Covent Garden is one of London’s favourite tourist destinations, with the market and street entertainers attracting tourists from across the world .
The cobbled courtyard at Covent Garden is the only part of London licensed for street entertainment. Performers have to undertake auditions and sign up to timetabled slots. As a consequence the standards are very high.
From the 17th century Covent Garden was London’s premier fruit and veg market and continued to be so right up to 1974 when traffic congestion forced the market to move 3 miles away to Nine Elms in South London. Now Covent Garden is dedicated to boutiques shops and cafes and restaurants and is a lovely place to spend an afternoon.
Getting There: Covent Garden can be reached by underground (Covent Garden station) but at peak times the station can become very busy so it may be easier to go to Leicester Square station which is just a ten minute walk away.
