London Bridge Experience Vs The London Dungeon

History, horror and jump scares galore are the order of the day at two of London’s most frightening attractions.

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
London Bridge Experience

We’re talking about the spine-tingling London Bridge Experience and bone-chilling London Dungeon, where the city’s troubled history is brought to life via immersive stagecraft, scarily OTT acting, and even the occasional thrill ride. Step into London’s dark underbelly as we take a closer look at what to expect from these two popular attractions…

London Bridge Experience vs The London Dungeon: The Lowdown

Gruesome goings on at the London Bridge Experience
Image credit: The London Bridge Experience

The London Bridge Experience

Hidden away beneath the bustling streets of London Bridge and Borough, The London Bridge Experience is a rollicking sensory fiesta that transports you through London’s bloody history via a truly motley cast of villains; it truly is one of the best things to do in London. Your immersive journey will bring you face-to-face with notorious characters (both real and fictional), including Jack the Ripper, Mrs Lovett, William Wallace, and even the invading Romans. You’ll witness the Great Fire of London, Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Plot, and other key events from London’s past all, of course, accompanied by the disembodied cries of lost souls emanating from the attraction’s darkest corners.

A haunted house-style maze follows these initial theatrics, complete with evil clowns, giant spiders, chainsaw-wielding maniacs and other creepy characters. To make matters even more terrifying, the maze is located deep in the London Tombs, a former medieval plague pit. Lovely.

So: clearly not an attraction for the faint of heart. If you’re claustrophobic or easily frightened, this may not be for you. Unsurprisingly, it’s not recommended for very young kids, and children aged 5-15 must be accompanied by an adult. The scary maze section has a ‘guardian angel’ option for kids (and scaredy cats), allowing the little ‘uns to scare off the monsters (rather than be scared by them).

Jack the Ripper at London Dungeon
Image credit: Merlin

The London Dungeon

While lacking some of the bigger jump scares of its rival, London Dungeon is no shrinking violet in the horror stakes. You’ll be welcomed by a famously ‘cursed’ painting before a creepy court jester guides you on your descent beneath London’s South Bank, aboard a medieval elevator complete with grinding mechanisms and screaming chains. So far so terrifying. What follows is a similarly immersive experience, complete with set pieces featuring the good, bad and ugly from London’s bloody past. We’re talking all the usual suspects: Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett, Jack the Ripper, Guy Fawkes, plus torturers, witches, plague victims and other gruesome characters of yore.

What sets the London Dungeon apart from its rival is the inclusion of a thrill ride, which goes by the enticing name of the Drop Dead: Drop Ride. Leave your stomach at the door as you board this underground shocker, which is designed to simulate the sensation of… being hung for your crimes on the gallows of London’s notorious Newgate Prison. Yikes. Every wanted to know what happens to the human body during a hanging, or the sound a neck makes when it cracks? Then you’ve come to the right place!

Check out our ultimate guide to London Dungeon here.

London Bridge Experience vs The London Dungeon: Best Bits

The Drop Dead: Drop Ride at London Dungeon
Image credit: Merlin
  • There’s little to choose between the immersive theatrical sections of these horror attractions: both lean heavily on dark and macabre historical events, with set pieces that include Guy Fawkes, Jack the Ripper, Boudicca, the plague and the Great Fire of London. The London Bridge Experience probably just about edges it on fright factor though – there’s a reason they’ve won the Screamie award for London’s scariest attraction several years on the trot, you know!
  • The Tombs section of the London Bridge Experience is a highlight unique to this attraction: a terrifying haunted house-style fear-fest, in which various grim characters – medieval dentists and butchers, evil giggling clowns, zombies and more – emerge suddenly from the shadows and chase you along the corridors. An absolute joy for scare-seekers.
  • Meanwhile over at the London Dungeon, it’s the aforementioned Drop Dead: Drop Ride, based on the Newgate Prison gallows, that really sets the whole attraction apart. It’s a proper stomach-churner, so perhaps don’t pitch up straight after a big lunch. 

