Visiting the West End is the place to be for the London traveler looking for variety. Piccadilly Circus is next door, where antique book shops mix with the latest restaurants and Covent Garden is not far. And, then of course, there’s the world-renowned theater – the rival (some would say tutor) of Broadway.
Soho is a short walk away. For those interested in the red-light district in the home of the Puritans, that’s here – and has been for over a century.
But Soho is much more than strip bars and prostitutes. As the area, along with many parts of London, undergoes a rejuvenation, there are also expensive restaurants and shops to enjoy. Soho Square has places to sit and watch the city go buy in safety and comfort.
Leicester Square has cinemas for the movie-goer and street performers for live, impromptu entertainment while visiting the West End. And, as expected, there are crowds of people and distinctive architecture for those who just want to take in the spontaneous sights that uniquely define any metropolis.
Visiting the West End
To see ground zero of ‘mod’ 60s fashions, visit Carnaby Street where you can still pick up an Austin Powers-style vest or a pair of bell-bottomed jeans.
Shopping galore can be found along Oxford Street, which stretches 3km (1.8mi) through the West end. At one end is the Marble Arch (relocated from Buckingham Palace in the 19th century) to Tottenham Court Road.
The street’s origins date back to Roman times, but now 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 than James Smith & Sons?
Selfridge’s (founded in 1909 by the American Henry Gordon Selfridge) is alone worth a visit. It has an elaborate, ornate facade and features a clock known as the Queen of Time.
While you’re in the neighborhood, check out another interesting clock: the Liberty Clock, just outside the Liberty store. Very popular with the tourists, there are figures of St. George and the Dragon on the lower part. Close to Regents Street and Great Malborough Street. Exit at the Oxford Circus tube stop.
But when visiting the West End on your romantic London vacation, the piece de resistance has to be the theaters.
The Palace Theater, for example, is a sight to see even from the outside. An ornate terracotta building, first opened as an opera house, it stands at Cambridge Circus and is still a venue for musicals 80 years later. The Roman columns in the black marble foyer will draw you in and up the arched stairway.
With over a dozen major musicals and plays being performed at any time, there’s a wide array of choices. Not least of which is the flagship Royal National Theatre with three auditoriums.
There’s also the re-created Globe Theatre, a favorite since the time of Shakespeare. Open to the elements, with no stage lighting or microphones used, it sits near its original Bankside location.
Be prepared for all sorts of weather and all kinds of people. You’ll see both while visiting the West End on your next romantic getaway in London.
West End Hotel
Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say about West End
Read More About Romantic London
- Buckingham Palace
Visiting Buckingham Palace on your next romantic London getaway is one of the most popular tourist attractions in London. Buckingham Palace is still the official residence of Britain’s monarchy, as it has been since Queen Victoria’s designation in 1837. - Harrods
No romantic London getaway would be complete without visiting Harrods. Much of London, for the tourist anyway, is historical. Ancient buildings and centuries old monuments. Palaces and works of art from the ages. - Kew Palace and Gardens
Visiting Kew Palace and Gardens allows you to step inside and explore this intimate and beautiful royal retreat. Kew Palace, known at Dutch House until 1827, was built in 1631 for the Dutch merchant Samuel Fortrey. - Kensington Palace
When visiting Kensington Palace it is important to keep in mind that it has been home to royalty from long before Queen Victoria’s birth there in 1819 to Princess Diana’s residence until her death to today. - Madame Tussauds
Visiting Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is one of the very few attractions in London that is both centuries old and completely modern and a fun thing to do on a romantic London getaway. - Piccadilly Circus
What you need to know about visiting Piccadilly Circus: At the junction of Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue lies a trapezoidal area near London’s West End known to the world as Piccadilly Circus. - Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
If you are visiting Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, you should know that it is in fact long gone – closed by Puritans in 1642 and taken down 2 years later. - St Paul’s Cathedral
Visiting St Paul’s Cathedral is steeped in history. For three hundred years St Paul’s Cathedral has served as one of the enduring symbols of London, a role it richly deserves. - British Museum
Like most museums in London, visiting the British Museum is free of admission (though some events and special exhibitions have an admission charge). - London Eye
Visiting the London Eye on your romantic vacation in London can serve a very good purpose since one of the best ways to see London is from the air. - London Zoo
Visiting the London Zoo may not be on the top of your list since London has such a long history, filled with great churches, monuments, art and history museums that seeking nature here often isn’t what immediately comes to mind. - National Gallery
Since its founding in the mid-19th century, visiting the Natural History museum has offered visitors one of the largest, most diverse collections in the world. - Natural History Museum
Since its founding in the mid-19th century, visiting the Natural History museum has offered visitors one of the largest, most diverse collections in the world. - Royal Observatory
To most visiting the Royal Observatory, the question “What time is it?” is mundane. But to the men and women whom, over the centuries since 1675, have worked at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich it is of huge importance. - Tower of London
There is some history to know about when visiting the Tower of London. Few prisons can claim to be as popular as the Tower of London, an attraction – unpleasant for some – for over 900 years. - West End
For the London traveler looking for variety, the West End is the place to be. Piccadilly Circus is next door, where antique book shops mix with the latest restaurants and Covent Garden is not far. - Trafalgar Square
When visiting Trafalgar Square on a romantic London getaway, you will see that it is the center of England in more ways than one. - Westminster Abbey
Visiting Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding as it is a church, burial ground, coronation site and much more.
