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Number 16 of 20 in London

Covent Garden and the West End: the piazza and the theatres

Covent Garden was London's fruit and vegetable market for three hundred years. The market moved out in 1974, the iron and glass halls were saved from demolition, and the square became the place where the city goes out.

What it is
Show
Time to allow
2 to 5 hours
Cost
Free to walk, theatre ticket
Best time
Late afternoon into the evening

London this week

    Why Covent Garden is worth it

    The piazza was laid out in the 1630s by Inigo Jones for the Earl of Bedford, the first formal square in London, copied from the ones Jones had seen in Italy. His church of St Paul still closes its west side. The market hall in the middle was added in 1830.

    Round it grew the theatres. The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane has stood on the same site since 1663, and the Royal Opera House in Bow Street is the third on its ground. Today about forty theatres lie within a quarter of an hour's walk, the district Londoners call the West End.

    A night at one of them is as much a part of London as any museum. The Mousetrap, a murder mystery by Agatha Christie, has been running here since 1952.

    What to see

    1. The piazza and the market hall

      Shops and stalls under the glass roofs of the old market, and performers on the cobbles outside: jugglers, opera singers, men on unicycles. Each has auditioned for the pitch.

    2. St Paul's, the actors' church

      Inigo Jones's plain church of 1633, with a portico facing the square. Its walls inside are lined with memorials to actors, from Charlie Chaplin to Vivien Leigh.

    3. The Royal Opera House

      The home of the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. The glass and iron Floral Hall beside it is open by day, with a terrace that looks over the piazza.

    4. Seven Dials and Neal's Yard

      Seven streets meeting at a pillar of sundials, five minutes north of the square, and off one of them a small courtyard painted in every colour.

    5. A West End show

      Musicals fill most of the big houses on Shaftesbury Avenue, the Strand and round Leicester Square. Evening shows start early by continental habits, and many have afternoon performances twice a week.

    6. Chinatown and Leicester Square

      Gerrard Street, under its red gates, for supper before or after. Leicester Square next to it has the booth that sells cut-price seats for the same day.

    How to do it well

    • Book the show you most want ahead. For anything else, the official booth in Leicester Square sells seats for the same day at reduced prices.
    • Seats high in an old theatre can be steep and tight. The front of the dress circle is usually the best value.
    • Covent Garden station is small and its lifts are slow. Leicester Square station is five minutes' walk and often quicker.
    • The London Transport Museum on the piazza is the indoor choice with children on a wet day.
    • The National Gallery and Trafalgar Square are ten minutes away on foot: do them first and end here.

    Where it is

    Address

    Covent Garden Piazza, between the Strand and Long Acre

    Nearest station

    Covent Garden (Piccadilly) or Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly)

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Covent Garden and the West End

    Covent Garden and the West End: common questions

    What is Covent Garden known for?
    For its covered market and piazza, its street performers, the Royal Opera House, and the theatres of the West End all round it.
    How do you get cheap theatre tickets in London?
    Buy on the day at the official booth in Leicester Square, which sells reduced seats for that day's shows, or book well ahead for weekday performances, which cost less than Friday and Saturday nights.
    Is Covent Garden free to visit?
    Yes. The piazza, the market halls and the street shows cost nothing, though the performers pass a hat.
    How much time do you need for Covent Garden?
    Allow 2 to 5 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

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