Covent Garden & Soho

Originally a convent garden (hence the name) belonging to Westminster Abbey, it became London's main fruit and vegetable market in 1654. The elegant piazza was designed by Inigo Jones in 1630, inspired by the Piazza Grande in Livorno, Italy — making it London's first formal square. The market moved to Nine Elms in 1974; the Victorian glass and iron market hall now houses boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. The Royal Opera House faces the eastern side. Licensed buskers perform daily in the lower level — auditions for spots are fiercely competitive.

The Apple Market in the North Hall has handmade crafts on weekdays and antiques on Mondays. The Lamb and Flag pub on Rose Street has been serving drinks since 1623.

A tiny hidden courtyard tucked behind Covent Garden, painted in riotous colors — electric blue, sunshine yellow, deep purple — that make it one of London's most Instagrammed spots. The courtyard was derelict until Nicholas Saunders revitalized it in the 1970s as a center for alternative health and wholefoods. Neal's Yard Remedies, the natural skincare brand now sold worldwide, started here in 1981 in a single shop. The cheese shop Neal's Yard Dairy, which helped revive British artisan cheese-making, began here before moving to Borough Market.

The entrance is easy to miss — look for the narrow alley off Shorts Gardens between Monmouth Street and Neal Street. Monmouth Coffee around the corner is one of London's original specialty coffee shops.