Naturally, when people think of a visit to the West End of London, the first thing that comes to mind is the theatre. Second only to Broadway in New York City, the West End hosts many of the biggest names of stage and screen to bring the most famous and beloved theatre productions to life. It’s a lavish and glamorous experience that people from around the world flock to London to enjoy.

However, while a performance may take up a large part of the day, there are plenty of other amazing areas to explore in the West End. They won’t be as glitzy as the West End on a Saturday night, but certainly offer a memorable day out in London – especially if you manage to tick all of our picks off in one day. So, if you’re in the area, and maybe have a day either side of the show you’ve come to see, get these activities on your to-do list.

Explore Cuisines from Around the World in One Court

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Covered in the winter, open-air in the summer, one of London’s best culinary hidden gems can be found in the West End. If you head to Kingly Court, Off Carnaby Street, you’ll enter an arena of more than 20 different concept restaurants, bars, cafés, and other food vendors from around the world. Just as colourful as the array of dishes on offer is the design of Kingly Court, which is bursting with its blue-and-white aesthetics.

There’s a lot to explore here – far more than you could enjoy across just one day of eating. However, you can still hop across the continents if you either return for each meal or opt for the small dishes on offer at a few different eateries. For example, you could go from the Peruvian Señor Ceviche to The Life Goddess for some Greek infusion. Next, it’d be on to the Tel-Aviv-inspired The Good Egg, and then over to Shoryu Carnaby for some Japanese tonkotsu.

An Evening of Classy, Classic Entertainment

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Standing on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the historic London Hippodrome opened in 1900, the Hippodrome Casino is a staple of nightlife and entertainment in the area. It leans into the classy, classic casino gaming experience, becoming so famous that it now hosts their best games for online audiences. Now, the blackjack played in the venue can be played as live online blackjack. The Live Hippodrome Blackjack and the live streams of its other table games let would-be visitors get a taste of the in-house experience before coming in.

A Distinctly Victorian Shopping District You Need to Explore

The sprawling city of London has little alleyways in just about every part, and many of them have become distinct in their themes and offerings. In the West End, the prime example of this is Cecil Court. Nestled between Covent Garden and Leicester Square, the Victorian fronts of each building house a superb collection of art, curiosities, antiquities, and, especially, old bookshops. It’s a storied part of the West End and keeps its Victorian roots alive and well.

So, if you have an extra day to explore the West End or just want to visit this part of London without going to the theatre, consider these three things to be great picks for your time.