London area of WC2 guide

What to do and where to stay in London's WC2 neighbourhood

The west central postcode of WC2 takes in part of the West End as well as the legal district around Holborn and the Strand. The centre point of the area is arguably Covent Garden, with its excellent shopping, famous cobbled piazza and the numerous nearby theatres. Attracting some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, the hallowed stages of London's Theatreland rival those of New York's Broadway in the popularity stakes and attract millions of visitors each year. If it's movies you're after, Leicester Square and its environs boast many of London's most famous cinemas which fling out their red carpets for special film premieres throughout the year. The southern border of WC2 runs along the Embankment and includes Charing Cross Station and the magnificent Somerset House, which boasts the Courtauld Gallery collection as well as an open square which hosts ice skating in the winter and open-air concerts in the summer. To the east, WC2 includes the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand and the pretty Lincoln's Inn Fields, home of the marvellous Sir John Soane's Museum and a few tennis courts, which attract students from the neighbouring London School of Economics in the summer months. In recent years, estate agents have tried to rebrand the WC1 and WC2 areas of London as "Midtown" but it has yet to really catch on.

See our recommended nearby WC2 Hotels, Entertainment, Sights and Attractions, Shopping, Restaurants, Pubs, Nightlife, Leisure, Education, and Meeting Venues.