考文特花园(Covent Garden)坐落于伦敦西区的休闲娱乐区,这里将博物馆、演出场地、独立商铺和传统的英式 boozers(酒馆)生动地融合在一起。该地名似乎是“修道院花园”(convent garden)的缩写,在亨利八世解散修道院之前,这里曾是归教会所有的果园和农田,此后水果蔬菜市场在这里蓬勃发展,直至 20 世纪 70 年代。 这里也是伦敦“剧院区”的一部分,其规模和演艺人才仅次于百老汇。 虽然这里最著名的是每天(12 月 25 日除外)都在步行广场上表演的街头艺人,但在伦敦考文特花园还有更多玩乐活动和消遣方式。 以下是一些我们推荐的活动。
游览集市摊位
尽管由于九榆树区(Nine Elms)的新考文特花园市场的落成,果蔬买卖的时代已经彻底成为了过去,但这并不意味着该社区已完全告别其商贩文化。 您所见到的关于考文特花园的照片,几乎都是苹果集市(Apple Market)那涂成绿色的铁制品和玻璃幕墙,其历史可以追溯到 19 世纪的重建时期。 集市两侧分布着英国商业街上随处可见的商店,而中心区域则遍布摊位,售卖各式礼品、服装和古董。 落成于 1904 年的朱比利集市(Jubilee Hall Market)位于广场南侧,拥有更多精选摊位供您选择。 这里的商品种类繁多,既有土得掉渣但颇具趣味的纪念品,也有货真价实的古董。 该集市每天开放,周一专门经营古董交易,而周六和周日则留给伦敦的艺术家和手工艺人。 在一周的其他时间里,您可以看到各式各样的摊位。 在社区的北部边缘地带坐落着七晷区(Seven Dials),其中包括尼尔氏庭院(Neal’s Yard)。 对于那些习惯了伦敦大部分地区宏伟石制外墙的游客来说,该地区的商店可能会让他们感到一丝惊艳。 这是因为砖墙与多彩外观的混搭,恰恰彰显了其独立的经营权与独特风格。
深入探索各大博物馆
在广场的东侧,您会发现昔日的鲜花市场已变为 London Transport Museum。 这里不仅停满了旧巴士、电车(有轨电车)和火车,还展示了定义时代的意象以及早期版本的伦敦地铁图;这座适合亲子游览的交通庆典并不只为发烧友准备。 科文特花园(Covent Garden)最新的活动之一便是参观伦敦电影博物馆(London Film Museum),该馆于 2008 年首次开放。 该博物馆致力于电影产业,馆藏包括多款您在银幕上见过的服装和道具,其中《詹姆斯·邦德》(James Bond)系列只是众多代表作之一。 但若想了解伦敦顶级取景地的详细信息,您不妨参加一次 Brit Movie Tour。 共有 10 条不同的游览路线可供选择,现在正是您期待已久的机会,让您走进《哈利·波特》(Harry Potter)或《詹姆斯·邦德》(James Bond)等电影,以及《唐顿庄园》(Downton Abbey)和《杀死伊芙》(Killing Eve)等热门电视剧的世界。横跨 该社区西南角的是特拉法加广场(Trafalgar Square)。 纳尔逊纪念柱(Nelson’s Column)是为了纪念 1805 年战胜拿破仑而建造的,于 19 世纪 60 年代通过公众捐款落成。 它傲然屹立在国家美术馆(National Gallery)及与之相连的国家肖像馆(National Portrait Gallery)外。 这两座场馆共同构成了世界上最重要的艺术收藏地之一。 文森特·梵高(Vincent Van Gogh)、列奥纳多·达·芬奇(Leonardo da Vinci)和约翰内斯·维米尔(Johannes Vermeer)的画作,与从约翰·康斯特布尔(John Constable)到 J·M·W·透纳(J M W Turner)等众多英国绘画大师的作品齐聚一堂。
享受剧院之夜
回到科文特花园(Covent Garden)的核心地带,皇家歌剧院(Royal Opera House)始建于 18 世纪 30 年代,当时是伦敦仅有的两个获得国王许可举办戏剧表演的场所之一。 在经历了几次重生后,它被德裔英籍作曲家——也是乔治三世的最爱——格奥尔格·弗里德里希·韩德尔(George Frideric Handel)选为首演其多部作品的礼堂;此外,自 1946 年以来,这里一直是皇家芭蕾舞团(Royal Ballet)的所在地。 若想在没有演出安排时一探究竟,您可以选择参加导览游。 该街区另一个与艺术相关的响亮名字是德鲁里巷皇家剧院(Theatre Royal, Drury Lane),它是伦敦连续作为剧院使用的最古老的剧场。 它的历史可以追溯到 1663 年,包括查理二世的情妇、女演员内尔·格温(Nell Gwyn)以及喜剧团体“蒙提·派森”(Monty Python)的演出记录。 喜剧界的下一个大人物很可能就在广场的鹅卵石街道上诞生,因为这里的街头表演者必须在科文特花园管理层面前参加试镜,才能获得特定的表演地点和时段,以此冲击成名的巅峰,或是默默无闻地离场。
欣赏科文特花园的建筑风格
不要将其与附近的座堂混淆,圣保罗教堂(St Paul’s Church)坐落在苹果市场(Apple Market)的正对面,绝对不容错过。 由于与该街区的剧院有着密切联系,它也被称为“演员教堂”——这里甚至拥有专属的表演剧团。 该教堂最初由伊尼戈·琼斯(Inigo Jones)与广场一同设计,其小巧的墓园也提供了一片难能可贵的绿地。 在这样一个建筑底蕴深厚的地区,人们往往容易目不暇接——甚至忽略了石雕艺术——但萨默塞特府(Somerset House)绝对是您不容错过的地方。 其中央庭院深受大众喜爱,夏季设有喷泉并举办电影放映活动,圣诞节期间则会开放滑冰场。 馆内最值得留意的核心展区属于考陶尔德学院(Courtauld Institute)。 其明亮的展厅跨越了数个世纪的欧洲艺术史,收藏有波提切利(Botticelli)和勃鲁盖尔(Bruegel)的作品。
