London is the culture capitol of the UK, and certainly one of the densest concentrations of theatres, museums, and cultural attractions in the world.

Theater

Theatres of international renown and brand new experimental theatres can be found throughout London. In the centre of Leicester Square there is an official half-price TKTS booth. A theatre guide is available from

• http://www.londontheatre.co.uk or
• http://www.london-theatreland.co.uk.

The West End: Concentrated around Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Shaftesbury Avenue and Haymarket, this is one of the world's premier destinations for theatre.
The South Bank: Also well-known for world class theatre, the National Theatre and the Globe Theatre are both here. The Globe is a replication of the theatre William Shakespeare was associated with. Built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, it was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. The current was opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre. Performances are held in a traditional setting with the pit open for groundlings and the cheapest tickets.
London's theatre scene outside of these two main districts is known as "the Fringe".

Theatres:
• Arcola Theatre
• Barons Court Theatre
• Charing Cross Theatre
• Finborough Theatre
• Palace Theatre
• Playhouse Theatre
• Queens Theatre
• Trafalgar Studios
• Victoria Palace Theatre

You can book theatre tickets on numerous websites (check theatre tickets london on Google) but you will get them often cheaper by booking directly with the theatre itself.

Opera

From the dramatic to the comedic, London provides several options for opera goers. The Official London Theatre guide offers a section on opera.

Principal Opera houses:
English National Opera - Located at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane, performances are sung in English.
Royal Opera House - Located in Covent Garden, this is also the site of the Royal Ballet. Originally, the company performed all works in English, but since the late 1950s most operas have been given in the original language.

Orchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. They are based in the Royal Festival Hall and the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

Museums

England guards and reveres its historical monuments and artifacts in grand museums. Combating the city's reputation as one of the most expensive cities in the world, many of the national museums have been free since the Queen's jubilee. Donations are welcome and major exhibits may be charged.

The National Gallery
Address: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
Telephone: 020 7747 2885 Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:00 - 18:00; Friday and Saturday 10:00 - 22:00; Sunday 10:00 - 19:00
Admission: Free
Houses the national collection of Western European painting including Leonardo da Vinci to Vincent van Gogh.

National Portrait Gallery
Address: St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE
Hours: Open daily 10:00-18:00;Open until 21:00 Thursday and Friday
Admission: Free
Houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856.

Victoria and Albert Museum
Tube: 5 minute walk from South Kensington underground station (on the Piccadilly, Circle and District Line). South Kensington is a five minute tube journey from Victoria, ten minutes from Covent Garden and Leicester Square and 15 minutes from King's Cross St Pancras.
Hours: 10.00 to 17.45 daily; 10.00 to 22.00 Fridays
Admission: Free
Often abbreviated as the V&A, this is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design. The permanent collection holds over 4.5 million objects.

Natural History Museum
Address: Cromwell Road London, United Kingdom SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7942 5000
Admission: Free
One of three large museums on Exhibition Road, the museum is home to life and earth science specimens. There are over 70 million items within five main collections: Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Paleontology and Zoology.

Tate Britain
Address: Millbank London SW1P 4RG
Telephone: 020 7887 8888
Hours: 10.00–18.00, Saturday–Thursday;10.00–22.00, every Friday
Admission: Free
Forms part of the Tate group (together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives and Tate Online). It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.

Tate Modern
Address: Bankside London SE1 9TG
Telephone: 020 7887 8888
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 10.00–18.00; Friday and Saturday, 10.00–22.00
Admission: Free
Britain's national gallery of international modern art is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year.

British Museum
Address: Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
Hours: Open daily 10.00–17.30; Friday until 20.30
Admission: Free
Founded in 1753 by an Act of Parliament, the British Museum is one of the great museums of the world, showing the works of man from prehistoric to modern times with collections drawn from the whole world.

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