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Date spot in Soho and Covent Garden

Royal Opera House

See an opera or a ballet by the Royal Ballet and Opera in the red-and-gold auditorium on Bow Street.

The Royal Opera House auditorium from the upper tiers, its red curtain and gold proscenium facing curved rows of lit balconies

Bow Street, Covent Garden

Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD

Why it's a good date: Dressing up for a night at the opera is a proper occasion. Seats high up in the amphitheatre cost far less than the stalls, and you still get the full sweep of the stage.

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Photo: Peter Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)

More from our Soho and Covent Garden guide

  • A carved Chinese gate on Wardour Street, with strings of red lanterns overhead and people walking beneath

    Chinatown

    Gerrard Street, Chinatown

    Gerrard Street, Chinatown, London WC2H 7BE

    Graze your way down Gerrard Street under the red lanterns, from dumplings and roast duck to bubble tea and custard buns from the bakeries.

    Why it's a good date: Lots of small stops means lots of chances to try something new together. Take turns choosing the next place, and go a little before the dinner rush to skip the queues.

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    Photo: Robert Lamb, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)

  • Ronnie Scott's black-painted front on Frith Street in sunshine, with its neon sign above the awnings and posters by the doors

    Ronnie Scott's

    Frith Street, Soho

    47 Frith Street, London W1D 4HT

    Book a table for an evening of live jazz at the Soho club that has been bringing the world's best players to Frith Street since 1959.

    Why it's a good date: The band's a few feet from your small table and the lights are low: it's hard to beat for atmosphere. Book ahead for the main show, or try the late show if you're making a night of it.

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    Photo: Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)

  • Inside Foyles, looking up through the atrium at floors of bookshelves, with hanging lamps and strings of fairy lights

    Foyles

    Charing Cross Road, Soho

    107 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DT

    Browse six floors of books around the bright central atrium of the big bookshop on Charing Cross Road, then stop at the café.

    Why it's a good date: Split up for ten minutes, each choose a book for the other, then swap over coffee. It's free to browse, and dry when the weather isn't.

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    Photo: DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

From our guide to date ideas in Soho and Covent Garden

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