In 1630 the 4th Earl of Bedford had Inigo Jones lay out an Italianate arcaded piazza with St Paul's Church (finished 1633), the first entirely new church in London since the Reformation. Charles Fowler's market hall of 1830 covered the old market, which relocated in 1974; today it holds shops, the Apple Market craft stalls and the Jubilee Market. Honestly, it is busy and commercial, but the architecture and the street-performer tradition are real.
- Address
- Covent Garden Market, The Piazza, London WC2E 8RF
- Hours
- Piazza open 24 hours; market and shop hours vary; church Mon-Fri 08:30-17:30, Sun 09:00-12:30, closed Sat (Google hours via Wanderlog, 2026-09)
- Best time to go
- Morning, Afternoon · About 1 h
- Price
- Free to enter (piazza, market halls and church)
- Price level
- £
Details can change. Check hours and prices before you go.
Good to know
- Step inside St Paul's, known for its long link with West End theatre: it has memorials to Charlie Chaplin, Gracie Fields and Noel Coward
- In 1662 the first Italian puppet play, the ancestor of Punch and Judy, was staged under the church portico; street performers still audition for pitches on the West Piazza, and classical players use the South Hall
- Every Monday the market has antiques and collectables stalls