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Hi, I'm David Hill with New York Habitat.
Welcome to our video tour of London's
thriving and fashionable West End.
Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Covent Garden, and Soho:
this is the thriving and lively centre of London's West End
- an area synonymous with entertainment,
theatre, and shopping.
The West End refers to the area of central London
to the West of the original 'City of London'.
With no official boundaries the West End stretches
from Charing Cross in the East
to Hyde Park Corner in the West
and from the banks of the river Thames
as far as Euston Road.
This is the renowned Covent Garden.
The 'Convent Garden' was once the fruit
and vegetable gardens to Westminster Abbey.
In the mid 1600s following the Great Fire of London
it became the most important fruit, vegetable,
and flower market in the country
until the market was officially moved in 1974.
Covent Garden is now a popular shopping area
and home to London's Royal Opera House.
The Royal Opera House has been on this site
since the mid 1700s.
Handel's Messiah was performed here in 1743.
Destroyed by fire the building we see
is the 3rd Royal Opera House which was built in 1858.
With a licence for street entertainment,
Covent Garden is a wonderful location to relax.
There are restaurants galore in the main square
and in the nearby streets!
Why not try Rules,
London's oldest restaurant
specialising in traditional British food and game.
Or make a visit to London's oldest pub,
the Lamb and Flag,
once the haunt of bare knuckle fighters!
You'll also want to check out Leicester Square
- the centre of London's cinema land!
This pedestrianized square revolves around entertainment
with the statue of Shakespeare in the centre,
the street artists in the park and the cinemas surrounding it.
Get your theatre tickets from TKTS
and secure a bargain for a West End production!
Our next stop: SOHO, the entertainment centre of London.
A vibrant and bohemian hub in the heart of the West End,
Soho has something for everyone.
Full of restaurants of every origin, pubs, bars, and shops
this is must-see when visiting London.
Soho has become the centre of London's gay scene.
Oxford Street is the northern boundary of Soho.
At 1.5 miles long and with around 300 shops
this is considered to be Europe's busiest shopping street.
If you'd like live like a local and experience the nightlife
and hustle and bustle of London's West End
then you should consider booking a vacation rental
or furnished apartment from New York Habitat.
There's no better way to experience this city
than to live in a real London apartment.
Piccadilly Circus has become a tourist attraction
with its neon lights, its central location, and its variety of shops.
Along Piccadilly you can take tea at the Richoux,
enjoy the shopping arcades such as Burlington Arcade,
or cut across to Savile Row, famous for bespoke tailoring.
If you don't have time to wait for the tailor
then take a walk along Jermyn Street
to appreciate Ladies and Gentlemen's clothing outfitters.
Of course, the West End
is not all about shopping and entertainment.
It is also known for the arts and education.
Not far from Oxford Street, you'll come to the British Museum,
considered to be one of the greatest and the oldest
public museums in the world.
Trafalgar Square is hard to miss if you're coming to London.
A great meeting place and unofficial venue
for New Years Eve celebrations,
Trafalgar Square is just a short walk from Leicester Square.
In the heart of London, this large pedestrianized terrace
is home to Nelson's column, the National Gallery,
and is opposite Admiralty Arch which links Trafalgar Square
via The Mall to Buckingham Palace.
We finish our tour of the West End at Seven Dials.
Once a slum renowned for gin shops and prostitution,
Seven Dials today epitomises the West End
of the 21st century with its combination of theatre,
entertainment, and shopping!
Well, that is it for our video tour of the West End,
here in London.
If we've missed any of your favourite hotspots,
make sure you share them with us
in the comments below.
And if you're coming to London,
be sure to visit our website at nyhabitat.com
and book a vacation rental or furnished apartment
with New York Habitat.
You'll find furnished apartments
all over this great city of London.
I'm David Hill with New York Habitat.
Thanks for watching our video tour of the West End
and we hope to see you soon in the London!