TKTS London is the number one place for discount theatre tickets for London's West End. Our world famous TKTS booth in the heart of Leicester Square is open seven days a week. Our friendly expert staff are on hand to point you in the direction of the very best in London theatre deals.

Best Place To Buy London Theatre Tickets

Pay attention to ticket restrictions: Venues and promoters will sometimes place restrictions on tickets to ensure extra security measures. For example, you may have to provide a form of ID or the payment card used to purchase the tickets in order to collect your tickets.

The price of a West End theatre show ticket varies depending on where you sit and what you see: limited-run shows, such as The Pillowman, will have a higher ticket price as you can only experience it for a few months. Shows like The Lion King has been running for over 20 years (with no sign of slowing down) so those tickets will be cheaper.

To get your hands on cheap theatre tickets, lovetheatre.com is a fantastic destination. We also like ATG Tickets, London Theatre Direct, Ticketmaster and Fever, all of which periodically offer chances to snap-up cheap tickets. The latter leans more towards experiences and immersive shows, rather than a traditional theatre, though. Take a look at their current deals using the links below.

At time of writing, there's quite a disparity in ticket pricing, as you can see from the listings below. Right now, the best deals are to be had via Ticketmaster where you can get tickets for just Â22.

Roald Dahl's hit children's novel Matilda is re-imagined as a musical in this thrilling stage production. It's another West End favourite, and it's even been made into Matilda the Musical movie starring Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull. Currently, the cheapest deal for Matilda The Musical is Â20 tickets at LW theatres.

If you're not based in London and don't want to travel to the capital, don't worry! With many shows touring around the UK there are some great deals to be had on theatre all around the UK. If you're based up north we've got a guide to the best theatre shows in Manchester. At the moment, the Six the Musical tour has tickets starting from just Â13.

For more on theatre and ticketing head over to our Going Out section, then check out the best West End shows. We also have all the latest theatre releases, like last chance A Streetcar Named Desire tickets. For exciting things to do in the Capital, read our top London experience gifts and best London walking tours guides.

Now, not all shows are sold through TKTS. Last year when we wanted tickets for Wicked, they told us they didn't sell them as they weren't discounted yet. We tried one of the other vendors in Leicester Square, and got a horrific quote. (BTW--always make sure they show you they theatre layout--you may be seated near or behind a pillar, or have partial visibility)

If you can't get tickets at TKTS, go straight to the theatre. We went to the theatre where Wicked was playing in the morning, and got 4 primo seats for far less than the Leicester Square vendor. Probably saved 80 quid.

Not all shows sell through TKTS, and not all shows sold at TKTS are sold at a discount. For example, War Horse, Lion King and Mamma Mia may sell tickets through TKTS but they are always at the full box office price. If these are shows you are interested in, you are best to work through the official ticketing agency for the show to begin with (which you'll find listed through theatremonkey.com's website...see Elin V's excellent list above).

For anyone interested in Wicked tickets, these can be found at a discount if you know where to look. For a start, the slightly restricted view side stalls seats are considerably cheaper than the centre stall or dress circle seating and offer excellent value. Tickets can be also be found discounted on sites like lastminute.com - often for the less-well attended Monday or Tuesday performances - you might get the 65 pound rear stall seats down to 40 quid. And there are the occasional promotions, which can be found listed amongst the special offers on theatremonkey.com. As Laura says though they do not sell through TKTS at all. It is also worth noting that Wicked sells 27.50 pound dayseats on the day (front row).

Another cheap option is dayseats: Dayseats are available at a number of West End and Off West End theatres at often heavy discounts. Theatremonkey usually notes both concession prices (standby prices for students, seniors etc) and day seats for each show, if available. Day seating is often the only way to get into a booked out show at places such as the Donmar or National Theatre. The only drawback is that you have to get up early to queue! But if it's something you really want to see...

One of the most popular tourist destinations, London is best known for its theatre scene. Along with Broadway, West End is one of the most important hubs for commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Thus, it comes as no surprise that when people visit London, watching a West End show is at the top of their to-do lists!