与 Go City® 一起探索科文特花园
如果您一直在探寻伦敦科文特花园的游玩去处,这里就是您的答案。 这里几个世纪以来一直是市集摊位的所在地,此外还有皇家歌剧院(Royal Opera House)等历史悠久的表演场所以及艺术、交通和电影行业的专题博物馆。 您的伦敦行程内容真是丰富多彩! 使用 Go City 开启旅程,在游览众多顶级景点时可享受大幅门票优惠。 它不仅涵盖了科文特花园,还遍及整座英国首都——从西部的 Hampton Court Palace 到东部的 Tower of London,确保您在回家后不会面临任何令人头疼的信用卡账单!
Street performers and shopping on the piazza (and beyond)
Street performers and shopping on the piazza (and beyond)
They say you’re never more than three feet from a magician, juggler or contortionist on Covent Garden’s main piazza, where street performers ply their trade along the famous cobbles come rain, hail or shine. Sure, it’s a little cliché, but if there’s anything more ‘London’ than being startled by a silver-painted gentleman you thought was a statue we’ve yet to find it. Take some time to soak up the atmosphere and watch the performers at work before immersing yourself in everything else Covent Garden has to offer.
The era of fruit and vegetable sales may be well and truly in the past – with New Covent Garden Market in Nine Elms fulfilling this function since the 1970s – but that doesn’t mean the neighborhood has said goodbye to its traders completely. Almost all the images you’ll see of Covent Garden are of the green-painted ironwork and glazing of the Apple Market, details that date to its reconstruction in the 19th Century. Along its flanks are stores recognizable from any British high street, plus a few quirky one-offs like The Moomin Shop, a store given over entirely to merchandise associated with those lovable little Scandinavian trolls. In the center of the market, independent stall holders sell a range of handmade gifts, clothes and antiques.
The Jubilee Hall Market, completed in 1904, sits on the south side of the piazza with another selection of stalls. Their goods range from the so-bad-they’re-good souvenirs to genuine antiques. Open daily, Mondays are dedicated to the antiques trade whilst Saturdays and Sundays are given over to London’s artists and craftspeople. The rest of the week is a bit of a pick’n’mix, and you never quite know what you might walk out with: a rare Rolling Stones record, a battered old London street sign, a wind-up torch or a unicorn horn.
