Most Londoners see Covent Garden as a tourist trap, but they still go
there, to eat and drink or pause to watch the latest jugglers once in
a while. (There are actually some pretty good bars and restaurants in
the area – head for Earlham St, Shorts Gardens, or better still, cross
over Shaftsbury Avenue and head for Soho – no shortage of good eateries
there!) For the tourists, there are the tarot readers and fortune tellers,
the henna tattoo artists and the London teddy bears, but actually, a Londoner
might buy some unusual silver earrings or something else you can't
find elsewhere in the West End. If you are going to eat in Covent Garden,
avoid the places close to the piazza. The only exception is Chez Gerrard
(called rather grandly, Chez Gerrard at the Opera Terrace!) a decent enough
steak-frites kind of place on the corner, overlooking the piazza with
an almost impossible to find entrance.

Covent Garden market used to be a vegetable market but moved from Covent
Garden to Nine Elms in Battersea in 1974. The old market halls have been
preserved and are now home to stalls selling quintessentially English
goods. It is open Monday – Sunday from 10am to 7pm.

The old Apple Market in the North Hall showcases antiques on Mondays
and arts and crafts from Tuesday to Sunday, selling everything from jewellery
and clothing to silverware and pottery. South of the piazza is the Jubilee
Market, which sells downmarket clothes, shoes and household goods. The
piazza itself is a great place to catch some of London's best street
performers and buskers, although keep an eye on your wallets and bags.

For more info, visit: www.coventgardenmarket.co.uk