30 Things to See First

Thirty places to see first, in order, for somebody who has never been to London. Each says what it is, whether it is free, whether you must book, and whether the queue is worth it.

Tell us what we can do better, or what you’re trying to discover.

Borough Market

A food market under the railway arches that has traded for a thousand years: cheese, oysters, bread and lunch eaten standing up. Free to walk through, and shoulder to shoulder from midday on a Saturday.

Also in Food Markets.

Borough Market stands under and around the railway viaduct on the south side of London Bridge, and there has been trading on this ground for something close to a thousand years. It was a wholesale fruit and vegetable market until the 1990s, when the traders began selling to the public, and it has become the place London goes for what it cannot easily buy elsewhere: farmhouse cheese, shellfish opened in front of you, cured meat, bread and spices.

Half of it is cooked food. People order at a counter, eat standing in the aisle or on the steps of Southwark Cathedral beside it, and move on. Nothing needs booking and there is no charge to go in. It opens at 08:00 on a Saturday and that first hour is the only calm one; from midday on a Friday or Saturday it is a slow shuffle between the stalls.

Where
8 Southwark Street, SE1 1TL
Nearest station
London Bridge · 2 min walk

Hours

Monday10:00 – 17:00
Tuesday10:00 – 17:00
Wednesday10:00 – 17:00
Thursday10:00 – 17:00
Friday10:00 – 18:00
Saturday08:00 – 17:00
Sunday10:00 – 14:00

More in 30 Things to See First

NearbyOther Categories

See more nearby listings

Submit a correction for this listing.

Photo by Jeremy Keith from Brighton & Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

Which area are you in?