Neal's Yard

The lowdown

Thousands of people walk past the entrances every day without ever realising it is there. Neal's Yard is a tiny courtyard tucked behind the streets of Covent Garden, and stepping into it from the grey lanes outside is a genuine surprise, a sudden explosion of colour.

Every wall, window frame and shopfront is painted in clashing brights, hung with greenery and trailing plants, ringed by little independent cafes and health shops. It was rescued from dereliction in the 1970s and turned into this deliberately joyful pocket, and it costs nothing to stand in the middle and take it in.

It is small, so you will not spend long, but it is one of the most photographed corners of central London for good reason. Find it on the walk between Covent Garden and Seven Dials and it turns an ordinary stroll into a little moment.