How it works Add your verdict

City, Tower & South Bank: what’s worth it?

The Tower, St Paul's, the Shard, Borough Market and Tate Modern.

IWM London — photo by Siu Lun Yuen

Worth itReality 81 +201IWM London★ 4.7City, Tower & South Bank · MuseumFree Southwark museum of modern conflict: WWI and WWII galleries, Holocaust Galleries, Spitfire

The Globe — photo by Amadeu Martins

Worth itReality 75 +192The Globe★ 4.6City, Tower & South Bank · CultureOpen-air oak-and-thatch reconstruction of Shakespeare's theatre on Bankside, with plays and tours

Tower Bridge — photo by D H

Worth itReality 75 −163Tower Bridge★ 4.8City, Tower & South Bank · LandmarkVictorian bascule bridge by the Tower; free to cross, with paid glass-floor walkways and engine rooms

St Paul's — photo by Graham Paul

Worth itReality 70 −14St Paul's★ 4.7City, Tower & South Bank · Sacred siteWren's domed 17th-century cathedral; the ticket includes crypt, Whispering Gallery and a 528-step climb

Tower of London — photo by Vibungsan

Worth it if…Reality 69 −145Tower of London★ 4.7City, Tower & South Bank · HistoryThousand-year-old riverside fortress and prison holding the Crown Jewels, Beefeaters and ravens

Sky Garden — photo by Remco van Linge

Worth it if…Reality 66 −86Sky Garden★ 4.6City, Tower & South Bank · ViewpointFree glass-domed garden and viewing deck atop the 'Walkie Talkie' at 20 Fenchurch Street

Borough Market — photo by Terence Teo

Worth it if…Reality 64 −187Borough Market★ 4.6City, Tower & South Bank · MarketCovered food market beside London Bridge with produce, street food stalls and bars

Leadenhall Market — photo by Chang-Woo Ryu

Worth it if…Reality 61 +108Leadenhall Market★ 4.4City, Tower & South Bank · MarketOrnate 1881 Victorian covered market in the City, used as Diagon Alley in Harry Potter

Tate Modern — photo by María Jesús Gonzalez Nevado

Worth it if…Reality 61 −149Tate Modern★ 4.5City, Tower & South Bank · MuseumFree modern and contemporary art museum in a converted Bankside power station on the Thames

The Shard — photo by Felestine Chong

Skip itReality 44 +510The Shard★ 4.6City, Tower & South Bank · ViewpointPaid observation decks on levels 68–72 of the UK's tallest building, by London Bridge

London Eye — photo by Matthias Ullrich

Skip itReality 39 −4811London Eye★ 4.5City, Tower & South Bank · Viewpoint135 m observation wheel on the South Bank; a 30-minute rotation in glass capsules

London Dungeon — photo by K.-H. Vollrath

Skip itReality 39 −712London Dungeon★ 4.3City, Tower & South Bank · AttractionMerlin-run walk-through horror show of London's grisly history with live actors and rides

The numbers

#	Place	Verdict	Hype	Reality	Gap	Google
1	IWM London	Worth it	61	81	+20 · Underrated	★ 4.7 (31,093)
2	The Globe	Worth it	56	75	+19 · Underrated	★ 4.6 (25,242)
3	Tower Bridge	Worth it	91	75	−16 · Overhyped	★ 4.8 (186,757)
4	St Paul's	Worth it	71	70	−1 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.7 (58,197)
5	Tower of London	Worth it if…	83	69	−14 · Overhyped	★ 4.7 (122,613)
6	Sky Garden	Worth it if…	74	66	−8 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.6 (78,619)
7	Borough Market	Worth it if…	82	64	−18 · Overhyped	★ 4.6 (131,796)
8	Leadenhall Market	Worth it if…	51	61	+10 · Underrated	★ 4.4 (24,100)
9	Tate Modern	Worth it if…	75	61	−14 · Overhyped	★ 4.5 (84,188)
10	The Shard	Skip it	39	44	+5 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.6 (8,280)
11	London Eye	Skip it	87	39	−48 · Overhyped	★ 4.5 (205,783)
12	London Dungeon	Skip it	46	39	−7 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.3 (20,307)