Leicester Walking Tour of Iconic Cinemas

Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus have always been home to London’s grandest cinemas - this is where premieres take place, Hollywood stars brush shoulders with royalty and the biggest movies play on the biggest screens.
Hollywood's major studios established many of these cinemas and for decades American-inspired picture palaces owned by the likes of MGM, Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox dominated the West End.

On this tour you’ll be tracing the footsteps of stars like Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Harrison Ford and the Beatles. You’ll also see the locations of films including An American Werewolf in London and Last Night in Soho. You’ll hear stories about the high-kicking dancers who entertained audiences in the silent era, how cinemas coped during World War II and about the varied cinematic firsts that have taken place in these iconic buildings.

Meeting Point

TKTS

TKTS, Leicester Square, London WC2H 7DE, UK

We meet next to the TKTS ticket booth in Leicester Square opposite the Odeon Luxe West End and Londoner hotel (across from All Bar One). Please note this is the smaller Odeon in Leicester Square and not the huge Odeon Luxe ('Home of Premieres').

What's included:

• In addition to the tour everyone gets a free treat!

What to expect:

Duration: 2 hours

Odeon Cinema West End

40 Leicester Square, West End, London, WC2H 7LL

We start outside one of the West End's newest cinemas

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Cineworld Leicester Square

5-6 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7NA, UK

Admire the 'Empire' - a landmark since the 1880s

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

ODEON Luxe Leicester Square

22-24 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7LQ, UK

The flagship of the Odeon chain, built in the 1930s

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Vue West End

3 Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7AL

The former Warner Brothers cinema in Leicester Square is another 1930s classic

8 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Prince Charles Cinema

7 Leicester Place, , London, WC2H 7BY

You'll hear about one of London's best-loved cinemas

7 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grosvenor Casino The Rialto London

3-4 Coventry Street, , London, W1D 6BL

The 'Rialto' was once a cinema that stood above the legendary Café de Paris

10 minutes

ODEON Luxe Haymarket

11/18 Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DP

As you walk towards Piccadilly Circus you'll hear about the historic cinemas of the area from the silent era through World War II and into the 1960s.

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Vue Cinema London - Piccadilly

19 Lower, Regent St., St. James's, London SW1Y 4LR, UK

Having seen some 'lost' cinemas on the way you'll stop at what was once the enormous Plaza cinema, once home to Paramount Pictures.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Piccadilly Circus

London, W1V 9LB

You'll learn about a variety of old cinemas in Piccadilly Circus including old news theatres and the cinema where the Beatles caused a riot.

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Picturehouse Central

15 Great Windmill Street, Shaftesbury Ave, London, W1D 7DH

We finish the tour at Picturehouse Central, where there's an excellent café for refreshments after the walk.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included