Date spot in Soho and Covent Garden
Prince Charles Cinema
Catch a cult classic, a late-night film marathon or a sing-along screening at the independent cinema just off Leicester Square.
Leicester Place, off Leicester Square
Address: 7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BY- Activity
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
Why it's a good date: The crowd joins in, which makes even a film you've both seen feel new. Look at the programme together and pick something neither of you would choose alone.
Photo: LavaLampBamboo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
More from our Soho and Covent Garden guide
Neal's Yard and Seven Dials
Monmouth Street and Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials
Address: Neal's Yard, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP- Activity
- Free
- Outdoors
Wander the seven little streets that meet at the Seven Dials sundial pillar, then duck into Neal's Yard, a tiny courtyard of brightly painted shopfronts, window boxes and cafés.
Why it's a good date: It costs nothing to wander, and there's a café or a cheese shop to stop at whenever you like. Go in the morning or early evening, when the courtyard's at its calmest.
Photo: Anthony Webb, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
Swift
Old Compton Street, Soho
Address: 12 Old Compton Street, London W1D 4TQ- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Big night
- Romantic
Start with an aperitivo at the bright bar upstairs, then head down to the low-lit basement for a cocktail, a whisky or the house Irish coffee.
Why it's a good date: Two bars in one, so you can pick the mood: lively upstairs, intimate downstairs. Upstairs is walk-in, and it's worth booking the basement on a weekend.
See what's on across the floors of London's gallery devoted to photography, a short walk from Oxford Circus, with a café and a bookshop.
Why it's a good date: Photographs are easy to talk about, so it suits a first date. It's small enough to see in an hour, which leaves plenty of evening for a drink in Soho afterwards.
