Covent Garden Piazza
street theatre on the cobbles
London's oldest planned square, free to enjoy, where street performers work the cobbles under the old market halls beside the actors' church where Punch and Judy first appeared.
Free to visit · Covent Garden · Covent Garden · WC2E 8RF
Opening: Always open · market halls daytime
Covent Garden Piazza was laid out in the 1630s by Inigo Jones as the first great planned square in London, modelled on the piazzas of Italy. For centuries it was the city's main fruit and vegetable market, and when the traders moved out the handsome old market halls were saved and reborn as shops, stalls and cafes, all free to wander.
The piazza is famous for its street performers, and this is no accident, it is the oldest licensed street-theatre site in the country. Samuel Pepys recorded watching a Punch and Judy show here in 1662, marked today by a plaque, and a constant rotation of jugglers, opera singers and human statues still works the cobbles for the crowds.
Around the square sit the covered Apple Market, the grand portico of St Paul's, the actors' church, and a tangle of streets full of shops and theatres. You can spend hours, and a lot of money, but watching the performers and soaking up the atmosphere costs nothing.
Getting there: A minute from Covent Garden station, between the Strand and Long Acre.
Best time to go: Daytime and early evening for the licensed street performers, who work scheduled pitches across the piazza.
Insider tip: Catch the licensed street performers, who audition for their slots and work scheduled pitches by the church portico and down in the lower courtyard. Slip into St Paul's, the actors' church, for a quiet free contrast to the bustle outside.
Official site: https://www.coventgarden.london
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide