Girls day out in Covent Garden
When was the last time you and your girlfriends took the opportunity to spend some quality time together? I try and make a ‘playdate’ for my close friends every month and recently I met up with my sister Nikki and my friend Amelia for a day out in London’s Covent Garden.
Covent Garden is a must-see destination for anyone who enjoys shopping, theatre, restaurants, bars, history and culture. It’s fantastic for a day out with friends as there is so much to do, see (and eat!)
With so many things to experience, I would suggest booking some storage with experts like Radical Storage. Even as a local, I find this very useful as it makes daily activities more convenient. It would also bring extra security for anyone who packs a laptop for a long train ride.
Meanwhile, pre-booking can be very useful for saving time and money. Either way, there’s plenty to keep you entertained in WC2E. Here are my recommendations:
Covent Garden Markets
Covent Garden has a number of markets all in the same area; On Mondays, you can find one-off antiques and collectables at the Apple Market, whereas between Tuesday and Sunday, the market is bustling with people enjoying some retail therapy browsing handmade jewellery, prints, watercolours and beautiful crafts alongside well-known brands.
Seven days a week you will find the East Colonnade Market open with a large range of products on offer from handmade soap, jewellery, handbags, hand-knitted children’s clothing, a magician’s stall, sweets, artwork and homeware.
When we visited we were blown away by the amazing floral displays being exhibited as part of the ‘Endless Summer‘ campaign currently running.
The Jubilee Market was built in 1904 and today offers a wide range of goods from plants to picnic hampers, greeting cards to souvenirs, beauty care and garden equipment, hand-painted items through to jewellery, paintings, calligraphy, clocks and on our visit I particularly enjoyed the fossil stall and the printmaking block stall.
Afternoon Tea At Brigit’s Bakery
Nothing says Girls Day Out like Afternoon Tea and on our day out in Covent Garden Nikki, Amelia and I indulged in Afternoon Tea at Brigit’s Bakery (with a glass of bubbly – why not?)
The traditional afternoon tea is made up of a selection of dainty finger sandwiches (for example cucumber and mint finger sandwich, pastrami burger with mustard mayonnaise and ham and cheese sandwich with mayo and mustard), cakes ( lemon meringue tart, vanilla and raspberry jam choux and a chocolate mini cupcake) and freshly baked scone with clotted cream and jam. accompanied by your choice of tea (of coffee!)
Brigit’s Bakery offers afternoon tea in vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal versions. I really enjoyed the vegan afternoon tea!
Neal’s Yard
When you enter this little square you are unprepared for the explosion of vibrant colour and mardi gras atmosphere. Neal’s Yard must simply be London’s prettiest shopping area.
The tiny, brightly-coloured courtyard houses the flagship Neal’s Yard Remedies shop offering a range of remedies and skincare products alongside Neal’s Yard Dairy where you will find a selection of British farm cheeses. Fear not fellow vegans as you can treat yourself to a raw chocolate tart at the vegan-friendly Wild Food Café.
London Transport Museum
One of the iconic images when people think of London (alongside the phone booths) is the red double-decker bus and the London Transport Museum allows you to marvel at this iconic vehicle up close and personal!
Explores the powerful link between transport and the growth of modern London, its culture and society since 1800. The interactive galleries are captivating! Being able to step aboard real buses and trains is thrilling and having a go on a Tube driving simulator is a real treat.
I also love the Design for Travel gallery which showcases pioneering advertising posters and artworks as well as the original artwork for Harry Beck’s groundbreaking London Underground map and the story of the development of the world-famous roundel transport logo.
I have to admit that the gift shop at the London Transport Museum is almost better than the museum itself! I can’t recommend a visit enough.
Cecil Court; Diagon Alley Inspiration
Although Cecil Court is not really in Covent Garden, however, I feel that it is close enough to be included in this post. If you are a Harry Potter fan this is definitely somewhere you need to visit as it is said to have been the inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Diagon Alley!
Cecil Court is a charming row of bookshops and antique shops whose shopfronts have not been altered in more than a century! Admire the traditional hanging signs announcing specialists in rare and antiquarian books, maps, prints and all manner of related printed materials as you walk along looking out for low flying owls.
Are you planning to visit the area? If so you can find a great Covent Garden Hotel on this website. Let me know what you’re planning on doing in the comments!
