- Date Thursday, 9 July 2026
All the best Bankside spots to help you keep cool this summer.
Need to escape the heat without leaving Bankside? We’ve mapped out the best air-conditioned spots, shady green areas, and refreshing activities across the neighbourhood to help you keep cool this summer.
Air-conditioned workspaces
John Harvard Library – Free Wi-Fi, study space, and a coffee stall, right on Borough High Street.
Working From Southwark – Both memberships and day-passes offer a desk and bottomless teas and coffees at The Hoxton’s stylish co-working space.
Cool cultural spots
Tate Modern – Free entry, vast galleries and air-conditioning offer an ideal spot to escape the sun.
Borough Yards – An eclectic mix of shops and eats in the shaded arches of Bankside’s viaduct, offering a cooler alternative for walking, shopping or eating.
Southwark Cathedral – A peaceful, centuries-old escape from the heat, moments from Borough Market.
The Africa Centre – Indoor café and cultural space on Great Suffolk Street.
Green spaces
- Tate Modern Garden
- Rennie Garden
- St George’s Churchyard Gardens
- All Hallows Church Gardens
- Redman House Green
- Mint St Park
- Redcross Garden
- Hatfields Green
Something fun
The Font – Exercise out of the sun with 50% off an Introduction to bouldering session with your Buzz Card.
Uber Boats – Travel with a breeze with up to 1/3 off pier prices using your Buzz card.
Flat Iron Square – Catch the World Cup indoor or outdoor on over 20 screens.
Everyman Cinema – Air-conditioned movies and sofas offering the ultimate summer escape.
Ice cream – Grab a sneaky treat at 3bis Gelato, Amorino, Araw Ice Cream, or Saint Nine Coffee.
Check out this map to see which summer spots are closest to you.
