London with kids: Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in central London that attracts around 30 million tourists a year. It stands out with its wide range of shops, cafes, restaurants, but not only: from Covent Garden you can reach the main London attractions and many small hidden corners.
London with kids: Covent Garden
The piazza
It is certainly the nerve center of Covent Garden and perhaps the best place to start your visit. It is a large pedestrian square with cobblestones that with good weather is always animated by street artists and musicians. You’ll also find outdoor terraces, restaurants, bars. This beautiful and animated square owes its current layout to the project that, in 1631, was commissioned by the fourth Earl of Bedford to Inigo Jones, who foresaw a system of arcades of Palladian inspiration and partly imitated the Piazza Grande of Livorno.
The market
The Covent Garden market, known as Apple Market, is a very interesting place to visit especially for its architecture. Apple Market has been a real fruit and vegetable market since the mid-16th century century to 1974, when the market was transferred to Nine Elms, in Wandsworth district. Although the place has been renovated over the years, It still retains its old structure. In the market you will find shops, restaurants and cafes, both indoors and outdoors.
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House in London is known throughout the world as it has seen perform the best talents of opera, music, ballet and dance. With fantastic interiors and an eclectic program suitable for all tastes, really worth a visit.
Transport Museum
In this interactive museum they will tell you the story of London transport system in a really fun way. It is an ideal place for vehicle enthusiasts and suitable for all ages. In the museum you can see the first subway (steam) and a wooden railway train underground (converted to electricity in 1901). There are also exhibitions on transport design: the famous London underground logo as well posters and maps. There is a recreation area with different games (both for children and for adults). It is a place rarely visited by tourists in general, but it is a lot fun and super recommended if you are on vacation in London with children.
Shopping in Covent Garden… for kids!
In Covent Garden you will find many shops and boutiques. In particular, if you are a beauty addict, around the perimeter of the square you will find many brands, such as Charlotte Tilbury, Chanel, Dior, Atelier Cologne and many others.
And for children? Even children deserve their shopping and Covent Garden offers various shops where even the little ones will find something interesting.
You will feel your inner child in one of Covent Garden’s oldest stores, the Benjamin Toy Shop Pollock , a truly unique destination. Benjamin’s toy store was founded by Benjamin Pollock in the 1880: specializing in creative, educational and theatrical toys, which fuel the imagination, the shop is loved by visitors and Londoners themselves. The must is Victorian style games, paper theaters, music boxes … in short, there is really to be fascinated!
The Moomin Shop is the store entirely dedicated to the adorable Finnish Trolls from Tove Jansson. The store was opened in 2011 and offers books, gadgets, tableware, clothing, stationery and rare memorabilia decorated with these lovely Finnish characters. First published in 1945, Jansson wrote numerous novels and short stories about Momi and their extended family. The characters are largely based on his family, his friends and himself, he also wrote and illustrated four books with the final episode in 1980, before moving on to writing for adults. Over the years Jansson’s books have been revisited in various television productions. In 1990 Telecable created 104 episodes sold in 60 countries, further spreading The Moomins around the world.
In the Tintin shop in Covent Garden, fans of the young Belgian reporter and his adventures can find comics, stationery, T-shirts, toys, crockery and much more decorated with Tintin, Snowy and his friends from cartoons. The Belgian cartoonist and writer Georges Remi (known as the pen Hergé) created The Adventures of Tintin in 1929, which remains one of the most popular comics series of the 20th century.
A curiosity for young and adults: on 7th August 2010 Covent Garden saw the opening of the largest Apple Store in London, which is also the largest in the world.
In the shoting Sissi wears a Sarabanda total look, Veja Kids sneakers and Leontine Vintage headband.
