How to Get to Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JF, between the Aldwych and Covent Garden. Most people go in through the Catherine Street doors; for step-free access, use the Russell Street entrance, just round the corner.

Google Maps · Directions · Apple Maps · what3words

By tube

Covent Garden (Piccadilly line) is the closest, about 5 to 6 minutes' walk. Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines) is 8 to 10 minutes, and Temple (Circle and District lines) and Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern lines) are both 10 to 12 minutes.

By train

Charing Cross is the nearest mainline station, 10 to 12 minutes on foot along the Strand. Waterloo is about 15 minutes across Waterloo Bridge.

By bus

The closest stops are on the Aldwych, where Drury Lane and Kingsway meet it, about two minutes' walk down Catherine Street. Which bus to take depends on where you're coming from:

• From North London: the 1 (Camden Town and Russell Square), the 68 (Euston and Holborn), the 91 (Wood Green and King's Cross), the 243 (Wood Green and Shoreditch) and the 341 (Tottenham and Angel)
• From West London: the 9 (Hammersmith and Knightsbridge) and the 23 (Paddington and Marble Arch)
• From the East and the City: the 15 (Limehouse and the Tower of London), the 26 (Shoreditch and Liverpool Street) and the 76 (Stoke Newington and Moorgate)
• From South London: the 59 (Brixton and Kennington), the 68 (Camberwell and Elephant & Castle), the 87 (Clapham Junction and Vauxhall), the 172 (New Cross and Elephant & Castle), the 188 (Greenwich and Surrey Quays) and the SL6 (West Croydon and West Norwood)

The 139 (Golders Green and Baker Street) and the 176 (Forest Hill and Dulwich) stop on the Strand at Savoy Street and on Lancaster Place, about five minutes' walk. From Waterloo station, eleven routes come over Waterloo Bridge and stop within five minutes of the theatre.

Late at night, 16 night routes use the same stops, including the N91 to Cockfosters, the N9 to Heathrow, the N15 to Romford and the N155 to Morden.

By taxi

Black cabs are easy to find around the Aldwych, the Strand and Covent Garden. The streets right by the theatre get busy before a show, so a set-down on a quieter nearby street is often quicker.

By car

There's no parking at the theatre and very little on the street. The nearest car park is about five minutes' walk, and two more are about ten:

• Intelli-Park Covent Garden, Parker Mews, off Parker Street, just up Drury Lane. Open 24 hours
• Q-Park Covent Garden, Bedfordbury, under the St Martin's Lane Hotel. Small, and it closes at 11pm
• Q-Park Chinatown, Newport Place, open 24 hours, with EV charging

It's worth booking a space ahead.

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

For a drop-off, ask for Catherine Street, or Russell Street if you need step-free access. Blue Badge bays nearby are Westminster Council's and there are only a few, so don't count on one.

What time to arrive

Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start, no later. The doors open an hour before, and there's a bag search on the way in, so give yourself time.

Come earlier if you can. The theatre is one of the most beautiful in the West End, the restored foyer and bars are worth seeing, and arriving early to have an explore is part of the night.

What if I'm late?

You'll be let in at a suitable break in the performance. Sometimes that's a few songs or a scene or two in, sometimes it's longer, and where the break falls depends on the show, so plan for the 15 to 20 minutes.