Discovering London's Southbank: Family Adventures Unveiled

If life with children taught me anything, it’s that we don’t need to overly complicate and over plan. It’s so easy to pack the days full of sightseeing and activities only to later realise we didn’t have the time to properly take it all in. I get it, we’re in a far flung country or on a city break and we want to make sure we make the most of it. But I’ve learnt that today everything is worth seeing. We get input from travel blogs, from Instagram accounts and travel influencers. And it’s so easy to feel we’ve missed out if we haven’t ticked every single item off the list. But when did travelling become ticking off items? Who are we trying to prove something to? Sometimes the best things are the ones we discovered by accident and not the ones where thousands flock to take that one special photo that everyone else has taken.

And London doesn’t need to be complicated or overwhelming. Sometimes the best way to discover a city is slowly. It’s no secret that I love a walk. In fact I love discovering cities and places on foot so much that my partner decided to start calling our adventures “Maya’s Torture Tours”. Let’s just say I love to get those 10 thousand steps in, but I also make sure we’re all fed well.

I’ve always been drawn to the water and I love walking by the river, which means, in London, we often end up on the Southbank.

A woman walks along the riverside path near the Thames, with a view of a bridge and modern buildings in the background under a clear blue sky.

Children and adults playing in a splash pad outside the Southbank Centre, with water spraying around them and a blue sky overhead.

But Southbank is boring

It’s a thought that gets regularly stuck in my head. Easily accessible, touristy and if approaching from the west, you’re first hit with brutalist and post-war modernist architecture. And if that’s not to your taste, it can feel a bit bleak.

But what I love about the Southbank Centre area is the regular exhibitions on the terraces. Every Friday, a street food market takes place under the Royal Festival Hall, Klaus Weber’s Thinking Fountains are on the upper level, a permanent exhibition, and in the summer months children get to cool down at Jeppe Hein’s Appearing Rooms. The Riverside terrace is currently hosting Luke Jerram’s Stepping out, an interactive exhibition inviting you to walk or dance on the coloured steps and circles (on till November 2026). Under the terraces skaters practice their tricks and in the warmer months hospitality pop-ups opposite serve food and drinks.

A fountain with water jets in front of a modern building, with the London Eye visible in the background on a sunny day.

A man walking towards the Festival Pier entrance, with a blue and white structure indicating a river transport station in the background, under a cloudy sky.

Our adventures around London always include our children and Southbank being pedestrianised is great for children as they get a bit more freedom.

Gabriel’s Wharf

This is where you can climb down to the Thames during the low tide and walk on the beach. My daughter absolutely loves looking for shells and throwing pebbles in the river. Looking for items on the banks of the river Thames is called mudlarking and if you want to disturb the foreshore, even just scraping the top sand off, you need a permit from Port of London Authority. The foreshore still hides many treasures from years and century past, but to remove them you need to follow of pretty strict rules. A word of warning, if you’re picking things up, make sure you wash your hands a lot, as PLA warns, you could catch Weil’s disease if you don’t. And never underestimate the tide.

Gabriel’s Wharf has been a home to independent shops and eateries, but has closed on the 27th September 2026 as the units, which were originally opened in 1988 need to be regenerated. I’m not the only one waiting to see what exciting plans will be unveiled for the area.

A view of St. Paul's Cathedral and the skyline of London, with birds flying in the foreground against a clear blue sky.

View of St Paul's Cathedral with its iconic dome, in the background of the River Thames, featuring the Millennium Bridge and surrounding buildings.

Eastbound

Walking away from Gabriel’s Wharf, we often enjoy a drink at the Founder’s Arms, a pub overlooking St Paul’s and the City. Yes, it’s touristy, but on a sunny day, there’s nothing better than catching those rays and enjoying the view. Tate Modern is somewhat overwhelming, but we love popping in when there’s activities setup for kids or to see a specific exhibition. If you want to enjoy the view, head to the Blavatnik Building at the back of the gallery. We don’t often eat here, but the cafe does pizzas that keep my children happy and get them to walk a little bit further.

Exterior view of The Anchor pub, featuring red windows and festive decorations, with people walking in front on a cobblestone path.

A view of the River Thames in London, featuring a boat cruising along the water with a cityscape in the background, including modern buildings and a partly cloudy sky.

There’s plenty of sights worth visiting on the Southbank too. On the way towards Tower Bridge, you pass Shakespeare’s Globe, Clink Prison Museum, the ruins of Winchester Palace and the Golden Hinde before you get to the famous Borough Market. It’s become very busy and pricey, but I still enjoy walking through it and grabbing a few items. Sometimes we relax by the Southwark Cathedral for a moment before we move on. Past London Bridge, there’s Hay’s Galeria and HMS Belfast. If you’re travelling with children, head away from the river at More London Place to Tolley Street and head left, then keep right onto Fair Street and into St John’s Churchyard where there’s a lovely little playground to keep them happy.

Behind Tower Bridge, there’s the Tower Bridge collective, an indoor street food venue with plenty of seating and beautiful views over the Tower Bridge. This is also where you find Horselydown Old Steps, which are a famous location for photos, but if you venture to the foreshore, please beware of the tide. I have seen numerous people getting cut off from the stairs and having to wade through the river. Remember the difference in high and low tide on the Thames is up to 7 metres.

A young girl walking towards the entrance of Tate Modern, a large industrial-style building with a tall chimney, flanked by visitors and signage that reads 'Welcome to Tate Modern'.

A young girl stands in an art gallery, viewing a metallic sculpture resembling a robot, with a vibrant abstract artwork on the wall behind her.

I can’t remember the number of times we did this walk. It’s great in any season and with Christmas in a few months, London’s Christmas markets will be dotted around Southbank too.