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The West End district is considered to be the real centre of Tourist London and encompasses an area approximately one-mile square centred on Piccadilly and Theatreland. The City of London is to the east and Hyde Park is to the west. The tourist to this area should allow a substantial amount of time to explore as it includes many famous shops, restaurants, department stores and landmarks. The area within easy travelling distance of the West End includes Bayswater, Islington, Euston, Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Kensington. All these are less than a 10-minute trip by underground. OXFORD STREET
This is one of the most famous and busiest shopping districts in London and is a one-mile long thoroughfare of shops and department stores. Only buses and taxis are allowed on this street, but still the traffic is bumper to bumper. At the western end of the street is Marble Arch and at the east-end is Tottenham Court Road. The half way point is Oxford Circus which is at the intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, this is the main access point for visitors to the area and the underground station here is very busy at all times of the day. Travelling west from Oxford Circus towards Marble Arch you can find some of the best known department stores. Selfridges is an enormous store with an impressive frontage, over the main entrance sits the Queen of Time statue. Opened in 1909, this store was London's response to New York's Macy's.
Travelling in the opposite direction towards Tottenham Court Road tends to reveal more individual, mainstream shops. Visitors should be aware of the unofficial street traders offering so called designer perfumes and jewellery!! Although throughout the UK, many retail outlets observe Sunday closing, a good number of central London retailers actually open on Sundays but on restricted trading hours – usually from 11 am until 5 pm.
There are some interesting areas located just off Oxford Street, which are worth visiting. For local eateries and pubs, try the backstreets just a couple of minutes walk north-east of Oxford Circus.
Places to note:
Hotels: Langham Court, The Fitzrovia, The Berkshire, The Berners
Department Stores: Selfridges, Debenhams, BhS, John Lewis, Burton, and Virgin Megastore
Shops: Harley Davidson, Gap, and Swatch REGENT STREET
This runs from Oxford Circus south to Piccadilly Circus, a distance of around half a mile and offers generally more upmarket shops and stores than Oxford Street. Here you can find Liberty, complete with mock Tudor frontage. Inside it is a maze of small rooms offering very high class and exclusive merchandise including its "forte" of fine fabrics.
Closeby is Hamley's, London's most famous toy store which has several floors bursting with every conceivable child's gadget.
For the Beatles generation visitor, it is essential to digress just east of Regent Street to the famous Carnaby Street once a Mecca for the hippie shopper of the swinging sixties and still offering a potpourri of independent shops including several offering discounted Doc Marten boots.
Places to note:
Liberty, Dickens & Jones, French Connection, Hamley’s Toys, Levi Superstore and Carnaby Street. PICCADILLY CIRCUS
Home of the statue of Eros and also one of the busiest pavements in Europe. This is a highly commercial location offering mainstream commercial outlets such as Macdonald’s, Tower records, Boots the Chemists, and Planet Hollywood. It is also the entrance to Piccadilly Underground, one of the busiest stations on the central London network and offers direct access to Heathrow Airport in under one hour. The statue of Eros is traditionally a meeting place. Running off Piccadilly is Shaftesbury Avenue and Theatreland. LEICESTER SQUARE
Just a 3 or 4 minute walk east from Piccadilly Circus is the famous Leicester Square. On the way you will have passed the Trocadero Centre, home of SegaWorld, Planet Hollywood, the Angus Steakhouse and the Fashion Café. The square is quite large and busy day and night. Many London film premiers are held in the cinemas here. On the north boundary are the Café de Paris and Equinox discotheques both suitable for all age groups. On the southern side is the renowned half price ticket booth that offers discounted “on the day” theatre seats. The eastern side features the Capital Café – currently the in place for teenagers to eat. The sidestreets on this aspect of Leicester Square offer many mainstream restaurants at quite reasonable prices. SOHO / THEATRELAND
Walking back along towards Piccadilly Circus but turning north up by the side of Planet Hollywood will bring you to Shaftesbury Avenue and the start of Theatreland, Soho and China Town. This part of London is bordered by Oxford Street on the north and Shaftesbury Avenue on the south. Soho used to have a poor reputation – as London’s infamous haunt for criminals and prostitutes, however the authorities have forced the operators to clean up their act and now although still “seedy” it is acceptable for the tourist to visit it. Many small but notable restaurants can be found here, as well as sex shops, gay bars and the famous Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club.
Hotels: The Shaftesbury
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