Important: Wikitravel is exploring a license upgrade to CC by-sa 3.0, please give your consent or refusal here.

From Wikitravel

Covent Garden is a district of the West End of central London.

[edit] Understand

This is one of the main shopping and entertainment districts of the English capital and is hugely popular with visitors, who swarm to its shops, bars and restaurants, especially at weekends. Covent Garden incorporates much of London's Theatreland in the West End. It also forms a smaller extension to London's gay village that is centred on the neighbouring district of Soho.

Covent Garden takes its name from history; it used to be Convent Garden many years ago and over the years this has changed to Covent Garden.

This is an extensive area of high density building and narrow streets, officially bounded by High Holborn and New Oxford Street to the north, by Kingsway to the east, by The Strand to the south and by Charing Cross Road to the west. For all practical purposes, however, the district can also be seen to extend down to The Embankment along the Thames between Northumberland Avenue and Hungerford Bridge and to The Temple.

The main focus of the Covent Garden district for visitors is the Covent Garden Market Piazza. Further north, a secondary focus is Seven Dials, an intersection of seven streets, marked by a tall pillar with (you guessed it) seven (sun) dials. It is very easy for visitors to move on from here by foot to the attractions around Trafalgar and Leicester Squares, to Soho and to Bloomsbury.

[edit] Get in

Owing to the London Congestion Charge and the general shortage of parking spaces (plus stringent parking restrictions and fines), it is generally recommended that visitors to the area consider public transport to access the district.

[edit] By tube

Covent Garden has its own eponymous tube station, situated in the very heart of the district:

• Covent Garden Station (Piccadilly line). Exiting Covent Garden Tube Station, turn right (southwards, downhill) to walk to the Piazza, or turn left (northwards) to find the main shopping thoroughfares of Long Acre and Neal Street and also Seven Dials.

Other Tube stations convenient for visiting Covent Garden include:

• Leicester Square Station (Piccadilly and Northern lines).
• Holborn Station (Piccadilly and Central lines).
• Tottenham Court Road Station (Northern and Central lines).
• Embankment Station (District, Circle and Northern lines).

[edit] By train

• Charing Cross station - to access the core of the Covent Garden area, turn right on leaving the station on Trafalgar Square and walk down the Strand for about 100 m before veering left up any side street. This should bring you on or very close to the Covent Garden Piazza.

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Landmarks

• Covent Garden Piazza and Central Market. The most famous market in England, go in and explore.  edit

• St Paul's Church, Bedford Street (Centrally at the western end of the Piazza). Completed in 1633 to a design by Inigo Jones.  edit

• Seven Dials. An intersection of seven streets in the northern part of the Covent Garden district.  edit

• Royal Opera House, [1]. Recently renovated and displaying spectacular views, try and catch an opera here if you can.  edit

• Somerset House, (Between the Strand and the river Thames, lies immediately south of Covent Garden proper), [2].  edit

• Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, [3]. Houses the biggest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings in Britain.  edit

• Savoy Hotel, [4]. A famous landmark in Britain, splurge and dine upon high tea in the restaurant.  edit

• London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, [5]. Home to the English National Opera. Recently renovated with views over Trafalgar Square, the performances vary from classic operas to experiental works.  edit

• Charing Cross and Charing Cross Station. Old train station with an enormous office and shopping complex in glass and pale stone.  edit

[edit] Museums and Galleries

• London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza, ☎ +44 20 7565 7299, [6]. As the name suggests, dedicated to the history of transport in London, past, present and future, old buses and tubes feature in a big way. Adults £5.95, concessions £4.50/2.50, accompanied children under 16 free.  edit

• Photographers' Gallery, 5 & 8 Great Newport Street, ☎ +44 20 7831 1772, [7]. M-Sa 11AM-6PM, Th 11AM-8PM, Su noon-6PM. The gallery is actually split across two galleries, No. 8 houses the main exhibition and an interesting little bookshop (with a small stock of novelty lomo cameras), and No. 5 has a small cafe with more photos on the walls. The exhibitions are wide and varied, from documentary photographers to fine artists, some long gone, and some on their way up. With the crowds and chaos of Leicester Square on one side and Covent Garden on the other, this is a welcome retreat. Free.  edit

• Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, Somerset House, the Strand, [8]. 10AM-6PM, last entry 5:15PM. Home to a small but impressive collection of great art works, The Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery has one of the most important collections in Britain, including world-famous Old Master, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, and an outstanding prints and drawings collection featuring works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Cézanne and Turner. The collection includes around 530 paintings, 7000 drawings and 15,000 prints as well as significant holdings of medieval, Renaissance and modern sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, furniture and textiles. Adults £5, concessions £4, under-18s, full-time UK students, university staff and unwaged free, free admission for all M 10AM-2PM (except public holidays), admission includes access to collections and special exhibitions.  edit

[edit][add listing] Do

• Theatres. Go to a show at one of the many theatres.  edit

• Royal Opera House. Take in a free lunchtime recital or Opera or Ballet production.  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Shoes — seem to be a speciality of Covent Garden, particularly Neal Street where virtually every shop sells shoes, from Birkenstocks to trainers, campers to Doc Martens.

