It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
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Date of visit: December 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
I often find Christmas markets a very overwhelming experience, but knowing the Southbank Centre’s Winter Market was much smaller and easier to navigate than those I have previously visited, I decided to give it a try this year. We went on a day that was particularly quiet, I’m sure on Fridays and weekends it might get considerably busier. So it’s worth bearing in mind which day you’d be visiting if you are also looking for a slower, quieter experience like me! The market is spread out along the banks of the Thames making it seem much quieter as there aren’t the same sort of crowds you might get at some larger Christmas markets. It’s also easy to miss some parts of it as it’s so spread out. I actually really liked this aspect as each area felt like its own smaller market and it means I can revisit it next year and see different parts of it! Some of the stalls operate different hours, so depending on the day and time that you go, you may not see all the stalls open. But there was still a great selection of stalls despite some being closed when we visited. The decorations are all really festive but in a simple way. I didn’t see any erratic flashing lights, but there were lots of beautiful garlands and each hut had been decorated with twinkly lights. There were lots of options for seating either as part of the market or from the usual benches that are located on that area of the Southbank. I definitely recommend it as a slightly more relaxed festive market experience.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
The paths along the Southbank are mostly tarmaced so it provides a very smooth surface to navigate. There are some small sections of cobbles and there are also things like trees and bollards in certain parts of the walkways. There is lots of seating either as part of the market areas or benches that are placed along the river. The lighting is all fairly steady and I didn’t see any Christmas lights that were super erratic or crazy. There were some areas where music was being played but there were also some much quieter areas, including some picnic benches that were in their own Christmas huts which provided a much more secluded seating area. A lot of the stalls had counters at regular standing height, but there were some that had lowered counters. Stalls that were selling items sometimes had a lip into their huts and some of the huts were quite small. But there were also lots of displays on the walkways which provided an alternative to any areas I felt I couldn’t get to in my wheelchair.
Accessible facilities: Single-level venue, Step-free access to most areas, Seating at regular intervals
Parking & Transport
Good
I travelled to this place by train
The closest station is Waterloo which has South Western Railway services. While the underground lines that run through Waterloo are the Jubilee, Northern, Bakerloo and Waterloo and City lines. Only the Jubilee line has step-free access from this station. Waterloo station is roughly 450 metres from the market. There are a large number of bus stops located around Waterloo station too. The buses available are: 1, 11, 59, 68, 76, 77, 139, 172, 176, 188, 243, 341, 381, BL1, C10, N1, N68, N171, N381 and SL6. Each bus stop has a different letter designation to differentiate between the stops. So make sure to double check which stop your desired bus is stopping at. As the market is spread across the riverbank the distance between transport links and the market will vary depending on which section you’re visiting.
Accessible Toilets
There aren’t any toilets as part of the market but those visiting can use the toilets in the Southbank Centre.
Staff
Excellent
The staff we interacted with were all vendors of their own stalls and everyone was really lovely.
