London Travel Guide

London Culture

London's cultural scene combines the assurance of long-standing tradition with the verve of regained creativity. The sheer breadth of cultural activities on offer in the capital is breathtaking, with over 150 theaters and 300 art galleries.

The hulking concrete mass of the South Bank Center, South Bank, SE1 (tel: 0871 663 2500; www.sbc.org.uk), is one of the city's cultural meccas. It houses the Hayward Gallery (www.hayward.org.uk) and three concert halls. Next door is the flagship Royal National Theater, South Bank, SE1 (tel: (020) 7452 3400 (information) or 3000 (box office); www.nationaltheater.org.uk). Flying the cultural flag north of the river, the labyrinthine Barbican Center, Silk Street, EC2 (tel: (020) 7638 4141; www.barbican.org.uk), is an all-inclusive performing and visual arts venue with a varied all-year program of events.

The weekly Time Out magazine (www.timeout.com) provides details of the week's entertainment. So does the website of Visit London, www.visitlondon.com. Ticket agencies include Ticket Switch (www.ticketswitch.com) and Ticketmaster UK (tel: 0844 847 2455; www.ticketmaster.co.uk).

Music: The world-famous Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, WC2 (tel: (020) 7304 4000; www.royalopera.org), is home to the excellent Royal Opera. However, despite some attempts to cut the price, ballet and opera tickets are still often fairly expensive. More accessible are performances by the English National Opera (tel: (020) 7632 8300; www.eno.org) at the London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, WC2.

Large-scale concerts are staged at the Royal Festival Hall (see above), home of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (tel: (020) 7840 4200 or 4242 (box office); www.lpo.co.uk), or the Barbican (see above), home of the London Symphony Orchestra (tel: (020) 7588 1116 or 7638 8891 (box office); www.lso.co.uk). The Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 (tel: (020) 7589 8212 (box office); www.royalalberthall.com), can also stage huge concerts, including London's annual musical highlight, the summer series of the Proms (see Special Events).

Music connoisseurs should head for the traditional but friendly surroundings of the Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, W1 (tel: (020) 7935 2141; www.wigmore-hall.org.uk), to hear impeccable chamber music and solo recitals. More informal concerts take place in halls and churches all over the capital, including St Martin-in-the-Fields (off Trafalgar Square - see Key Attractions), St John's, Smith Square, SW1, and St James's, Piccadilly, W1.

Theater: Within the extraordinary diversity of London's theater scene (there are over 100 theaters in the capital, including 50 in the West End), the Royal National Theater (see above) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (tel: (01789) 403 404; www.rsc.org.uk) compete for audiences with commercial West End theaters, repertory companies, 'off-West End' productions and fringe theaters. The National Theater's three auditoria allow productions of different scale, from classics to new writing. The Royal Shakespeare Company, performing primarily Shakespeare and based out of Stratford-upon-Avon, performs in a range of venues including the Barbican.

The Old Vic, The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 (tel: 0870 060 6628; www.oldvictheater.com), offers inspired traditional drama. Meanwhile, down the road, at 66 The Cut, the Young Vic (tel: (020) 7922 2922; www.youngvic.org) presents modern productions of contemporary and classic plays. The Royal Court Theater, Sloane Square, SW1 (tel: (020) 7565 5000; www.royalcourttheater.com), continues to foster excellent new writing.

Quality innovative productions can also be expected from 'off-West End' theaters, such as the Donmar Warehouse, Earlham Street, WC2 (tel: 0870 060 6624; www.donmarwarehouse.com) and the Almeida, Almeida Street, N1 (tel: (020) 7359 4404; www.almeida.co.uk). Fringe theater, ranging from the inspired to the insane, is performed in dozens of local venues, including the King's Head, 115 Upper Street, N1 (tel: 0844 412 2953; www.kingsheadtheater.org), which is the oldest pub-theater in London, and the Finborough Theater, 118 Finborough Road, SW10 (tel: 0844 847 1652; www.finboroughtheater.co.uk).

From May to September, the Globe Theater, New Globe Walk, SE1 (tel: (020) 7902 1400; www.shakespeares-globe.org), stages open-air productions of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. There are also outdoor summer performances at the Open Air Theater in Regents Park, NW1 (tel: 0844 826 4242; www.openairtheater.org).

You can buy West End theater tickets in advance from the theater box office. Alternatively, for tickets on the day of the performance, there is a booth on the south side of Leicester Square, called tkts (www.officiallondontheater.co.uk). It is open Monday to Saturday 1000-1900 and Sunday 1200-1500. This is the official Society of London Theater's booth; visitors should avoid touts and other outlets in the area. The booth sells mainly half-price tickets, although some tickets at 25% discount and some full-price tickets. Because of the booking fee, when only full-price tickets are available for that night's performance, visitors are advised to go to the actual theater box office. There is another tkts outlet in Canary Wharf DLR Station.

Dance: Touring dance companies perform mostly contemporary dance at the Sadler's Wells Theater, Rosebery Avenue, EC1 (tel: (020) 7863 8198 or 0844 412 4300 for tickets; www.sadlers-wells.com). Ticket prices are usually more reasonable than at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, WC2 (tel: (020) 7304 4000), which is home to the Royal Ballet (http://info.royaloperahouse.org/ballet). The Roundhouse on Chalk Farm Road, Camden (tel: 0844 482 8008; www.roundhouse.org.uk), has reopened after a £30 million refurbishment and will be showcasing new talent in various cutting edge productions, many of which will be dance.