In this section, we will cover the best ways to for you to get your London theatre tickets without breaking the bank. There are lots of ways to get discounted West End tickets - online portals, Box Office, TKTS, and Lottery - each of which is covered in depth here.

What better way to get your tickets than from the comfort of your own home? When purchasing tickets online, you can easily book tickets for a show two-three months away. Most theatres tie up with websites like London Theatre Direct or TodayTix to offer tickets at discounted rates. And then, there are third-party vendors like Headout, which give you heavy discounts on the very same tickets.

The day lottery usually takes place 2-3 hours before the performance. Those wishing to participate can enter then, and must be present during the draw of the winning names. Upon winning, patrons can purchase up to two tickets (though this may change based on the theatre's discretion) at a discounted rate. Some shows with a day lottery are The Lion King and The Book of Mormon

Most online lotteries let you choose your preferred dates over a week. Once the winners are announced, they can purchase the tickets for cheap. These tickets are usually limited to 2 a person, but that depends on the discretion of the theatre. Some shows that offer online lotteries are Matilda, Dreamgirls, and The Book of Mormon.

Day Tickets or Day Seats are tickets that are made available by a theatre for the particular show that is currently running. These tickets are sold, and are to be sued, on the same day. Tickets are usually limited, and are made availble for sale as soon as the theatre Box Office opens. Those that make it in time can purchase tickets for heavily discounted rates. Please note that most theatres only allow patrons to buy a maximum of two tickets.

Winters are a quiet time for London theatre. This is also when tickets are super cheap, given that most people would rather stay home and watch telly. But December, January, and February are the best months to watch expensive shows, as you can tickets for as cheap as Â15 - Â50, depending on the show and the view.

If you are hoping to see a specific show, it is always best to book your tickets in advance. This will give you the best chance of getting the seats you want, and it will also often save you money. However, if you are flexible about which show you see, there are a number of ways to get discounted tickets.

Here's how to get tickets. If you are desperate to see a specific show, book tickets before you leave home to ensure you won't be left out. Check with The Society of London Theatre (www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk), the trade association for theater owners and producers (established in 1908), for a rundown of what's playing, as well as for direct links for online purchase. Keep in mind that while most links will deliver you to ticket sellers such as Ticketmaster, where you will pay a premium of as much as 20% for your booking. Only use that method if you'd be heartbroken to miss a particular show. That website also offers show-specific promotions, such as discounted tickets for families or a coupon for a free program to the show; under "Buy Tickets," click "Special Deals."

Although there are ways to snag cheap unsold seats on the day of the performance (see below), to make sure you have tickets in hand before your trip, it would be wise to look for discounts in the months before you travel. Given a lead time of a few weeks, the established website lastminute.com (www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/theatre/) sells many shows for half price, as does LOVEtheatre.com (www.lovetheatre.com). My favorite place to find nearly every publicly available discount is the marvelous website BroadwayBox (www.broadwaybox.com/london), which posts a helpful, exhaustive listing of all the known discount codes (often more than 100 at a time) for the West End shows.

Once you get to London, there's only one intelligent place to get tickets: TKTS (www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts; booth on south side of Leicester Square; Tube: Leicester Square; Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun noon-3pm; MC, V or cash for tickets, no travelers checks, up to Â2.50 per ticket service charge), operated by the Society of London Theatre. It sells same-day seats at mostly half-price for all the major houses. While the white-hot shows won't be represented here, about 80% of West End shows are. Each day, TKTS posts a list of its available shows on its website, which is handy for same-day planning as well as for getting an advance idea of the kind of stuff that may be on sale when you get there. When it comes time to make a purchase at the booth, there's a window for matinees and one for evening shows. Musicals range from half price (about Â25) to full price (around Â55); dance performances are around Â18; and plays cost Â18-Â23, although the prices fluctuate per production. TKTS operates a second booth at a shopping mall in Hendon, a northwestern bedroom suburb that you, as a tourist, are highly unlikely to visit.

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