Covent Garden Reviews

Covent Garden, London, England WC2

Featured Review : ~~A TRIP TO COVENT GARDEN~~ I was born in London but moved to the Essex/London borders some years ago. When I moved out I chose to not go so far that we weren't within easy reach of the London underground network as I th...See Full Review

Category:Sightseeing, Parks and Gardens, Shopping
Not right?Update Address | Change Photo

#16 most popular
thing to do in London
Avg. User Rating:
4 out of 5 stars

Nearby Things to Do

Royal Opera House: User Rating: 3 out of 5
Neal's Yard Dairy: User Rating: 2 out of 5
Paul Smith: User Rating: 2 out of 5
The Tea House: User Rating: 2 out of 5
Apple Market: User Rating: 2 out of 5

Popular London Hotels

K+K Hotel George: User Rating: 4 out of 5
City Inn Westminster: User Rating: 4 out of 5
Rubens at the Palace: User Rating: 4 out of 5
The Royal Horseguards: User Rating: 4 out of 5
Holiday Inn Kensington: User Rating: 4 out of 5

Popular Things to Do in London

Tower of London: User Rating: 5 out of 5
National Gallery: User Rating: 5 out of 5
British Museum: User Rating: 5 out of 5
Imperial War Museum London: User Rating: 4 out of 5
St Paul's Cathedral: User Rating: 4 out of 5

A TRIP TO COVENT GARDEN
4 out of 5 stars
lak11 from Essex
June 28, 2025
Best of IgoUgo

Cheer!
Flag

Quote: ~~A TRIP TO COVENT GARDEN~~

I was born in London but moved to the Essex/London borders some years ago. When I moved out I chose to not go so far that we weren't within easy reach of the London underground network as I thought there would be many times when travelling into the city was necessary for my family, for both work and leisure. I still live close to a central line underground station although I don't often travel into the capital but my grown up children do fairly frequently. It's helpful for them that we do live near to a station.

I've always enjoyed the capital, especially its West End. I used to work in the city and go out in the city with friends. And shopping in Oxford Street was quite a frequent event as a teenager.Now, I suppose I visit central London several times a year and this is mainly for trips to the theatre.

In April I spent a pleasant few hours in Covent Garden. I went with my husband to meet our daughter (who is at university in London) to take her to see Sweeney Todd the musical, which was at The Adelphi Theatre, in The Strand.

We travelled by tube to Covent Garden station and when we emerged from the station by lift (no escalators at this station) it was light and sunny. It was early afternoon and we had booked to see a matinee performance and so we began the short walk to The Strand.

After the show it was still a nice day but with the threat of rain but still pleasant enough weather wise, we decided, for us to enjoy a walk around Covent Garden.

Although when I think of Covent Garden I think fruit and flower market (scenes from 'My Fair Lady' were filmed here) but the famous market has long gone, leaving an outdoor, more general market on certain days (as well as other shopping facilities) but the market wasn't open at the time of our visit.

By now evening was approaching although it wasn't yet dark. The area around the square was busy but the piazza itself wasn't too crowded. I felt, there was an air of expectancy as if the area was waiting for night time when the evening visitors would be arriving; giving Covent Garden its second wind and then it would really begin to sparkle.

It's been a while since I've had a walk around here and so I found it interesting.

~~A FEW FACTS/HISTORY~~

The name of Covent Garden is familiar to me. As is Billingsgate and Smithfield but a Scottish friend recently asked me what Covent Garden is and so this may be of interest to her and hopefully one or two others.
I only know of Covent Garden's more recent history so did some research and found that there has been activity in this location for very many years. Some interesting facts about the architecture and the area in general can be found on this website. I hope it may be of use: http://www.coventgardenlondonuk.com/

And just a snippet of history taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covent_Garden

"The first record of a "new market in Covent Garden" is in 1654 when market traders set up stalls against the garden wall of Bedford House. The Earl of Bedford acquired a private charter from Charles II in 1670 for a fruit and vegetable market, permitting him and his heirs to hold a market every day except Sundays and Christmas Day."

