Sights · Our pick in London
Chinatown
Gerrard Street and its gates
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Mark Ahsmann · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Chinatown
London’s Chinatown grew around Gerrard Street in the decades after the Second World War, and today its streets between Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square are lined with restaurants, bakeries, tea shops and Asian supermarkets, hung with red lanterns. It is at its liveliest at Lunar New Year, when celebrations spread into the surrounding streets. Leicester Square station is a minute’s walk away.
Why it's on our list
- Restaurants and bakeries
- Lanterns and gates
- Lunar New Year
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Chinatown before you go.
Hotels nearby
The closest hotels in our guide to Chinatown, as the crow flies.
- The Londoner0.1 mi2 min walk
- Ham Yard Hotel0.2 mi3 min walk
- The Soho Hotel0.2 mi4 min walk
- Covent Garden Hotel0.3 mi5 min walk
- Strand Palace Hotel0.5 mi9 min walk
What’s nearby
Distances from Chinatown are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations
- Leicester SquarePiccadillyNorthern0.1 mi2 min walk
- Piccadilly CircusPiccadillyBakerloo0.2 mi4 min walk
- Tottenham Court RoadNorthernCentralElizabeth line0.3 mi6 min walk
Nearest taxi ranks
- Taxi rank, Coventry Street0.1 mi2 min walk
- Taxi rank, Whitcomb Street0.1 mi2 min walk
Black cabs can also be hailed in the street: a lit yellow TAXI sign means the cab is available.
Key sights
- Leicester Square0.1 miWalk 2 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 4 min
- Trafalgar Square0.3 miWalk 6 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- Covent Garden0.4 miWalk 7 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 6 min
- The British Museum0.6 miWalk 11 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 7 min
- London Eye0.8 miWalk 15 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Westminster Abbey0.9 miWalk 17 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Buckingham Palace0.9 miWalk 18 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Harrods1.6 miWalk 33 minCycle 10 minCar or taxi 15 min
- The Shard2.0 miWalk 40 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Tower of London2.4 miCycle 15 minCar or taxi 21 min
Main rail terminals
- Charing Cross0.3 miWalk 7 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- Waterloo1.0 miWalk 19 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Euston1.1 miWalk 23 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 12 min
- Victoria1.2 miWalk 24 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 12 min
- King’s Cross St Pancras1.3 miWalk 27 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 13 min
- St Pancras International (Eurostar)1.4 miWalk 28 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 13 min
- Paddington1.9 miWalk 39 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 17 min
- London Bridge2.0 miWalk 41 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Liverpool Street2.1 miWalk 43 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 19 min