Towards the neighborhood’s northern end lies Seven Dials. Seven ‘spokes’ radiate from its central hub (marked by a tall sundial), each one lined with cool boutiques, bars, restaurants and coffee shops. Tucked away between the Monmouth Street and Short’s Gardens ‘spokes’, you’ll find Neal’s Yard. This hip little indie enclave’s storefronts can come as something of a surprise to those more used to the grand stone facades of the rest of Covent Garden. The mishmash of brickwork and colorful exteriors are reflective of the independent and often quirky businesses that they house.
Fancy eating your way around the area? This walking tour of Soho and Covent Garden is a snack-tastic way to get to know the area. Entry to the tour is included with the Go City London pass, which also bags you discounted access to over 100 more top-tier London attractions, tours and activities.
Delve into Covent Garden’s museums
Delve into Covent Garden’s museums
You’ll find the mighty London Transport Museum tucked away in the piazza’s southeast corner, beneath the Victorian arches of the former flower market. It’s a magical wonderland of old-school Routemaster buses, steam trains, carriages and advertising posters of yore, including era-defining imagery and early versions of the London Underground map. It’s fun, it’s family-friendly and it ain’t just for trainspotters and nerds. Don’t skip the chance to pick up a cool souvenir in the quite excellent gift shop.
Straddling the southwest corner of the neighborhood, Trafalgar Square is home to London bucket-listers including Nelson’s Column and his stone lions, the regularly updated open-air art exhibition that is the Fourth Plinth, and a showboating pair of fountains. It’s also where you’ll find two of London’s premier art museums: The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. Together they form one of the world’s most important art collections. Paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes Vermeer are joined by the many greats of British painting, from John Constable to J M W Turner. Ogle The Hay Wain, Sunflowers and Monet’s Water-Lilies absolutely gratis? Don’t mind if we do.
Take in a theater show (or two)
Take in a theater show (or two)
Take your seats as the curtain rises on London’s entertainment district, second only to Broadway in scope and talent. Covent Garden’s central location close to pretty much all of the major theaters and performance spaces makes it easy to take in a show or three. You’ll find several of the major theatres within strolling distance – the Royal Opera House, Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the Coliseum among them – with plenty more along the entertainment mecca that is Shaftesbury Avenue, just the other side of Chinatown.
The Royal Opera House began life in the 1730s as one of just two spaces in London granted the king’s permission to stage plays. Several rebirths later, it was chosen by Germano-British composer – and favorite of George III – George Frideric Handel as the auditorium to debut many of his works; it has also been the home of the Royal Ballet since 1946.
Another big neighborhood name, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is the oldest theater in London to be in continuous use as a playhouse. Its history dates back to 1663 and includes performances by Nell Gwyn – the actress mistress of Charles II – and comedy troupe Monty Python.
And if that kind of historical tidbit sounds like your kind of trivial pursuit, you’re sure to get a kick from the London theater walking tour, which calls at these and many other venues, with an expert live commentary that’s worthy of the West End stage itself!
Admire Covent Garden’s art and architecture
Admire Covent Garden’s art and architecture
Not to be confused with the nearby cathedral, St Paul’s Church is pretty much unmissable thanks to its prime position immediately opposite the Apple Market. Originally designed by Inigo Jones alongside the piazza, its small churchyard provides a much-needed dose of peaceful greenery too. It's affectionately known as the Actors’ Church because of its close association with the neighborhood’s theaters, and also hosts its own regular events: think candlelit concerts, classical recitals, gospel choirs, plays and more.
In an area so rich in architecture it can be difficult to see the wood for the trees – or the sculpture for the stone – but one place you won’t want to miss is Somerset House. Set riverside on The Strand, its broad central courtyard has been widely adopted by the public, with fountains, movie screenings and live music in the summer and an ice rink during the Christmas period. Inside, the Courtauld Gallery’s exhibition space spans several centuries of European art, with bright rooms containing works by Botticelli, Bruegel, van Gogh, Manet and more.
Looking for more London-based inspiration? Take a wander through the city’s best strolls and get the full lowdown on Go City’s London pass options.
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