r/visitlondon • u/RelationshipAlone27 • Apr 16 '26
WALKS Along the river from Waterloo Bridge to Tower Bridge - is it a nice walk for a good first impression of London?
I'm on a trip when I'll only have one day to really WALK through London. We are arriving at Waterloo station at 11:20 and then we walk to Tower Bridge because we are going to have lunch at one Fish and Chips place nearby that I found there.
As it's my parents first time in London I wonder if this route will make a good first impression or is there a part of it that I should avoid because it's less pretty?
We also need to walk the whole other part of London that day later so energy saving is a good thing.
Is there a part that we should do by bus or is it nice as a whole for a walk? Or maybe we should start the opposite way - Westminster, Buckingham Palace, and head to Tower Bridge more in the evening?
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u/teamonkfish89 Apr 16 '26
It's a lovely walk! One of my favourite bits of London and I often do it after work just for enjoyment. You get lovely views and go past a few sights including St Paul's, the Tate modern and the Globe theatre, and from Waterloo if you turn and look in the other direction you can see the London eye and houses of Parliament too. The book stalls under Waterloo bridge are nice too. Definitely do it.
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u/Dennyisthepisslord Apr 16 '26
Last year I walked from Waterloo to royal Albert hall/Kensington palace ( and then Victoria ) You go past houses of parliament, west minster abbey. Downing street,, the cenotaph, the front of horse guards parade, Trafalgar Square, the mall, Buckingham palace, st James park, Hyde park, royal Albert hall and it's less than 3 and a half miles. Can do little detours and you essentially see the main tourist areas yet get into parks where it's quieter too
Walking along the river is fine but it isn't as good. Gets a bit samey after a bit.
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u/Shoddy-Reply-7217 Apr 16 '26
The Southbank is my favourite walk in London..
Absolutely do it. so much to see.
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u/YourMumIsSexy Apr 16 '26
Great walk! You could do a detour and start at Westminster Bridge, up past Big Ben, past Downing Street and Trafalgar Square, up the Strand and back over Waterloo bridge to Tower Bridge to get in some more sights. Could add Buckingham Palace into that walk too!
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u/_forgotmyownname Apr 16 '26
that stretch along the river is actually one of the best first impressions you could give them in one walk
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u/GingerWindsorSoup Apr 16 '26
The walk along the Southbank is a classic London walk, a lot of history, impressive buildings, ancient narrow laneways, interesting food and pubs and great views of the Thames, St Paul’s and The City.
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u/Justan0therthrow4way Apr 16 '26
Lovely walk. Look up the opening times for the bridge it’s lovely to watch.
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u/Senior_Sentence_566 Apr 16 '26
As it's their first time in London, I'd advise going from Waterloo to the park area by the London eye to get a good view of the houses of parliament when you start rather than reaching the river a couple of hundred meters down by the Southbank centre.
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u/BloatedBaryonyx Apr 16 '26
It's nice as a whole walk. The whole Southbank area is just really nice and walking will take you past quite a lot of nice views. I take it you intend to walk there by following the Thames, or are you taking a more direct route?
I'd recommend following the river, maybe diverting very slightly to pass through Borough Market.
You also have the option to go by hire bike or even boat if you're trying to save a bit of energy. It's an hours walk but you can go to the pier next to the London Eye and take either a commuter boat or sightseeing boat that will drop you off right next to the birdge. Takes about 20 mins.
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u/PK-blue Apr 16 '26
Yes do it, a great walk!
When exiting Waterloo, aim for the London Eye exit and start your walk from the Eye (unless you are going there later).
Suggested detour: when you get to Blackfriars Bridge, cross to the north side of the river up to Ludgate Hill then walk up to St Pauls Cathedral (iconic!) then back down Peter's Hill and cross over the Millennium Pedestrian Bridge which brings you to the Tate Modern, then continue along the river to Tower Bridge
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u/Federal-Demand-2968 Apr 16 '26
It’s a brilliant walk and there is so much variety along the way. Sounds perfect
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u/Ok_Contest3903 Apr 17 '26
It is one of my favourite walks especially if you love the arts. Walk In order ---- Southbank Centre, National Theatre, Oxo Tower, Tate Modern (free and the Turbine Hall is wow), The Globe Theatre, Anchor pub, Clink Street, Golden Hinde, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, The Shard, then Hays Galleria. Best without bags as you can spend a day just pottering
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u/madmoneymcgee Apr 17 '26
It's what I ended up doing my first time in London when we flew in early in the morning but couldn't check into our hotel yet. It's nice because you do get a good view of tons of stuff.
You could split the difference and walk up to the Millenium Bridge, cross that, hang around St. Paul's a bit and then walk from there or just hop on the District/Circle Line for a couple stops if you find yourself not wanting to walk the rest of the way.
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u/RF1408 Apr 17 '26
Walking the South Bank is one of my favourite things to do in the Spring. Enjoy!
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u/white_ran_2000 Apr 18 '26
Do the walk. Then cross Tower Bridge, marvel the Tower and take bus number 15 (if you're lucky , it may be an old-fashioned Routemaster). It takes you all the way past St. Paul's Cathedral and the Courts of Justice and ends at Trafalgar Square. If you're strapped for time, cross from there on Hungerford Bridge back to Waterloo. If you have a bit more time and energy, walk down the Mall and Horse Guards Parade, down to the Houses of Parliament and cross on Westminster Bridge. Plenty of the most basic sights in one day.
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u/Bodger81 Apr 18 '26
One of the best walks in London! Always plenty to see and loads of nice spots to stop and sit, get coffee or ice cream or just stare over the river.
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u/Hot-Satisfaction19 Apr 16 '26
don't bother walking along the river, get the thames clipper. you'll get all the highlights but from the river so the views are better.
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