London Dungeon vs London Bridge Experience: Which is Better?

Creepy court jester at London Dungeon
Image credit: Merlin

These attractions are alike in many ways, not least their big-budget theatrical handling of events from London’s darker past. But here’s a quick guide to help you decide…

  • Best for scares. A close run thing, but the London Bridge Experience’s jump scares are more effective and its Tombs maze is utterly terrifying.
  • Best for families with kids. We advise caution when taking children to these attractions. Both are frightening so very young kids and those of a nervous disposition should swerve them. Though the London Bridge Experience is arguably the more frightening of the two, we’re voting this one best for families thanks to its ‘guardian angel’ option.
  • Best for adrenalin seekers. Easy: the Drop Dead ride at London Dungeon wins this round hands down.
  • Best for proximity to other attractions. The London Bridge Experience is conveniently located for The View from The Shard and bustling Borough Market. But the London Dungeon is housed in the same building as SEA LIFE London Aquarium, right next to the London Eye and opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Chalk up another win for London Dungeon.

But why choose just one when you can visit both with the Go City London Explorer Pass? You can save up to 50% with the pass, which gives you 60 days to experience up to seven London tours, activities and attractions. As well as the London Dungeon and London Bridge Experience, the pass includes many other London heavyweights, including the London Eye, London Zoo, The View from The Shard, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, and many more.

Save on London Tours, Activities and Attractions

Save on admission to 100+ London attractions with an Explorer or All-Inclusive London pass from Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.

Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

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Things to Do in London in August

Get outside during your trip to London this August - there's always plenty to do, see and explore. Take advantage of the summer weather by taking tours, cruises and sightseeing. If you’re looking for things to do in London in August 2016, check out our list of the best local activities and attractions, including... Hop-On Hop-Off London Sightseeing Tour Coco-Cola London Eye Wembley Stadium Tour London Bridge City Summer Festival and more... Hop-On Hop-Off London Sightseeing Tour by Big Bus This hop on hop off double-decker bus tour is one of the best ways to sightsee in London and a great way to see many of the famous London landmarks, which are perfect photo opportunities to remember your trip by. This route will allow you to see or stop at London's most popular attractions: Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly Market, Haymarket, Trafalgar Square, The Coca-Cola London Eye, St. Paul’s, etc. The London Eye Take a 30 min spin on one of the most famous attractions in the world, the London Eye observation wheel. Located in the heart of the city opposite the River Thames, you can take in 360-degree views from 135 meters above the ground, that's more than 425 feet! Wembley Stadium Tour Take this 75-minute all-access tour of the iconic Wembley Stadium, home of the England national football team. You see parts of the stadium that is not typically accessible by the public such as the Players' tunnel, press rooms, etc. City Sightseeing River Cruise Your vacation simply isn’t complete without a relaxing Thames River cruise. This Hop-On-Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour will let you see all of London’s best bits as you float down the city’s iconic river. Enjoy amazing views along the river and see the city's top sights like the London Eye and Tower of London with our River Thames Hop-On-Hop-Off Cruise pass that lasts 24 hours. Take a Cruise Around Town on a Bike Tour Get to know the city of London on this 4-hour bike tour, which is fully narrated and guided. Halfway through your tour the group will take a 30-minute break for free time and lunch at an English pub. This is a great way to begin your time in London by getting acquainted with the city while having fun. London Bridge City Summer Festival London Bridge City is hosting a free festival all summer long with entertainment, food and drink. There is free music 5 nights a week, live theater, and other events. Check out the schedule here for the different events happening all summer long. Admission to the London Bridge City Summer Festival is free. Save on Attraction Admission There you go - plenty of fun ideas for things to do in London in August. Regular admission to a number of these popular London attractions are available with Go City®. Choose as you go from dozens of top attractions and save on combined admission vs paying at the gate. Please note, the seasonal events taking place at these attractions may be separately ticketed and not included with Go City®. If you want a bigger list of seasonal events, then check out our suggested things to do in London in the summer.
Lindsay Eagan
A woman walks alone through a busy London street
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Where to stay in London

