Borough, Bermondsey, and the City of London

Get your cameras ready! Today we’re heading to some of the oldest parts of London.

We’ll start the day at Borough Market, aiming to be there right when it opens at 10am to avoid the crowds — though it will still be quite busy. We’ll hit The Ginger Pig for sausage rolls and Bread Ahead for doughnuts. There are also plenty of places to stop for coffee and tea. (We won’t spend a ton of time at the market so if you want to really explore, you might want to plan to go back another day.)

Depending on the weather, we’ll take our treats to go, winding our way under the river to walk along the bank toward Tower Bridge. I’ll take you on a walking tour of the area, ending up in the City of London. Depending on our pace, the walk should last between 2-3 hours with stops in between for pictures.

The [very informal] tour will end at St. Paul’s Cathedral, so if it’s on your list, today would be a great day to plan to see it. Visitors typically spend between 1-3 hours looking around. Tickets can be purchased on the day and the Cathedral is open until 4:30pm with the last entry at 4pm. If you’re feeling up to it, you can also plan to climb to the top of the dome. I will warn that it’s not for the faint of heart or claustrophobic though! There is a lift that takes you part of the way too.

Schedule

Start: 10 am at Borough Market
End: 12 pm at St. Paul’s Cathedral

Borough Market

Steeped in history, Borough Market has been in existence since at least 1014 and has been on it’s current location since 1756. Through a series of restoration projects throughout the 90s and 00s, it has flourished into the market we know today. Trading six days a week (it’s not open on Mondays), you can get a variety of foods from cheese and meats to preserves and pies. There’s something for everyone!

Walking Tour

This is less of a tour and more just me pointing things out around the city that I love. Of course there will be highlights like Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, bits of the Roman Wall, Leadenhall Market, and more so it’s not totally random.

We’ll be outside for the duration of the walk, so be sure to dress accordingly.

Costs:

It will not be any up front costs for the “tour” or the market. Just plan to pay for anything you want to purchase at the market and/or your tickets into St. Paul’s.