London's Covent Garden is one of the world's most popular visitor destinations, with street performers, many shops and places to eat, with historic buildings and a lovely plaza all around it. The cobblestones paving and the old brick building might make you feel like you've walked back into the 18th or 19th century when it was London's major food market. The market market shut down in 1974 primarily because of traffic congestion in the area made it difficult to access. By the early 1980s, the market that we see today was in full operation. Now the market sells arts and crafts, souvenirs, jewelry and clothing in these semi-outdoor kiosks underneath the metal and glass ceiling of the pavilion. The activity is continuous all day long and into the evening with movement of people around coming in and exiting. It's almost like a controlled chaos or a real festive atmosphere here. Covent Garden is alive with activity and a great setting for people watching with all kinds of characters going by. A place to have some fun, have a beer, get a snack, spend a little money and take some pictures. It's small enough and well organized in the layout that you're not going to get lost, but big enough to provide all sorts of nooks and crannies and little shops and kiosks to explore. The pavilion and piazza are the centerpiece of Covent Garden, but the area called Covent Garden extends a few blocks further in each direction, almost all the way over to Leicester Square and Soho and down to the Strandtravel videos & photos at: with text, maps & links.
