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The West End

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Looking down Argyll Street to Liberty Department Store, West End.

Geoff Stringer

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Overview

Encompassing many of London’s poshest neighbourhoods as well as superlative restaurants, hotels and shops, the West End should be your first port of call. Iconic locations (Trafalgar Sq, Piccadilly Circus), buildings and museums (Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, British Museum), nightlife (Soho), shopping (Oxford St, Covent Garden, New and Old Bond Sts), parks (St James’s Park) and theatres – they are all in the West End.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Westminster Abbey.

    Westminster Abbey

    The West End

    A splendid mixture of architectural styles, Westminster Abbey is considered the finest example of Early English Gothic. It's not merely a beautiful place…

  • Buckingham Palace in London, United Kingdom.

    Buckingham Palace

    The West End

    Built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham, Buckingham Palace replaced St James's Palace as the monarch's official London residence in 1837. Queen Elizabeth…

  • Evening Big Ben

    Houses of Parliament

    The West End

    Both the elected House of Commons and the House of Lords, who are appointed or hereditary, sit in the sumptuous Houses of Parliament, officially called…

  • Great Court, British Museum, Bloomsbury, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

    British Museum

    The West End

    With almost six million visitors trooping through its doors annually, the British Museum in Bloomsbury, one of the oldest and finest museums in the world,…

  • LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 22, 2016: Jamaican runner Usaine Bolt, Madame Tussauds wax museum. It is a major tourist attraction in London; Shutterstock ID 460048255; Your name (First / Last): Claire Naylor; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online-Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: London with kids article

    Madame Tussauds

    The West End

    Packed with waxwork likenesses of celebrities, Madame Tussauds is kitschy and pricey, but makes for a fun-filled day. There are plenty of personalities to…

  • The Temple Church, a late-12th-century church in London, England

    Temple Church

    The West End

    The magnificent Temple Church was built by the secretive Knights Templar, an order of crusading monks founded in the 12th century to protect pilgrims…

  • UNITED KINGDOM - CIRCA 2002: The toilette, by William Hogarth (1697-1764), from the series A rake's progress. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); London, Sir John Soane'S Museum. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

    Sir John Soane's Museum

    The West End

    This museum is one of the most atmospheric and fascinating in London. The Georgian building was the beautiful, bewitching home of architect Sir John Soane…

  • Trafalgar Square

    Trafalgar Square

    The West End

    Opened to the public in 1844, Trafalgar Sq is the true centre of London, where rallies and marches take place, tens of thousands of revellers usher in the…

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