Some people come to the city for London breaks away from home, to get a buzz from all the activities and stimulation on offer. And London is great for all of that, even if you live here, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes the noise and heat gets too much and you need a break FROM London instead. If you live anywhere near the city of London, the Old East End, the new Silicon Roundabout, Hoxton, Hackney Shoreditch etc or even in one of the Outer London Boroughs on the East side such as Newham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, then the quickest route out of London is to take a train from Liverpool Street Station heading towards Shenfield of Gidea Park, or to get on the Central Line to Epping. Don’t stay on all the tube all the way to Epping though, get out at Theydon Bois, a charming little Essex village with a village green a duck pond. From there it’s only a short walk up into Epping Forest itself, where the woodland provides a cooling shade and pleasant walks on a hot summer’s day. On the way back to the tube, if you have a substantial appetite, then a visit to the Bull is called for. It’s a nice enough pub, that really cares about good old fashioned quality British food such as Steak and Kidney Pudding and fish pie.

Via Flickr:
Epping Forest Theydon Bois

One of my favourite spots for quick breaks away from London.

London these days is well geared up for outdoor dining and strolling, with little terraces of tables and chairs springing up all over the place, and grand riverside walks such as outside the Festival Hall South Bank centre, alongside the Tate Modern and by Tower Bridge.

St Katherines Dock - London Breaks

St Katherine’s Dock is well known to the boating fraternity but worth a visit for lunch or an summer evening meal alongside the water basin full of yachts and barges, with a good selection of cafes and restaurants to choose from. You can also catch the Thames Circular Tours boats from the pier by St Katherine;s Dock and Tower Bridge if you want to enjoy a leisurely cruise or simple take advantage of the best form of transport for visiting Westminster or Greenwich.

But don’t forget the special ingredient for London breaks at any time of year – the show!

With such a cast, and building on the interest from the TV show Over The Rainbow, Andrew Lloyd Webber looks set for a big hit but of course it will all depend eventually on word of mouth, and how well the new musical theatre show is produced at the London Palladium. Being a long standing favourite family show will hel as well for some kinds of London breaks with the children I suppose, but that’s not to say the Wizard  of Oz won’t appeal to grown ups and couples after a good weekend break in London.

Tickets sales are reported to be brisk even at this early stage, and fans of the runner up in the competition, Sophie Evans have been booking up theatre breaks with hotel and travel deals to see Sophie when she plays the part of Dorothy herself at the London Palladium on Tuesdays and some of Danielle Hope’s holidays.

Sophie Evans

Theatre Breaks Wiki

The best thing about this site is how easy it is to make a correction or small addition if you see something that is wrong or needs updating or adding to. It’s pretty easy to cross reference everything too, so that should help the people who like fiddling with these kind of things to keep it on track for the purpose intended, helping people planning London breaks and theatre breaks but why just in London? Some of the best shows start out in other UK cities, or regional theatres. Ghost for examle, which may be one of the biggest new musicals next year, is starting out with a serious run in Manchester before moving to London. The there are all the plays which earn their spurs at the Chichester, Bath or Edinburgh festivals before being picked up for a West End transfer to one of the big London theatres.
But I digress because this is the London Breaks blog and that has to be the main purpose in this space – to help people decide on, plan and book London Breaks which doesn’t always have to mean theatre breaks at all. There are plenty of other things to do in London, such as go to a concert or a large sporting event. Hang out in one of the trendy areas or go on a river trip. The museums and art galleries are second to none, well maybe Paris breaks if pushed. And then there are the parks and open green spaces, the fabulous world cuisine restaurants and the famous London shops and markets.

London Bridge Experience, hotel and ticket breaks from £148 per family of 4

Available until 12th September

London Bridge Experience is a historical attraction in the excavated tombs of London Bridge using a gripping guided tour of London Bridge’s 2000 year history using a stunning combination of special effects, CGI, real characters and animation

Voted the UK’s ‘best year round scare attraction’, the London Bridge Experience and the London Tombs are London attractions not to be missed. It’s two attractions – one price, and even greater value as part of a London break.

