If you want to see some pictures from Leicester Square - click here!

The area around Leicester Square is rich in cinemas, theatres, restaurants, nightclubs and just about anything else you'd want of an evening. The tube station itself (serving the Picadilly and Northern lines) is just off the North East corner of the square and is often horrendously packed with all the nightclubbers et al.

The square contains four main cinemas: the Empire, the Odeon West End, the Odeon Leicester Square and the Warner. These are the most expensive cinemas in London (or near enough to), but they are very nice. Outside of the square is a large number of other cinemas: you can find just about any movie currently showing within a 10 minute walk.

The Square is in the heart of the West End, within easy walking distance of Covent Garden, Picadilly Circus and Oxford Street. Close by to the square, however, are some interesting places.

Charing Cross Road

This road contains an amazing selection of bookshops, from the cheap second-handers to bizarre antiquarian books. Of most note are probably Foyles, apparently the largest bookshop in England (?) and Books, Etc opposite, which is a much nicer shop than Foyles (IMHO) and has a very nice coffee shop inside.

Soho

Renowned for its "adult" entertainment shops and other places of ill-repute, Soho is a very popular tourist attraction. However a few years ago the residents and tenants of the Soho area attempted to clean the place up: the area still has many of the features of a seedy downtown area, but it also has some of the best restaurants and coffee shops around.

Restaurants of note:

The Big Easy
A recent addition to Soho, this restaurant is New Orleans/Southern cooking, and it's good stuff if you ask me (and if you didn't, I'll still tell you). The best ribs that I know of around London!