the west end's bookseller's row
A gas-lit Victorian alley between Charing Cross Road and St Martin's Lane, free to wander, lined end to end with antiquarian booksellers and old print and map dealers.
Free to visit · Covent Garden · Leicester Square · WC2N 4EZ
Opening: Always open · shops daytime
Cecil Court is a perfectly preserved Victorian shopping alley, a short pedestrian lane connecting Charing Cross Road and St Martin's Lane, that feels like stepping out of the modern West End into another century. Its Victorian shopfronts and old lamps have earned it the nickname Booksellers' Row.
Almost every unit is an independent dealer in antiquarian books, rare prints, old maps, coins or theatrical memorabilia, their windows crammed with treasures. A young Mozart is said to have lodged here on his childhood visit to London, and the court is often cited as an inspiration for the wizarding shopping streets of a certain famous book series.
Wandering it is free, and browsing the windows and shelves is a pleasure in itself, a rare survival of old bookish London a few steps from the crowds of Leicester Square. You can spend nothing and still leave delighted.
Getting there: A pedestrian lane connecting Charing Cross Road and St Martin's Lane, a minute from Leicester Square.
Best time to go: A daytime visit when the shops are open and you can browse the window displays and dusty shelves.
Insider tip: Browse the windows even if rare books are beyond your budget, the displays of antique maps, prints and first editions are a free museum in themselves. It is a magical shortcut between Leicester Square and Covent Garden.
Official site: https://www.cecilcourt.co.uk
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide