I'll be visiting London for my next vacation, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommended places to check out. I'm also interested in bookstores and tabletop gaming shops. I'll only be around for a few days. I'll be staying close to the Baker Street station, but I don't mind going a little out of the way.

I'll also be visiting Edinburgh, but I don't know where I'll be staying yet.

Thanks for any help.

Central London doesn't offer a lot for the video game fan these days, rent is so high there that most of the interesting small indie shops have all folded. There's the new Game 'BELONG' store on Wardour Street but unless there's actually an eSports thing going on there you're interested in it's just a slightly larger than normal branch of GAME.

Board games you have a couple more options in central, there's Forbidden Planet on Shaftesbury Avenue and just down the road from there is Orc's Nest.

There are other places further out, but if you're in London as a tourist you probably won't be interested in traipsing out an hour on the tube to a place with a small retro games shop when there's nothing else touristy to do out there.

Now, bookstores on the other hand, you've got plenty of options.

My favourite is still Foyles on Charing Cross Road as it's pretty much the only book store I know that carries a large selection of books on video game development. But the whole of Charing Cross Road is dotted with second hand and antiquarian book sellers, it's kinda their 'quarter' if you use the old medieval term.

If you're planning on being really touristy and visiting Piccadilly Cricus there's Waterstone's flagship store on Piccadilly itself.

(Random aside: the new Lego store at Leicester Square is fun, but the queues to get in are _horrendous_, take the tube out to Stratford and visit the one they have in the large Westfield shopping centre there instead)

Bit random but they used to have a couple of pinball machines set to free play in the big Superdry store on (I think) Regent Street. This was a couple of years ago, may not still be the case, but if you're passing...!

Might not be a central as you might like but there is loading bar on stoke newington road. Drinks & games tabletop and digital!

As far as arcades in London go, several people have told me that Heart of Gaming is the place to be.

It's not so much an arcade but the Loading Bar in Dalston (I believe) is good. Felt very much at home there on my one and only visit.

There is a second (and imo, better) Loading Bar location in Stratford these days. That's the one Andi Hamilton works at, and they organise live podcasts and stuff.

Ah nice, I didn't know!

There is one opening in Brighton soonish too. There may be some CaR cross-pollination afoot if all goes to plan.

ohhhh! I'll need to be involved, as Brighton is only a 30 minute train away.

Fer sure!