South Bank attractions and tickets: what's free and what isn't

Free versus paid: the South Bank split

South Bank runs along the south side of the Thames from roughly the London Eye to Tower Bridge, and it mixes two very different kinds of attraction on the same stretch of riverside. Some of it costs nothing at all. Some of it needs a ticket, and a few things need a ticket booked days in advance if you want to avoid queuing. Confusing the two is the most common way visitors either overpay or waste a morning in a line.

The free side: Tate Modern’s permanent collection, the outside of Shakespeare’s Globe, the whole of Borough Market, and the riverside walk itself. These follow the same national policy that makes the British Museum and the National Gallery free — UK national museums don’t charge for their core collections, only for special exhibitions. Tate Modern falls under that policy.

The paid side: the London Eye, Globe theatre performances (as opposed to just seeing the building), the HMS Belfast, and most guided walking or food tours. None of these are free, and several of them are worth paying for — this isn’t a guide telling you to skip anything that costs money, just to know what you’re paying for before you queue for it.

Attraction	Cost	Booking ahead
Tate Modern permanent collection	Free	Not needed
Tate Modern special exhibitions	Ticketed, varies	Recommended for popular shows
Borough Market	Free to enter	Not applicable
London Eye	Paid	Strongly recommended
Shakespeare’s Globe exhibition	Paid (modest)	Not usually needed
Shakespeare’s Globe performance	Paid	Recommended, especially summer
HMS Belfast	Paid	Recommended for weekends

Exact prices change often enough that we won’t print a number here as if it were fixed — check the current fare on the attraction page or your booking confirmation before you go, and treat anything printed months ago as a rough guide only.

The London Eye: the one everyone asks about

The London Eye is the attraction most likely to disappoint someone who didn’t plan. It’s a 135-metre observation wheel on the riverside opposite the Palace of Westminster, and a rotation takes about 30 minutes. On a clear day the views reach past Westminster to the hills south of London; on an overcast one — which is common here, see our best views of London guide for alternatives — the payoff is smaller.

The mistake to avoid: turning up without a timed ticket on a weekend or during a school holiday. Walk-up queues at the ticket office regularly run past 90 minutes in peak season, and there is no fast lane for people who didn’t book. A timed-entry ticket booked online costs the same as buying on the day and lets you skip straight to the boarding queue.

a combined pass covering the London Eye and around 100 other London attractions is worth comparing against a single London Eye ticket if you’re also planning to visit two or three paid sights elsewhere in the city — it can work out cheaper per attraction, but only if you’ll actually use several of the entries within the pass’s validity window.

Is it worth it at all? Our honest answer, longer version in is the London Eye worth it: yes for a first visit or with kids, less essential if you’ve already seen London from height elsewhere (the Shard, the Sky Garden) or if the forecast is solid grey.

One thing worth saying plainly: on a grey day, which in London is common in any month, the London Eye’s main selling point — the view — is the part most likely to disappoint. Paying full price for a 30-minute rotation to see low cloud and rain-streaked glass happens often enough that it’s worth checking the forecast the morning of, not just booking on a fixed date months out because it fit the itinerary. The wheel itself, the capsules, and the boarding process are the same regardless of weather, so if the sky is solid grey, an attraction with a similar view but shelter and something to do while you wait, like Tate Modern’s free viewing level, is the safer bet for that particular day.

Tate Modern: free, and one of the better free things in the city

Tate Modern occupies the former Bankside Power Station, a short walk from the London Eye along the riverside. The permanent collection — modern and contemporary art from 1900 onward — is free, no ticket, no booking. Walk in.

What isn’t free are the major temporary exhibitions in the Blavatnik Building extension, which run their own ticketing and can sell out for a popular show’s opening weekends. If there’s a specific exhibition you want, check and book that one separately; it doesn’t affect entry to the rest of the museum.

Tate Modern’s top floors also have a public viewing level with river views, free with general entry, which is a legitimate alternative to paying for the London Eye if a rooftop view is really what you’re after. For a fuller rundown of South Bank’s museums and galleries, see South Bank museums and galleries.

Borough Market: no ticket, but timing matters

Borough Market sits just south of Southwark Cathedral, close to London Bridge station, and it’s one of the oldest food markets in London. Entry is free — it’s a working market, not an attraction with a gate.

The timing question matters more than the money question here. Lunchtime on weekdays is packed with office workers from the surrounding City and South Bank offices; Saturdays are the busiest single day. A weekday morning before 11am is the quietest window if you want to actually browse the stalls rather than queue for a hot-food counter.

a guided food tour through Borough Market and two other South Bank markets is a reasonable way to get context on the stalls and try more in less time than wandering alone, if you’d rather not research vendors yourself. A similar option covers the market alongside a Southampton arrival — a combined transfer and Borough Market food tour — useful specifically for cruise passengers routing through the port before heading into central London.

HMS Belfast and the rest of the paid attractions

The HMS Belfast, a decommissioned Royal Navy cruiser moored near Tower Bridge, is paid entry with a self-guided route through the ship’s decks. It’s popular enough on weekends that booking ahead avoids a queue at the gangway, though it’s rarely as constrained as the London Eye.

a HMS Belfast ticket bundled with an audio tour of South Bank highlights covers both the ship and orientation to the riverside walk in one booking, which is convenient if you’re short on time and don’t want to plan the walking route yourself.

If you’d rather have someone show you the whole stretch — Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge, the London Eye, the Globe, Borough Market — without managing your own itinerary, a private guided highlights tour of South Bank covers the same ground with a guide who can point out what’s worth stopping for and what to walk past.

