Walk Along The Thames In London – 20 Things To See

There is so much to discover when you walk along the Thames in London. From Waterloo to Greenwich, encounter London’s most famous landmarks and hidden gems, from ancient sites to modern developments. Take a walk down the history lane along the iconic River Thames to see London from a different perspective.

The Thames Path is one of the most popular walks in the Capital. And this is for a good reason: there is so much to see in one simple walk! In this article, I go into more detail about the 20 landmarks you can find on the journey from Waterloo to Greenwich. But before we take a history class, let’s take a closer look at what you need to know before hitting the Thames Path.

Logistics for the Walk along the Thames in London

What to See when you Walk along the Thames in London

So now we covered the basics, let’s get to the walk! In this article, I go through the main landmarks you find when you walk along the Thames Path in London from Waterloo to Greenwich.

Happy discovery!

1 – Southbank

The walk starts at the Southbank, straight off Waterloo Station. This stretch of river bank going from Waterloo Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge is a place of entertainment, shopping, dining and art. You can find venues such as the Royal Festival Hall and the National Theatre as well as top-rated attractions like the London Eye or the Sea Life London Aquarium. As it is an arty destination, so it is not surprising to find sculptures alongside the Thames Path Walk.

2 – Somerset House

The first historical building you can see after you walk under Waterloo Bridge is Somerset House. This imposing former palace which is now an art gallery was built for Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset. He died executed at the Tower of London before the castle was completed. The place then became the property of the Crown. During the civil war, it was the headquarters of the Parliamentary Army. In 1666, the Great Fire of London miraculously spared the building. After numerous years of neglect, it was destroyed in 1775 and a new one was built.

3 – St Paul’s Cathedral

Continue to walk along the River Thames in London and you soon start seeing the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral on the opposite bank. In 1240, Maurice, Bishop of London, had the vision to build the biggest Christian Church in the world. Following natural disasters, conflicts and lack of funds, it took 74 years for the Cathedral to be completed. Unfortunately, in 1666 the Great Fire of London caused immense damage to the building. The architect Christopher Wren was appointed by King Charles II in 1673 for the reconstruction of the Cathedral which was completed in 1711. The building suffered much damage during WWII and the Blitz of London. In 1980, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) married Lady Diana at St Paul’s Cathedral.

4 – The City

Right behind the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, you can see skyscrapers huddling together. They are at the heart of The City of London, the historical financial district. At the bottom of the tall glass buildings, you find the remnants of medieval alleyways. This mixture of old and new attracts tourists who also come to see the Cathedral and the Barbican museum located in this area. Other landmarks are the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange.

5 – The Shakespeare Globe Theatre

On the same bank of the Thames where you are walking, you find an old timber-framed round-shaped house. This is the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Don’t be fooled by its appearance. The current theatre is a reproduction of the old Globe Theatre built in 1599 where Shakespeare wrote many of his plays.

The man behind the project to bring back the theatre to life is the American actor and director Sam Wanamaker. It took him 20 years to materialise his vision. With the help of architects, he overcame the restrictions of modern safety requirements without impacting the original design of the auditorium. Mission accomplished! The theatre opened its door to the public in 1997 and continues to showcase performances for the pleasure of drama lovers.

6 – Clink Museum & The Great Hall

As you arrive at Canon Street Railway Bridge, the Thames Path diverts from the bank of the river into alleyways. You pass by the Clink Prison Museum. It takes you through the dark history of the Winchester Palace prisons.

A palace?

Yes, you read me well.

However, all it remains nowadays from this castle is the massive brick wall on Clink Street. The palace was built in the twelfth century as a retreat for bishops when visiting London. The wall you can see used to be part of the Hall with on your right-hand side, a rose window at the top. A fire ravaged the palace in 1814.

7 – The Golden Hinde

When you reach the end of Clink Street, you cannot help but be surprised when coming face to face with an old ship between two buildings. This reproduction of Francis Drake’s ship, the Pelican, was built by Albert Elledge to celebrate the 400 years anniversary of the ship’s incredible around-the-world adventure between 1577 and 1580.

Departing from Plymouth in December 1577 with the mission to attack Spanish colonies in North America, the ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Straight of Magellan. IT then joined the Pacific Ocean and start its route towards the northern part of the continent. Successful in their attack on the Spanish colonies, mostly led at night time, the ship then sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Indonesia and the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope. Finally, they arrived victorious in Plymouth in September 1580 with many treasures stolen from the Spanish colonies.

The reproduction of the boat is open to the public to visit and also offers activities for the whole family.

