National Gallery
Daily 10 am–6 pm, Fri until 9 pm; closed 24–26 Dec and 1 Jan.
Van Gogh, Turner and Velázquez for free, right on Trafalgar Square.
Free. A free ticket gets you through the queue faster; quieter on Fridays until 9 pm.
London · Lively
Covent Garden
Market halls, street performers and theatres packed close together. Good for the first evening. 34 places in and around Covent Garden.
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See7
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Courtauld Gallery
Daily 10 am–6 pm, last entry 5.15 pm
Manet's ‘Bar aux Folies-Bergère’ and plenty of Impressionism in Somerset House.
Card only, no cash. Tickets online or at the desk, last entry 5.15 pm.
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St Martin-in-the-Fields
Hours set week by week; week from 19 Oct: Mon 8.30 am–5 pm, Tue 12.30–5 pm, Wed until 7.30 pm, Sun until 8 pm
Light-filled church on Trafalgar Square, with a café in the vaulted crypt below.
Free. The café in the crypt is a good stop even when it rains.
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London Transport Museum
Daily 10 am–6 pm, last entry 5 pm
Buses, trams and Tube carriages from 200 years in the old flower market hall of Covent Garden.
The adult ticket costs £27 and is valid for a year. Children are free but need a timed ticket. The shop can be visited without a ticket.
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Sir John Soane's Museum
Wed–Sun 10 am–5 pm, last entry 4.30 pm; closed Mon/Tue
An architect's house crammed with mirrors, skylit domes and an Egyptian sarcophagus.
Free, no booking needed. Little space, so often a wait. Closed Mon and Tue.
Hunterian Museum
Tue–Sat 10 am–5 pm, last entry 4 pm
Anatomical collection of the surgeon John Hunter on Lincoln's Inn Fields, not for the faint-hearted.
Free, a timed ticket is recommended. Closed Sunday and Monday. Close to the Soane Museum.
Trafalgar Square
Open at all times
Central square with Nelson's Column, the lions and the Fourth Plinth for changing artworks.
Free and always open. From the terrace in front of the National Gallery you look across the square to Big Ben.
Food and drink
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Image: website bageriet.co.uk 
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Image: website lowlander.com 
Image: website bancone.co.uk 
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Image: website dishoom.com 
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Food and drink20
Breakfast1
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The Delaunay
Mon 7 am–10 pm, Tue–Fri 7 am–10.30 pm, Sat 8 am–10.30 pm, Sun 11 am–9 pm
Viennese-style grand café on the Aldwych; breakfast with egg dishes, pastries and coffee.
Open from 7 am on weekdays, ideal before a day of theatre or museums; Sundays only from 11 am.
Coffee3
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Monmouth Coffee
Mon–Sat 8 am–7 pm, closed Sun
Small roastery bar in Covent Garden, filter coffee from single farms.
Card only, closed Sundays, short queue in the morning.
Bageriet
Mon–Fri 9 am–6.30 pm, Sat 10 am–6.30 pm, closed Sun
Tiny Swedish bakery in Covent Garden; cardamom buns, princess cake and coffee.
Closed Sundays; only a few seats, good as a sweet stop between Covent Garden and Leicester Square.
Kiss the Hippo Covent Garden
Mon–Fri 7.30 am–5.30 pm, Sat 9 am–7 pm, Sun 9.30 am–6 pm
London roastery with a café on New Row; flat white or filter coffee from its own roast.
Open until 7 pm on Saturdays, good for a break between Covent Garden and Leicester Square.
Lunch3
Seven Dials Market
Mon/Tue 12 noon–10 pm, Wed–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun 11 am–9 pm
Market hall in an old banana warehouse with around 20 street-food stalls and two bars.
Mon/Tue only from 12 noon; bookable for groups of 5 or more. Book ahead via Tock for the cheese conveyor belt at Pick & Cheese.
Lowlander Grand Café
daily 11 am–11 pm
Belgian-Dutch beer café on Drury Lane with plenty of draught beers and a café atmosphere.
A good meeting point before a musical on Drury Lane.
Bancone Covent Garden
Mon–Wed 11.30 am–10 pm, Thu–Sat 11.30 am–10.30 pm, Sun 11.30 am–9.30 pm
Pasta bar with a counter onto the open kitchen; the speciality is silk handkerchief pasta with walnut butter.
Book via SevenRooms; alone or as a pair, sit at the counter and watch the chefs.
Dinner12
Simpson's in the Strand
Breakfast, lunch until 3 pm, dinner from 5 pm (last booking Mon–Sat 10.45 pm, Sun 9.45 pm)
British institution since 1828; roast beef carved at the table from the silver trolley.
Book 1–2 weeks ahead; last booking Mon–Sat 10.45 pm. After the theatre: late menu at Romano's from 9.45 pm.
J. Sheekey
Mon–Sat 12 noon–11 pm, Sun 12 noon–9 pm
Wood-panelled fish restaurant in the theatre district; famous for its fish pie and oysters.
For pre-theatre, book 1–2 weeks in advance. Last entry Mon–Sat 10.45 pm, Sun 8.45 pm.
