London 3-day Itinerary
United Kingdom (UK)
Where to go and what to see in London to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Annabelle Thorpe.
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Covent Garden piazza is one of London’s best-loved tourist draws; a quaint old apple market, built in 1830, and converted in 1980 into a hubbub of street performers, cafes, bars and restaurants. The central covered quarter is home to the daily market; on Mondays it’s an antique-hunters heaven, while Tuesday to Sunday sees stalls selling everything from hand-made jewellery to bespoke waistcoats, one-off clocks and hand-dyed scarves.
The two sub-ground terraces are home to two of London’s favourite watering holes, the Crusting Pipe, where buskers play classical music for the gathered drinkers, and the Punch & Judy, which also has a terrace overlooking the main piazza.
In culture and literature, this cobbled square is inextricably linked with the story Pygmalion and its musical adaptation My Fair Lady. Many come to Covent Garden piazza purely for its atmosphere, created by buskers, jugglers and other street performers – if you want London at its most vibrant, this is the place to come.
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The nearest tube stations are Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line) and Charing Cross (Bakerloo, Northern), with Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly) also nearby. Covent Garden itself gets very crowded, so exiting the tube at Charing Cross or Leicester Square is less stressful.
Leave half an hour or so to wander the piazza, and consider having lunch around here – the atmosphere is lovely and there are a lot of historic or unique London restaurants in the surrounding streets.
Covent Garden is busy at any time of year, so expect a few crowds – but sunny days at best when the famous street performers turn up. It’s hugely atmospheric in December, when the festive lights and garlands are strung around the Apple Market, and an enormous, beautifully-decorated Christmas tree is erected.
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London
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
London, United Kingdom (UK)
A sleek, streamlined budget option with an exclusive edge, accessed via a ‘secret’ courtyard just behind Covent Garden Piazza.
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
A stylish boutique hotel with a standout bar, superb London Eye views and Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House right outside the door.
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
Low prices without sacrificing style or comfort are the order of the day at The Resident’s smart Covent Garden address.
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
A super-affordable, tech-savvy stay in very centre of the capital between The Strand and Covent Garden, with a buzzy café, popular with locals.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Greater London, United Kingdom (UK)
World-class culture, fashion, music, food and history – and a mind-boggling array of bucket list experiences – packed into one extraordinary, incomparable destination.
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
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One of the world’s greatest collections of Western European paintings, with more than 2,300 works on display from Da Vinci to Monet.
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
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