• Clothes — like its neighbour Soho, Covent Garden has a wide range of clothing shops. Head to Floral Street and Long Acre for a start, but explore the back-streets too as they often house more interesting stores. If you are on a budget, head to Earlham Street for occasional clothing stalls and Oxfam Originals.

• Neal's Yard Dairy, 11 Shorts Gardens, ☎ +44 20 7240 5700, [9]. M-Th 11AM-6:30PM, F-Sa 10AM-6:30PM. A fabulous cheese shop specialising in British cheeses. The smell as you walk up the street can be enticing or repulsive, depending on your preference for fragrant cheese. But regardless, a trip to this shop is well worthwhile. Whether they are busy or not, the staff are always keen to have you taste a few cheeses to ensure you find what you are looking for. Everyone here is passionate about their cheese, and while the prices are higher than you will pay pretty much anywhere else in the world for cheese, the quality and taste are second to none.  edit

• Monmouth Coffee, Monmouth Street (Near Seven Dials). Arguably the best coffee in London. Primarily a venue for quality coffee roasters, the shop on Monmouth street has a tasting room, i.e. a café, where you can marvel at the fact that not everywhere in London sells poor chain-café coffee. A selection of goodies such as croissants, pastries, and brownies are also available. As you wouldd expect of a roasters you can also purchase excellent coffee in bean form or ground, with various blends to suit your taste. Helpful and knowledgable staff can help you make a selection.  edit

• The New Zealand Shop, 27 Maiden Lane, [10]. M-F 10:30AM-6:30PM, Sa 11AM-6:30PM, Su 11AM-5:30PM. Provides antipodean visitors with a taste of home, albeit at London prices.  edit

• The Australia Shop, 27 Maiden Lane, [11]. M-F 10:30AM-6:30PM, Sa 11AM-6:30PM, Su 11AM-5:30PM. Provides antipodean visitors with a taste of home, albeit at London prices.  edit

• Stanfords, 12-14 Long Acre, ☎ +44 20 7836 1321. M-F 9AM-7:30PM, Sa 10AM-7PM, Su noon-6PM. Since 1901 Stanfords has been selling maps and travel guidebooks of all descriptions from this Covent Garden location. With three floors of regional maps, walking maps, guidebooks, travel books, a digital mapping service and more this is a huge store that is interesting even if you do not intend to buy anything.  edit

• Second-hand books, Cecil Court (Links St. Martin's Lane and Charing Cross Road), [12]. Lined with small second-hand and antiquarian outlets, selling anything from first editions to antique posters. Many of the bookshops have full catalouges available to view online.  edit

• Thomas Neal's, 29-41 Earlham Street. A nice shopping plaza with clothes shops, design shops and cafes.  edit

• Ben's Cookies, 13a The Piazza (Inside the Covent Garden Market), ☎ +44 20 7240 6123, [13]. M-Fr 7:30AM-7PM, Sa 9:30AM-6:30PM, Su 10:30AM-6:30PM, Bank Holidays 10AM-6PM. Very nice cookies. Try their white chocolate with macadamia cookies. Price is about £1 per cookie, and the cookies here are almost twice as big as those at Millie's. They also have branches at 12 Kensington Arcade, Kensington High Street; at 39 Leadenhall Market; and at 9 Pelham Street, South Kensington.  edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

• The George, 213 The Strand, ☎ +44 20 7353 9638. Established in 1723, not much of the decor has changed in this traditional English pub, where you can order happily inexpensive, tasty food.  edit

• Primrose Bakery, 42 Tavistock Street, ☎ +44 20 7836 3638, [14]. You can get possibly the best cupcakes in London here. They have an impressive clientele that includes U2 and Kate Moss. They also supply Selfridges food hall, Fortnum & Mason and Libertys, where the prices are MUCH higher (£1 more in Fortnum & Mason). They have another branch at 69 Gloucester Avenue, Primrose Hill. Try their chocolate on chocolate cupcake with cherry filling. Prices start from £1.75 for a regular cupcake.  edit

