Guide to Covent Garden for Kids

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With its fascinating and accessible link to the past, shops for all ages and interests, street performers galore, an impressive array of family-friendly restaurants, and some of the world's best loved tourist attractions within easy reach, Covent Garden is a great place for families with children.


A fun way experience Covent Garden with your children is to roam round the historic Covent Garden Market. A fruit and vegetable market from the 1500s and a notorious red light district during the 18th Century, today the market features an impressive range of shopping opportunities, all nestled within the arcades of its lovely Victorian-era structure. Covent Garden Market is an excellent spot to step back in time and help young ones visualize and interact with the past in a real and tangible way.

Many of Covent Garden Market's shops and market vendors cater to families and children. One retailer popular with young adults for its hip range of t-shirts is David & Goliath, located within the Market. For younger children, as well as any kids at heart, Build-A-Bear Workshop and The Disney Store are situated within Covent Garden's piazza. All variety of gifts, gadgets, toys and collectables are in stock in the Market's many shops and stalls.

Venturing from the market to explore the area round Covent Garden reveals even more child and family oriented shopping options. For the style-conscious skater, surfer or average teen in your bunch, the happening Seven Dials shopping area, with retailers such as Quiksilver, O'Neils, Slam City Skates and Urban Outfitters, is a mecca for those seeking the latest in youth trends.

A list of other notable area shops includes the Forbidden Planet London Megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue. Forbidden Planet is the world's largest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and cult entertainment retailer. Also on Shaftesbury Avenue is Angels, a costume and fancy dress retailer that has been in operation for more than 150 years and features six floors of masks, Halloween costumes, theatrical make-up and more. Another shop sure to please the kids is Cybercandy, a sweet shop that imports "an astounding range of sweets and drinks and other cool stuff" from all over the world. Ever wanted to tried chocolate covered ants or wondered what's the most popular candy bar in New Zealand? Find out at Cybercandy. With its flagship store on Covent Garden's Garrick Street, a visit to this unique candy store is like a sugar-fuelled jaunt across the globe.

Burnt out on shopping with the kids in tow? Take a break in Covent Garden's airy piazza and be amused by its wealth of entertainment from a number of London's best street performers and buskers, not to mention the photo opportunities accompanying such activity. From opera singers to jugglers, these performers put their hearts into making visitors feel welcome. For little ones, a beautiful merry-go-round awaits as well. There's also the London Transport Museum just outside the market, sharing London's fascinating transport history along with a nice little café and gift shop.

Plenty of restaurants and cafés are located on the piazza as well as, obviously, throughout the Covent Garden area. All the standard fast food outlets exist along with an abundance of virtually every sort of eating establishment imaginable. A couple of quick and tasty alternatives on the piazza are Just Falafs (organic falafel wraps, salads and more at commendable prices) and the West Cornwall Pasty Company, serving up handmade traditional Cornish pasties and a number of other refreshments and snacks.

There's more? Sure. Another brilliant choice for the whole family is to take in a movie. With the big movie houses of Leicester Square merely seconds away, there's a good chance something will be on to suit the variant tastes in your family. Leicester Square is home to no less than four film theatres, and if you include the screens in nearby Soho and Piccadilly Circus too, the possibilities for cinematic escape are endless. Looking for entertainment a cut above a night at the movies? Covent Garden is the perfect place to introduce your child to theatre. Long running and successful shows, such as the Lion King, are big hits with the whole family.

Within easy reach of Covent Garden, some of the world's best loved tourist attractions beckon visitors of all ages. The London Eye, British Museum, and so many other world class attractions are accessible via public transport or short, scenic walks. Let's go, kids!