I can remember hearing of protests and there had been much campaigning over some years to keep the flower market, which it was famous for, within Covent Garden but it was thought to congested. In 1974 the market did indeed move to Nine Elms (New Covent Garden Market). It was intended that the area of the old market was to be greatly developed but campaigners pushed for many buildings to become listed and this prevented redevelopment of the area.
Since then it seems that much improvement and regeneration has happened and is still on-going, making the area a pleasant one for shopping, wining and dining, and entertainment.

~~THE PIAZZA~~

SHOPPING

There are many interesting shops here but we were here purely to window shop. Inside the indoor shopping market there is a wide variety of shops from some of the usual mall shops to the rare and even quirky.

An outdoor market is held here but at the time of our visit this wasn't open.
There is an outdoor farmer's market, which opens in May until Christmas on Thursdays and Saturday mornings ( 8 am until 1 pm) but we were too early for that as this was April and also later than one in the afternoon.

ATMOSPHERE

There certainly seemed to be a lot going on in the square itself. People were dining al-fresco and, although it had been quite a nice day it was becoming a little chilly. But I've mentioned the heaters, which added to the cheerful feeling really. The aroma of fresh coffee floated around the square or piazza, as it is called.

I thought the piazza reminiscent of Mediterranean towns with the sight of al- fresco dining and street performers. It actually made me think of when I visited Palma, Majorca a few years ago.
When visiting, you are bound to see performances here. Many are short and I believe should be of less than of thirty minutes duration. While we wandered around we happened to see a juggler, an acrobat, and a magician had just began to speak on his microphone, commanding an audience.
My daughter is often in the area as she goes to the theatre often and was actually there in this June week that I write this review. She has just told me that she was impressed with a construction emulating Lego and she also saw a contortionist.

As we began to walk away from the piazza but we were still in the Covent garden area and we saw crowds standing on pavements, outside pubs, whilst drinking their beer.
In the narrow streets which aren't pedestrianized cars bib and people dodge as they cross the roads when the cars slow down.

BARS/CAFES/RESTAURANTS

Lots of the outdoor cafes had outdoor table heaters ablaze which added to the atmosphere. We three nearly fell out with each other when deciding where to eat. My husband and I wanted to eat somewhere nice but our very fussy daughter wanted Italian. Most places were busy and there were queues at many restaurants. As we didn't want our daughter to travel home alone (to her university accommodation) too late, we didn't wish to wait long before dining. It was now growing increasingly busy, with many people wanting to eat; those wishing to dine before going to the theatre and those who had been to matinee performances, like us, and those who had come out just to eat. Our daughter requested Bella Italia which my husband and myself aren't too keen on, but owing to the queues we would have settled for anything, more or less, but Bella Italia near to the Piazza had an hours wait and so we didn't actually eat within Covent Garden but walked to The Strand.

There are lots of cafes/bars/ pubs and restaurants to choose from in the piazza and close by.

~~MOBILITY DIFFICULTIES?~~

The indoor market has toilet facilities and a lift whilst the Piazza is fairly even and accessible. If you are disabled or are a carer and are considering visiting this area then I would suggest first reading information from the following site which I thought could be helpful:

http://www.coventgardenlife.com/info/disabled. html

~~LOCATION~~

The area of Covent Garden is in London's West End between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It lies within two London boroughs, these being both Camden and Westminster.

Covent Garden is on the Piccadilly line. It is also very close to the underground stations of Leicester Square and Charing Cross.

It is a short walk from the Strand where many bus routes serve the area.

London's black taxi cabs can take you here and fares are charged by meter.

~~SUMMARY~~

We enjoyed our few hours in Covent Garden and I would say this is an interesting area to visit for eating out, enjoying a drink or two or just for a wander around. I would recommend it but think, although there are indoor facilities, to get the best from the heart of Covent Garden, the Piazza then it would be most enjoyed in dry weather either in the day time or evening.

From journals MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I'M A LONDONER

Street shows, Opera and Fancy Cheese
3 out of 5 stars
MagdaDH_AlexH from Perth
December 7, 2025
Best of IgoUgo

Cheer!
Flag

Quote: Covent Garden is an area in central London, in the eastern part of the West End between Drury Lane and St Martin's Lane. It is located on the site of the old fruit and vegetable market, itself built in the 1830s to normalise and tame what was then a notorious theatre and red-light district (as well as an open-air market). The market was relocated east in the mid-seventies and the area re-developed as a fashionable shopping, entertainment and tourist centre.

