Covent Garden with its charming streets and famous market is a bustling tourist destination, packed with cafes and restaurants, theatres and little shops. It is an area where you can’t go far wrong just meandering with no map. The nicest parts to wander are Seven Dials and Covent Garden Market, and for shopping Long Acre and Neal Street, together with the quaint streets parallel to Long Acre. To go straight to my suggested walk, click walkcoventgarden. On the map below I have marked in red the streets I would show a friend.
Highlights
- COVENT GARDEN MARKET – Offers a range of artisan products, food stalls and souvenirs
- STREET PERFORMANCES – Talented buskers and musicians on James Street and around market square.
- SEVEN DIALS – Once part of notorious slum “The Rookery” – now offering a maze of boutique shops and cozy cafes.
- LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM – The history of London’s transport sytem, with a lift that takes you back in time.
- POLICE MUSEUM – Once the famous Bow Street Magistrates Court which tried Casanova, Oscar Wilde, and Emmaline and Christabel Pankhurst
- ST PAUL”S CHURCH: The actor’s church, containing memorials to the great stars of theatre and film. Built in 1633, it was the first ever Anglican church. In Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion/My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins met beneath its Portico.
- THEATRES: The Royal Opera House, home to the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera, the cutting-edge Donmar Warehouse, and haunted Theatre Royal.
- NEAL’S YARD: Colourful houses, shops and cafes.
Visitor Information
- Easily accessible from Covent Garden and Leicester Square tube stations.
- Shops typically open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, 11-6pm Sunday.
- WCs downstairs in the market, by St Paul’s church, and on Leicester Square.
- Street performers and Transport Museum great for kids.
- Tip – visit early to avoid the crowds.
History
EARLY HISTORY
- Originally a convent garden in the Middle Ages.
- Housing originally built for the wealthy and influential.
- Transformed into a market in the 17th century.
MARKET ERA
- Became one of London’s most important markets for fruit, vegetables and flowers.
- Famous for its lively atmosphere and diverse vendors.
- The Rookery around Seven Dials and St Giles was a where, at one time every fourth house was a gin house.
MODERN ERA
- The market moved across the river in the 1970s. The existing Piazza buildings were conserved by public demand.
- Now a hub for entertainment, shopping and dining.
Connections
- Short walk to the river. Carting Lane has steps, so use Savoy Street for better access.
- Short walk to China Town and Leicester Square down Long Acre
- Surprisingly short walk north to the British Museum!
- Follow Long Acre east to Lincoln’s Inn Fields and the wonderful John Soanes Museum.
Covent Garden Walk
This suggested walk is 3.5km, but Covent Garden is a great place to just wander.
DIRECTIONS
-
- Exit Leicester Square tube station at Exit 1, turn left then first left into St Martin’s Court.
- Go straight on into New Row then straight into King Street.
- Take the first alleyway to the left.
- Turn right into Floral Street
- Turn first left into Langly Court.
- Take first left into Long Acre.
- At junction, go right onto St Martin’s Lane.
- Take first right into the Yards and go straight on.
- Turn left onto Mercer Street and walk up to Seven Dials.
- Cross bearing right into Monmouth Street and look for entrance to Neal’s Yard
- Walk through Neal’s Yard. Opposite you will see an indoor food market which you can explore.
- Otherwise, turn left then right into Neal Street
- Continue straight on, crossing Long Acre, and passing Covent Garden Tube Station on your right and you will see Covent Garden Market ahead of you to explore.
- When you have finished, continue south through Jubilee Market, then turn right the left into Southampton Street.
- Cross the busy Strand and straight down into Carting Lane into Victoria Embankment Gardens.
- Turn right and walk through to Embankment Tube Station where this walk ends.