Visitor's Guide To St. Christopher's Place in London, UK - A zone of tranquility in a busy city
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On this page we'll give you an overview to St. Christopher's Place so that you know what this area has to offer you. We have also provided links to official websites to help you find shops, bars and restaurants in the area.
St. Christopher's Place overview: what makes the area special
St Christopher's Place is a square and its surrounding streets off Oxford Street, full of shops and restaurants. It is an oasis of calm - a completely different experience to the crowds and tourist shops on Oxford Street - the main street that it sits off. It has a village feel - there are wooden benches to relax on, hanging baskets full of colourful flowers, quaint shopfronts.
This area feels unique rather than uniform and full of chain stores- the shops are boutiques, and many are independent, the canopies and umbrellas outside the restaurants.
If you like shopping you will enjoy the variety of shops - particularly those that are typically British. Shops include Whistles, Penhaligons, Hobbs. You will also enjoy the more quaint and picturesque setting - the individual facades of the boutique shops, the hanging baskets and narrow streets add to the pretty feel of the area.
Layout of St. Christopher's Place
St. Christopher's Place sits just off Oxford Street. It is surprisingly hard to find as you will need to find the narrow entrance that leads to it from Oxford Street (see more details below). Once you find yourself in Saint Christopher's Place, you will see that it is a square with shops, bars, cafes and restaurants sitting all around the edge of it. Shooting off from the square you will find narrow and quaint streets that are also filled to the brim with shops and restaurants.
Shopping in the area
St. Christopher's Place has gained a reputation in London as a destination to head to if you are on the look-out for designer and independent shops. Despite its location right next to London's busiest shopping street (Oxford Street), it actually has a calm and almost village-like feel. This makes it a convenient and enjoyable place to shop if you find the hustle and bustle of London a bit too much. You will find shops selling everything from accessories to designer clothing to shoes.
Some of the most popular shops include the likes of Aldo, Kew, Kookai, Mulberry, Reiss, Whistles, L'Occitane and Kooples.
As you enter the square, look to your left and you can see the legendary Selfridges department store - a wonderful place to head for shopping.
For listings of the shops that can be found in and around St. Christophers Place, with information on location, opening times and contact details see the Official St Christopher's Place Website Shopping section.
In the shopping section of the website you will find that the shops have been categorised (categories include Men or Women's Fashion, Shoes and Art and Gifts). Simply click on the category that interests you and then you will find alphabetical listings of the shops that fall within that category. There is no search option within the official website, so if you would like to find out if there is a particular shop in Saint Christopher's Place, it is best to type 'Saint Christopher's Place' and then the name of the shop that you are looking for into your main search engine.
Pubs and bars
St. Christopher's is a fun and atmospheric place to head if you fancy a drink. The area is not the type of place where you will find club-bars, it has more of a laid back feel. It is the perfect place to head to if you fancy a sophisticated drink in pleasant surroundings. The area is known for having a generous amount of terrace space, when the sun is shining it is a place to sip a cool beer or wine al fresco.
If you don't want to spend money in one of the restaurants or cafes, you can still soak up the atmosphere of the square by buying a coffee in the nearby Pret a Manger and sitting on one of the park benches.
If you fancy a pint in a traditional British pub, you will find a few pubs in the area that fit the bill. Both the Lamb and Flag and the Pontefract castle are places that you can head to for some drinks and some banter.
You will find that the bars in and around St. Christopher's Place tend to get busy for after-work drinking. This means that on week nights staff from the offices in the area will flock to the bars for a relaxing post-work drink. This will be from about 18:00 until about 21:00 each evening. If you enjoy noisy bars then this is the perfect time to head to the area. But if you prefer a quiet drink it is best to head to the bars before or after these times.
For listings of bars that can be found on St. Christopher's Place, including information on location, opening times and contact details see the Official St Christopher's Place website eating and drinking section.
You will find that it is not particularly easy to source individual bars as the establishments have been categorised to coincide with the restaurants - by cuisine type. However, you will find a 'pubs' section, which should help your search.
Restaurants
St. Christopher's Place is renowned for offering a high standard of restaurant. The nature of the area means that there is the opportunity for lots of summer alfresco dining - the terraces around the square have lots of space for tables and chairs, The area offers a useful mix of formal restaurants, chain eateries and cafes. For a lot of the places you will not need to have a booking to get a table, making it a convenient place to head to if you have no dinner reservations.
Some of the most popular restaurants in the area include La Tasca tapas bar, Pizza Express, Café Rouge and Sofra Turkish restaurant.
For listings of the restaurants that can be found on St. Christopher's Place with information on location, opening times and contact details see the Official St Christopher's Place website eating and drinking section.
The restaurants have been categorised in accordance with what type of food they serve, if you have a hankering for a particular type of cuisine, your search for the right place will be good and easy.
Operating hours for shops, bars and restaurants
In general, the shops on St. Christopher's Place remain open slightly later than in other areas of London or the rest of the UK. They stay open until around 19:00 each evening (apart from Sundays) and have slightly later Operating hours on Thursdays.To find out the precise opening times for the restaurants, bars and shops, have a look at the Official St. Christopher's Place Website - links are provided above.
St. Christopher's Place's closest tube station is Bond Street
Closest Tube: Bond Street (Red Line / Central Line and Grey Line / Jubilee Line)
On leaving Bond Street tube station you will find yourself directly on Oxford Street. Simply turn left and head down Oxford Street (away from Oxford Circus). Look for a small street that sits between the O2 shop and H&M (you will spot signs in the surrounding area pointing you towards St. Christopher's Place). There is a sign in between the shops in yellow and red signalling that it is St Christopher's Place - head down this street and you will be in St. Christopher's Place.
St. Christopher's Place is a lovely area to head to for some shopping or socialising in the heart of the city. In stark contrast to Oxford Street it has a laid-back atmosphere, offering a chance to get away from the hustle bustle of the city.