London is increasingly becoming a 24-7 city. With the advent of the Night Tube and museums that don’t close on Mondays like in much of Europe, there’s always somewhere new to explore. At the same time, it’s a big place – with over 30 boroughs (neighborhoods). Each can then be subdivided into smaller districts, many packed with hotels and Airbnbs, making it even harder to decide where to stay in London. If you’re wondering which neighborhoods in London are popular to stay in, stay tuned for the only guide you’ll ever need! Best areas to stay in London If money’s no object, staying centrally can save a lot of travelling time, meaning greater opportunities to see and do all the things London is famous for – from its museums and historic palaces to its restaurants and nightlife. You probably haven’t come to London to listen to ‘mind the gap’ announcements on rotation on the Tube. The area around Covent Garden and the West End is the obvious pick, although there are a growing number of choices in Westminster, the South Bank and London Bridge too. That said, London’s mix of underground, trains, buses, black cabs, rental cycles, Ubers, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and trams means you’re never going to be short of ways to get from attraction to attraction. A stay in east London’s Shoreditch and Hoxton neighborhoods will have you mixing with the capital’s trendsetters in no time. Look further afield if value is your main concern. Outer areas, particularly south of the River Thames such as Crystal Palace, are still only 20 minutes or so from the center of the city by train but are much kinder on the wallet. Top areas to stay for tourists in London For visitors keen to place themselves right at the heart of quintessential London scenes – red double decker buses, policemen with unnecessarily tall helmets and Union flags gently fluttering in the breeze – you can do a lot worse than Westminster. Stays here tend to be set back from the river by a block or two, and you’ll find more homestay-style apartments than hotels. But the trade off is your proximity to one of London’s four UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Houses of Parliament – as well as Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square and the riverside, with views across to the London Eye. Another smattering of attractions and even better transport links makes London Bridge and Bankside other options. Hotels span the spectrum, from the Premier Inn London Southwark to the Shangri-La a few stories below The View from The Shard. Nearby attractions range from the gourmet stalls of Borough Market to HMS Belfast and the Tower of London. Places to stay in London for a long weekend For a two or three day stay in London, Covent Garden and the West End have all you’re going to want and need. As well as being home to the big theaters of Drury Lane and Shaftesbury Avenue, there are also enough restaurants and bars to keep you entertained for every weekend of the year. On top of that, staying in Covent Garden puts you within a radius of a couple of kilometers of the British Museum, shopping on Oxford Street and the nightlife of Soho. There can also be some great deals in the hotels of Canary Wharf on the weekend, since most who stay here are on business, leaving hotels scrambling for guests on Friday and Saturday nights. The area is connected to central London by the swish Jubilee Line extension to the Underground network as well as the DLR. Cool places to stay in London If you’re not quite ready for the opera, east London has an edgier feel and some of the coolest spots in the city. The painfully trendy-not-trendy residents of the apartments around Old Street do their best to look unimpressed and nonchalant about the street art and themed bars which define Shoreditch and Hoxton. But they secretly know how great a place it is to live – and that’s much of the pleasure of staying in Shoreditch. You get to rub shoulders with real Londoners with real lives. Despite its local vibe, it’s a very welcoming neighborhood. Indeed, it’s one of the best neighborhoods for those who feel they don’t conform. Plus, there’s been plenty of money spent making the area’s hotels as attractive to stay in as those in Covent Garden and Westminster. The best place to stay in London for nightlife is probably Soho however. This is where you’ll find many of the big name clubs, including G-A-Y and Borderline, whilst Chinatown is just down the road for an authentic taste of the east. Places to stay in London with kids If Kensington is good enough for the latest generation of royals, you can bet your bottom dollar it’s good enough for your family too. Comprising quiet, traffic-free streets, Kensington has a suburban feel whilst being within a few Tube stops of Buckingham Palace and Covent Garden. And let’s face it, children are going to love the expanse of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens together with three of the best museums in the country – the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert museums. Named after the Great Exhibition of 1851, which moved from Hyde Park to a permanent home on Sydenham Hill, Crystal Palace has become orientated towards families with children. There’s a slew of cafés where you won’t be afraid of your kids becoming too noisy, a large park home to the earliest modern representations of dinosaurs in the world. It has some of London’s cheapest accommodation too. Discover London with Go City You now know where to stay in London. The next thing to consider is what to see and do in a city with more attractions than some countries. Travel with Go City and there’s incredible savings to be had on admission to many of London’s biggest attractions, leaving you cash to spend on, well, whatever you like!
Ian Packham
Southbank London
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Best walks in London

