Best Places to Photograph Covent Garden & Neal's Yard (2026)

Covent Garden is one of the most photographed neighbourhoods in London, and for good reason. Colourful streets, hidden courtyards, grand old architecture, floral displays that change with the seasons, all packed into a few blocks, so you can move through a dozen completely different backdrops without ever getting in a taxi. I photograph here often, and over time I've worked out a route that hits the best spots while dodging the worst of the crowds.

What makes Covent Garden particularly good is how well it works for different types of portrait session. It's a natural fit for solo portraits. The variety of textures, shopfronts, pub facades and quiet alleyways gives you options that feel urban without being harsh. It's popular with seniors doing their school graduation shoot because the colour and character here photograph so well. Creatives, founders and professionals who want something natural rather than studio-bland tend to love it too. And for tourists visiting London who want portraits that actually look like London, rather than just another Big Ben shot from across the river, this is one of the best areas in the city.

Here's how I'd shoot it, in the order I actually walk it, including the spots most people miss as well as the famous ones. It works year-round, though each season gives you something slightly different, which I'll mention as we go.

Want portraits taken in Covent Garden? I run relaxed portrait sessions here and across central London for tourists, seniors, creatives and professionals. Get in touch at tepewehco.com/contact

Start with a coffee on Monmouth Street

I always start on Monmouth Street. It's one of the prettier streets in the area, gently curved with independent shopfronts, and it's calm first thing in the morning. I'll usually grab a coffee at Watchhouse, sit down for five minutes, and talk through the shoot before we start. It settles everyone in, especially if you're a bit nervous in front of the camera, and it means the first few photos aren't stiff.

If you're planning your own photos here, the same logic works. Warm up on the quiet streets before you hit the busy ones. The Monmouth Street itself is worth shooting along, it has the mix of old pubs and quirky independent stores, the different textures of the buildings. It has a charm to it that doesn't shout for attention the way Neal's Yard does, which means fewer people stop to watch you shoot.

Neal's Yard

A two-minute walk from Monmouth Street is Neal's Yard, the little courtyard of rainbow-painted buildings that Covent Garden is famous for. You reach it through a narrow alley off Shorts Gardens or Monmouth Street, and most people walk straight past the entrance. Inside it's all colour with bright façades, hanging plants, painted window frames.

For portraits, position your subject a little away from the wall so the colour sits softly behind them rather than flattening the shot. It's a small space, so a wider lens helps you fit the buildings in. On a phone, use the main camera or the ultrawide and step back to keep the colours rich. On a digital camera, a wide aperture keeps your subject sharp and lets the walls blur into colour behind them.

Go early. This is the most important tip for the whole area. Neal's Yard is tiny and fills up fast. At 8am you can have it almost to yourself. By midday it is filled with people, unless that’s the vibe you are going for, go early. The morning light is soft and even in there, which suits portraits well.

Seven Dials

Neal's Yard sits just off Seven Dials, the junction where seven streets meet at a central sundial column. Quick bit of trivia worth sharing with your subject while you shoot: the column only has six dials, because the seventh street was added after it was built.

The mistake people make here is treating it as one spot - the monument in the middle. The good stuff is the seven streets that radiate out from it, each with its own character. Monmouth Street, Mercer Street, Shorts Gardens and Earlham Street all give you a different look, from pastel shopfronts to cobbles to greenery. Put someone at the mouth of one of those streets with it running off behind them and you get natural depth and leading lines without any effort.

Morning for quiet, though the wider junction copes with crowds better than Neal's Yard because it's open. Overcast days work well here, the flat light suits the cobbles and the colour of the shopfronts.

The quieter spots

Several of my favourite locations are on or just off those seven streets, and this is where Covent Garden really opens up if you know where to look. It's also where you'll get portraits that nobody else has.

Mercer Street has a big, bold mural that makes a brilliant backdrop when you want something with more edge than pastel shopfronts. Good for a change of mood partway through a session and works particularly well for creatives and school seniors who want something more characterful.

Shelton Street is a quiet side street with a run of yellow façades. There's rarely anyone on it, so it's a reliable fallback when the main spots are busy.

Slingsby Place, part of St Martin's Courtyard just north of Long Acre, is a tucked-away courtyard of restaurants with a long flower arcade and colourful canopies overhead. It's calm in the mornings before the lunch crowd arrives, which makes it easy to work in.

Floral Court, off Floral Street and run by Petersham Nurseries, is one of the loveliest quiet corners in Covent Garden. Full of greenery, feels like a little refuge from the busier streets. Like the others, it's at its best and emptiest first thing.

