Covent Garden to the Temple
From the piazza through the bookshops to the Inns of Court — the most literary mile in London. Walked and written by the editor. https://walkwalk.org/london/walks/covent-garden-to-temple

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Covent Garden to the Temple