“To walk alone in London is the greatest rest,” proclaimed Virginia Woolf in her 1927 essay Street Haunting. It’s hard to disagree: a stroll through London’s streets nourishes the soul. Here you’ll find all the familiar landmarks, and there unexpected marvels: parks that materialize as if from nowhere, quirky museums, hidden alleyways that lead... where? Ask a local to recommend the best walk in London and you’ll get a different answer every time, such are the endless possibilities of this great city. Here, though, are four of our favorites. Soho stroll It doesn’t get much more London than a saunter through the streets of Soho. Once the epicenter of London’s – shall we say – seamier entertainments, the district has shaken off much of its reputation to re-emerge as a bohemian mini metropolis, awash with cute cafés, independent stores and sizzling street food. Arriving at Leicester Square station, take the Charing Cross Road East exit to emerge opposite this thoroughfare’s venerable second-hand bookstores, their Harry Potter-esque shopfronts stacked high with dusty leather-bound tomes, colorful pulp novels and weighty reference books. Pause for a selfie, then follow your nose to Chinatown. Here, red-and-gold lanterns sway above the street and tantalizing aromas of hoi-sin duck, plump dim sum and crispy chili beef provide a feast for the senses. One block north of Chinatown brings you to Shaftesbury Avenue, a broad and bustling boulevard at the very heart of London’s west end, where acting legends tread the boards at theaters including (deep breath) the Lyric, the Gielgud, the Sondheim, the Apollo and the Palace. Wander up Dean Street to enter Soho proper and pause for un petit verre at The French House. This diminutive gallic stalwart has been here since the late 19th-century, lubricating art-and-literature aristocracy including Dylan Thomas, Salvador Dali and Francis Bacon down the years. Swing right onto Old Compton Street then left at the Prince Edward Theatre to join Greek Street. Keep your eyes peeled for blue plaques that commemorate some of the street’s most celebrated former residents, from Thomas de Quincy to Peter Cook. Greek Street is also home to Maison Bertaux – at over 150 years old, quite probably the longest-established French patisserie in London – as well as whisky store Milroy’s. Intrepid visitors to this Scotch specialist should seek out the cocktail bar in the cellar, its entrance cunningly concealed behind a bookcase at the back of the shop. Take the weight off for a moment in Soho Square, a small public garden with a statue of Charles II and an eye-catching mini mock-tudor building at its center, before heading a couple of blocks west to Berwick Street. Packed with vinyl record stores, clothes boutiques, haberdashers and traditional London boozers, it’s perhaps most famous for its centuries-old street market (now a foodie mecca) and for featuring on an Oasis record sleeve in the 90s. Linger awhile to soak up the boho atmosphere then disappear into the surrounding streets... Regent’s Park With pristine white stucco terraces, manicured gardens galore, an ornamental lake and much more spread across its 400 acres, Regent’s Park has plenty to keep even the most seasoned stroller happy for hours. Enter by Regent’s Park station, and bear left towards the superb boating lake, where you can hire small row boats and pedalos from spring through fall. The banks make an ideal spot for picnicking, but expect some attention from the resident ducks, swans and geese. Look out for the vast copper dome of the Central London Mosque on the opposite bank. Follow the path to the bandstand and into the Inner Circle to seek out Queen Mary’s Gardens, the park’s finest. Pause to smell the roses (take your time: there are thousands!) and linger in the tranquility of the Japanese-style garden with its babbling brooks, miniature waterfalls and weeping willows. At the top of the circle, you’ll find an open-air theater with performances of Shakespeare plays, kids’ shows and more during the summer months. The distant sound of shrieking gibbons and roaring lions draws you northwards to ZSL London Zoo. Established nearly two centuries ago, it’s the world’s