Covent Garden is more like some kind of storybook than an actual market. This seems to manifest in the way of expensive lines and fanciful bakeries lining the physical shops of the market. Despite the fact that it out prices many people, this is the charm of the market, it’s glamour at its finest.
It’s something you think of when you think of fairy tales, its bright, there are mulled wine carts and live orchestral songs being played. The shops in the center, set up on the traditional table stands are much more affordable, and yet seem to fit in with the ambiance just fine. Shops like the Moomin Shop, Laduree, and Chanel surround, they’re here to let you know that the Apple Market, in particular, is a certain price range.
It’s the kind of place you go to dream rather than spend, a place you go to get dressed up and take photos and pose with things you could never hope to afford. But that’s fun in its own way, and if you have the money to drop 50 pounds on macarons then, by all means, do what the rest of us mere mortals wish we could do.
What to Check Out: Loiter around some of the fancy stores, pretend to be a rich white widow, but definitely snatch some seasonal beverages. Mulled Wine, for instance, is delicious and alcoholic but if you’re looking for something a little sweeter I’d recommend some hot chocolate. Otherwise, I’d just take in the sights and sounds, lots of moms and children experiencing some of that wholesome holiday spirit.
- R Hettinger
While Covent Garden is primarily the name of the small shopping district, the various stores and restaurants surround the fancier Apple Market and the more crafts and antiques-filled Jubilee Markets, creating a unique shopping experience. Though it may be a bit of a tourist trap, with a number of stalls (especially in and around Jubilee Market) selling cheap London-themed souvenirs and trinkets, being such an interesting and concentrated collection of shops it’s a common place for locals as well.
As you walk first walk in through the main arches, you are surrounded by the pricier stores that create the outer barrier — stores selling one thousand pound laptops and one hundred pound sunglasses — and (amazingly enough) the Royal Opera House. It’s not until you walk through the second archway, into the official Covent Garden that the area takes on a more market-like feel, with Apple Market set up along a single strip in the middle of the plaza and small, slightly pricey boutiques lining the inner layer. And there are a few restaurants and cafes scattered throughout, a number of them located down the stairs to an exposed basement-level.
The Jubilee Market forms the back barrier to Covent Garden and has much more of a traditional London street market aesthetic. Depending on the time and days you go the stalls and their locations can vary, as well as the range of products up for sale. If you stop by on a Monday afternoon, for example, there may only be a few stalls even stocked and they are mostly costume jewelry and antiques; but if you visit again later in the evening, after everyone is off of work and the foot-traffic will have increased, you’ll see everything from a temporary tattoo stall to handmade leather goods, handmade wire figures and small-batch soaps. Covent Garden, and the Seven Dials area that surrounds it is composed of such an interesting collection of shops and stalls that, though it may not be your favorite place in the city, it is certainly worth checking out.
My recommendations: Crepe from Creme De La Crepe, Pint of Mortimer’s Cider from The White Lion, and a small animal eraser from Paperchase.
- Emerald Stewart
Covent Garden and its conglomeration of markets are a staple in British “semi-high” society and have been for some decades now. London based author Zadie Smith describes in her most recent book “Swing Time” the frequency with which pink satin ballet shoes with ribbons and other unnecessarily expensive things people in surrounding central London went to Covent Garden to buy. Our setting was 1982 and our protagonist — the unnamed narrator running this show — is angry at her mother for not stopping into Covent Garden and extending her the same courtesy and expense as her friend Tracey was.
In real time, like the fictitious tale, Covent Garden sits in the center of everything, located in the West End of London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is home to present day stores of “high society” like Tom Ford and L’Occitane and Urban Decay; a modern pink satin ballet slipper with ribbons. For the central Londoner, Covent Garden is busy, overplayed, just pretentious enough, but honestly still a lovely place for an afternoon stroll. One is just an overpriced latte away from the full experience.
