When the sun’s shining in central London and you find yourself surrounded by high rise buildings, head towards one of my favourite afternoon sun spots, London’s Southbank.

Not only can you soak up the sun but there are plenty of things to do on Southbank, London. Places to eat, drink and explore.

Here are my favourite things to do on the Southbank.

Quick Tip: Take a look at this article if you’re looking for the best London Christmas lights walking route.

Southbank Centre Food Market

Once at Southbank, ignore the vast array of chain restaurants lining the Thames and head around to the back of the Royal Festival Hall and you’ll find Southbank Centre Food Market. It’s home to a huge variety of decent street food, fresh juice, teas, coffee, craft beer and my favourite curry stall too.

I’ve been known to hop off the tube on my way home at Waterloo just to satisfy my curry cravings at the Curry Shack. They offer a Mauritian and Carribean curry on a bed of rice for £6, the Carribean option is spicier but you can go for half of each. Watch out for the super spicy scotch bonnet chilli sauce, I made the mistake of devouring a lump of it rather than mixing it with my curry and ended up rushing around looking for a beer. If you’re not sure which curry to go for just ask the staff, there are plenty of samples on offer.

Currently, at one end of the market you’ll find a decent craft beer stall that sells bottled and beer on tap, I usually opt for a pint of Pale Ale with my spicy Carribean curry.

Twitter: @SCFoodMarket
Southbank Centre Food Market Website

Opening hours
Friday, 12 noon – 8pm
Saturday, 11am – 8pm
Sunday, 12 noon – 6pm
Monday (bank holidays only), 12 noon – 6pm

South Bank Centre Garden Cafe & Bar

Looking for a great spot for a few drinks in the sun, then head up the bright yellow stairs to the Garden Cafe & Bar. The garden is open every day during spring/summer and looks out over Southbank, the River Thames and serves the standard beer, coffee and tea. If like me, you prefer a decent craft beer to the lager on sale here, you can bring one in from the Food Market. They also allow you to bring any food from the market, shops and cafes of the Southbank Centre if you fancy a bit of a picnic in the garden.

There’s a lawn to sit on (weather permitting), head toward the back end of the garden for wooden seating amongst the flowers and plants.

South Bank Skate Park

In March 2013 plans appeared for the design of the redevelopment of Southbank Centre’s “Festival Wing”, it included the creation of retail units on the iconic Southbank Undercroft skate spot. The area has been a popular area for skateboarders, graffiti artists and BMX riders for the last 40 years, making it the original birthplace of British skateboarding and oldest skateboarding spot that’s still in use in the world.

Thankfully the campaign group Long Live Southbank were successful in halting the redevelopment and securing the skate parks future after the plans were met with around 27,000 planning objections.

On a busy day down on the Southbank you’ll see crowds watching skateboarders practicing their tricks on the concrete blocks of the skatepark. On my last visit, I counted a BMX biker, unicyclist, five skateboarders and a guy practicing his parkour.

Somerset House

OK, OK, I know it’s not on the Southbank but it’s definitely worth walking across the bridge to the Strand to view this stunning piece of Neoclassical architecture. Somerset House is simply a spectacular sight and during the summer you can dance in the fountains that spring up in the courtyard, in winter you can go ice skating. There are also plenty of open-air events throughout the year, with film showings, concerts as well as plenty of free tours at Somerset House.

If you just want to chill out at Somerset House you can sit in the courtyard and take in the beauty of the surroundings with English tea and cake from one of the cafes.

Southbank Book Market

The perfect spot for all those that crave the feel of a proper book. At Southbank’s Book Market you’ll be spoilt. It’s open daily right under Waterloo Bridge on Queen’s Walk, specialising in selling second-hand and antique books. Figuring out what the order the books are supposed to be in is a bit of a challenge, sometimes you think it’s by type of book and then chronologically… it’s puzzling, but it’s all part of the fun. Southbank book market is a buzzing place that’s useful for a bit of people watching if you do prefer grabbing a coffee from the nearby restaurants. Walking along the Southbank you don’t really expect to find an antique book market, but that’s the beauty of the randomness and quirk of Southbank.

Where To Stay When Visiting London’s Southbank?

So, where to stay when you’re visiting London’s Southbank? It can be a complicated and long drawn out process. For research, I often head over to booking.com, Airbnb or look at some of the budget options for offers. But, if you’re looking for the perfect place to stay in whilst visiting the Southbank it’s well worth taking a look at these great boutique hotels in London.

So there you have it, my favourite places to visit on and around London’s Southbank.

Have you been to Southbank before? What was your favourite place? Do you know of a hidden gem that I’ve missed?

Let me know in the comments!