London Bridge Experience vs. The London Dungeon

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).

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!

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. 

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 adrenaline 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 the London Dungeon.