A central spot from which to plan your perfect day in London, Covent Garden combines the best of the diverse city with shops, dining options, bars, instagrammable settings, and plenty to see and do as you wander the streets. A stone’s throw from the heart of theatreland, and with great access to your chosen Premier Club Rewards accommodation, whether you have booked the Paddington Court Suites or the Kensington London Hotel towards the West of London, Covent Garden is a vibrant and exciting spot.
Here are some of the best things to see and do as you explore one of London’s most popular spots.
Wander the market
Inside the structure of Covent Garden, you will find a daily market sat amid and in between the boutique shops and stores. This market brings together homeware, gifts, clothing, quirky accessories, and all manner of souvenirs – leaving you with no excuses for failing to take London goodies home with you when you leave the city.
The only thing you need to remember as you wander the vast collection of market stalls and shops is that, if you’re returning to a Heathrow Rewards hotel and flying back home, you’ll need plenty of space in your luggage to carry all your souvenirs!
Enjoy a drink with entertainment
The pub which overlooks Covent Garden square is just one in a series of pubs and bars which line the open space – all of which present the perfect view for whatever entertainment has been secured that day. Covent Garden is famous for its street performers, who engage crowds and give you something genuinely unique to enjoy and remember.
Cocktails
From Gloria’s cocktail bar to The Ivy at Covent Garden, this central London location is rife with places to explore and experience brand new cocktails and drinks. And with Covent Garden within walking distance of a number of tube stations, as well as bus stops and the river Thames, luckily every accommodation option and location can be accessed by public transport. Meaning you don’t have to worry about having one too many before you head back to your hotel room.
See a show
Covent Garden is right in the middle of theatreland, with a number of the top theatres in the city just minutes from Covent Garden’s centre. What that means is that not only can you enjoy a wander round the market before your show, but you can also find yourself pre-theatre dinner and drinks in the vibrant and exciting surroundings of Covent Garden.
Walk
When in doubt, Covent Garden is a great place to simply wander around, people watching and exploring new avenues and routes to and from the river and the city centre. With the setting and scenery of Covent Garden changing with the seasons, the blooms and floral displays always present a beautiful backdrop to a wander around – and why not pick up a treat from one of the street food vendors while you’re at it.
With its central location, Covent Garden is also not far from any main area of central London – with our advice being to walk South, cross the Strand, and then along the banks of the river Thames for a scenic and ever-changing look at London.
Harry Potter Museum
Although it may look simple from the outside, the interior of the Harry Potter photographic museum is a truly immersive and unique look at the movies – with the museum recreating various sets and setting behind the scenes video footage and photos against costumes and more from the movies themselves. In addition, this is the only place where you can get a poured pint of Butterbeer inspired by the books and movies, making it a great place to stop for refreshments.
It is worth booking tickets in advance for this particular experience, as it gets popular during holidays and weekends.
Transport Museum
Backing onto Covent Garden is the transport museum, which is a genuinely interesting look at London’s transport history and how travel has changed through the ages. Perfect for visitors of all ages, not only is this museum interesting to wander around but it is also perfectly located as a stopping point for rainy days.
Visit Somerset House
From ice skating around Christmas, to running through the water features in the summer, attending concerts and summer exhibitions, or simply visiting to tick it off the bucket list, Somerset House can be accessed through Covent Garden and is an impressive stately home structure in the centre of London.
First constructed in 1776, visiting Somerset House is as much an experience for the history lovers in your group as it is for those seeking a little entertainment.
Keep an eye open for pop ups
From the ice cream festival which visits in the summer months, to the vast array of pop ups stores who take on interior spaces and bring to life their own brand concepts for limited periods throughout the year, Covent Garden is a place where the scenery is ever-changing and where the retail offerings change with the seasons. In addition to retail pop ups, Covent Garden is also popular with one-off performances and limited productions, for example the Disney on Stage phenomenon which is currently in Covent Garden until September 2022, showcasing some of Disney’s favourite and most immersive theatre experiences to wow the family.
TOP TIP: Start inside the market itself where you will find costumes taken straight from some of the top Disney shows in the West End right now – and keep your ears open for soundtracks on loop!
