London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London - 2.9 km Route

This detailed set of guides for runners and striders will provide all the information you need to do this self-guided route in one place, so that you can explore London Bridge, the Queen's Walk, More London, Tower Bridge, St Katharine Docks, and the Tower of London at your own pace.

• The Familiarisation Guide provides all the route information.

• The Sightseeing Guide and Virtual tour guide add points of interest and 360-degree information. 

• The Connoisseur's Guide offers recommendations for places to eat, drink, and be entertained, as well as suggestions for exploring the surrounding areas and discovering follow-on routes.

THE EXPERIENCE

This riverside route stretches from London Bridge to the Tower of London, offering a perfect blend of historical sights, stunning riverside views of the City of London, and numerous places to eat, drink, and be entertained. Its northern shore is rich in history, while its southern shores demonstrate how effectively the industrious Port of London has been redeveloped.

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THE ROUTE FAMILIARISATION GUIDE - (Level 1)

This guide provides you with the essential information you need to become familiar with the route before you arrive.

• An overview map, My Google Map, and Strava Map to help guide you along the route

• A video showing you what the route looks like as if you were running it at over 40 km/h.

• Things to bear in mind along the route.

• For extensions and follow-on route options, see the connoisseur's Guide at the end of this guide/post

MAP OF THE ROUTE

The links to My Google and Strava Maps are designed to help you keep on track and limit the chances of getting lost. They don't provide turn-by-turn directions, but they do show your location relative to the route.

My Google Map Link

The Google map shows the main route in red

Strava Map

HIGH SPEED VIDEO OF THE ROUTE (4:46)

The high-speed video of the main red route is designed to get you visually familiar with the route ahead of your visit. It shows you a runner's view as if they were doing it at sprinting speed (about 40 km/h)

See the London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London Route at High Speed

THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND

• The route can get  crowded, so it's best to do this route in the early morning – especially at the weekend when it is quiet, the light is at its best, and you have the whole day ahead of you

• Tower Bridge does open 800 times a year – this is the lift time schedule https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/lift-times

• Tower Wharf Opening times are normally 7 am to 7 pm – exceptions can be found here https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/visit/opening-and-closing-times/

• The areas around Tower Wharf, Shad Thames, and St Katharine Dock Marina have cobbles and uneven surfaces.

  
  

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THE ROUTE SIGHTSEEING GUIDE - (Level 2)

Once you are familiar with the route, the next time you take it, why not get familiar with the sights you can see along the way, take photos, and learn a bit about the area's history? The sights include:

·      London Bridge

·      Queens Walk and City View

·      Hays Galleria

·      HMS Belfast

·      More London

·      Tower Bridge

·      St Katharine Docks

·      The Tower of London

 For more information on these and other sights nearby, see the gallery and the supporting text below.

Virtual Tour Guide

This virtual tour guide is designed to help you familiarise yourself with the route and enhance your memories of 'being there'. Clicking on the picture will take you to a new page showing a map of 360 locations in the area. Click on the location icons, and you will be transported to an interactive 360-degree view of that area.

Click on the image to go to the 360 Virtual Tour map on Kuula

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THE ROUTE CONNOISSEUR'S GUIDE - (Level 3)

Once you are familiar with the route and its sights, why not become a connoisseur of the area and explore the surrounding routes that will uncover new things to see, places to eat, drink, and be entertained?

FOOD AND DRINK LOCATIONS

This map shows you some of the places to eat and drink - Borough Market, Borough High Street, and the areas in and around London Bridge are the prime areas.

The Shard, More London, Butler's Wharf, and the hotels north of the Tower of London offer some excellent restaurants.

Other places include the Hays Galleria, St Katharine Docks and around the Tower of London.

THINGS TO DO LOCATIONS

There are also several venues worth visiting, which are shown below.

Attractions include the View from the Shard (2), the Tower of London (6), HMS Belfast (3), the Tower Bridge Experience(5), theatres around More London(4), and river boat experiences from Millennium Pier (7).

ROUTE EXTENTION

The map below and the My Google map link provide three extensions to the main route to help you explore the area and find those places to eat and drink. These are:

• Borough High Street and Market Extension (1.32 km)

• The More London Extension (0.9 km)

• The Butler's Wharf Extension (.74 km)

Google Map with Route Extensions

The Google map shows the main route in red and the additional extension routes in blue. A video and a more detailed explanation of these routes will be added shortly.

FOLLOW ON ROUTES

You can extend this route further by adding on the Tour of the Eastern Side of the City of London (4km)

This is part of a connected series of routes that will take you across London to Hyde Park.

We will be launching new routes at regular intervals, so join our email list or subscribe to this channel to get an early look at these and our other special blogs on London’s history and culture.