London is regarded as the best city for musical theater in the world.

London's main musical and theater district is located in the heart of the West End. Prominent theater streets include Drury Lane, Shaftsbury Avenue and the Strand. West End musicals tend to run for a long time. The longest running musical in West End is Les Misérable. It overtook Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, which closed in 2002 after running 8,949 performances and 21 years. Other long runners include The Phantom of the Opera and Blood Brothers. However the longest running non-musical show in the world is Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap, it has been showing since 1952.

Most of the West End theaters are of late Victorian or Edwardian construction. Most of them have great character, but leg room is often cramped, and audience facilities such as bars and toilets are often much smaller than in modern theaters.

If you want to see a musical while in London the best is to book tickets in advance, especially if you want to go at the end of the week or if you want to go to one of the more popular musicals. It is easy to book online many website offer this service. You can also get your hotel to arrange the booking for you, or you can go and buy the ticket at the theater.

After the show many people go to nearby restaurants to eat. It can get very busy at these restaurants, so again it is a good idea to make a reservation in advance especially if you have a specific restaurant in mind.