You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy a great day out sightseeing in South Bank! From hidden gardens to free exhibitions, pop-up festivals and concerts and free talks and workshops, here's a look at great things to see and do in South Bank that won't cost you a penny.
Possibly London’s most famous riverside promenade, the Queen’s Walk is stacked with iconic views. Favourite photo opportunity stops include the glorious views of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben as seen from the stretch of walk between Lambeth Palace and Westminster Bridges, the grandeur of the London Eye and the views of St Paul’s as seen from Observation Point in front of Gabriel’s Wharf.
The Queen’s Walk is a street performance hotspot, and every day brings a different collection of talented buskers, acrobats and other performers to the banks of the river. Busking is only allowed at special dedicated areas and performers need to apply to perform here, ensuring a consistently high standard. You can usually find performers at the dedicated spots in front of Jubilee Gardens, next to Hungerford Bridge and on the pedestrian crossings of the Golden Jubilee Bridges.
Launched in spring 2023, Branch Out at the Garden Museum is a programme of free events and activities exploring gardening, art, floristry, plant science, history, design and more, taking place every Thursday lunchtime.
From seed swaps with the gardening team, to talks, tours and nature-inspired art and craft workshops, Branch Out presents the opportunity to try something new every week. The programme takes place in the Garden Museum’s Grade II* listed deconsecrated church nave, parts of which date back to the 14th century (entrance to the museum proper costs extra). Find out more here.
The National Poetry Library (located on the 5th floor of the Royal Festival Hall) is the largest public collection of modern poetry in the world. The library has a superb selection of anthologies and magazines, aiming to cover all genres, styles and topics as well as criticism and journals. The library also hosts free temporary exhibitions themed around poetry and poets.
Every Friday from 10.30am–11am the child-oriented Little Library area hosts Rug Rhymes, a free poetry reading session aimed at children aged 5 and under.
The regular free gig series futuretense showcases some of London’s most exciting underground and emerging artists, as well as those from further afield. The series is part of the Southbank Centre’s ongoing commitment to support and nurture new contemporary music talent, and to provide a space for music lovers to come together at zero cost.
Takes place fortnightly on Thursdays from 6pm, for free, in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, with two artists playing each night. Check out the schedule here.
This peaceful space on top of the iconic Queen Elizabeth Hall has become a much-loved feature of the Southbank Centre. Home to over 200 wild native plants, a luscious lawn and gorgeous views across the river, the garden is open Wednesday to Sunday throughout the spring and summer (usually from May until October). Entrance is free and there’s a café-bar on-site.
Explore highlights from the world’s greatest film and TV archive in BFI Southbank’s free digital viewing space. At the Mediatheque (located just past the box office and BFI shop), visitors can view over 95,000 titles from the BFI National Archive. Choose a booth and touch the screen to start your viewing. Headphones are provided, but you are also welcome to bring your own. New titles are added regularly and the available film footage covers more than a century of film and TV material. Find out more here.
Open daily, the walkway traverses the backstage areas of the National Theatre (find the walkway entrance next to the Dorfman Theatre stage entrance).
Under architect Denys Lasdun’s ground-breaking design, every aspect of theatre production was brought under one roof with spaces for metalwork, carpentry, painting, prop manufacture and rehearsal rooms directly connected to each of the theatre’s three stages. These workshops can all be viewed from the walkway. Informative exhibition boards outline what happens in the different workshops and indicate the productions currently being constructed behind the scenes.
There’s always something new on show at the small private gallery, gallery@oxo, based inside the riverfront Oxo Tower building, with themes and mediums ranging from documentary photography to ceramic sculpture.
Just behind the Oxo Tower is the Bargehouse which is regularly the venue for large-scale exhibitions and pop-up events (usually hosted Fri-Sun) such as graduate student art shows and local craft and design showcases. Many of these events are free of cost, while for others a small fee is charged. Check out what's on here.
This 300-metre-long tunnel runs all the way beneath Waterloo Station connecting South Bank with the Lower Marsh High Street in Waterloo. Leake Street is London’s longest graffiti wall and every inch of space is covered with an ever-changing collection of street art murals. Anybody is free to leave their mark and the graffiti changes daily. A great place to take some fun photos and to watch local graffiti artists at work!
One of the largest libraries of its kind in the world, the state-of-the-art Lambeth Palace Library is home to The National Library & Archive of the Church of England. The collection contains tens of thousands of books, maps, manuscripts, letters and other written materials, some of which are 1,000 years old!
The library is free to visit and is popular with academics (note appointments are needed to view books in the reading room). The library hosts regularly changing free temporary exhibitions that highlight treasures from the library’s collection, as well as free evening lectures in their rooftop hall (space is limited so make sure to book). See what's on here.
South Bank is one of central London’s greenest districts. Next to the London Eye, take time out from the crowds with a picnic on the lawns at Jubilee Gardens. Behind the iconic Oxo Tower is the pretty Bernie Spain Garden and its lush herbaceous borders.
A little more off the beaten track, is Archbishop's Park (once part of the expansive Lambeth Palace Gardens), where you’ll find an excellent kid's playground and some ping pong tables The small St Thomas Gardens next to the hospital have a handful of picnic tables and benches offering some of the best views of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
Each month we round up some of the best deals and offers in South Bank.
