some of the things we’d advise you to check out – with food, drink, culture, comedy, shopping, art and architecture all covered.
1. Borough Market
8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TL
One of London’s oldest and best food markets, packed with stalls selling everything from artisan cheese to fresh oysters, Borough Market has something for everyone … but especially foodies. Come with an appetite and/or shopping bag; restock your spice collection (or olive oil, or truffle) and get some lovely fresh food to eat right there and then.
Surrounded by some lovely (but busy) pubs and restaurants, this is a great place to pass through or spend an hour or so. It’s right next to London Bridge station, and it’s open from 9am til 5pm on Saturdays and 10am til 4pm on Sundays.
2. Tate Modern
Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
A converted power station on the Thames, the Tate Modern is now one of the world’s great modern art galleries.
It’s free (apart from some special exhibitions), so you can wander in after a nice look at the Thames and see paintings, sculptures and esoteric installations from the likes of Picasso and Matisse – or just marvel at the sheer scale of the Turbine Hall. Check out the cool “Tanks” space underground, where they used to store the oil. (The name makes sense.)
It’s open til 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, or visit from 10am til 6pm on a Sunday.
3. Shakespeare’s Globe
21 New Globe Walk, London, SE1 9DT
Have you heard of a playwright called William Shakespeare? He was actually quite good! This theatre isn’t the actual Globe Theatre where he staged plays in the 1600s, but it’s a superb reconstruction … very very close to where the original was situated.
Catch a play here in summer for the full open-air experience, but do remember to bring layers – it’s England after all. Standing tickets are often really cheap (but, er, you’re standing up for a long time) so we recommend a seat – and renting a cushion, as the wooden benches are not particularly comfortable.
They also have an exhibition, café, gift shop and a bar/restaurant, and they offer excellent tours – so you don’t need to book to watch a full performance to immerse yourself in the history.
4. Maltby Street Market
Arch 46, Ropewalk, Maltby Street, London, SE1 3P
It’s another market! Foodies, SE1 really is your weekend hotspot. But Maltby Street Market brings something a little different: a bit more tucked away and meandering (under the railway arches of Bermondsey), maybe more of a community spirit, and a buzzy atmosphere fuelled by exciting food trucks, lovely homeware shops, and cute drinking spots. (Bermondsey Beer Mile kicks off around here, so you could spend a very lovely Saturday afternoon trying some interesting, local pale ales in various esoteric locations.)
Visit on Friday nights til 9pm, or from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays, or 11am to 4pm on Sundays.
5. The Free Association
Arch 26, Old Union Yard Arches, London, SE1 0LR
Just a seriously great comedy venue, offering up the best in alternative and improvised comedy shows every weekend. The Free Association has a lovely bar, fantastic programming and even does improv classes (and corporate training) if simply watching for the laughs isn’t enough for you.
This is THE place for live comedy in Southwark, open til 11pm most nights.
6. The Shard
32 London Bridge St, London, SE1 9SG
You are probably familiar with Western Europe’s tallest building, as you can see The Shard from just about everywhere in London. Pass the airport-level security and pay around £25 and visit the viewing platform on floors 68-72 where of course you can get excellent views of the city … or you can simply go for a lovely pre-dinner drink – there are six lovely bars – to enjoy panoramas at a (slightly) lower price tag. The toilets are, we think, worth a visit.
Aqua Shard on the 31st floor is open on Sundays 12pm til 11pm ... and until 1am Thursday to Saturday.
7. Southwark Cathedral
London Bridge, London, SE1 9DA
A stunning Gothic cathedral with roots going back over a thousand years, Southwark Cathedral is tucked in right next to Borough Market, and usually has a bunch of interesting exhibitions you can visit for free, as well as a cafe and a shop – although we are quite happy just having a nice sit down inside. Look out for the cathedral cat (called Hodge).
On a Friday and Saturday the Cathedral is open 9am til 6pm, with the shop and cafe closing by 5. Sundays, the Cathedral is open 8.30am to 5pm, and you can visit the shop until 3pm, or the cafe before 4pm.
8. HMS Belfast
The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2JH
A Second World War Royal Navy cruiser permanently moored on the Thames, the HMS Belfast is essentially a floating museum. There are nine decks to explore and tickets are around £24 for adults (but under 5s go free). Fun fact: 950 people lived and served on this ship, which had its own chapel, radio station, and bakery.
