Close to the London Centre

There are many things to see and do that are within a five-minute walk of the London Centre. Here are just a few.

St. Martin's in the Fields, in Trafalgar Square, is a famous church that has been drawing visitors for over 700 years. Rebuilt in the early eighteenth century in the English Baroque style, the church is now well known for its Café in the Crypt and for its lunchtime concerts on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays at 1.05pm. Evening candlelight classical concerts begin at 7pm for £6 to £20.

Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, is home to one of London's most famous West End productions, The Phantom of the Opera. The show is performed Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm, with additional matinee shows on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons at 3.00pm. Cheap tickets can be purchased at The Half Price Ticket Booth in Leicester Square, which is the only official discount ticket outlet, or at the theatre box office one hour prior to show time. The show runs approximately 2½ hours.

The Theatre Royal Haymarket has been home to some of the most popular theatre productions in London. Shows are performed Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3.00pm.

The Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square offers a variety of mainstream films throughout the afternoon and evening hours, as well as hosting premieres from time to time. The Prince Charles Cinema, just round the corner, provides a home for film festivals and arthouse, foreign, and second-run films at much more reasonable prices.

The Garrick Theatre, in Charing Cross Road, is home to many of the West End's best-known theatre productions. Shows change regularly but are performed Monday to Saturday evenings at 7.30pm, with Thursday and Saturday matinees at 3.00pm.

The Criterion, located on Piccadilly Circus, is currently home to the Reduced Shakespeare Company, known for its hilarious production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). See this lighthearted synopsis of the Bard's 37 plays in 97 minutes. The show is performed Tuesday to Saturday evenings at 8.00pm, with a Thursday matinee at 3.00pm, a Saturday matinee at 5.00pm, and a Sunday matinee at 4.00pm. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (020) 7413 1437 or visiting the theatre box office.

The National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square, houses one of the world's finest collections of European paintings ranging from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. See the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and many more. Open daily from 10.00am to 6.00pm and Wednesday until 9.00pm. Admission to the main galleries is free.

The National Portrait Gallery, located on the corner of Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Road, contains the nation's leading collection of portraits of the most notable figures of British history. Admission to main galleries is free.