8 – Southwark Cathedral

Just behind the Golden Hinde, you come face to face with the Southwark Cathedral. It is mesmerizing to see the contrast between the old building of the Cathedral and the modern Shard skyscraper behind. Two Norman knights ordered the construction of the Cathedral in 1106 at the oldest crossing of the River Thames. The Church was dedicated to Mary and after the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII, became the property of the Crown. It was then renamed St Saviour. After going through several phases of restorations during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Church changed its name one last time to become the Southwark Cathedral in 1905. The Cathedral is still open for service and celebrations.

9 – The Shard

Unmissable pyramid of glass pointing towards the sky, the Shard is one of the most iconic landmarks of London and the tallest building in Western Europe. Located on London Bridge, just behind the Southwark Cathedral, the tower is born from the imagination of Irvine Sellar, a British property developer. After 9 years of planning, the construction finally started and the building was completed in 2012. It is the home of several Companies’ headquarters, two restaurants, one hotel, one clinic and a retail arcade. The view from the Shard is definitely worth it if you have the time to go up to the viewing gallery (booking required).

10 – Hay’s Galleria

Once you arrive at London Bridge Station, you need to find the alleyway going from Toddley Street to the Queen’s Walk by the River Thames. Continue your walk along the Thames in London, and just after the London Bridge Pier you arrive at the Hay’s Galleria. Owned by Alexandre Hay, hence the name, the building was originally a brewhouse. In the mid-nineteenth century, Joh Humphrey Jnr acquired the building and turned it into a wharf to store imported dried goods from all over the world. The operation stopped in 1970 due to the shift to containerisation. The building was then re-developed into a Galleria, welcoming shops and cafes as well as offices. It opened to the public in 1987 and attracts many visitors each year who come to enjoy the panoramic view of the River Thames.

11 – HMS Belfast

Just opposite the Arcade is an old warship. This is the HMS Belfast, a light cruiser commissioned in 1936 and launched on St Patrick’s Day in 1938. She was deployed during WWII to fight against the Germans but was hit by a mine. It took 3 years to repair her and in 1942 she sailed to support the Artic Convoy. She played her part during the Battle of North Cape and D-Day in Normandy. After the war, she supported the ally forces during the Korean War. She was taken out of service in 1963 and converted into a museum in 1971.

12 – Tower Bridge

Turn around, and just behind the HMS Belfast you can see the two towers of Tower Bridge emerging from the water. The construction of the bascule bridge began in 1886 under the supervision of its creators Sir Horace Jones and Sir John Wolfe Barry. It took eight years for the work to be completed. Originally operated by steam power, the engine was replaced by oils and electricity in 1976. The Bridge opened to the public in 1982 and you can visit the old engine room. However, our walk today does not take us across Tower Bridge and we must continue on the same bank of the River Thames.

13 – Cumberland Wharf

Continue your walk for 1 mile (1.6 km) along the River Thames in London. After the Saviour’s Dock, the route deviates from the water bank into a residential area. You then go back to the river passing by Bermondsey Beach and the King’s Stairs Gardens.

A little further down, at a corner, you arrive at Cumberland Wharf. The statue of a Pilgrim and a young boy stands approximately where the Mayflower departed for America in 1620. The Pilgrims being persecuted in England for their faith embarked on a journey across the Atlantic on the Mayflower in the hope of finding freedom in America. The statue from the artist Peter McLean represents the ghost of Pilgrim William Bradford standing behind a young boy and his dog reading the comic book “Sunbeam Annual”. He stands there horrified to see what America has become as he turns the pages.

14 – Canary Wharf

Walk along the River Thames for another 1.12 miles (1.8 km). You arrive at a bend where you can see the glass buildings of Canary Wharf on the opposite bank. Same to the City of London, Canary Wharf is a financial district of London. In the beginning, this location was one of the busiest docks in the world from 1802 to the late 1980s but it fell into decline due to the containerisation in the shipping industry. Its name comes from the fact that fruits from the Canary Islands were delivered to the docks. After the operation ceased, a renovation project to turn the area into a business district started. The building of One Canada Square, at the time the tallest building in the UK, was completed in 1991.

And what is the name of the tallest building in the UK now?

I give you one clue, we pass near it on our walk.

Still don’t know?

Scroll back up to number 9!

15 – Surrey Docks Farm

Let’s stop for a break after all this walk and discoveries along the River Thames in London.

And what a cute break to stop at a farm in the middle of the city!

Located at the derelict site of the Greenland Dock, the farm was started by a gardener looking for a place to graze her goats and grow vegetables in 1975, Quickly, the farm started to attract the attention of the locals and grew. It produced not only vegetables but also honey, eggs, milk and yoghurt. Unfortunately, due to the rehabilitation project of the site in the mid-1980s, the farm had to move upstream to its current location.

