How to Get to the London Coliseum

St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4ES, at the Trafalgar Square end. The revolving globe on the roof is the landmark: you can see it from the street long before you reach the door.

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By tube

Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly lines) and Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern) are both about three minutes' walk. From Leicester Square, head for Charing Cross Road and cut through St Martin's Court, past J Sheekey, which brings you out on St Martin's Lane across the road from the theatre.

By train

Charing Cross is the mainline station, three minutes on foot.

By bus

The closest stops are at Trafalgar Square and on the Strand outside Charing Cross station, a minute or two's walk from the theatre. Which bus to take depends on where you're coming from:

• From North London: the 24 (Hampstead and Camden), the 29 (Wood Green and Camden), the 91 (Wood Green and King's Cross) and the 139 (Golders Green and Baker Street)
• From West London: the 9 (Hammersmith, Kensington and Knightsbridge) and the 23 (Westbourne Park and Paddington)
• From the east and the City: the 15 (Blackwall, Limehouse and the Tower of London) and the 26 (Hackney Wick and Liverpool Street)
• From South London: the 87 (Wandsworth and Vauxhall), the 176 (Penge, Elephant & Castle and Waterloo) and the 24 (Pimlico and Victoria)

The 24, 29 and 176 also stop on Charing Cross Road by Leicester Square station, and on St Martin's Place, just round the corner. From the far side of Trafalgar Square, about five minutes' walk, the 12 (Peckham), 88 (Clapham), 159 (Brixton) and 453 (Deptford) cover more of South London.

Late at night, around 18 night routes run from the same stops, including the N29 and N279 north and the N87 and N155 south.

By car

There's no parking at the theatre, but three car parks are close by:

• Q-Park Covent Garden, Bedfordbury, a couple of minutes behind the theatre. Small, and it closes at 11pm, so check your finish time
• Q-Park Leicester Square, Whitcomb Street, about five minutes, with EV charging
• Q-Park Chinatown, Newport Place, about six minutes, with EV charging

All of them get busy on show nights, so book a space ahead if you can.

The theatre is inside the Congestion Charge zone, which runs from 7am to 6pm on weekdays and from midday to 6pm at weekends and on bank holidays. Arrive after 6pm for an evening performance and you won't pay it; for a matinee you will, currently £18 a day. The ULEZ applies around the clock if your car doesn't meet its standards.

For a drop-off or a taxi, William IV Street, at the Trafalgar Square end of St Martin's Lane, is the easiest point, as St Martin's Lane itself is sometimes closed to traffic for outdoor dining. Blue Badge holders will find a few bays on Charing Cross Road, but they go quickly, so don't rely on them.

What time to arrive

Arrive 20 to 25 minutes before, no later. Around 2,360 people come through the doors at once, there are security checks at the entrance, and the foyer fills fast.

Come earlier if you can, because the building is worth it. The Coliseum is one of the most beautiful theatres in London, the bars open 75 minutes before the show, and a wander round before curtain up is part of the night out. The auditorium itself opens 30 minutes before.

If you're late, you'll watch on a monitor until there's a suitable break, and then staff will take you in. Sometimes that's the interval.