Covent Garden is more of a shopping center instead of a market. But the two surrounding markets it intermittently houses become just as much a part of it the shopping experience as anything else. The Apple and Jubilee Markets (not to be confused with the Apple Store, see righthand corner of the square) sell clothes and trinkets/art and London memorabilia for visitors who come to Covent Garden the same way they come to Buckingham Palace: for pictures. The Apple Market is the center of the “garden,” so to speak, complete with decadent paintings and handmade jewelry. Jubilee Market, on the other hand, is a tourist trap. A beautiful and happy one, surrounded by lively buskers on the outskirts and the knowledge that famous British people walk these very streets on almost a daily basis. For most visitors and even Londoners, that’s often reason enough. Final Verdict: (Go once, but) You could stay home
- Mereysa Taylor
Covent Garden is a large market in London primarily geared towards tourists, which is probably why I fell so quickly in love with it. From the moment I walked into the piazza on my first night in the city, the dazzling lights cast by the lanterns and gigantic disco balls hanging from the tall glass ceilings completely captivated me. Covent Garden has everything from restaurants and shopping to London souvenirs and street performers (both talented and less so).
The market is divided into two parts, Apple Market and Jubilee Market. The side you enter first, Apple Market, is more posh and expensive, with two-floor stores, a couple of restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating, and a very talented opera singer whose beautiful voice echoes through the whole market. The closest thing I have seen so far to a typical U.S. mall, Apple Market was filled with both global brand and independent, London-based retailers. My favorites to visit were the stationary stores, including Il Papiro and the more affordable Paperchase.
Once you’ve circled through Apple Market, you can walk across the pathway to Jubilee Market, which has an abundance of crafts and generic London souvenirs. It is far less expensive overall, which makes it very hard to resist buying everything your eyes land on. One stand was selling handcrafted wooden pens in the shapes of different animals and flowers for only two pounds. Another vendor was selling beautifully carved and bounded leather journals for the cheapest I have ever seen leather journals anywhere else in the world. If you’re looking for a full night of shopping, Covent Garden is the place to be.
- Jamie Myre
Covent Garden is a simple place with two markets within it; the Jubilee Market in the back of the area, and the Apple Market, which is the first true area of Covent Garden you enter. The two Markets vary wildly between their contents, but Covent Garden has a whole contains a wholly unique atmosphere that isn't present in some of the others. The lights and architecture of the Apple Market present it as more expensive than most other markets, but the stores are fair and the food vendors constantly busy. Numerous people on the trip were enraptured with the Covent Garden Moomins Store, and the fact it was surrounded by high-end clothing stores and a jockish pub directly next door speaks a lot to the advantages of Covent Garden. It's a market almost entirely of shops that glitter and shine under the late-winter dusk, Apple Market filled with the smell of the food cooked by vendors in the center of the building.
Jubilee Market is more in line with most of the other London markets and appears at first similar to American flea markets. Vendors show all of their wares, mostly clothing and accessories hung up on every space of their stall's white plastic caging. My wandering through Covent Garden led me to an Italian restaurant on the outer rim of the Jubilee, my first real non-quick service taste of London's expansive food scene. Covent Garden is a place of firsts. Within walking distance of the Eckerd House, it provided many of us with our first taste of a London market, as did the stretch of shops proceeding it in the form of Seven Dials.
Seven Dials forms almost as an appetizer for Covent Garden, the eclectic line of shops feeding you reason after reason to keep walking forward until the sounds and smells of Covent Garden lure you in. From an astrology shop that exclusively plays 80's new wave and pop hits to the Doc Marten shop that waves its punk origins out the speakers. Seven Dials welcomes you to spend and warms you up to the real person-to-person market of Covent Garden.
- Marius Black
Ever busy and ever popular, the Covent Garden Market is a great place to spend an afternoon or evening in London. No longer the fruit and vegetable market that it used to be, Covent Garden is now an up to date shopping plaza filled with excellent restaurants, vendor stands, and street performers. The piazza itself is unlike many other markets because of its unique design. Beautiful architecture, combined with shrubbery and twinkling lights, makes the shopping experience all the more enjoyable.
There are multiple different sections to explore within Covent Garden. The main piazza consists mostly of small market vendors selling various retail items. Many of these sellers are attempting to appeal to tourists with their cheap, London themed souvenirs, T-shirts, and posters. One particular vendor was selling only socks at his table but drew a considerable crowd. Several snack stands are also found in the main piazza including a candy cart and a mulled wine booth.