Access to the farm is free of charge and you can enjoy your hot drink from their coffee shop, walking among donkeys, pigs and sheep. Let’s stay connected to nature on this city walk!

16 – Circumsphere

Continue your walk down the London part of the River Thames, passing by the South Dock Marina Boatyard, where you get the perfect view of the Isle of Dog buildings.

It is only a short walk until you arrive at an unexpected sculpture in the water. This piece of art is called the Circumsphere. Designed by the artist Chris Marshall, this steel rod globe is dotted with red circles representing the route Sir Francis Drake took when he travelled on board the Golden Hinde (see point number 7 for more information). The sculpture was designed to blend perfectly with the ever-changing landscape of the docks. It is so well made that you could walk past it and not even notice there is a sculpture on top of the mooring structure.

17 – Sayes Court Park

Shortly after the Circumsphere sculpture, you arrive at another sculpture: The Cannons. From there the path deviates one more time from the river bank onto an inland residential area. This is not the nicest part of this walk, the local area being mainly composed of estates with patches of greenery.

It might not seem at first sight, but one of these parks used to be the site of a magnificent manor and garden. The manor belonged to Gilbert Maminot, a Norman Bishop. It went through many different owners through the centuries, one of his most famous residents being Cardinal Wolsey, who also owned Hampton Court Palace at the time.

Related Content: Thames Path Walk Hampton Court To Kew

But you need to wait until the seventeenth century and the arrival of the diarist John Evelyn as an owner for Sayes Court to get its years of glory. He rebuilt the house and turned the land into a splendid garden. However, the following tenants did not hold up to the standards. One of them was the Tsar Peter of Russia who broke floors, doors and items of furniture and turn the garden into tracks for wheelbarrow races.

There is nothing left of the glory of Sayes Court aside from a Mulberry Tree with a plaque indicating it was planted there by the Tsar himself during his stay at the manor.

18 – Peter the Great Statue

After the park, the path goes back to the river bank. At the corner of the River Thames and Deptford Creek, the bronze statue of the (in)famous resident of Sayes Court, Tsar Peter the Great, throne in front of the Millenium Quay development.

The statue is the work of Russian artist Mihail Chemiakin to commemorate the stay of Tsar Peter the Great in London during his diplomatic mission in Europe from March 1697 to August 1698. During his stay, he learnt the skills of shipbuilding near the site where the statue is standing.

19 – Cutty Sark

We are approaching the end of our walk along the Thames in London. After crossing over Deptford Creek you arrive in Greenwich, home of the Royal Observatory, the O2 Arena and the Cutty Sark, to only name a few.

And it is the latter that we encounter on our journey. The Cutty Sark is an old ship built for the sole purpose of the tea trade with China. The increasing competition to bring back tea from China the fastest possible during the Victorian area called for the construction of the Cutty Sark. It sailed for the first time to China in 1870. However, due to the opening of the Suez Canal allowing the steamboats to cross from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, the Cutty Sark was no longer fit for purpose. It was taken off the tea trade and moved to the wool trade with Australia. It broke the record for the shortest trip from London to Sydney at the time in only 73 days!

In the 1890s, the Cutty Sark days of sailing came to an end. It felt in disrepair and was first restored in 1924, but with the breakout of WWII, the ship once again rotted. In the 1950s the ship went through its second wave of repairs and opened as a museum for the first time in 1957. In 2007, the ship was devastated by a fire and it took years to repair it. It finally re-opened to the public in 2012.

20 – University of Greenwich

And we finally get to the end of our journey along the River Thames. Right behind the Cutty Sark, you find the buildings of the University of Greenwich. Established in 1891 by Frank Didden, the University originally was centred around religious and social education.

Nowadays, the campus mainly located in the Old Royal Navy College building, welcomes just under 20,000 students per year divided into three main fields of education: business, art and science.

You can stay a bit longer in the area, enjoying the food from the Greenwich market stalls and taking it to the park. What a nice way to end this walk with a view!

Bon appetit!

Thames Path in London Walk Map

Do you want to do this walk? Simply download the GPS map by clicking on the link below. If you need extra help on how to upload the map on your navigation app, check my step-by-step guide here.

Final Thoughts on the Walk along the Thames in London

If you want to discover more walks on the Thames Path in and out of London, check the following walking guides :

Oxford Thames Path Walk – Complete Guide & Map

Thames Path Walk Hampton Court To Kew – Guide & Map

Thames Path Richmond To Kew: From A Royal Park To Royal Gardens

Walking The Thames Path To Windsor

Thames Path: Belvedere To Greenwich Walk

Marlow To Henley Walk Via The Thames Path

Happy walking!

And you, which one is your favourite Thames Path walk? Let me know in the comments below.

Like this walk? Pin it!