Currently, the Covent Garden is one of the most popular tourist destinations in London and is known for its shops (many of them independent, clustered around Neal's Yard), bars (over sixty pubs are located in Covent Garden) and restaurants on one hand and entertainment on the other.

The entertainment in Covent Garden ranges from the stately splendours of Royal Opera House (whose colloquial name is, in fact, Covent Garden) to the Theatre Royale in Drury Lane (now owned by Andrew Lloyd Weber and devoted to staging musicals) to other theatre venues (Adelphi, Aldwych, Lyceum Fortune and Vaudeville Theatres) to numerous street performers that have their designated areas (North Hall, West Piazza, and South Hall Courtyard) and time slots.

The district has its own church (Inigo Jones' St Paul's, commonly known as the Actors' Church) and a popular museum (London Transport Museum).

It's hard to judge whether Covet Garden is just a tourist trap or a more genuine place with a life of its own. As most freshly-designed redevelopments of older, less salubrious or industrial areas, it started out as pretty sterile and manufactured, but over the years developed a bit more of a real personality and life. Many of the shops and bars are popular with Londoners as much as with the tourists and other visitors and the theatrical life of the area is very much a genuine thing.

Covent Garden sits somewhat on a cusp between the City and the West End, where the tourists, bankers, actors and shop assistants rub shoulders if not always exactly mingle with each other. It's worth a visit during the day for the street performances and a quick browse round the shops (although it's very easy to spend too much on fancy artisanal products from cheese to dress up costumes) as well as for a drink or a theatre show in the evening.

If you look carefully, you might see a shadow of Eliza Doolitle's, the flower seller from Pygmalion lurking around the Opera House; or somebody who remembers John Logie Baird's first television transmission of a Covent Garden ventriloquist's dummy.
From journals If London has a centre, it's (kind of) here

Popular Hotels Near Covent Garden

Holiday Inn Kensington User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

London Marriott Hotel County H... User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Marriott London Park Lane User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

The Landmark London User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Another market....but totally different!
5 out of 5 stars
RLB2 from Scarborough
September 20, 2025
Best of IgoUgo

Cheer!
Flag

Quote: So on our little jaunt down to London, we visited Camden market but we also came here to Covent Garden. The two places are only a short tube ride away from each other, (or a slightly longer walk), yet they couldn't be more different. Where Camden is quirky and offbeat, Covent Garden is better described as upmarket and eccentric. There are still a wide range of stalls and eating area, but not the madness of Camden. That isn't a criticism of either place, as we enjoyed both, but they do offer completely different things. Now if you are an eccentric couple like us, you may well love both areas, like we did, then again you may prefer one over the other.

Covent garden market & piazza was originally designed in 1632 by Inigo Jones when London was subjected to an experiment in town planning. The public square and the piazza was originally a fruit and vegetable market, that boomed following the Great Fire of London, which destroyed many of the other London Markets. The building that we saw on our visit was designed in 1830 by Charles Fowler, but it's glass roof came in the 1870s. Eventually the fruit and vegetable market had to be moved to a less congested part of London and this left Covent Garden empty. It was very nearly destroyed were it not for a vigorous campaign by local residents to save it and this led to the buildings being used for it's current purpose.

We saw plenty of crazy performers, like a string quartet playing and performing (as in dancing) a Can-Can and several magicians working their magic on the crowds. There were a few mime artists as well, the type who are dressed like statues or sculptures and then come alive every now and then. It wasn't till we left Covent Garden that I realised that it is the only part of London actually licensed for street entertainers. Obviously they come from far and wide to ply their trade and very entertaining it is too, especially if you want to amuse the kids of liven up your morning coffee.

In terms of shopping there are plenty of stalls and shops in Covent Garden that could keep you occupied all day. Everything from home-made soaps and organic cotton childrens clothes to leather handbags and jewellery. We had a great time wandering around the various boutique shops and the covered market. Now this is something to note, as mentioned above Covent Garden has a glass roof, which means on days that are wet and miserable (unsuprisingly common in London) you can still wander around the various stalls without getting soggy.