oldest and now houses over 750 species and nearly 20,000 critters, from tigers to tarantulas, okapis to otters. From here, cross the canal footbridge to climb Primrose Hill for far-reaching views of London’s skyline, or follow the meandering towpath west to Little Venice, where cute barges (including the UK’s only floating puppet theater!) bob gently in the lagoon. The East End Perhaps best known for its darker associations with Jack The Ripper, London’s East End has ushered in the modern while retaining the best of its Victorian character. Exit Liverpool Street station, head along Bishopsgate and right onto Folgate Street, where Dennis Severs’ House, a mesmerizing throwback to a bygone era, is worth an hour of anyone's time. Continue to Commercial Street, past sprawling Spitalfields Market, and pause for refreshment at the Ten Bells. This cozy pub stands in the shadow of Christ Church – an imposing 18th-century Hawksmoor masterpiece – and was once frequented by victims of Jack The Ripper. A couple of blocks east is Brick Lane, where Bangladeshi and Jewish influences still happily prevail in spite of the area’s ongoing gentrification. It’s here you’ll find the finest bagels and curries in all of London. Try both: you won’t regret it. Brick Lane is also home to the landmark Truman Brewery building. Once a beer-making powerhouse, now an office block, it retains a convivial cobbled courtyard with a bar and live music in summer. This is also the place to cram shopping bags full of vintage fashions, vinyl records and, of course, fresh spices and exotic fruits – no trip to Brick Lane would be complete without a visit to the legendary Taj Stores. Finish your tour at the bottom of the street where modern art exhibitions and installations are free to enter at the wonderful Whitechapel Gallery. South Bank to the Tower Stretch your legs a little on this three-mile route that takes in bustling markets, Shakespearean theaters, royal palaces, and some of the finest river views you’re likely to encounter in London. Emerging at Embankment station, climb the stairs onto the Hungerford footbridge. Buskers perform for your entertainment as you cross, but they’re fighting a losing battle against the captivating views: St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard, Big Ben, the London Eye... to name just a few. Stroll through the South Bank’s cultural heart, home to the Royal Festival Hall and National Film Theatre. Beneath these fantastic examples of brutalist architecture, kids show off their moves in the graffiti’d skatepark and a cavalcade of street entertainers vie for your attention (and cash). Follow the river past the landmark Oxo Tower to the Tate Modern and onwards to the Globe Theater, a stunning replica of the Elizabethan playhouse for which Shakespeare wrote his plays. Completed in the mid-1990s, this authentic timber-framed reconstruction boasts the only thatched roof permitted in London since the Great Fire of 1666. Your walk continues east to the atmospheric cobbled lanes around Southwark and London Bridge, where you’ll encounter the infamous Clink Prison and a faithful reproduction of Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hind galleon. Railway bridges rumble overhead as you follow your nose into Borough Market, where restaurant-quality fast food will fortify you for the final leg of your adventure. Here, every palate is catered for. Grab a halloumi burger or smoked salmon bagel, try melt-in-the-mouth confit duck or make a mess with delicious, oozing cheese raclette. The leafy grounds of medieval Southwark Cathedral, right next to the market, provide a tranquil setting to savor your meal and watch the world go by. We challenge you not to hum the famous nursery rhyme as you cross London Bridge and join the Thames Path east to the Tower of London: awe-inspiring fortress, royal palace, notorious prison, and home of the Crown Jewels. It’s here, among the resident ravens and the Yeoman Guards in their smart red-and navy livery, that your journey concludes. Save on things to do in London Save on admission to London attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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