The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.
We’ve just returned from a family day in Covent Garden, London. With so much to see and do in the area. For our next visit, I need to look at a Covent Garden hotel so that we don’t have to cut the fun short to travel home. It was lovely to dedicate our time around one area of London. Allowing us to explore the streets and lanes to discover what they held.
One of the reasons many visit Covent Garden is as a stop-gap before heading off to the theatre. Perfectly located in the middle of the several major theatres it does make it a great place to pop over, explore the shops and grab a bite to eat before heading to your matinee or evening performance. However, there is so much more to Covent Garden, especially for families.
Family-friendly attractions in Covent Garden
In case you are thinking about heading to Covent Garden for the day or weekend, I thought I’d share with you our little adventure. Showcasing some of the family-friendly attractions that we enjoyed. – although there are so many more that we didn’t manage to do (all the more reason for another trip!).
London Transport Museum
We actually visited the London Transport Museum last year for the first time on Mother’s Day. After seeing so many wonderful photos from the museum on social media we knew it would be somewhere that the children would love to visit. Tucked away in one of Covent Garden’s corners the outside of the building looks quite small for a museum. However, don’t let this put you off as the museum soon opens up as you enter via the side of the shop.
Venturing up a ramp, before stepping inside an elevator you are transported (like what I did there?) up to the top floor to start your journey through the London Transport history. Showcasing the days of horse and carriages, trams, an array of buses and the introduction of the London Underground tube system.
Museum admission tickets are valid for 12 months. This gives you unlimited daytime entry to the Museum. Kids go free! With an adult ticket costing just £16.50 (if purchased online or £18.00 on the day). I’m sure you can admit it overs amazing value for money. With so much to see and do within the museum, it is somewhere that you can visit time and time again.
Be sure to check out the amazing store on your way out too. So many fantastic transport-related gifts, activities and treats available to buy.
Street Performances
Covent Garden is well known for the wide variety of street performers and performances that you can find. No matter what day of the week you go, there is ways something going one. Located around Covent Garden you’ll be able to find hair-raising acrobats outside St Pauls Church, soulful singers in the corners and entertainers within the Apple Market.
Always great to stop, watch and encourage these performers who are spectacular at what they do.
Infinity Chamber
Covent Garden’s new Infinity Chamber, located in Conduit Court, is created using thousands of LED bulbs. The must-snap spot changes colours throughout the year from beautiful bright white to an ever-changing rainbow.
The Infinity Chamber is free for visitors to use 24 hours a day, making it the first of its kind in the area.
Covent Garden Market
Covent Garden boasts not one, but three different markets for you to choose from. Whether you are looking for handmade jewellery, prints, watercolours or beautiful crafts. Each of the markets offers something a little different from the others so it is well worth taking the time to look around all three and see what treasures you can discover.
Shopping
Surrounded by top name brands, designers and stores you are certain to find a shop for you. With the streets leading away from the main Covent Garden area also home to some wonderful stores. Be sure to investigate and explore these areas too. We managed to find a Neon Sheep store, which I had been browsing online earlier in the week for clothing so it was lovely to see the products in person.
We also managed to find a host of outdoor sports retailers, which was perfect for Roo as she is heading off on a school ski trip next month. After investigating a couple of the stores, she managed to find a pair of snow boots in Mountain Warehouse which will hopefully aid her in staying upright whilst walking around the resort.
Restaurants
All the walking, discovering and exploring is hungry work, so it’s a good job that there is a wide range of cafes, bars, stalls and restaurants all over Covent Garden. Dining with a fussy eater in tow can often be difficult, however, there were several establishments that we could have enjoyed a family meal. The children, however, opted for Pizza Hut which is located just around the corner on The Strand.
Alongside a hearty meal, there were so many opportunities to enjoy a sweet treat. Between cookies, waffles, cupcakes and ice cream, we were a little overwhelmed as to what to choose. Both Roo and Piglet are ice cream lovers so it was only right that they taste one of the gelatos shops – which went down very well.
Looking for more Covent Garden attractions?
We managed to spend the entire day in Covent Garden and it was not enough time to explore everything that it had to offer. With many more attractions that we had yet to discover such as the London Film Museum, The Royal Opera House, and the Bridge of Aspiration.
Do let me know if you decide to head over to Covent Garden, or if you have any other must-see Covent Garden attractions.
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