National Theatre

The concrete-clad, 1960s modernist grandmother of them all: no theatrical tour of London is complete without a visit to the National, whose three auditoriums ñ Olivier, Lyttelton and Cottesloe ñ offer a rolling repertory programme, often with a choice of several productions in a week. The National Theatre may have once had a fiercely inaccessible reputation, but the arrival of maverick artistic director Nicholas Hytner in 2003 rocked theatreland as he set about changing the venue's staid ethos with daring productions such as 'Jerry Springer the Opera' and an ambitious adaptation of Phillip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials'. The change of tack proved a success, attracting audiences of mixed race, age and class ñ and Hytner's budget £10 Travelex-sponsored tickets still help pull in the crowds in the summer season. But you don't have to buy a ticket to get a feel for the National's atmosphere ñ the alfresco stage, National Theatre Square, routinely lays on free and inclusive performing arts, gigs and exhibitions, especially during the Watch This Space summer festival.