heritageliterary

Covent Garden to the Temple

From the piazza through the bookshops to the Inns of Court — the most literary mile in London.

Distance

2.5 km

Time

~ 55 min

Start

Covent Garden

End

Temple

Best at

morning

Right now

28°C· Clear

12 nearby transit lines disrupted — Waterloo & City, District.

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

The strip from Covent Garden to Temple is the most literary mile in London. Cecil Court is the antiquarian bookshop alley that seems to belong to a different century. Charing Cross Road is diminished from its bookselling heyday but Foyles and the remaining secondhand shops are still worth an hour. Somerset House has the Courtauld Gallery inside it — Manet, Monet, Degas in a sequence of rooms that is one of London's best museum experiences.

The Temple is the destination: the Inns of Court occupy a riverside precinct east of Fleet Street that has been the legal quarter since the 13th century. Temple Church is inside this precinct. The round Norman nave, the crusader effigies, and the fact that it's completely unknown to most visitors make it the walk's surprise.

The route

On the map.

A soft dashed line, numbered stops. It’s a suggestion, not a turn-by-turn.

Elevation

↑ 26 m·↓ 28 m·15–36 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

01
1
Covent Garden Piazza
Best early, before the performers arrive and the tourist crowd thickens. The Apple Market in the central building still has some craftspeople.
01
Covent Garden Piazza
Best early, before the performers arrive and the tourist crowd thickens. The Apple Market in the central building still has some craftspeople.
02
2
Cecil Court
A pedestrian alley of antiquarian booksellers, map dealers, and stamp shops. Unchanged in eighty years. The mystery sections are alphabetical and serious.
02
Cecil Court
A pedestrian alley of antiquarian booksellers, map dealers, and stamp shops. Unchanged in eighty years. The mystery sections are alphabetical and serious.
03
3
Charing Cross Road bookshops
Foyles at the north end, Any Amount of Books midway, and the secondhand stalls at the south. The street is diminished from what it was, but the bookshops that remain are good.
03
Charing Cross Road bookshops
Foyles at the north end, Any Amount of Books midway, and the secondhand stalls at the south. The street is diminished from what it was, but the bookshops that remain are good.
04
4
Somerset House
The Courtauld Gallery inside: Impressionists and Post-Impressionists in the best order. The courtyard has the famous winter ice rink and is worth the detour in summer too.
04
Somerset House
The Courtauld Gallery inside: Impressionists and Post-Impressionists in the best order. The courtyard has the famous winter ice rink and is worth the detour in summer too.
05
5
Temple Church
Built by the Knights Templar in 1185; damaged in the Blitz, restored. The round nave is Romanesque; the effigies on the floor are crusader knights. Easy to miss; worth not missing.
05
Temple Church
Built by the Knights Templar in 1185; damaged in the Blitz, restored. The round nave is Romanesque; the effigies on the floor are crusader knights. Easy to miss; worth not missing.