The Apple Market square in Covent Garden is a quaint, two-floor building that is made up of higher-end specialty stores. On different days of the week, these stores host different products. Monday is a day designated for the selling of antiques. During the rest of the week, art, jewelry, and clothing are main features. If looking for a special gift, this section of the market is the perfect place to go. Many sellers are willing to negotiate their high prices if enough interest is shown in the product. Apple Market is placed in the corner of Covent Garden facing the London Transport Museum. The shops lining this area of the market sell homemade and handmade products like soaps, candles, chocolates, and macaroons for a moderately high rate.
More so than the main piazza of Covent Garden, the Jubilee Market tailors to predominately tourists and those looking for inexpensive novelties. Several tables are full of classic London items such as mini-bobbleheads of Mr. Bean and the Queen, Big Ben figurines, and posters with English phrases about pubs and alcohol. On weekdays, a large area of Jubilee is taken up by one vendor who sells street fashion, shirts, and sweaters to tourists. These items often feature funny sayings, English television characters, and the obvious London logo.
All in all, visiting Covent Garden is well worth the trip. The atmosphere and beauty, along with the unique shops and entertainment, makes any shoppers experience a pleasant one. Whether a consumer is looking for a novelty gift or a specialty item, Covent Garden will have what they are looking for.
- Emilie Booth
The Covent Garden market is great because you get two markets for the price of one! Well, no, not really. One of the markets is much pricier, but it's super nice. Apple Market has a lot of handcrafted jewelry, clothing, and various other "high end" trinkets. It also has the added bonus of being inside so you don't freeze to death if it's super cold. They also have a large array of food stands in the market to warm you up (I saw a pizza place that looked divine). Most of the stuff in Apple was handcrafted, which is always a nice gift if you're shopping for someone else at the markets, and while it might have been a little expensive, it's understandable, seeing as these people actually took the time to make the cool things you're looking at.
If you walk right straight through Apple Market from the entryway, you'll stumble across the other Coven Garden Market: East Colonnade Market. This is the market where you find things like "I Heart London" keychains and shirts, small replicas of Big Ben, mass-produced jewelry, and novelty tee shirts. Seriously, they had a whole booth of Game of Thrones and Marvel and Star Wars Shirts. I was in nerd heaven. It's the more touristy market, but there were some fun things to find there (like the nerd shirts). It's partially outside, but there are some indoor stalls so one can get out of the cold. There's also a mulled wine stall right out front in case you need something to warm you up. It was very busy when I saw it, so I would guess the wine is pretty good.
- Jennifer Brady
It’s something you think of when you think of fairy tales, its bright, there are mulled wine carts and live orchestral songs being played. The shops in the center, set up on the traditional table stands are much more affordable, and yet seem to fit in with the ambiance just fine. Shops like the Moomin Shop, Laduree, and Chanel surround, they’re here to let you know that the Apple Market, in particular, is a certain price range.
It’s the kind of place you go to dream rather than spend, a place you go to get dressed up and take photos and pose with things you could never hope to afford. But that’s fun in its own way, and if you have the money to drop 50 pounds on macarons then, by all means, do what the rest of us mere mortals wish we could do.
What to Check Out: Loiter around some of the fancy stores, pretend to be a rich white widow, but definitely snatch some seasonal beverages. Mulled Wine, for instance, is delicious and alcoholic but if you’re looking for something a little sweeter I’d recommend some hot chocolate. Otherwise, I’d just take in the sights and sounds, lots of moms and children experiencing some of that wholesome holiday spirit.
- R Hettinger
While Covent Garden is primarily the name of the small shopping district, the various stores and restaurants surround the fancier Apple Market and the more crafts and antiques-filled Jubilee Markets, creating a unique shopping experience. Though it may be a bit of a tourist trap, with a number of stalls (especially in and around Jubilee Market) selling cheap London-themed souvenirs and trinkets, being such an interesting and concentrated collection of shops it’s a common place for locals as well.
As you walk first walk in through the main arches, you are surrounded by the pricier stores that create the outer barrier — stores selling one thousand pound laptops and one hundred pound sunglasses — and (amazingly enough) the Royal Opera House. It’s not until you walk through the second archway, into the official Covent Garden that the area takes on a more market-like feel, with Apple Market set up along a single strip in the middle of the plaza and small, slightly pricey boutiques lining the inner layer. And there are a few restaurants and cafes scattered throughout, a number of them located down the stairs to an exposed basement-level.
