Eye and Gherkin
August 1, 2005 8:02 PM Subscribe
I will be in London for a few hours on the 20th and thought that the London Eye and the Gherkin will be great to visit.
Can anyone suggest a nice walk from the Eye to the Gherkin? According to the TFL, it is a 60 min walk. Any ideas or comments?
Have a little wander round some back streets in the City after you get to the Gherkin. There's some good little bits of history like bombed out churches, pubs and gardens.
posted by lunkfish at 1:22 AM on August 2, 2005
posted by lunkfish at 1:22 AM on August 2, 2005
You could have a look at the Visit London site for some info, although it's quite commercial and maybe not what you're after. There's also London Walks that might be of use (typing in London Walks into Google also gives more similar results). Hope our weather hold out for you :)
posted by TheDonF at 3:10 AM on August 2, 2005
posted by TheDonF at 3:10 AM on August 2, 2005
Szechuan's walk sounds wonderful, and takes you through a bunch of my favorite London places. It will probably take you a little longer than an optimal route suggested by TfL, but if you're not in a huge rush, it's well worth it.
Every time the subject of visiting London comes up in AskMe I recommend the book Londonwalks. Sadly and inexplicably, it is out of print, but you can buy it used at Amazon and probably elsewhere. It takes a few London neighborhoods and guides you on very detailed walking tours through them, pointing out little details along the way you'd never notice for yourself. Oddly, it doesn't have a walk on the South Bank--maybe because the South Bank wasn't as lovely when the book was last published. But it does take you around Westminster, so if you take szechuan's suggestion, you could start with the book's Westminster walk. (Although it depends on just how long you have--the Londonwalks Westminster walk will take about 2 1/2 hours, before you even get to the Eye. If that's all the time you have, forget about the book and just to szechuan's walk.)
By the way, the TfL Journeyplanner website is great and very accurate in the times it gives, but its default assumption about walking speeds tends to be a little on the slow side. If you are a healthy young person with a good walking speed, you might want to click on "more options" and change walking speed to "fast".
Finally... the Gherkin is a really cool building from the outside, but keep in mind that it is a working office building, and as a tourist, you are unlikely to be able to do much more than walk into the lobby.
Enjoy your visit. London is an amazing city, and the South Bank is one of my favorite spots for strolling in the world.
posted by yankeefog at 3:11 AM on August 2, 2005
Every time the subject of visiting London comes up in AskMe I recommend the book Londonwalks. Sadly and inexplicably, it is out of print, but you can buy it used at Amazon and probably elsewhere. It takes a few London neighborhoods and guides you on very detailed walking tours through them, pointing out little details along the way you'd never notice for yourself. Oddly, it doesn't have a walk on the South Bank--maybe because the South Bank wasn't as lovely when the book was last published. But it does take you around Westminster, so if you take szechuan's suggestion, you could start with the book's Westminster walk. (Although it depends on just how long you have--the Londonwalks Westminster walk will take about 2 1/2 hours, before you even get to the Eye. If that's all the time you have, forget about the book and just to szechuan's walk.)
By the way, the TfL Journeyplanner website is great and very accurate in the times it gives, but its default assumption about walking speeds tends to be a little on the slow side. If you are a healthy young person with a good walking speed, you might want to click on "more options" and change walking speed to "fast".
Finally... the Gherkin is a really cool building from the outside, but keep in mind that it is a working office building, and as a tourist, you are unlikely to be able to do much more than walk into the lobby.
Enjoy your visit. London is an amazing city, and the South Bank is one of my favorite spots for strolling in the world.
posted by yankeefog at 3:11 AM on August 2, 2005
It's easy enough just to wander with the Thames at your left. After Waterloo, I'd rather stroll down Roupell Street than stick too close to the bank itself: it's much better preserved, and the Kings Arms is a good pub to visit.
You have a choice at Tate Modern to take the Millennium Bridge to St Pauls, then go through the City to the Gherkin, or stay south and head to Southwark and London Bridge. Or go along to Tower Bridge, and see the new GLA building, which is Gherkin-esque. The 20th is a Saturday, so Borough Market will be open between 9am and 4pm. It's a great place to pick up yummy stuff.
posted by holgate at 1:37 PM on August 2, 2005
You have a choice at Tate Modern to take the Millennium Bridge to St Pauls, then go through the City to the Gherkin, or stay south and head to Southwark and London Bridge. Or go along to Tower Bridge, and see the new GLA building, which is Gherkin-esque. The 20th is a Saturday, so Borough Market will be open between 9am and 4pm. It's a great place to pick up yummy stuff.
posted by holgate at 1:37 PM on August 2, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
This takes you past the Jubilee Gardens, the South Bank Centre, the Tate Modern (a must stop). I tend to cross over the Millenium Bridge and visit St Pauls, before crossing back and continuing to Tower Bridge. This takes you past Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the Southwark Cathedral and the HMS Belfast. Then you can cross Tower Bridge and vist the Tower of London if you have time. Full details of the Jubilee Walkway are here.
You can then proceed easily from the Tower to the Gherkin. See the distances on the map here. Enjoy!
posted by szechuan at 8:23 PM on August 1, 2005 [1 favorite]