Inside Story – Covent Garden

(29 customer reviews )

Covent Garden underground station, London

Guided by Adam or Claire or Jan or Karen or Simon W.

Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5

Walk Times

Day Walk Type Start Time End Time
Thursday Weekly 10.15 am 12.15 pm Winter Summer Reserve Online

N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:

20-02-2025 27-02-2025 25-12-2025

Short read: Really Inside!

Slightly longer read:

Podcast listen: A taster. It’s Karen talking about London’s oldest and most storied restaurant.

Another good listen: this is Guide Simon W. talking about another aspect of the walk.

Long read: Inside Story   Was going to say Karen and Adam have emptied the pockets of several stunning London interiors and laid the contents out before us. Empty schmempty. It’s better than that. They take us into those pockets. Some of them places** you wouldn’t be able to get into if you weren’t on this walk. Special places, privileged places. Here’s Poet Laureate John Betjeman on one: “unique and irreplaceable and part of literary and theatrical London. It’s historic – quite different from a museum because it’s living and in use, not an exhibit.” And its setting, its street? “It’s unmitigated London – human in scale, irregular in height and width, the kind of street that’s fast disappearing.” So: Downton Abbey film location, lost rivers, faded menus, whipping post, ballet students, private dining rooms, portable flogging and beheading kit, Pearly king, silver-domed trollies, night watchman’s tardis, famous actress’ ashes in a tea caddy, horseshoes, personal letters and gifts, Grand Cigar Divan, cabinet particulaire where the prince and the actress dined (and, you can be sure, canoodled) privately, etc. here we come! Great walk. Guided by Karen (winner of the Guide of the Year Award***) or AdamWant a preview of the walk – and the guiding? Watch the video. 

*”privileged access” – not using the term lightly. One of the knock-offs tried to horn into one of these interiors (“London Walks comes in here, are you saying we can’t” “Yes, that’s what we’re saying. Now there’s the door – get out of here and don’t come back.”)     **On three floors, all of which we visit!    ***The Guide of the Year Award was just Karen limbering up. She hit her stride in the Travel & Leisure article that dubbed her “the world’s greatest guide”

INSIDE COVENT GARDEN – THE PRACTICALS

Inside Story – Covent Garden Interiors takes place every* Thursday at 10.15 am. Meet Karen or Jan or Adam, or Simon or Claire just outside the exit of Covent Garden Tube. N.B. the walk ends in Trafalgar Square, seconds away from Charing Cross Station and only a couple of minutes away from Leicester Square  Tube.  

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING

Don’t just take it from us…

 

LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS

If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, Inside Story – Covent Garden it can always be booked as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Inside Story – Covent Garden walk – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS

A private London Walk makes a fab gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.

LONDON WALKS – STREETS AHEAD!

Don’t just take it from us.

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29 reviews for Inside Story – Covent Garden

  1. Jayne Saunders

    Adam was an excellent guide around the Covent Garden tour last month. There was an incredible amount of information and knowledge that he shared. He’s definitely a tough act to follow. Thank you for such an enjoyable tour.

  2. Sue Griffin

    We have done numerous walks over the years. And a number with Adam – he is great, knowledgeable and humorous. We loved our Covent Garden walk with Adam. We finished with a greater understanding of Covent Garden, the changes it has been through & some of the special places. Access to Rules restaurant was a highlight.

  3. Gabriele Tischler

    Great walk with Adam on 23rd Jan. Brilliant guide! Very insightful and engaging!

  4. Shelagh Zachariades

    I went on this walk (Inside Covent Garden) with Karen last Thursday 19th December 2024. I was so impressed from every point of view. We were taken to so many places and I ended up with lots of ideas of things to do over the next few months in London. All the walks are so good but this may be the very best!!

  5. Sarah

    This walk was fantastic! Claire was a great guide, really knowledgeable. She provided us with so many interesting facts and anecdotes. We were fortunate enough to be able to go inside venues such as Rules which was fascinating. I would highly recommend this tour!

  6. David Marsh

    Our twelfth walk and probably our best yet largely due to Adam ( and the crisp sunny weather) Adam displays an experience and knowledge of his brief from many years in the role of guide yet he delivers with a passion and vitality of someone new to the job. He is a credit to his industry.

  7. Alth and Steve Kennedy

    Loved it – thank you Adam. We try to fit in a London Walk whenever we visit . The places you go and the local knowledge are always interesting and superbly entertaining !

  8. Kathryn Cooper

    Excellent tour of Covent Garden this morning with Adam. Knowledgeable guide and very entertaining as well. Thoroughly recommend

  9. Adrian Turner

    The tour took place on the 16th November and was an excellent way of improving my knowledge of this areas history and development. Adam was both knowledgeable and amusing with his tour introducing us to numerous places of interest which are off the tourist trail. It is an excellent way to learn that Covent Garden is so much more than bars, restaurants and boutiques.

  10. Jacqueline Bartle

    We really enjoyed the tour which started at Covent garden. Adam is a great storyteller and his knowledge seemed boundless. The highlight of the tour was our visit to Rules restaurant. It was a real privilege to be allowed in before the customers. We have visited London many times but the tour revealed a different side of London hidden away in back streets. Thoroughly recommend these tours as its not our first with this company.

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