London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [35]
To the east of Charing Cross Road lies Covent Garden. Just north of the Piazza and the adjoining Royal Opera House, busy Long Acre bisects the district on an east–west axis. On the north is a nexus of yet more narrow streets with lots of interesting shops and the Donmar Warehouse, one of London’s best and most innovative theaters. Nearby Monmouth Street is the place to look for haute fashion. Wellington Street, south of Long Acre, has several reasonably priced restaurants for a quick pretheater bite.
At the end of Wellington Street is the semicircular Aldwych, lined with grand buildings. Moving west down the Strand is the huge 18th-century piazza of Somerset House, which contains the Courtauld Institute Gallery. Just behind the Strand are small lanes that will make you feel you’ve stepped back into the 18th century. On the way to the verdant Embankment Gardens bordering the Thames, you may pass the Adam Houses and the Benjamin Franklin House, where the noted statesman lived in the years leading up to the American Revolution.
GETTING ORIENTED
TOP REASONS TO GO
Royal Opera House: Make sure you visit (even if you’re not going to the opera or ballet) for the beautiful architecture and sense of history.
Courtauld Gallery: Admire your favorite Impressionist painting up close in the Courtauld Gallery, then discover Cranach the Elder’s mischievous Adam and Eve.
Shaftesbury Avenue: Take in a show on London’s equivalent of Broadway, and snaffle half-price tickets at the Leicester Square kiosk.
Somerset House: Watch the skaters and ice-wall climbers on a December evening. Otherwise, try the London Craft Fair, held each autumn in a specially designed pavilion. In summer, dine at the terrace restaurant overlooking the river.
London Transport Museum: Explore the city’s history with interactive installations about its public transport.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME
You can comfortably tour all the sights in Covent Garden in a day. Visit the small but perfect Courtauld Gallery on Monday before 2 pm when it’s free. That leaves plenty of time to visit the marketplace, watch the street entertainment, and do a bit of shopping, with energy left over for a night on the town (or “on the tiles,” as the British say) in Soho.
GETTING THERE
Almost all of the Tube lines cross the Covent Garden and Soho areas, so it’s quite easy to hop off the Tube for a funky dinner or show in the hippest area of London. For Soho, take any train to Piccadilly Circus, or Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, or Tottenham Court Road. For Covent Garden, get off at the Covent Garden station on the Piccadilly Line, but be aware that this station can be severely crowded. It might be easier to exit the tube at Leicester Square or Holborn and take a short walk. Thirty buses connect to the Covent Garden area.
FEELING PECKISH?
Although they may set out a few tables, the coffee shops and snack bars along the Covent Garden market buildings can be overpriced and of iffy quality. It’s usually best to head for Soho when the munchies strike.
Food for Thought (31 Neal St., Covent Garden | WC2H 9PR | 020/7836–9072) is always crowded, with hungry customers queuing outside for their delicious range of vegetarian dishes. Be prepared to share a table.
Kulu Kulu (51–53 Shelton St., Covent Garden | WC2H 9HE | 020/7240–5687) offers fresh, good-value sushi. Dishes trundle around on a conveyor belt—ideal if you’re pressed for time. There’s another branch on Brewer Street in Soho.
Maison Bertaux (28 Greek St., Soho | WID 5DQ | 020/7437–6007) has been around since the end of the 19th century. Decor is spartan, but fab French cakes, tarts, and savory quiches more than make up for that. Nobody’s mother ever baked this well.
GAY LONDON
Old Compton Street in Soho is the epicenter of London’s affluent, stylish gay scene. There are some