Shakespeare’s Globe is a reconstruction of the original 1599 theatre, and the two products are genuinely different: the exhibition and guided tour of the building (paid, modest cost, no need to book far ahead) versus a seat at an actual performance (paid, and worth booking well ahead for summer evening shows, since the open-air yard sells out for popular productions). Don’t confuse a tour ticket for a show ticket when booking.

A realistic South Bank itinerary

South Bank rewards walking it as a single stretch rather than treating each attraction as a separate outing. From Westminster side of the river, cross to the London Eye, walk east past the Southbank Centre and the National Theatre, through to Tate Modern and the Globe at Bankside, then on to Borough Market and London Bridge, finishing near the HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge. The full walk is around 4.5km and takes 60 to 75 minutes without stops — allow half a day if you’re stopping at even two or three of the paid attractions.

If you only have half a day at South Bank, the choice is between depth and breadth. Spending the whole morning at Tate Modern plus the Globe exhibition covers two free-to-modest attractions properly, with time to actually look at the art rather than rush through. Splitting the same half-day between the London Eye and a fast walk to Borough Market for lunch trades depth for variety — you get the wheel, the market, and the river view, but no time left for a museum. Neither choice is wrong, but trying to fit all three into three hours means queuing for the Eye, rushing Tate Modern’s ground floor only, and grabbing food at the market standing up rather than sitting down.

Stop	Type	Typical time needed
London Eye	Paid	45 min including queue
Southbank Centre / riverside	Free	Passing through
Tate Modern	Free (exhibitions paid)	1–2 hours
Shakespeare’s Globe	Paid for tour/show	45 min (tour) or 2.5 hrs (show)
Borough Market	Free	45 min – 1.5 hours
HMS Belfast	Paid	1 hour

For a broader sense of what else counts as free things to do in London, South Bank’s museums are a good anchor for a no-cost day that still includes river views and a market lunch.

Getting there and getting around

South Bank is served by several Tube and rail stations depending on which end you’re heading for: Waterloo and Southbank for the London Eye end, Southwark or Blackfriars for Tate Modern and the Globe, London Bridge for Borough Market and the HMS Belfast. None of it requires a car, and driving isn’t practical here — central London’s congestion charge zone covers this stretch, and remember that driving in the UK means keeping to the left, which matters if you’re renting a car for day trips out of the city rather than for getting around South Bank itself.

Oyster and contactless both work on every station along here, with automatic fare capping so there’s no need to calculate the cheapest route yourself. A river boat also runs along this stretch if you’d rather arrive by water than by Tube — see Thames river cruises for the options.

South Bank is one of the easier stretches of central London for step-free access, since the riverside path itself is flat and paved from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge with no stairs required for the walk itself. The London Eye’s capsules are wheelchair accessible, and staff can arrange a slower boarding pace at the gate if you ask when you arrive — this isn’t something you need to book separately, just mention it on arrival. Tate Modern has lifts to every floor of the Blavatnik Building, and the original Turbine Hall entrance is step-free too.

Borough Market’s paths are cobbled in places, which is fine for most wheelchairs and pushchairs but slower going than smooth pavement, especially around the Stoney Street entrance. The HMS Belfast is the exception on this stretch: much of the ship is accessed by steep internal ladders and stairs between decks, and only the upper deck is realistically step-free, so check the accessibility notes before booking if that matters for your visit.

South Bank attractions and tickets: common questions

Is the London Eye worth booking ahead?

Yes, for most dates. Standard tickets sell out for weekend and school-holiday slots, and walking up without a booked time can mean a two-hour-plus wait. Booking a timed slot online is the same price and removes that risk.

Is Tate Modern actually free?

The permanent collection is free, funded through the same national-museum policy that covers the British Museum and the National Gallery. Major temporary exhibitions in the Blavatnik Building are ticketed separately and can sell out.

Do I need to book Borough Market?

No. Borough Market is a public market with no entry ticket. It’s busiest at lunchtime on weekdays and on Saturdays; a slower visit is easier on a weekday morning before 11am.

How much does a South Bank day cost if I do the paid attractions?

Budget roughly £25 to £45 per adult for one paid attraction (the London Eye or a Globe tour) plus food from the market, since Tate Modern and the riverside walk itself cost nothing.

Is South Bank walkable, or do I need the Tube?

It’s walkable end to end. The stretch from the London Eye to Tower Bridge along the river is about 4.5km, roughly a 60 to 75 minute walk without stops, and there’s no need for the Tube along the riverside itself.

What’s the difference between South Bank and the City on the other side of the river?

South Bank is the south bank of the Thames facing Westminster and the City; the Tower of London and the City financial district sit on the north bank, reached by Tower Bridge or the Tube, not part of South Bank itself.

Is South Bank accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs?

Mostly yes. The riverside path is flat and step-free from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge, the London Eye and Tate Modern both have accessible routes and lifts, and Borough Market’s paths are manageable though cobbled in places. The HMS Belfast is the main exception, since much of the ship is only reachable by internal stairs and ladders.

Is South Bank worth visiting after dark as well as during the day?

Yes, and it’s a different experience. The London Eye, the Southbank Centre, and the bridges are lit up at night, Borough Market’s food stalls close earlier than the daytime crowds suggest, and the riverside walk itself is well lit and busy enough in the evening to feel comfortable, though most of the paid attractions keep daytime closing hours.