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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 06 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Sarah Barrell

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.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: +
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

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.

When to do it

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.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Covent Garden’s Hidden Gems: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

Covent Garden’s Hidden Gems: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

London

Discover the mesmerizing district of Covent Garden in London, renowned for its bustling market and luxury shopping as well as award-winning ...

£7 | Rating 4.45 / 5 [11 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Z Hotel Covent Garden

London, United Kingdom (UK)

A sleek, streamlined budget option with an exclusive edge, accessed via a ‘secret’ courtyard just behind Covent Garden Piazza.

Official star rating:

Henrietta Hotel London

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.

Official star rating:

The Resident Covent Garden

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.

Official star rating:

The Hub Covent Garden

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.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

London

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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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Royal Opera House

London, United Kingdom (UK)

This grand setting in Covent Garden is home to both the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet companies, and the place for lavish, spectacular performances by the world’s leading singers and dancers.

Best for ages: 18+ | £45 | 1-3 hours

London Transport Museum

London, United Kingdom (UK)

Fascinating museum offering an insight into the remarkable transport heritage of the city that pioneered the underground railway. Trains, iconic black cabs, scarlet double-decker buses and more.

Best for ages: 6+ | £20

National Gallery

London, United Kingdom (UK)

One of the world’s greatest collections of Western European paintings, with more than 2,300 works on display from Da Vinci to Monet.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Exterior view of the grand building surrounding a large square
Experience

Somerset House

London, United Kingdom (UK)

Famous for its picturesque alfresco ice rink in winter and the Edmund J Safra fountains in the summer, this elegant neoclassical building is also home to an art gallery and upscale restaurant.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Royal Academy of Arts

London, United Kingdom (UK)

An 18th-century mansion of masterpieces sitting pretty on Piccadilly, home to one of Britain’s oldest collections of fine art and regular blockbuster exhibitions.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

Exterior view of front facade with people walking in front
Experience

SEA LIFE London Aquarium

London, United Kingdom (UK)

London’s impressive aquarium, set on the South Bank, home to hundreds of species of fish and a selection of sharks.

Best for ages: Any | £27

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