Stuart Forster provides an overview of fun things to do in Covent Garden in London.
Disclosure: This post was initially created in 2019 as a collaboration with Hotels.com. My spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own. Some of the links below and banners are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Exploring London’s Covent Garden is a great experience at any time of the year. This guide for fun things to do in Covent Garden explores the area, highlights key attractions, things to do, as well as places to drink and eat.
I visited Covent Garden during the festive season, so many of my pictures contain seasonal decorations and illuminations. Visiting at this time makes it particularly rewarding to see the seasonal decorations. Yet there are loads of fun things to do in Covent Garden at any time of the year.
Booking a Covent Garden Hotel puts you in the heart of London, within easy walking distance of many of the British capital’s principal tourist attractions.
Exploring London’s Covent Garden
The heart of the district is Covent Garden Market. The covered, neo-Classical market building formerly sold fruit and vegetables. It’s now occupied by boutique stores that I visited to browse for gift ideas.
The market houses the likes of the Moomin Shop (43 The Market Building). The Moomin Shop sells books by Finnish author Tove Jannson and memorabilia depicting characters from her popular series.
In the Ladurée shop (1 The Market), I was impressed by the Champagne Christmas hampers, delightfully presented yule logs and boxes of macarons.
Within the market’s South Hall, I listened to a talented string quartet before stepping outside to view the Christmas decorations by the compact ice rink.
Covent Garden attractions
The entrance to the London Transport Museum is on the south side of the marketplace. The family-friendly attraction tells the story of public transport in London. It’s inside the Victorian building that once housed England’s principal flower market.
Old-fashioned horse-drawn omnibuses, Underground cars and red double-deckers are among the museum’s exhibits. I found it easy to while away a couple of hours looking at photos and reading legends conveying the evolution of transportation in Britain’s biggest city.
Into art? The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are a five-minute stroll from Covent Garden. The Courtauld Gallery is under 10 minutes’ walk from the famous covered market.
Entertainment around Covent Garden
Covent Garden is part of London’s West End theatre district. The Aldwych Theatre, Lyceum Theatre, Theatre Royal and Drury Lane are among the entertainment venues just a couple of minutes’ walk from the covered market.
It’s possible to enter the Royal Opera House from the colonnaded walkway of The Piazza.
Top things to do in Covent Garden
Places to eat near Covent Garden
As you’d expect of somewhere set among upscale shops and entertainment venues, it isn’t short of places to eat at Covent Garden. There’s a broad choice of places selling food to go, cafés and restaurants. They include London’s oldest dining establishment, Rules (35 Maiden Lane), which was founded in 1798.
For fine-dining experiences, consider the likes of Frog by Adam Handling (34-35 Southampton Street), Clos Maggiore (33 King Street) and Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay (in the Savoy Hotel).
Pizza Pilgrims (23 Garrick Street) is ideal for an informal lunch or dinner. I popped in and ordered the Nduja, a pizza whose toppings include spicy sausage from Calabria.
For British cuisine, try The Ivy Market Grill (1a Henrietta Street). Brother Marcus (23 Slingsby Place) is another highly rated Covent Garden restaurant.
Best bars in Covent Garden
Pubs in and around Covent Garden
For a pint of beer in central London, try the following pubs:
The White Lion (24 James Street) is a traditional British pub operated by the Nicholson’s chain. It’s a good bet for a pint of cask ale and is just a matter of steps from Covent Garden Underground Station.
Opposite stands The Nag’s Head (10 James Street), which shares its name with the Trotters’ local pub in the vintage television comedy series Only Fools and Horses. Pubs have occupied the location since the late 1600s and the current neo-Jacobean-style building dates from 1900. So having a drink here means experiencing the heritage of Covent Garden.
The Harp (47 Chandos Place) is a couple of minutes’ walk from Covent Garden, in the direction of Trafalgar Square. The Harp serves a broad selection of cask ales and is a good place for a pint of London Pride, London-based Fuller’s Brewery’s flagship ale.
Covent Garden rooftop bars
The area’s rooftop bars and dining options include Rooftop at the Conduit (6 Langley Street), AMANO rooftop bar (34-43 Russell Street) and Kitty Hawk (8 St Martin’s Place).
Wherever you go and whatever you do, hopefully you’ll find fun things to do in Covent Garden.
Feel free to drop me a line with your suggestions in the comments below. If there are things to do in Convent Garden that I have missed, please let me know.
Map of Covent Garden
The map below shows the location of Covent Garden in central London. Zoom into the map to view details:
Hotels in London
Search for accommodation in London using the map below:
Books about London
Planning a trip to Covent Garden? The following books about London are available from Amazon.co.uk:
Covent Garden travel information
See the Covent Garden and Visit London websites for more information on things to do in Covent Garden and the surrounding area.
Further Information
Thank you for visiting Go Eat Do and reading this post about fun things to do in Covent Garden. If you enjoy culinary travel and plan on visiting London, you may also appreciate this post about a Food Tour in London’s East End. If you enjoy West End shows, take a look at this post about The Lion King in London.
Stuart Forster, the author of this post, is an award-winning travel writer. He visits London frequently.
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A version of this post was initially published on Go Eat Do on 5 December 2019.
Ferne Arfin
December 6, 2019 at 10:13Don’t miss St Paul’s, Covent Garden. It’s known as The Actor’s Church. Inside there are memorials to many famous actors and actresses. The buskers who perform in front of it, attracting crowds all year round, are practicing a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. Diarist Samuel Pepys wrote about seeing the first Punch and Judy show under the portico in the 1660s and later, Shaw set the meeting between flower seller Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins on the steps of the portico of this church. It’s a real landmark of London’s Theatreland and the garden is a very peaceful place to get away from the crowds and plan your next foray. In the summer, the church’s own theatre company performs there.
Stuart Forster
December 6, 2019 at 12:19Thanks, that’s a fabulous suggestion. What lovely insights into Covent Garden’s heritage.
Kathryn Burrington
December 7, 2019 at 17:49I love Covent garden any time of year but especially at Christmas and even more so as it gets dark. Really magical.
Stuart Forster
December 23, 2019 at 14:32The Christmas decorations at Covent Garden look tremendous.
Nell (Pigeon Pair and Me)
December 12, 2019 at 14:12I love the Moomin shop! Haven’t been there for years, though. Covent Garden’s one of those places you need to see at this time of year, if you’re visiting London. So festive.
Stuart Forster
December 23, 2019 at 14:31It really is a joy to wander around at this time of year!
Kacie Morgan
December 19, 2019 at 12:37I love Covent Garden and I bet it looks beautiful at this time of the year. I never knew about the Moomin shop before – I’ll have to keep an eye out for that on my next visit.
Stuart Forster
December 23, 2019 at 14:33It’s one of several stores that I browsed seeking inspiration for Christmas presents.