GCI Places

Curated collection · After work

South Bank After Work

Three riverside buildings whose public spaces are open without a ticket, which is what makes the South Bank usable in the evening without booking anything.

Assembled and reviewed by Global City Intelligence on 2026-09-07. The order below is a suggested route, not a ranking.

The route

  1. Royal Festival Hall

    South Bank

    The 1951 hall whose open foyers set the pattern for the whole stretch.

    The Royal Festival Hall seen from the Thames riverside walkway in London
    The river frontage of the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank. Andreas Praefcke, edited by MenkinAlRire · CC-BY-3.0

  2. National Theatre

    South Bank

    Five minutes east, with terraces at several levels above the walkway.

    The layered concrete terraces and fly tower of the National Theatre on London's South Bank
    The board-marked concrete terraces of the National Theatre from the riverside. Aurelien Guichard from London, United Kingdom · CC-BY-SA-2.0

  3. County Hall

    South Bank

    Further west, facing Westminster across the water.

    Photograph of County Hall in London
    County Hall, London. Reading Tom from Reading, UK · CC-BY-2.0

3 of 3 places shown on the map. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.