Right at the heart of London, between Westminster and Oxford Street, in the old West End, you’ll find Iconic monuments, Famous Theatres, Vibrant Chinatown, and endless places to eat, drink and play. There is enough in this area to keep you busy for days, but it’s an equally exciting place to walk through on a day out.
Trafalgar Square
Named after the famous battle in which
The best way to get to Trafalgar Square has to be from Whitehall, after taking in the power of Westminster and Big Ben, then walking up past Downing Street, passing the Royal Horse Guards on your left and the Ministry of Defence on your right, before you catch a glimpse of Nelson atop his column.
As you can see below, it’s hard to get a picture with the top of the column in it, but the lions at the base are just as impressive. Be sure to toss a coin into the fountains for good luck.
The National Gallery
At the north end of Trafalgar Square lies the National Gallery, an art museum with more than 2,300 paintings from the 13th century to 1900. I am not a massive art enthusiast, and neither is Gen, so on our last visit, we took a brief walk around the gallery (entry is free).
Like the British Museum, this place gets busy, and although tickets are free, you might want to book in advance here, especially on weekends.
Chinatown London
This iconic neighbourhood is the largest of its kind in England, and a place I have been visiting since before I could walk. Luckily, on our last visit, it was close to Chinese New Year, so lanterns adorned the narrow walking streets and red packets were hung in shop windows. On New Year’s itself, a large stage is set up for lion dancing and other cool activities.
The main part of Chinatown begins after Leicester Square (the actual square, not the tube station) and consists of a handful of narrow streets before Shaftesbury Avenue. There are tonnes of shops, from cake shops to butchers and asian grocers and restaurants.
There are no shortage of places for lunch, we settled on a Korean restaurant opposite M&M World (yes, that’s a thing).
Dining in Soho
Beyond Chinatown is Soho, the old red light district that is now very gentrified, but houses plenty of pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs.
There are tonnes of chain restaurants like Burger and Lobster, Wagamama, Pizza Express and Itsu, as well as plenty of famous spots like Barrafina, Bob Bob Ricard, Kiln and Quo Vadis. Most of these are on Dean Street.
Looking for a cold beer? You’re in luck, there are literally countless pubs and bars–at least one on every street corner or more. There are also a few craft breweries like BrewDog on Poland Street.
Regent’s Street
On the Western edge of Soho lies Regent Street–named after the Prince Regent, who became King George IV; interestingly, most of the street is still owned by the crown.
It was built in 1819 as a pre-planned shopping street and has not changed a lot since. You’ll still find all the big brands as well as smaller independent shops. Then, of course, there’s Hamleys, the giant toy store that spans 7 floors, complete with clowns and other characters in fancy dress to keep kids entertained for hours.
Parallel to Regents Street, you’ll find Savile Row–the famous home of London’s finest tailors–a good place to get a suit… if you have many thousands to spare.
Right at the heart of London, between Westminster and Oxford Street, in the old West End, you’ll find Iconic monuments, Famous Theatres, Vibrant Chinatown, and endless places to eat, drink and play. There is enough in this area to keep you busy for days, but it’s an equally exciting place to walk through on a day out.
Trafalgar Square
Named after the famous battle in which Admiral Horatio Nelson decisively destroyed the combined French and Spanish fleets to establish British dominance of the seas. Nelson, already a national hero for victories over the French, was shot by a sniper at Trafalgar and died shortly after. His funeral procession, which passed the site that would bear his column, attracted hundreds of thousands.
The best way to get to Trafalgar Square has to be from Whitehall, after taking in the power of Westminster and Big Ben, then walking up past Downing Street, passing the Royal Horse Guards on your left and the Ministry of Defence on your right, before you catch a glimpse of Nelson atop his column.
As you can see below, it’s hard to get a picture with the top of the column in it, but the lions at the base are just as impressive. Be sure to toss a coin into the fountains for good luck.
The National Gallery
At the north end of Trafalgar Square lies the National Gallery, an art museum with more than 2,300 paintings from the 13th century to 1900. I am not a massive art enthusiast, and neither is Gen, so on our last visit, we took a brief walk around the gallery (entry is free).
Like the British Museum, this place gets busy, and although tickets are free, you might want to book in advance here, especially on weekends.
Chinatown London
This iconic neighbourhood is the largest of its kind in England, and a place I have been visiting since before I could walk. Luckily, on our last visit, it was close to Chinese New Year, so lanterns adorned the narrow walking streets and red packets were hung in shop windows. On New Year’s itself, a large stage is set up for lion dancing and other cool activities.
The main part of Chinatown begins after Leicester Square (the actual square, not the tube station) and consists of a handful of narrow streets before Shaftesbury Avenue. There are tonnes of shops, from cake shops to butchers and asian grocers and restaurants.
There are no shortage of places for lunch, we settled on a Korean restaurant opposite M&M World (yes, that’s a thing).
Dining in Soho
Beyond Chinatown is Soho, the old red light district that is now very gentrified, but houses plenty of pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs.
There are tonnes of chain restaurants like Burger and Lobster, Wagamama, Pizza Express and Itsu, as well as plenty of famous spots like Barrafina, Bob Bob Ricard, Kiln and Quo Vadis. Most of these are on Dean Street.
Looking for a cold beer? You’re in luck, there are literally countless pubs and bars–at least one on every street corner or more. There are also a few craft breweries like BrewDog on Poland Street.
Regent’s Street
On the Western edge of Soho lies Regent Street–named after the Prince Regent, who became King George IV; interestingly, most of the street is still owned by the crown.
It was built in 1819 as a pre-planned shopping street and has not changed a lot since. You’ll still find all the big brands as well as smaller independent shops. Then, of course, there’s Hamleys, the giant toy store that spans 7 floors, complete with clowns and other characters in fancy dress to keep kids entertained for hours.
Parallel to Regents Street, you’ll find Savile Row–the famous home of London’s finest tailors–a good place to get a suit… if you have many thousands to spare.
As you can see below, winter, especially before christmas, is a busy time as shoppers flood Regent and Oxford Street looking for gifts.
