| New York, Tokyo, Paris, Beijing: all major | | | | Ambassador's Theatre (until 1974) and the St |
| metropolises that will no-doubt feature | | | | Martin's Theatre (until present day). |
| prominently on any city-lover's travel ‘to do' | | | | Other classics such as Cats and The Phantom of |
| list. | | | | the Opera have all been performed for well over |
| London, too, is up there with the best of them. | | | | two decades too, which is testament to the |
| With tens of millions of tourists arriving in the UK | | | | esteem in which London theatre is held. |
| capital at any one of its five international airports, | | | | London's West End isn't all about theatre though. |
| visitors expect a major conurbation - a thriving | | | | If New York has Times Square, then the UK |
| epicentre of global activity. And few leave | | | | capital has Piccadilly Circus, which is a major road |
| disappointed. | | | | junction that truly embodies the ‘bright lights, |
| For those with a penchant for photography, | | | | big city' vibe that so many city-lovers seek. With |
| London delivers on all fronts. There's Big Ben, | | | | throngs of people round-the-clock, the neon-lit |
| Buckingham Palace and St. Paul's Cathedral for | | | | advertising hoardings creates a fantastic buzz in |
| starters. Whilst the London Eye – a giant | | | | the darker hours and is a fantastic place to alight |
| Ferris Wheel by the River Thames – offers | | | | from the London Underground and a good |
| spectacular views across the city. | | | | introduction to what the city is all about. |
| However, this will take only a day or two of your | | | | Not far from here is Leicester Square, a large |
| time. London is a simmering cauldron of culture, | | | | pedestrianised hub of entertainment, with shops, |
| and the West End area is where it's all happening. | | | | restaurants, bars and a plethora of cinemas. |
| Indeed, alongside New York's Broadway, London's | | | | Indeed, here is where you'll find the largest single |
| ‘Theatreland' district in the West End is where | | | | cinema screen in the whole of the UK. |
| many of the world's top stage actors dream of | | | | For shopaholics, then the West End offers up |
| making it. | | | | Covent Garden, full of fantastic little boutiques, |
| It's estimated that around 15 million people visit | | | | markets and all the usual chain retail outlets. |
| the theatres in London's West End each year, | | | | There's also a fair bit of street entertainment |
| with Drury Lane, Shaftsbury Avenue and The | | | | here, which creates a great atmosphere on a |
| Strand all prime locations for the more prestigious | | | | sunny afternoon. |
| theatres. There are as many as forty theatres | | | | For those with limited time in this fantastic city, |
| operating at any given time, staging everything | | | | then the West End is probably where you'll spend |
| from musicals and comedies, to timeless classics | | | | most of your days. And there are countless |
| and contemporary plays. | | | | London hotels in and around the West End which |
| Agatha Christie's ‘The Mouse Trap' is one of | | | | means you're no more than a hop, skip and a |
| the longest running plays in the world and has | | | | jump from where it's all happening. |
| played continuously since 1952 at the | | | | |