Neighbourhood guide · London, United Kingdom
Covent Garden
The old market square and the streets around it, from Seven Dials to the Strand, with the Royal Opera House and many West End theatres.
About Covent Garden
Covent Garden is busy and festive, with street performers in the piazza and independent shops in Seven Dials and Neal’s Yard.
Where Covent Garden is
Our 28 places in Covent Garden
Restaurants in Covent Garden
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The flower-filled conservatory
Clos Maggiore
A romantic French restaurant on King Street in Covent Garden, famous for its conservatory filled with blossom and a vast wine list.
33 King Street, WC2E 8JDExplore View on map
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Bombay comfort food
Dishoom Covent Garden
A homage to the old Irani cafés of Bombay, serving all day from breakfast to late, a few steps from Seven Dials.
12 Upper St Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9FBExplore View on map
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Theatreland seafood
J Sheekey
A classic seafood restaurant in a lane between the theatres, with panelled rooms and a famous fish pie.
28-32 St Martin’s Court, WC2N 4ALExplore View on map
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Established in 1798
Rules
Covent Garden’s grand old dining room, known for game, pies and puddings beneath walls of paintings and cartoons.
35 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7LBExplore View on map
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Food hall in a banana warehouse
Seven Dials Market
A food hall over two floors in a Victorian warehouse once used to ripen bananas, with independent traders and bars.
Earlham Street, WC2H 9LXExplore View on map
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A counter in Neal’s Yard
The Barbary
A small counter restaurant in Neal’s Yard cooking the food of the Barbary Coast, from North Africa to Spain, over charcoal.
16 Neal’s Yard, WC2H 9DPExplore View on map
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A Viennese café on the Aldwych
The Delaunay
A grand café-restaurant in the style of Vienna on the Aldwych, serving schnitzels, strudels and breakfasts from morning to late.
55 Aldwych, WC2B 4BBExplore View on map
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Theatreland since 1917
The Ivy
The original Ivy on West Street, a Theatreland favourite since 1917, with stained glass and a long central bar.
1-5 West Street, WC2H 9NQExplore View on map
Cafés & Tea in Covent Garden
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A Seven Dials institution
Monmouth Coffee Company
A small, wood-lined coffee shop on Monmouth Street, where the roaster first started out in the 1970s.
27 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9EUExplore View on map
See the full list: Cafés, Coffee and Afternoon Tea in London
Bars & Pubs in Covent Garden
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A Covent Garden pub off Rose Street
Lamb & Flag
A historic Covent Garden pub at the end of narrow Rose Street, with low beams and a busy courtyard outside.
33 Rose Street, WC2E 9EBExplore View on map
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Cocktail history
The American Bar at The Savoy
The Savoy’s celebrated Art Deco cocktail bar, where cocktails have been mixed since the 1890s, with a pianist in the evenings.
The Savoy, Strand, WC2R 0EZExplore View on map
Hotels in Covent Garden
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Seven Dials townhouse
Covent Garden Hotel
A townhouse hotel on Monmouth Street, steps from Seven Dials and the theatres, with a wood-panelled drawing room.
10 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9HBExplore View on map
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Between Covent Garden and the river
One Aldwych
A contemporary luxury hotel in an Edwardian building on the Aldwych, with the Lobby Bar, Indigo restaurant, a spa and a swimming pool.
1 Aldwych, WC2B 4BZExplore View on map
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On the Strand
Strand Palace Hotel
A large, long-established hotel on the Strand opposite the Savoy, with Haxells restaurant, a cocktail bar and a tea parlour.
372 Strand, WC2R 0JJExplore View on map
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On the Strand since 1889
The Savoy
A legendary grand hotel between the Strand and the Thames, opened in 1889, home to the American Bar and the Savoy Grill.
Strand, WC2R 0EZExplore View on map
See the full list: Where to Stay in London: Grand Hotels and Boutique Hotels
Sights in Covent Garden
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Booksellers’ Row
Cecil Court
A Victorian pedestrian lane between Charing Cross Road and St Martin’s Lane, lined with antiquarian bookshops and print dealers.
Cecil Court, WC2NExplore View on map
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The heart of Covent Garden
Covent Garden Piazza and Market
The square and the 19th-century market building at the heart of Covent Garden, with shops, cafés, market stalls and street performers.
Covent Garden PiazzaExplore View on map
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Buses, trams and the Tube
London Transport Museum
A museum of London’s buses, trams, trains and Tube in the old flower market on Covent Garden Piazza, with a shop famous for its posters.
Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 7BBExplore View on map
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A colourful hidden courtyard
Neal’s Yard
A tiny courtyard of brightly painted shopfronts between Monmouth Street and Shorts Gardens, with cafés and the original Neal’s Yard Remedies.
Neal’s Yard, WC2H 9DPExplore View on map
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Food hall in a banana warehouse
Seven Dials Market
A food hall over two floors in a Victorian warehouse once used to ripen bananas, with independent traders and bars.
Earlham Street, WC2H 9LXExplore View on map
Museums & Arts in Covent Garden
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The back story
Curtain up: London’s Theatreland, the back story
From the Restoration playhouses of Drury Lane to the musicals of Shaftesbury Avenue: how the West End became one of the world’s great theatre districts.
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Home of English National Opera
London Coliseum
London’s largest theatre, on St Martin’s Lane, home of English National Opera and English National Ballet seasons.
32-35 St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4ESExplore View on map
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Royal Ballet and Opera
Royal Opera House
The home of the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera, on Covent Garden’s Bow Street, with the glass Paul Hamlyn Hall and a terrace over the piazza.
Bow Street, WC2E 9DDExplore View on map
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A palace for the arts
Somerset House
A great 18th-century building between the Strand and the Thames, now an arts centre with exhibitions, a fountain courtyard and a river terrace.
Strand, WC2R 1LAExplore View on map
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Impressionist masterpieces
The Courtauld Gallery
A jewel of a gallery in Somerset House, with famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.
Strand, WC2R 1LAExplore View on map
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A historic West End theatre
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
One of London’s oldest theatre sites, home to big musicals in a grand restored auditorium.
Catherine Street, WC2B 5JFExplore View on map
See the full list: Museums, Galleries, Theatre and Concerts in London
Shopping in Covent Garden
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Seven streets, one sundial
Seven Dials
Seven streets meeting at a sundial pillar, lined with independent shops, fashion and beauty brands, cafés and restaurants.
Seven Dials, WC2H 9HDExplore View on map
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Maps and travel since 1853
Stanfords
The famous map and travel bookshop, founded in 1853, now on Mercer Walk in Covent Garden.
7 Mercer Walk, WC2H 9FAExplore View on map
See the full list: Shopping in London: Bond Street, Liberty and the Historic Shops of St James’s