Best for
Shakespeare fans, theatre lovers, anyone wanting living history rather than a static museum
Time needed
1 hour (tour) to 3 hours (with a performance)
Worth it?
Yes — genuinely unique, especially if you can catch an actual performance
Skip if
You have zero interest in theatre and only want the building's exterior
About Shakespeare's Globe
The original Globe, built in 1599 by Shakespeare's own theatre company and burned down in 1613 after a cannon effect set the thatched roof alight during a performance of Henry VIII, stood a few hundred metres from today's reconstruction. American actor and director Sam Wanamaker spent decades campaigning to rebuild it, and the new Globe — built using historically accurate materials and construction methods, including a thatched roof (the only one permitted in London since the Great Fire) — finally opened in 1997, sadly four years after Wanamaker's death.
Daytime guided tours of the theatre explain the building's construction, the standing "groundlings" pit, and the realities of Elizabethan playgoing, while the theatre's main draw for many visitors is an actual performance — plays run seasonally in the open-air yard, with standing tickets deliberately kept cheap to replicate the original theatre's accessibility to ordinary Londoners.
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The adjoining Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, a smaller indoor Jacobean-style candlelit theatre, hosts productions year-round regardless of weather, using only candlelight exactly as performances would have been lit in the 1600s.
Whether you catch a play or just take the daytime tour, it's one of the few places in London where Shakespeare's original theatrical world feels tangible rather than abstract.
What to See: Highlights
- 1A historically accurate reconstruction, 230 metres from the original 1599 Globe
- 2The only thatched roof permitted in London since the Great Fire of 1666
- 3Seasonal open-air performances with cheap standing "groundling" tickets
- 4The candlelit, indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, open year-round
- 5Guided daytime tours explaining Elizabethan theatre and construction
- 6A genuinely atmospheric Bankside riverside setting
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Insider Tips
Book performance tickets well ahead in summer — the season is popular and seasonal
Standing "groundling" tickets are the cheapest and most authentic way to see a play
Bring a cushion or rent one — standing or bench seating can be hard on the back
Daytime exhibition and tour tickets are separate from performance tickets
Combine with Tate Modern and Borough Market, both a short walk along Bankside
Book a Guided Tour
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Getting There
21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT
Open in Google Maps →- 1Southwark (Jubilee line) or London Bridge (Jubilee, Northern) — both roughly a 10-minute walk along the river.
Where to stay
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before you visit.
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Should You Visit?
Visit if...
- You want to see or experience Shakespearean theatre as it was originally staged
- You're interested in Elizabethan history and architecture
- You can catch a seasonal open-air performance or the candlelit Playhouse
- You're already exploring Bankside near Tate Modern and Borough Market
Skip if...
- Theatre and Shakespeare hold no interest for you
- You're visiting outside the performance season and only want a quick photo stop
Ready to Book Your Visit?
More to See in London
Tate Modern
Britain's national gallery of modern and contemporary art, housed in a converted 1950s power station on the Thames, with a soaring Turbine Hall for large-scale installations.
Borough Market
London's oldest food market, trading in some form since at least 1014, now a dense warren of artisan food stalls, cheesemongers and street-food vendors under Victorian ironwork by London Bridge.