Film: Local cinemas are less expensive than those in the West End, where tickets can cost over £10. Two main cinema chains are Odeon (tel: 0871 224 4007; www.odeon.co.uk) and Vue (formerly Warner) (tel: 0871 224 0240; www.myvue.com), with venues all over London, their biggest in Leicester Square, WC2. Barbican Screen, Silk Street, EC2 (tel: (020) 7638 8891; www.barbican.org.uk/film), is London's leading independent cinema showing independent, art house and blockbuster movies, along with the National Film Theater, on the South Bank, SE1 (tel: (020) 7633 0274; www.bfi.org.uk/nft). For more art house films try the Curzon, which has several branches including at Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (tel: 0871 7033 988; www.curzoncinemas.com) or the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts), Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y (tel: (020) 7930 3667; www.ica.org.uk). You can experience IMAX magic at the largest cinema screen in the UK, the BFI London IMAX Cinema, South Bank, SE1 (tel: 0870 787 2525; www.bfi.org.uk/imax). For cheaper seats, try the Prince Charles off Leicester Square on Leicester Place (tel: (020) 7494 3654; www.princecharlescinema.com); it shows mainstream movies later than the bigger cinemas, but you can catch a film for under £5.

The Ealing Studios in west London presented English eccentricity and black humor in a distinctive London setting in the 'Ealing Comedies', such as Passport to Pimlico (1949) and The Ladykillers (1955). Before the war, Alfred Hitchcock established his reputation at Elstree Film Studios, with London-based thrillers such as The 39 Steps (1935), featuring Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) hanging precariously from the clock face of Big Ben. More recently, Sliding Doors (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Notting Hill (1998) have achieved huge success by combining a London setting with the box-office draw of Hollywood stars. The compelling gangster face of East End London has also been portrayed in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). London has also been portrayed in Blow Up (1966), Mona Lisa (1986) and Wonderland (1999). Recent movies shot in the capital include Bridget Jones' Diary (2001), Dirty Pretty Things (2002), About a Boy (2002), 28 Days Later (2002) and its sequel 28 Weeks Later (2007), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Love Actually (2003), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Closer (2004), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), Match Point (2005), Breaking and Entering (2006) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).

London Tours

Visit London (see Tourist Information in Sightseeing) can provide full details on all tour providers in London.

Walking Tours
A variety of guided walks are available from several operators, although the most comprehensive tours are offered by The Original London Walks (tel: (020) 7624 3978; www.walks.com). The company also offers themed tours on a huge variety of subjects, including Jack the Ripper and The Beatles. Tours start and finish near a Tube station; there is no need to book and walkers can just turn up at the appropriate station, all of which are listed on the website's timetable. London Mystery Walks (tel: (020) 8526 7755; www.tourguides.org.uk) also offers 'Jack the Ripper' tours, as well as ‘Haunted London'. Both take approximately two hours and depart from Aldgate station and St Paul's station respectively.

For the more style-conscious traveler, Urban Gentry Tours (tel: (020) 8149 6253; www.urbangentry.com) offers customized private tours that take in the best of London's fashion, design and art. Each tour is tailor-made and gives a fast-track insight into the city.

Alternatively, for self-guided walks, the Silver Jubilee Walkway (www.jubileewalkway.com) covers the Thames' South Bank and much of the City and the West End, covering 23km (14 miles) in total.

Bus Tours
Two competing companies offer similar open-top bus tours of London's sights. Tickets are valid for 24 hours and passengers can hop on and off at various attractions en route. The Big Bus Company (tel: (020) 7233 9533; www.bigbus.co.uk) offers three different 90-minute sightseeing routes. Original London Sightseeing Tours (tel: (020) 8877 1722; www.theoriginaltour.com) also offers various sightseeing bus tours, including a popular ‘Da Vinci Code' route. Golden Tours (tel: 0844 880 6981; www.goldentours.co.uk) organizes coach tours of the city and day trips outside of London.

Boat Tours
Westminster Pier is the main embarkation point for river trips. From here, there are services east (downstream) or west (upstream). City Cruises (tel: (020) 7740 0400; www.citycruises.com) operates sightseeing cruises to Tower Pier (journey time - 30 minutes each way), and Greenwich Pier (journey time - 1 hour each way). City Cruises also offer a Red Rover day pass for its tours, enabling visitors to hop on and off at four different stops.

Going west, summer services by WPSA (tel: (020) 7930 2062; www.wpsa.co.uk) depart from Westminster Pier upriver to Kew Gardens, Richmond and Hampton Court. You need to buy tickets before boarding and the journey time is 90 minutes to Kew, and three hours to Hampton Court.

Bateaux London (tel: (020) 7695 1800; www.bateauxlondon.com) offers restaurant and cocktail cruises at lunchtimes and evenings. Glass boats with great views of the riverbank leave from Embankment pier. For a less sedate Thames cruise, try London Rib Voyages (tel: (020) 928 8923; www.londonribvoyages.com) who offer one-hour trips in small, fast, 12-man ribs setting off from Waterloo Pier. The tours cover all the main riverside sights and include a commentary by a knowledgeable and entertaining guide.

Cycling Tours
The London Bicycle Tour Company (tel: (020) 7928 6838; www.londonbicycle.com) offers both relaxed tours along the city's rivers, canals and Royal Parks. The tours are suitable for all levels of cycling ability.

Other Tours
London Duck Tours (tel: (020) 7928 3132; www.londonducktours.co.uk) runs unconventional tours on an amphibious craft, which depart from Chichley Street (behind the London Eye) and rumble through London's streets, taking in Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, before plunging into the River Thames for a 30-minute cruise.

London taxi drivers' unsurpassed understanding of the city has been tapped by Black Taxi Tours (tel: (020) 7935 9363; www.blacktaxitours.co.uk), London sightseeing tours in a black cab.