Marylebone

The West End is instantly recognisable, to both hardened Londoners and tourists alike, as the physical and cultural heart of the city. From the world-class productions shown nightly at its myriad theatres, to the enduring appeal of Covent Garden, host to the trilling sopranos of the Royal Opera House. Be seduced by Soho's heady 24-hour atmosphere, with aromatic Chinatown and thronging light-filled squares and circuses. It can be easy to forget that the area is within minutes of the National Gallery and British Museum as well as Westminster, London’s seat of parliament, and home to Big Ben and the Abbey. Stepping away from the crowds one reaches first Mayfair, epitomising haughty hedge-funded luxury and, further north, calming Marylebone Village, whose provincial feel makes it a popular base from which to approach the hustle of the borough. Still, the area has not escaped its own exponents of tourist culture and is home to Madame Tussauds, Oxford Street and the Regent's Park London Zoo.