Some advice for visiting Covent Garden on a Saturday or Sunday, it is very very busy, so look after your valuables. I don't think you are any more likely to be pickpocketed here than anywhere else, but it would be much easier to do here as it is so crowded. Often the nearest tube station gets very busy on a weekend, but if the weather is nice you can walk from Russell Square or even Kings Cross. It only took us 15 minutes strolling in the sunshine to get to Covent Garden from Kings Cross Station. Other than that you should be fine, we had a great time and I would recommend it to anyone visiting London!

All in all Covent Garden is not just a shopping experience, it's an all round entertainment experience. You can find unique gifts for friends and family, eat lots of lovely food and be entertained for free......great stuff!
From journals Fun times in London Town

A market with a difference
4 out of 5 stars
MichaelJM from Nottingham
September 1, 2025
Best of IgoUgo

Cheer!
Flag

Quote: Covent Garden is always a great place to visit as it’s always buzzing with activity and I found it difficult to think that "modern day" Covent Garden began in the 1630s when convent land belonging to Westminster Abbey was redeveloped by the 4th Earl of Bedford. Although the history of the site is a bit murky it is strongly suggested that the Saxons settled inside the old Roman town and established a port to the west of the city, along Fleet Street, the Strand, and covering today's Covent Garden. This new settlement was called Lundenwic and was abandoned when the Vikings became too much of a threat. Covent Garden then was returned to agriculture and continued to be farmed until the 17th century.

Covent Garden, the idea of the Earl of Bedford and designed by Indigo Jones, a very famous architect whose name figures in many a fine building of that time. Nothing remains of Indigo’s architecture but he did introduce the idea of "City Squares" and a grid of streets and these features have remained to this day. It would seem that Covent Garden’s success was born out of the destruction of the Fire of London as many of the city’s markets were destroyed by this event in 1666. The market grew and by the late 1700’s much of the square was dedicated to market activity. Perhaps it was not the most salubrious of settings but people still visited the place in droves.

The main building in Covent Garden was built in 1830 by Charles Fowler and forty years later a glass roof was added. Over the years other market buildings were added and the Flower Market was erected in 1872 (it is now the London Transport Museum and the National Theatre Museum).

The area was well established as the main fruit and vegetable market with traders visiting from across the UK. Of course transport out of the City got increasingly difficult and in the 1970’s the venue was finally moved out of Covent Garden. Indeed this historical trading centre was close to being demolished as the empty buildings were dormant and seemingly "past their best". Town planners were determined to "start afresh" but local pressure groups managed to talk them out of this and eventually the buildings were renovated and thankfully for us all Covent Garden remains intact as a modern day trading centre.

There are a range of unique shops and plenty of decent eateries where you can sit down and enjoy the ambiance of the area. You can be sure that there will always be a variety of street entertainment in and around the main centre.

But of course it’s the market that you’ll want to browse around and we never tire of this. There are essentially three markets. Apple market is I guess the most traditional with cockney traders selling bargain t-shirts and London memorabilia. It has a great buzz about it.

East Colonnade Market is a fantastic sight nestling in the covered area under the majestic columns of the regency building. It’s crammed full of craft stalls ranging from hand-crafted jewellery, hand-knitted clothing, and art work too many to mention. It’s a veritable treasure trove and I suspect that even the most frugal shopper will find something to buy. Not cheap but everything from toys to home-ware, soap to magical tricks is hand crafted.

Jubilee market is almost entirely dedicated to antiques on a Monday and it’s well worth getting down there to get the flavour of this traditional antique market. I’m not sure that you’ll ever pick up anything cheap as the traders are all pretty savvy. However, you can be sure that you’ll see some quality items and the variety is incredible. On Tuesdays through to Friday Jubilee market operates as a general market and over the weekend it transforms into an arts and crafts fair. So if you’re down for a long weekend you’ll be able to see three different markets on the one site.

There’s plenty to see and do in Covent Garden and I’d recommend that you check it out.

From journals Big Ben, Parliament,the old gardens of the Convent of Westminster

Popular Hotels Near Covent Garden

The Montague on the Gardens User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Swissotel London - The Howard User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Mandeville Hotel User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Melia White House User Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Covent Garden
4 out of 5 stars
Love2Travel2011 from Manchester
November 30, 2025
Best of IgoUgo

Cheer!
Flag

Quote: It's been a while since I last was in London. But some places you will not easily forget. One of those places is Covent Garden. London and as a city where everyone must have been a time Covent Garden is a place that's worth a visit.

