Plan your visit

Three theatre areas

Eight of the ten shows play in Theatreland, the heart of the West End. Around Piccadilly Circus you find Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, Moulin Rouge! at the Piccadilly Theatre, The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty's Theatre on the Haymarket and The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Further east, around Covent Garden and the Strand, play The Lion King at the Lyceum, Mamma Mia! at the Novello, Six at the Vaudeville and Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre in Seven Dials. Hamilton and Wicked both play by Victoria station.

By Tube to the theatre

The closest Tube stations to the theatre district are Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Charing Cross and Tottenham Court Road. Piccadilly Circus is on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines, Leicester Square on the Northern and Piccadilly lines, Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line, Charing Cross on the Northern and Bakerloo lines and Tottenham Court Road on the Central, Northern and Elizabeth lines. Embankment, on the Bakerloo, Northern, District and Circle lines, is close to the Strand. For Hamilton and Wicked, go to Victoria on the Victoria, District and Circle lines; Victoria and Charing Cross are also mainline stations. On Friday and Saturday nights the Night Tube runs on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria and Windrush lines, at off-peak fares.

Doors and bag checks

Expect bag checks at the entrance and allow extra time. For Les Misérables, Hamilton, Mamma Mia! and The Book of Mormon, doors open 45 minutes before the performance; for The Lion King and Wicked, 90 minutes before. Most of the theatres ask you not to bring large bags or suitcases, and the Apollo Victoria has no cloakroom; Six takes large bags in its small cloakroom for a small charge. Several theatres do not let you take in food or drink bought outside. Your voucher arrives by email for nine of the ten shows; you do not need to print it, but bring a valid photo ID. For Six, the theatre sends your e-ticket details 48 hours before the performance.

With children

The producers recommend Mamma Mia! from 5, The Lion King and Matilda from 6, Les Misérables and Wicked from 7, The Phantom of the Opera from 8, Hamilton and Six from 10 and Moulin Rouge! from 12. The Book of Mormon carries a parental advisory for explicit language; its official website gives 14 and over. For several shows, children must sit next to an accompanying adult aged at least 18. Each show page gives the full age guidance.

Official box offices

The theatre groups Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, LW Theatres, ATG and Nimax Theatres run the official box offices; for The Lion King, Disney also sells tickets directly. Each show page names the official box office for its show. Buying there means buying from the theatre or the producer itself.