[edit] Mid-range

• Paul's Bakery, 29/30 Bedford Street, ☎ +44 20 7836 3304. M-F 7:30AM-9PM, Sa-Su 9AM-9PM. A French favourite, now in London, Paul's serves coffee and teas together fine French pastries, tarts, cakes and breads for savouring on or off the premises. Light snacks, lunches and dinners are also catered for, at prices a little higher than your average café (but reasonable for the touristy Covent Garden), somewhat less than a restaurant.  edit

• Cafe Pacifico, 5 Langley Street, ☎ +44 20 7379 7728. M-Sa noon-11:45PM, Su noon-10:45PM. London's original Mexican Cantina, serving all your typical Mexican food along with a good range of Margaritas and Tequila.  edit

• La Perla, 28 Maiden Lane, ☎ +44 20 7240 7400. M-Sa 12-11:30PM, Su 4PM-10.30PM. Another of Cafe Pacifico's venues, this one is slightly smaller with more of a bar feeling.  edit

• Maison Malinowski Brasserie, 63 Neal Street. Serves really delicious crêpes among other things. Perfect for a break while shopping!  edit

• Scoop Fine Italian Gelato, 40 Shorts Gardens, ☎ 07944779693, [15]. This place is popular among the university students in London. Come here for some genuine Italian gelato or coffee and cake. Try their hazelnut gelato, which is simply amazing. For a large cup the price is around £3.60, and it's worth every penny!  edit

[edit] Splurge

• The Ivy, 1 West Street, ☎ +86 20 7836 4751. Wining and dining rooms of celebrities, the actual difficulty in getting a table these days gives the restaurant slightly more kudos as an eatery than it deserves. Cosy and intimate, serving traditional but diverse restaurant meals. Competent cooking and reasonably good service, but not worth waiting 6 months for. Unless you are an avid star-gazer, go at a time when celebs are unlikely to be around. Average price £40.  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Cafés

[edit] Pubs

• The Salisbury, St Martin's Lane. Beautifully preserved Victorian pub. Full of mirrors and lights, cut glass and mahogany, this place is nothing like the dark and dingy pubs that are all too common in London.  edit

• Porterhouse, 21-22 Maiden Lane, ☎ +44 20 7379 7917, [16]. A modern pub split across multiple levels connected by narrow staircases and walkways, with a selection of over 100 bottled beers from around the world.  edit

[edit] Bars

• Box, 32-34 Monmouth Street (At the Seven Dials), ☎ +44 20 7240 5828. A trendy gay bar.  edit

• Rum Bar, 45 St. Martin's Lane, ☎ +44 20 7300 5588, [17]. Asia de Cuba, the trendy restaurant located inside the St. Martin's Lane Hotel, also houses the stylish Rum Bar. With tall, 'lean-on' tables designed by Phillipe Starck and a meticulously designed interior this is a great place to meet for a cocktails before or after heading out for an evening.  edit

• Light, 45 St. Martin's Lane, ☎ +44 20 7300 5599, [18]. Stylish, ultra modern space inside the St. Martin’s Lane Hotel. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, many of London's most popular D.J.'s are featured.  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

• myhotel Bloomsbury, 11-13 Bayley Street Bedford Square, [19]. Close to Covent Garden and Soho in the Bohemian area of Bloomsbury. Doubles from £206.  edit

• The Savoy, The Strand, ☎ +44 20 7836 4343, [20]. The famed Savoy is located on The Strand in the heart of the West End theatre district, offering magnificent views of the river Thames. The Savoy opened in 1889 and remains a popular destination in London. The hotel boasts 263 rooms and suites, a nifty blend of elegance and contemporary design. Inventive cuisine can be enjoyed in the Savoy Grill and the more informal Banquette. The theaters, opera, ballet and shopping of Covent Garden are located nearby.  edit

• St Martins Lane, 45 St. Martin's Lane, ☎ +44 20 7300 5500, [21]. Ian Schrager (he of Studio 54 fame) is known worldwide for being an innovator in the ‘hip’ hotel business. His first foray into London, St Martins Lane, is a playful and urbane destination in the West End theater district off Trafalgar Square that combines urban cool and modern design (via design guru Philippe Starck). Unique features to this trendy-meets-luxury hotel include Asia de Cuba restaurant, the popular Light Bar and interactive light displays in every guest room that encourage guests to personalize their own individual space.  edit

[edit] Contact

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!