London Pubs, Clubs, Bars, Restaurants, Nightlife, and Events

Includes: Holborn.

Formerly the capital of beatnik counterculture, Soho has evolved into a multicultural tourist hotspot that offers visitors everything from swanky restaurants and cozy cafés to great live music and gritty sex shops.

During the day, the main thoroughfare of Old Compton Street doesn’t hide from the fact that it’s the center of London’s gay community, with tons of restaurants, bars, and live theaters pulsing with patrons ready to spend

Includes: Kings Cross and Farringdon.

Named in honor of the Earl of Camden and home to such notables as Charles Dickens, George Orwell, and Dylan Thomas – and more recently Orlando Bloom – Camden Town is known for its outdoor markets, alternative sensibilities, and a large student population that rarely goes to bed early.

A favorite gathering spot for left-of-center partiers and live performers of all types, Camden is also “home” to many of the city’s

Includes: Earl's Court, Hammersmith, and Shepherd's Bush.

In the 60s and 70s, Chelsea was a global capital of bohemian art and culture, home to a thriving punk scene and preeminent bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, while Kensington was an affluent district lined with expensive retailers. However, the intervening years saw Chelsea’s rock roots obscured by rows of expensive flats and high-end shops, leaving modern-day Chelsea much like

Central London is a bit of an anachronism, as its boundaries are ill-defined and often blend with Covent Garden to the east and Mayfair to the west. At its core, however, Central London contains some of the city’s most popular tourist districts, as well as a large number of commercial and industrial firms. That means the area is continually swarming with a cross-section of city workers and international tourists either dashing to their offices or

Includes: Barbican.

Historically a magnet for impoverished immigrants, Shoreditch/Brick Lane has become synonymous with the hipster class in recent years, given its assortment of edgy bars, trendy cafés, and “do-it-yourself” late-night spots. In fact, the area’s prevalence of art and design students and new media professionals led to the creation of the outwardly disparaging term “Shoreditch twat” to describe what some see as an over-abundance of

Includes: Elephant & Castle.

Anchored by the famous London Eye Ferris wheel and offering some of the most spectacular views of the Thames and London Bridge, South Bank has a well-deserved reputation as a magnet for tourists.

As a result, there are a plethora of chain bars catering to out-of-towners and featuring reheated fish and chips and overpriced British ales, especially along Gabriel’s Wharf, a collection of shops and stores right on the Thames