London Bridge Experience, hotel and ticket breaks from £148 per family of 4

The London Bridge Experience & The London Tombs | London Break

Madame Tussauds & Marvel Super Heroes 4D, ticket & hotel London breaks from £191.50pp

Available until April 2011

Marvel Super Heroes 4D will bring to life some of the world’s best loved Super Heroes through a mix of 4D animation, interactive themed areas and startlingly realistic Madame Tussauds wax figures. It’s a combination of two of teh most powerful brands in the entertainment industry: Tussaud’s and Marvel! There will also be a chance for you to behave like a hero yourself in a series of interactive experiences including walking on the ceiling with Spider-Man. This totally absorbing exhibition perfect for London breaks includes:

SUPER HERO COMMAND CENTRE

S.H.I.E.L.D (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division)

The Incredible Hulk’s gigantic legs can be seen standing astride a massive plinth, his torso disappearing through a gaping hole in the ceiling.

THE HALL OF HEROES

Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Ms Marvel

a cleverly inverted office scene means you can literally “hang out” with Spiderman on the ceiling.

HEROES GALLERY

The Heroes Gallery is a futuristic gallery space with Super Hero artwork and a mutant mirror wall that will show some very alternative images.

SUPER HERO TEST AREA

Full of high tech equipment, Iron Man’s work room.

MARVEL SUPERHEROES 4D – THE FILM

One of the biggest highlights in your entire London break will be the 4D film of Marvel Superheroes that is shown right inside the exhibition space.

It’s a new 360º animated 4D cinema attraction, complete with high impact special effects. Screened in the famous old domed auditorium, once the planetarium.

The Super Heroes arrive in London to receive special bravery awards from the Queen only to find The Capital under threat from evil genius, Doctor Doom. The deadly Doctor is intent on destroying the Super Heroes and their secret command centre and has created an army of lethal robotic accomplices to help him.

Using the entire 70m circumference of the planetarium dome, Marvels Super Heroes 4D unites amazingly realistic 3D animation with state of the art digi-star projection and then adds in an extra-sensory fourth dimension. The action will spill out of the screen over the audience and thrill-enhancing special effects – from water and smoke to tremors beneath the feet – will touch every sense, drawing you right into the heart of the adventure. As the story unfolds the London skyline is vividly brought to life and you will literally feel the impact of the villain’s invasion and the force of the Super Heroes’ strength as they do battle.

And it’s all part of the admission price, which is included in your London breaks with hotel deal!

Madame Tussauds & Marvel Super Heroes 4D, ticket & hotel London breaks from £191.50pp

Marvel 4D London Breaks

This year is going to be the best ever for London visitors, as we begin the ramp up to the 2012 Olympics. There’s also a possibility of a London Festival starting up as a regular event in the summer. In the West End, we’re looking forward to Love Never Dies the Phantom sequel, and Wizard of Oz later in the year.

Good luck planning your best ever London break in 2010!

So here’s looking forward to the perfect January London break in 2010.

Oliver

Dirty Dancing

Les Miserables

Phantom of The Opera

Lion King

Billy Elliot

As you may well know by now, the Lion King musical is celebrating a tenth anniversary in London’s West End. It’s a great family show and we’d like to offer this special theatre break package from Superbreak of Lion King theatre tickets and a three star hotel for only £60 per person:

The Lion King Celebrates its 10th Anniversary, London ticket & 3*, £60.00pp

Show Available until August 2010

The Lion King London Theatre Breaks

Disney’s marvellous musical about the young Prince Simba, his father King Musafa and evil Uncle Scar. An award-winning score with fantastic choreography continue to make The Lion King one of London’s favourite shows.

Lion King London Video

http://www.youtube.com/v/utq8oft7btQ