The Jubilee Market forms the back barrier to Covent Garden and has much more of a traditional London street market aesthetic. Depending on the time and days you go the stalls and their locations can vary, as well as the range of products up for sale. If you stop by on a Monday afternoon, for example, there may only be a few stalls even stocked and they are mostly costume jewelry and antiques; but if you visit again later in the evening, after everyone is off of work and the foot-traffic will have increased, you’ll see everything from a temporary tattoo stall to handmade leather goods, handmade wire figures and small-batch soaps. Covent Garden, and the Seven Dials area that surrounds it is composed of such an interesting collection of shops and stalls that, though it may not be your favorite place in the city, it is certainly worth checking out.
My recommendations: Crepe from Creme De La Crepe, Pint of Mortimer’s Cider from The White Lion, and a small animal eraser from Paperchase.
- Emerald Stewart
Covent Garden and its conglomeration of markets are a staple in British “semi-high” society and have been for some decades now. London based author Zadie Smith describes in her most recent book “Swing Time” the frequency with which pink satin ballet shoes with ribbons and other unnecessarily expensive things people in surrounding central London went to Covent Garden to buy. Our setting was 1982 and our protagonist — the unnamed narrator running this show — is angry at her mother for not stopping into Covent Garden and extending her the same courtesy and expense as her friend Tracey was.
In real time, like the fictitious tale, Covent Garden sits in the center of everything, located in the West End of London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is home to present day stores of “high society” like Tom Ford and L’Occitane and Urban Decay; a modern pink satin ballet slipper with ribbons. For the central Londoner, Covent Garden is busy, overplayed, just pretentious enough, but honestly still a lovely place for an afternoon stroll. One is just an overpriced latte away from the full experience.
Covent Garden is more of a shopping center instead of a market. But the two surrounding markets it intermittently houses become just as much a part of it the shopping experience as anything else. The Apple and Jubilee Markets (not to be confused with the Apple Store, see righthand corner of the square) sell clothes and trinkets/art and London memorabilia for visitors who come to Covent Garden the same way they come to Buckingham Palace: for pictures. The Apple Market is the center of the “garden,” so to speak, complete with decadent paintings and handmade jewelry. Jubilee Market, on the other hand, is a tourist trap. A beautiful and happy one, surrounded by lively buskers on the outskirts and the knowledge that famous British people walk these very streets on almost a daily basis. For most visitors and even Londoners, that’s often reason enough. Final Verdict: (Go once, but) You could stay home
- Mereysa Taylor
Covent Garden is a large market in London primarily geared towards tourists, which is probably why I fell so quickly in love with it. From the moment I walked into the piazza on my first night in the city, the dazzling lights cast by the lanterns and gigantic disco balls hanging from the tall glass ceilings completely captivated me. Covent Garden has everything from restaurants and shopping to London souvenirs and street performers (both talented and less so).
The market is divided into two parts, Apple Market and Jubilee Market. The side you enter first, Apple Market, is more posh and expensive, with two-floor stores, a couple of restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating, and a very talented opera singer whose beautiful voice echoes through the whole market. The closest thing I have seen so far to a typical U.S. mall, Apple Market was filled with both global brand and independent, London-based retailers. My favorites to visit were the stationary stores, including Il Papiro and the more affordable Paperchase.
Once you’ve circled through Apple Market, you can walk across the pathway to Jubilee Market, which has an abundance of crafts and generic London souvenirs. It is far less expensive overall, which makes it very hard to resist buying everything your eyes land on. One stand was selling handcrafted wooden pens in the shapes of different animals and flowers for only two pounds. Another vendor was selling beautifully carved and bounded leather journals for the cheapest I have ever seen leather journals anywhere else in the world. If you’re looking for a full night of shopping, Covent Garden is the place to be.
- Jamie Myre
Covent Garden is a simple place with two markets within it; the Jubilee Market in the back of the area, and the Apple Market, which is the first true area of Covent Garden you enter. The two Markets vary wildly between their contents, but Covent Garden has a whole contains a wholly unique atmosphere that isn't present in some of the others. The lights and architecture of the Apple Market present it as more expensive than most other markets, but the stores are fair and the food vendors constantly busy. Numerous people on the trip were enraptured with the Covent Garden Moomins Store, and the fact it was surrounded by high-end clothing stores and a jockish pub directly next door speaks a lot to the advantages of Covent Garden. It's a market almost entirely of shops that glitter and shine under the late-winter dusk, Apple Market filled with the smell of the food cooked by vendors in the center of the building.
