Covent Garden Area Guide

An ever-evolving area, Covent Garden is jam-packed with an abundance of independent shops, restaurants and cultural sights. Once home to the world-famous fruit and vegetable market, the Apple Market continues to support market traders, offering a range of unique handmade crafts and goods throughout the week. And in the East Colonnade Market, you can find stalls filled with jewellery, handmade soaps and the like.

Get your culture fix

With a plethora of cultural institutions lining the historic streets of Covent Garden, there’s no surprise that one of the most popular things to do in the area is see a show or performance. And there’s perhaps nowhere more iconic than the world-famous Royal Opera House. Home to the Royal Ballet, Royal Opera and the ROH Orchestra, it is open almost year-round for performances, from Swan Lake to festive favourites like the Nutcracker.

Nearby lies The Donmar Warehouse, an intimate venue dedicated to supporting new writing, which often produces critically acclaimed productions. Boasting the world’s longest-running play, St Martin’s Theatre is home to ‘The Mousetrap’– a must see for any Agatha Christie fan. And if musicals are more your thing, the Abba-laden masterpiece ‘Mamma Mia! is wowing crowds once more at the Novello Theatre.

While the ever-popular London Transport Museum explores the link between the evolution of London’s public transport system and London’s social and cultural fabric since 1800. Ideal for adults and children alike, highlights include the iconic red London bus, the world’s first Underground steam train, and interactive galleries where you can test out a Tube driving simulator.

Shopping

Along with the central market’s hub of quirky stalls, Covent Garden has also become a destination for premium brands such as  Apple, Burberry and Paul Smith.

Within a short distance of Covent Garden Piazza are an array of independent shops just waiting to be explored, hidden away in picturesque courtyards and down bustling narrow cobbled streets. Neal’s Yard is one of the best – a courtyard bursting with colourful architecture and vibrant cafés
– and home to the eponymous Neal’s Yard Dairy, where you can pick up a selection of delectable cheeses. Nearby lies Cecil Court – a bibliophile’s haven brimming with bookshops and stores selling antique maps and memorabilia.

While in the area, don’t miss Seven Dials, where the streets radiating out from the central sundial include chocolatiers and coffee shops. The Cambridge Theatre, home to ‘Matilda the musical’, is also located around the corner.

Eating and drinking

When all the exploring gets a little too much, there’s certainly no lack of places to eat and drink in the area, with plenty of independent restaurants, pubs and bars to choose from. Of note are some of the city’s oldest public houses, including The Lamb and Flag on Rose Street – a former haunt of Charles Dickens himself – with a notorious, bloody history it was once nicknamed ‘The Buckle of Blood’.

On the corner of Aldwych and Drury Lane, The Delaunay is particularly well located for those wanting a spot of breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner. We are also ideally positioned for enjoying a meal before or after a nearby theatre performance. For those in a hurry, The Delaunay Counter – our traditional Viennese café adjacent to the restaurant, also offers a selection of food and drink to take away. As The Independent puts it, “Simply walking into the Delaunay makes you feel you’ve found the perfect restaurant” and who are we to argue with that.

P.S. Did you know?

Covent Garden has a number of places of historical interest, with many buildings commemorated with a Blue Plaque. London’s Blue Plaque scheme is run by English Heritage and honours the notable people who have worked or lived in the buildings they decorate.

In Covent Garden alone, three notable figures of history stand out in particular. Thomas Augustine Arne may not be instantly recognisable by name, but his patriotic song certainly lives on. A British composer in the late 18th century, Thomas Arne wrote ‘Rule, Brittania!’ and a version of ‘God Save the King’ – you can find his plaque at 31 King Street, where he used to live.

Another notable figure (this time someone certainly known by his name), and a resident of Covent Garden is Charles Dickens. The English writer and social critic, responsible for creating some of the most famous fictional characters, from Oliver Twist to Ebenezer Scrooge, actually has two Blue Plaques in the area…

Finally, Dame Margot Fonteyn, the legendary ballerina, lived in Flat 9, 118 Long Acre in Covent Garden, where a plaque in her name is located today. A dancer with the Royal Ballet, she was often described as one of the most elegant and greatest performers of her time and is remembered today for making ballet both fashionable and accessible.