What is it?
You would think if you read the name that has a garden. But it is a neighborhood in London. It falls under the administration of The City of Westminster. Covent Garden got its name during the reign of King John (from 1199 to 1256). The place has been inhabited for centuries. First a whole bunch of Romans. Only there were archaeological done showing that people lived before that. Around the 17th century was just agricultural land. After that it was used as a major fruit and vegetable market. End of 1600 a project was started to allow a large public plaza. Unfortunately I could not find where the name comes from Covent Garden. The name Covent Garden is also famous because it is also the name of one of the many subway stations in London.

Where is it

As above it is located in London, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the part which is called Greater London. The district is located in the eastern part of The City of Westminster. Lie around the Soho, St James, Bloomsbury and Holborn. The place is best known for the Covent Garden Piazza. The piazza is a large central square where the heart beats of the neighborhood. It is very easily accessible through the Covent Garden underground station or get off at Leicester Square tube station. By bus you can get it easily.

The Covent Garden Market

This is a large building in the middle of the piazza. This market is one of the major attractions of Covent Garden. You'll never feel lonely because there are more than 30 million tourists annually over the floor. And that is not recently, since it is known that there was already a fruit, vegetable and plant market since long. The original market was designed by Inigo Jones in 1632. Of course it has changed considerably. It is a big place with a kind of buildings in between. The real front is an imposing stone structure. The stones are very large and has a large round entrance. The market is located on two sides. This is at the front side open, so it has only a roof on it. And this roof is round and made of glass. You can then also enter the building from different sides. This looks very graceful with elegant fabrics and colors that you know of a country like England. It has a bit of an Italian atmosphere generated by Mr. Inigo has traveled a lot there. Between these openings are small rooms where all kind of shops in it. The shops are all a bit pricey.

Street

Around the market you will find many street performers. This street is a picture that truly belongs to the piazza. They range from mimes, jesters to waders. There are people who paint. Covent Garden is the only place in London where they issue permits for street performers.

Royal opera house

The Royal Opera House is beautiful with its entrance on the north side of the market hall. Its entrance is on Bow Street. The original building was built in 1809 at a spot where formerly stood even a theater. By a major fire building was destroyed and was rebuilt in 1857. This building was made bigger in 2000. Actually they called the building not a opera house, but Theatre Royal. But because Michael Costa took his company to enter the building to play in 1847 it was renamed the Royal Italian Opera with the performance of Rossini's Semiramide. The repertoire of the opera was expanded in 1892 and left to the italian word away from its name and officially became the Royal Opera House. Currently there are performances in ballet: The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Giselle and Snow White.

London's Transport Museum

On the piazza think it's also the London Transport Museum. It contains old-fashioned trolley buses, London buses, trams and metro trains old. I myself am not been and can not tell whether it is worth. The cost to get in, I can tell you, for adults is around 10 British pounds and children under 16 is free. The opening times are from 10 am until 18 hours. More information please read the website: http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/

St Paul's Church

This building is on the west side of the Piazza. At the front it does look Italian. He has about four large pillars with arches and looks impressive. That appearance is italian is not that weird because it was built by Inigo Jones in 1633. Only was the idea because lack of money never completed. The building was consecrated for divine worship until about 1638. It was also known as the actors church. This because of the actors came here from the former Royal Opera House. The great London fire of 1795 also left the church scathed. The roof and part of the walls were burned. It was rebuilt, but it immediately became some decorative built. For many people at that time found him dull. Currently the church is still used for the parish of Covent Garden. At the rear of the building is a lovely garden with benches where you can sit quietly. The church and garden are open to the public. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m..

Restaurants

In Covent Garden, there are over one hundred restaurants. I obviously do not describe all of them. They come in all price ranges, sizes and variations. There are several Italian, Asian and French restaurants and the famous fast food chains. There are also some real English pubs. One of the most famous is The Punch and Judy is in a beautiful old building overlooking the square.

My conclusion

You can safely take off for one day at Covent Garden and the surrounding area. It is a very diverse district. You walk between the beautiful old buildings with a somewhat Italianate appearance. The district is really a character in itself. The atmosphere is friendly and cheerful. Because of the street has just a little extra. Around Christmas time, everything is beautifully lit. I think it's really a must.

From journals Going to London!