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Number 17 of 20 in London

Borough Market and Bankside: the market and the walk along the river

There has been a market at the southern end of London Bridge for about a thousand years. The present one has stood on its ground since 1756, under iron and glass roofs with trains rumbling over the top.

What it is
Walk
Time to allow
1.5 to 3 hours
Cost
Free to walk, pay for what you eat
Best time
A weekday, late morning

London this week

    Why Borough Market is worth it

    For most of its life Borough was a wholesale market, where the greengrocers of south London came before dawn. In the late 1990s a few food producers began selling to the public at weekends, and within ten years it was the best-known food market in the country.

    It sells both to cook with and to eat on the spot: cheese, bread, oysters, cured meat, fruit, and stalls of hot food from every part of the world. The pleasure is in walking round with something in your hand.

    The streets round it are the old Southwark of inns and playhouses. Shakespeare's company played a few hundred metres away, and the riverside path from the market runs past his rebuilt Globe to Tate Modern.

    What to see

    1. The market halls

      Three linked spaces under green ironwork: produce in one, stalls of hot food in another, and a hall for the makers of cheese, bread and wine.

    2. Southwark Cathedral

      Hard against the market, a Gothic church of the thirteenth century, free to enter. Shakespeare's brother is buried in it and there is a memorial to the playwright.

    3. The George Inn

      Five minutes south in Borough High Street: the last coaching inn in London to keep its wooden galleries, rebuilt in 1677 and still a pub.

    4. The Golden Hinde and the Clink

      A full-size copy of Francis Drake's ship sits in a dock on the way to the river, beside the remains of the palace of the bishops of Winchester and its prison.

    5. Shakespeare's Globe

      A reconstruction of the open-air playhouse of 1599, built in oak and thatch near the first one and opened in 1997. It has tours by day and plays from spring to autumn.

    6. On to Tate Modern

      The river path continues ten minutes west to Tate Modern and the Millennium Bridge, with St Paul's across the water.

    How to do it well

    • Saturday is the fullest day and by lunchtime it is hard to move. A weekday late morning is far better.
    • The market is closed on Mondays. Check the day before you plan lunch here.
    • Walk a full circuit before you buy anything to eat: there is more than you think.
    • A food tour is a good way in if you want to taste a dozen things and hear who makes them.
    • The Shard rises directly behind the market, and Tower Bridge is fifteen minutes east along the river.

    Where it is

    Address

    Southwark Street, at the southern end of London Bridge

    Nearest station

    London Bridge (Jubilee, Northern), two minutes on foot

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Borough Market and Bankside

    Borough Market and Bankside: common questions

    What is the best day to visit Borough Market?
    A weekday from Tuesday to Friday, late in the morning, when every stall is open and the crowd is manageable. Saturday is the busiest day and Monday the market is closed.
    Is Borough Market free?
    Yes. It is an open market: you pay only for what you buy.
    What is near Borough Market?
    Southwark Cathedral is next to it and The Shard behind it. Shakespeare's Globe and Tate Modern are ten to fifteen minutes west along the river, and Tower Bridge fifteen minutes east.
    How much time do you need for Borough Market?
    Allow 1.5 to 3 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

    What visitors say about Borough Market

    Rating from Google

    4.6

    131,423 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 8 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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