Jubilee Market is more in line with most of the other London markets and appears at first similar to American flea markets. Vendors show all of their wares, mostly clothing and accessories hung up on every space of their stall's white plastic caging. My wandering through Covent Garden led me to an Italian restaurant on the outer rim of the Jubilee, my first real non-quick service taste of London's expansive food scene. Covent Garden is a place of firsts. Within walking distance of the Eckerd House, it provided many of us with our first taste of a London market, as did the stretch of shops proceeding it in the form of Seven Dials.
Seven Dials forms almost as an appetizer for Covent Garden, the eclectic line of shops feeding you reason after reason to keep walking forward until the sounds and smells of Covent Garden lure you in. From an astrology shop that exclusively plays 80's new wave and pop hits to the Doc Marten shop that waves its punk origins out the speakers. Seven Dials welcomes you to spend and warms you up to the real person-to-person market of Covent Garden.
- Marius Black
Ever busy and ever popular, the Covent Garden Market is a great place to spend an afternoon or evening in London. No longer the fruit and vegetable market that it used to be, Covent Garden is now an up to date shopping plaza filled with excellent restaurants, vendor stands, and street performers. The piazza itself is unlike many other markets because of its unique design. Beautiful architecture, combined with shrubbery and twinkling lights, makes the shopping experience all the more enjoyable.
There are multiple different sections to explore within Covent Garden. The main piazza consists mostly of small market vendors selling various retail items. Many of these sellers are attempting to appeal to tourists with their cheap, London themed souvenirs, T-shirts, and posters. One particular vendor was selling only socks at his table but drew a considerable crowd. Several snack stands are also found in the main piazza including a candy cart and a mulled wine booth.
The Apple Market square in Covent Garden is a quaint, two-floor building that is made up of higher-end specialty stores. On different days of the week, these stores host different products. Monday is a day designated for the selling of antiques. During the rest of the week, art, jewelry, and clothing are main features. If looking for a special gift, this section of the market is the perfect place to go. Many sellers are willing to negotiate their high prices if enough interest is shown in the product. Apple Market is placed in the corner of Covent Garden facing the London Transport Museum. The shops lining this area of the market sell homemade and handmade products like soaps, candles, chocolates, and macaroons for a moderately high rate.
More so than the main piazza of Covent Garden, the Jubilee Market tailors to predominately tourists and those looking for inexpensive novelties. Several tables are full of classic London items such as mini-bobbleheads of Mr. Bean and the Queen, Big Ben figurines, and posters with English phrases about pubs and alcohol. On weekdays, a large area of Jubilee is taken up by one vendor who sells street fashion, shirts, and sweaters to tourists. These items often feature funny sayings, English television characters, and the obvious London logo.
All in all, visiting Covent Garden is well worth the trip. The atmosphere and beauty, along with the unique shops and entertainment, makes any shoppers experience a pleasant one. Whether a consumer is looking for a novelty gift or a specialty item, Covent Garden will have what they are looking for.
- Emilie Booth
The Covent Garden market is great because you get two markets for the price of one! Well, no, not really. One of the markets is much pricier, but it's super nice. Apple Market has a lot of handcrafted jewelry, clothing, and various other "high end" trinkets. It also has the added bonus of being inside so you don't freeze to death if it's super cold. They also have a large array of food stands in the market to warm you up (I saw a pizza place that looked divine). Most of the stuff in Apple was handcrafted, which is always a nice gift if you're shopping for someone else at the markets, and while it might have been a little expensive, it's understandable, seeing as these people actually took the time to make the cool things you're looking at.
If you walk right straight through Apple Market from the entryway, you'll stumble across the other Coven Garden Market: East Colonnade Market. This is the market where you find things like "I Heart London" keychains and shirts, small replicas of Big Ben, mass-produced jewelry, and novelty tee shirts. Seriously, they had a whole booth of Game of Thrones and Marvel and Star Wars Shirts. I was in nerd heaven. It's the more touristy market, but there were some fun things to find there (like the nerd shirts). It's partially outside, but there are some indoor stalls so one can get out of the cold. There's also a mulled wine stall right out front in case you need something to warm you up. It was very busy when I saw it, so I would guess the wine is pretty good.
- Jennifer Brady