3 Best Performing Arts Venues in Notting Hill, London

A landmark on the Notting Hill skyline since 1898, the Coronet has undergone many transformations over the years: from theater to cinema to Pentecostal church to the place where Hugh Grant took Julia Roberts on a date in the rom-com Notting Hill. Today, it's a performing arts venue with a decidedly international and eclectic program of theater, dance, poetry, and music (it's also a host venue for the London Jazz Festival). Be sure to visit the theater bar, the most sumptuous and atmospheric of its kind in the city.

One of the oldest cinemas in the country, this refurbished Portobello Road art house screens mainstream and international movies. The emphasis is on comfort, with leather sofas, armchairs, side tables for your wine and appetizers, cashmere blankets, and even double beds in the front row.

In summer, well-loved operas and imaginative productions of lesser-known works are presented under a spectacular canopy against the remains of Holland House, one of the first great houses built in Kensington. The company has successfully branched out into opera for families in recent years, too. There are 1,000 tickets offered free to those ages 7–18 every season. Tickets go on general sale in April (earlier for members). The season runs through August and usually consists of six opera productions, from perennial favorites like Rossini's The Barber of Seville to lesser-performed works such as Edgar by Puccini.