For the ultimate London experience West End is the place to be. Piccadilly Circus is next door, where antique book shops stand along trendy restaurants. Covent Garden is also nearby. And, then of course, there’s the world-renowned West End theaters - the rival, or some would argue to be the mentor of New York’s Broadway.
With over a dozen major musicals and plays being performed at any time, there is plenty to watch. Most of the major shows are held at the Royal National Theatre with its three auditoriums.
The Palace Theater is a sight to see even from the outside. The ornate terracotta building has Roman columns in the black marble foyer that will draw you in and up the arched stairway. It was first opened as an opera house at Cambridge Circus and is still a venue for musicals 80 years later.
There is also the re-created Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Here you can watch the great English playwright’s masterpieces as if it were still Elizabethan times. Just like the original Globe Theatre in Shakespeare’s time, you can watch his plays, open to the elements, with no stage lighting or microphones used. It even stands near its original Bankside location.
Leicester Square has cinemas for movie-goers. This is where street performers also gather for live, impromptu entertainment. As expected, there are crowds but they make for good people-watching. Part of the interesting sights is also the distinctive architecture along the the square.
Carnaby Street is ground zero of mod 60s fashion. This is where you can still pick up an Austin Powers-style vest or a pair of bell-bottomed jeans.
And speaking of shopping, Oxford Street holds over 300 shops with five million square feet of shopping space. There’s everything from large department stores to little specialty shops for that unique gift to take back home. Where else can you get a genuine British Army Officer’s swagger stick but at James Smith & Sons?
Selfridge’s Department Store alone is worth a visit. Founded in 1909 by American Henry Gordon Selfridge, it is now the second biggest luxury retailer in the United Kingdom. Its building in Oxford has an elaborate facade and features a clock known as the Queen of Time.
While you’re in the neighborhood, check out another interesting time piece: the Liberty Clock, just outside the Liberty store. Very popular with the tourists, there are well-crafted figures of St. George and the Dragon on the lower part.
To experience the seedier side of London, Soho is a short walk away. For more than a century, the area has been considered a red-light district.
But today, Soho is evolving like many other parts of London. Fancy restaurants and unique shops are now sprouting alongside the old strip bars and pubs.
Soho Square even has comfortable places to sit where you can watch the city go by. Be prepared for all sorts of weather and all kinds of people. You’ll see both in London’s West End.
Other great spots to visit in London.
Enjoy a 3 day getaway to the magnificent Scottish Highlands! Traveling by train from London to Edinburgh, you enjoy 2 nights in a quaint bed and breakfast, and spend your days exploring the mysterious Loch Ness and her surroundings. Visit Urquart Castle, relax aboard a cruise on the loch itself, and journey to Culloden Moor.
Enjoy a Hop On Hop Off Tour of Edinburgh - visiting some major sights including the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, Greyfriars Bobby and the famous Edinburgh Castle. Also experience Edinburgh at your own leisure and overnight accommodation in a local bed and breakfast.
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