Neal Street

Neal Street runs back towards Seven Dials and is lined with characterful shopfronts. On the corner sits the Crown & Anchor, a proper old pub that photographs beautifully, especially with the flowers up in summer. This whole stretch is great for relaxed walking shots, where someone strolls along or pauses at a window rather than posing to camera. Those often end up more natural and personal than the landmark ones.

Covent Garden Piazza and the Market Building

The Piazza is the heart of Covent Garden and where I usually finish. It's the busiest part of the whole area, so timing matters here more than anywhere else. The historic Market Building sits in the middle, surrounded by grand porticoed buildings, cobbles underfoot, and something happening in every direction.

The market building itself. Shoot it from the upper terraces looking down through the iron arches for the classic view, and step inside the covered arcade too. The glass roof and ironwork make a lovely natural frame and keep you dry if the weather turns.

The floral displays. Covent Garden keeps floral installations and art pieces around the Piazza throughout the year, the giant flower-filled wheelbarrow being the best known. I've taken portraits against these and they do a lot of the work for you. Big, colourful, made for full-length shots. They change through the year so check what's up before you plan around one.

The Apple Store side. The north side of the Piazza, near the Apple Store, is where the bigger seasonal set-pieces tend to go. In December this is usually where the main Christmas display lands, with huge golden bells, bows and mirror balls hung from the ceilings and lights on from 11am each morning. It makes a gorgeous full-length backdrop and some of the best festive portraits in London. Autumn is beautiful here too, the light turning warm across the stone buildings in a way that works for almost any kind of portrait.

The performers and live music. The West Piazza has the big theatrical acts, magic, juggling, comedy, while the lower South Hall courtyard is where the opera singers and string quartets play. A portrait with live music happening behind your subject is full of life. The catch is people. Performances usually start around 11am and pull a crowd, so if you want them in shot come for them specifically, and if you want clean architecture come before they start.

Best time at the Piazza: early morning for calm, empty architecture. Late morning onwards if you want the buzz, the buskers and the music as part of the story. Both work, they just give you completely different portraits.

Seasonal notes

Covent Garden works year-round, and each season brings something different. Spring and early summer bring window boxes and flower displays at their best. Autumn turns the light warm and golden across the stone buildings, particularly beautiful in the Piazza in the late afternoon. Winter, especially December, is genuinely spectacular. The Christmas decorations across the Market Building are some of the best in London, and the light installations around the Piazza make for atmospheric portraits even when it's cold. I'll be adding more seasonal photos here as I shoot through the year.

Practical notes

Getting there: Covent Garden tube (Piccadilly line) drops you right in. Leicester Square and Holborn are also nearby.

Cost: All public space, no location fees.

Best time overall: Early morning, any day of the week. Before 9am on a weekend you'll have most of these spots to yourself. After 11am the popular ones get busy. If you can only come later, lean into the atmosphere rather than fighting it.

Etiquette: A lot of these spots are working cafés, shops and homes. Don't block doorways, be considerate of other visitors, and watch out for cars on the surrounding streets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Covent Garden good for a photoshoot? Yes, it's one of the most versatile portrait locations in London. The variety of backdrops in a small area, colourful courtyards, cobbled streets, Victorian architecture, flower displays, means you can cover a lot of different looks in a single session without moving far.

What is the best time to visit Covent Garden for photos? Early morning is best, ideally starting at 8am or 9am. Neal's Yard and the quieter streets around Seven Dials are much easier to shoot in before the crowds arrive. The Piazza is busiest from late morning through the afternoon.

What are the best hidden spots in Covent Garden for photos? Floral Court off Floral Street, Slingsby Place in St Martin's Courtyard, and Shelton Street are three of the quietest and most photogenic spots in the area that most visitors walk straight past.

Is Covent Garden good for senior portraits? It's one of the best locations in London for senior graduation portraits. The combination of colourful streets, architectural variety and relaxed atmosphere makes it work well for that kind of session. Enough variety to keep it interesting without feeling overwhelming.

Do I need to book anything to shoot in Covent Garden? No, all the locations in this guide are public spaces and free to visit. No permits or bookings are required for personal portrait sessions.

Want portraits taken here?

If you'd rather be in the pictures than behind the camera, I run relaxed portrait sessions around Covent Garden and across central London, for tourists visiting London, school seniors, creatives, founders and anyone who wants portraits that actually feel like them rather than a posed studio shot.

You can see more of my London portrait work here and couples sessions here. Or if you're ready to book, get in touch directly.