Shakespeare’s Globe: The Best £5 Theatre Ticket in London

The original Globe burned down in 1613 when a cannon fired for a theatrical effect during a performance of Henry VIII set the thatched roof alight. Nobody died, which the recorded account emphasises while also noting that someone’s trousers caught fire. This one opened in 1997, built 230 metres from the original site using traditional joinery, hand-made bricks, and real thatch - the first thatched building permitted in the City of London since the Great Fire of 1666.

Sam Wanamaker, an American actor who moved to London in 1949 and spent 23 years pursuing the project before dying in 1993, is the reason this building exists. He never saw it finished. The Globe is his monument.

The Groundling Ticket

Groundling tickets cost £5-10 for standing in the yard directly in front of the stage. This is the best value theatre ticket in London, possibly in England. You stand for 2-3 hours in an open-air yard regardless of weather, three metres from the actors, in conditions close to those of the original 16th-century performances. When it works, the connection between the text and the audience is immediate in a way that a conventional theatre’s seated distance removes.

When it rains, you get wet. Pack accordingly or hire an umbrella from the front-of-house. The theatre doesn’t cancel for rain.

Seated gallery tickets run £25-65. The middle gallery at the back gives the overview position for understanding the staging; the lower galleries at the sides place you in the action.

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Next door to the Globe, the indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is a candlelit Jacobean theatre used in the winter months and for smaller productions year-round. The candles are real, not theatrical lighting that resembles candles. The light quality is warm, uneven, and intimate in a way that no modern theatre achieves. Tickets £20-55. The scale of the space - it seats around 340 - makes Jacobean drama specifically legible here in ways it isn’t at the National.

The Exhibition

A paid exhibition (about £17 standalone, free with performance tickets) covers the Elizabethan theatre scene, the reconstruction process, and performance history. The guided tour is informative; the staff know the building’s construction in specific detail, which is rarer than you’d expect at heritage attractions.

Borough Market and Bankside

The Globe sits on Bankside, 5 minutes’ walk from Tate Modern and 15 minutes from Borough Market. The market (Monday-Saturday, 10:00-17:00, open from 08:00 on Fridays) has been trading at this location since at least the 13th century, making it one of London’s oldest. Monmouth Coffee’s Borough Market location has been roasting and serving specialty coffee since before “specialty coffee” was a concept widely used in London. The Anchor pub at the end of Bankside has been there since the 17th century and is a reasonable pre-show option.

Southwark station (Jubilee line) is a 5-minute walk from the Globe. London Bridge (Jubilee and Northern lines) is 10 minutes.