| The West End of London best known for its nightlife, theatres and restaurants, is perceived by many to be the very heart of the capital and is consequently a very popular London hotel destination. In general terms, it is the area north of the River Thames which borders Hyde Park in the west and the City in the east and centres on Oxford Circus. The main West End districts of interest to visitors are Bloomsbury, Covent Garden, Soho, Westminster and Mayfair. The main attractions are the area of Oxford Street and Regent Street associated with shopping and the area of Soho / Covent Garden / Leicester Square associated with theatres and restaurants. Mayfair is in the west of the area bordering Hyde Park and is best know for its famous "5 star hotel road" named Park Lane. This busy one mile stretch of road runs from Marble Arch hotels to Hyde Park Corner and features The Dorchester, Grosvenor House and car dealerships such as McLaren and Porsche. Immediately to the east of Park Lane is one of London's most upmarket residential areas and here you can find Grosvenor Square, Claridges Hotel and some of Europes most exclusive hairdressers.
To the east of Mayfair is the area of Oxford Circus and Regent Street. Oxford Street is a very long shopping area being more upmarket on its western end. The part nearest Tottenham Court Road in the east consists of mainly budget shops and fast food outlets. From Oxford Circus to its end at Marble Arch you can find many of London's better department stores, notably Selfridges. Running off Oxford Circus north to Piccadilly is Regents Street. This area is probably best known for Carnaby Street, a 1960's mecca for trendy dressers of that era and still a street of clothes shops although mainly middle / down market and mainly one for the tourists business. South of Oxford Street is Piccadilly / Leicester Square, a veritable tourist trap with attractions such as Planet Hollywood and the Trocadero. This is reputedly Europe's busiest pavement and as such is best "visited" rather than staying there as it is noisy 24 hours a day. Piccadilly Circus was constructed over 100 years ago to connect Theatreland and Regents Street and is the location of "Eros" and the Criterion Theatre. A very short walk from Piccadilly Circus along Shaftesbury Avenue brings you to Soho and Chinatown. Soho has for many years been the center of the British Sex Industry, today its more a tourist area famous for a few licenced sex shops, its gay community and its many media companies. Neighbouring Chinatown is centered around Gerrard Street close to Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square.
East of Soho and just across the Charing Cross Road is Covent Garden London where tourists and culture combine effortlessly to offer everything from unique handicraft stalls, street performers and of course the many famous restaurants surrounding the Royal Opera House. Followers of fashion should visit Long Acre with its many small fashion outlets and Niel Street for its shoe shops. Hotels in Covent Garden tend to be mid to upmarket and mainly based around the Aldwych, a crescent connecting the Strand and Fleet Street, the most notable hotel being the Waldorf Hotel.
North of Covent Garden is the area of Holborn and Bloomsbury where you can find the British Museum and Russell Square with its many mid market hotels. This part of central London is a great place to stay if you need access to the Financial District known as the City as well as the more tourist orientated West End.
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Oxford Circus