It’s open 10am to 6pm every day, with last entry at 5pm.
9. Millennium Bridge
This eye-catching pedestrian bridge was nicknamed “the wobbly bridge” when it opened in the year 2000 – but luckily it was fixed and re-opened in 2002 with a lot more STABILITY. Nestled between Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, it takes you from St Paul’s Cathedral to the Tate Modern … and offers some of the best skyline views in the city.
10. Southbank Centre
Belvedere Rd, London, SE1 8XX
London’s biggest arts centre, the Southbank Centre began life as the Royal Festival Hall – opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain. That should give you a sense for the vibe: brutalist architecture, annual music festivals, resident orchestras, regular exhibitions and installations, shows, and of course places to shop, eat and drink.
Open 10am til 11pm Friday and Saturday; closing at 10pm on Sundays.
11.The Old Operating Theatre Museum
St Thomas’ Church, 9a St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY
A lesser-known gem: Europe’s oldest surviving operating theatre, hidden in the garret of a former church (St Thomas’s), offers a fascinating (and slightly gory) look at how surgery worked in Victorian times. The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret is a pretty special “medical heritage site”, where you can see historic surgical instruments, medical artefacts, and anatomical specimens – a rare insight into the practice of healthcare before the advent of modern surgery and anaesthesia.
Visit Thursday-Sunday: 10.30am-5pm (Last admission is at 4.15pm). Tickets around a tenner.
12. White Cube Gallery Bermondsey
144–152 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3TQ
Opened in 2011, this contemporary art gallery hosts a lot of buzzy shows (think Gilbert & George, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley) and is actually Europe’s largest commercial gallery space – but it’s completely free to enter. As well as three lovely big exhibition spaces in a pretty iconic building, the White Cube also boasts a super little bookshop. While you’re there, check out some of the lovely shops on Bermondsey Street – it’s a destination in itself.
Visit from 10 til 6 Tuesday to Saturday, or 12 til 6 on a Sunday.
13. Fashion and Textile Museum
83 Bermondsey St, London, SE1 3XF
While you’re on Bermondsey Street: we have another museum for you! Founded by legendary Zandra Rhodes in 2023, The Fashion and Textile Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated to showcasing contemporary fashion and textile design.
Take an hour to explore the ever-changing collections (in a building designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta) and check out the adorable shop for great gifts for fashionistas.
The Museum is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11am til 6pm (with last entry 45 minutes before closing time). Tickets for exhibitions are usually under £15.
14. Arzner Cinema
10 Bermondsey Sq, London, SE1 3UN
A dedicated queer cinema in Bermondsey Square, the Arzner is named after Dorothy Arzner, a lesbian film director who worked in Hollywood in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It was only opened in 2025, so there are lots of cool points to be gained by checking out a film in this “judgement-free zone” (or grabbing a drink in the bar): it’s open Sun-Thurs from 11am to 11pm, and until 12am Friday and Saturday.
15. Understudy Bar
National Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank, London, SE1 9PX
We love a good theatre bar – and there are few better than the Understudy, right in the armpit of the iconic National Theatre. With a strong selection of craft beer and a ton of events, this is so much more than just a place to grab a drink before or after a show. Sundays are board game nights; and in summer months you can get a lovely people-watching spot on the riverside terrace.
From Thursday to Saturday the bar is open from 12 noon til 1am (food service until 10pm); on Sundays, the bar closes at 10pm and food stops at 9pm.
16. The Lord Nelson pub
243 Union Street, London, SE1 0LR
Have you ever been in a pub and thought to yourself, “This is nice, but it could do with more photographs of Noel Edmonds”? The Lord Nelson pub is for you. It’s super quirky and not for those who are easily overstimulated – but it’s got lovely beers, London’s biggest burger menu (supposedly) and it’s open til 11pm all week (10.30pm on Sundays).
17. Bala Baya
Arch 25, Old Union Yard Arches, 229 Union St, London, SE1 0LR
A list of great places to eat in SE1 would be UNWIELDY, but we’d love to give a shoutout to our neighbours at recently opened Bala Baya – a perfect place to eat before or after a weekend show at The Free Association! Come with a group and order delicious Middle-Eastern-inspired small plates to share – the kebab dumplings are pretty hard to beat, and we were blown away by the mushroom wellington.
Open til 11.30pm every night (except Sunday, when it closes at 9pm).