Gordon's Wine Bar
Mon–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun 12 noon–10 pm; kitchen until 10 pm and 9 pm respectively
Candlelight in a vaulted cellar since 1890, sherry and a cheese board.
No bookings, come early. The terrace has patio heaters.
American Bar at the Savoy
Mon–Sat 12 noon–12 midnight, Sun 12 noon–10 pm
Legendary cocktail bar in the Savoy Hotel since 1893; white jackets, piano and classics from the history of bartending.
Entry from age 16; expect a wait, dress smartly.
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The Harp
Mon–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun 12 noon–8 pm
Narrow pub near Trafalgar Square with a big choice of real ales and ciders; a small, quiet room upstairs.
In the early evening the crowd spills out into the alley.
Rock & Sole Plaice
Mon–Fri 12 noon–9 pm, Sat–Sun 12 noon–8 pm
Long-established fish and chip shop near Covent Garden; cod or haddock with mushy peas.
No bookings; come early, as the kitchen closes about an hour before closing time (Sat/Sun as early as 8 pm).
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The Lamb and Flag
Mon–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun 12 noon–10.30 pm; food Mon–Sat until 9.30 pm, Sun until 8.30 pm
One of the oldest pubs in Covent Garden, tucked away on Rose Street; ale and pub classics.
In the evening you often stand outside in the alley; the Dickens Room upstairs is more likely to have seats. Kitchen until 9.30 pm.
Rules
Unverified: according to OSM Mon–Sat 12 noon–11.30 pm, Sun 12 noon–10.30 pm
Game and pies in red plush since 1798, a few steps from the Strand.
Booking recommended. Sources disagree on whether it is open on Mondays.
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The Coal Hole
daily, see website for hours
Pub on the Strand in the Savoy complex with an Edwardian interior and a small cellar room.
Handy before or after a show at the Savoy Theatre or the Adelphi.
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The Salisbury
Mon–Wed 11 am–11 pm, Thu 11 am–11.30 pm, Fri 11 am–12 midnight, Sat 12 noon–12 midnight, Sun 12 noon–10.30 pm (according to OSM, unverified)
Magnificent Victorian pub on St Martin's Lane with etched glass, mirrors and art nouveau lamps in the heart of the theatre district.
Very full when the shows come out, quieter beforehand.
The Seven Stars
Mon–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun 12 noon–10.30 pm (according to OSM, unverified)
Small pub of 1602 behind the Royal Courts of Justice, full of lawyers; ale and simple home cooking.
Very cramped, few seats; come early in the evening. The stairs to the toilet are notoriously steep.
Dishoom Covent Garden
Mon–Thu 8 am–11 pm, Fri/Sat 8 am–12 midnight, Sun 9 am–11 pm
Bombay café in the style of the old Irani cafés; for breakfast a bacon naan roll with chai.
Hardly any wait in the morning, queues of up to 1 hr in the evening and at weekends; bookable for any group size during the day.
Late1
Joe Allen
Mon–Tue 12 noon–11 pm, Wed–Thu 12 noon–12 midnight, Fri–Sat 12 noon–12.30 am, Sun 12 noon–10 pm; kitchen Thu–Sat until 10.30 pm
American basement theatre restaurant since 1977, a haunt of actors; burgers and Caesar salad.
After the theatre Thu–Sat: kitchen until 10.30 pm, last booking 10.30 pm. Mon–Tue the kitchen closes as early as 8 pm.
Nightlife
Nick Cooper at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 
Russ London (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 
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Peter Holmes · CC BY-SA 2.0 
Ewan-M · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nightlife7
Heaven
According to the programme
Legendary queer club in the arches beneath Charing Cross station; pop nights, concerts and big parties.
Valid ID only (passport or ID card). Tickets online in advance, often sold out.
Royal Opera House
According to the programme
Opera house in Covent Garden, home of the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet; magnificent auditorium and glass hall.
Cheap tickets in the amphitheatre right at the top; returns online on the day.
London Coliseum – English National Opera
According to the programme
The biggest theatre in the West End, on St Martin's Lane; the English National Opera sings here in English.
There are discounted tickets for young people, details on the website.
Lyceum Theatre – The Lion King
According to the programme
Historic theatre on Wellington Street, home for years to Disney's ‘The Lion King’.
Stalls seats near the centre aisle: that is where the animals parade past in the opening.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
According to the programme
London's oldest theatre still in use, lavishly restored; big musicals. ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ until 9 January 2027.
Allow time for the opulent foyers before the show.
Donmar Warehouse
According to the programme
Small, renowned theatre in an old warehouse in Covent Garden with only around 250 seats.
Performances sell out quickly; watch the waiting list and returns.
The Garden Cinema
According to the programme
Small independent cinema in Covent Garden with classics, arthouse and film seasons.
A quiet alternative to the big cinemas on Leicester Square.
All of it in the app, as a plan from your arrival
Traceflap turns arrival, departure, opening hours and weather into a day plan and accompanies the whole trip live.
Traceflap for iPhoneSources: Selection and texts: Traceflap. Hours and prices from the official websites, as of 21 Oct 2026. Coordinates: Wikidata (CC0), some venues © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). No guarantee, please check before visiting. Map: OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, author and licence with each picture.