London is a city of magic and marvel. If you think of London then the iconic, yet unassuming London Bridge may come to mind. We make quite regular day trips within and from London but for some reason had never spent any quality time in the London Bridge area. The bridge, which is now pretty much overshadowed by the imposing and grand Tower Bridge is steeped in history and infamy. Commissioned by Henry II to offer commuters a way to go to and from the north and south banks the bridge would be the first permanent stone crossing in the city.
London Bridge is now part of an area of the city that is vibrant and worth experiencing. The area, which sits between London Bridge and Tower Bridge has it all. From restaurants to hotels near London Bridge you can make sure you’ll find what you’re looking for. Hotels.com challenged us to spend 100 on our perfect day out in and around London Bridge and this is what we got up to!
Borough Market
The first stop on our London Bridge area day out was Borough Market. I mean if you haven’t been to Borough Market and you enjoy food then you need to head down ASAP. From traditional British fare to a global offering, you’re bound to find all sorts of delicious food here. Most of which you weren’t looking for to begin with!
The market, which is the oldest in the city, is also the busiest which means you should do as we did and give it a quickie visit if you aren’t one for the crowds. Go early as well, and don’t be completely phased by the tourists as most of them are there to take photos and not once they’re done they continue on their way.
Seeing the Sights
We’ve seen the sights in the area before such as The Tower of London so we opted to give it a miss. But if you haven’t before then use London Bridge to cross the Thames and visit the Tower. There is so much history it’s definitely one to see.
Since we have been before we took it easy and headed east after our visit to Borough Market. We were going to meet friends at Potter’s Fields Park and then have dinner but before we headed to the park I couldn’t resist popping over to the main attraction – The Shard.
Drinks at Aqua Shard
We hadn’t been to The Shard so as soon as we knew we were tasked with the area we both looked at each other and decided that was where our budget would go! The imposing building that we have encountered too many times to remember was just never on the cards but the day had finally come.
Aqua is a bar and restaurant located on the 31st floor of The Shard. I can’t even begin to boast about the amazing views! It’s absolutely incredible. We didn’t have dinner here but I instantly regretted it since the views are spectacular.
After our drinks, we headed down towards Potters Field Park to get some fresh air. It was lovely to walk along the banks of the Thames and then relax and unwind in one of the prettiest green spaces in London. The vibe is a city one but it still feels so fresh.
After meeting our friends we walked leisurely across Tower Bridge and headed over to dinner.
Dinner at Hispania
We love Spanish food and one of our friends had never had it! It was then that we knew that we should make that our cuisine of choice. The beautiful Hispania. We tucked into our food so quickly that we didn’t have a moment for photos!
The prices aren’t cheap but it’s a restaurant worth going to if you’re in the area and are craving some authentic Spanish fare.
After dinner, we walked down to Monument Station and took the tube back to our car.
We went a bit over our budget but as total foodies, it was so worth it! The drinks and dinner were fantastic and you can’t beat being in the heart of the city. That my friends is something priceless!
* The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.
collaborative post
