Covent Garden Family Holiday Outing Planner, Rain or Shine

Covent Garden is the London family outing that does not fall apart when it rains. The old market hall has a glass roof, the street performers work under its colonnades, and most of the best stops for children are covered or a few dry steps apart. Use this family holiday outing planner to build a day that switches between indoor and outdoor as the sky changes: performers in the Piazza, old buses and trains in a museum, a colourful courtyard, and lunch somewhere warm.

The Piazza's performers are the reason many children remember Covent Garden. Jugglers, acrobats, magicians and living statues take turns on the cobbles and under the West Piazza arcade, often drawing a big circle of families. Arrive early in the day and find a spot near the front so small children can see without being lifted. The best acts are interactive, and kids who like attention may end up holding a hoop or counting down a trick.

Explain the etiquette before the show starts. Performers make their living from the hat that goes round at the end, so it is kind to bring some coins and let children drop them in. Watching one full act is usually better than drifting between several, because the build-up is half the fun. If your child is shy of crowds, stand toward the back of the circle on the raised steps of the church portico, where the view is clear and nobody pushes.

The museum is a ticketed attraction, so treat it as the paid centrepiece of the day and keep the rest of the plan free. A small play area aimed at under-sevens can calm a toddler who has had too much noise outside. The shop near the exit is a minefield of model buses and Tube map socks, so agree on a souvenir rule before you go in. On dry days, you can skip it and spend more time outdoors, saving the museum for a future visit when the forecast looks grim. Knowing it is there takes the worry out of planning a holiday outing in a city where the weather can change twice before lunch.

A few streets north, Neal's Yard is a tiny triangular courtyard painted in bright blues, oranges and pinks, with window boxes and plants spilling over every ledge. Children love it because it looks like a picture book. It is small, so visit, take photos, and move on rather than trying to sit there for long. The narrow lanes leading to it are part of the adventure, and they feel almost secret compared to the busy Piazza.

Seven Dials, the junction where seven streets meet around a sundial pillar, is next door. Ask children to count the streets and guess which way you came in. Then let them pick the next one to explore. Some of the surrounding shops sell toys, sweets and games, and these lanes give the crowds of the main market a miss. On a wet day, the covered Seven Dials Market food hall nearby makes an easy indoor lunch with plenty of choice.

With children, the best lunch in Covent Garden is the one with the least fuss. The area has plenty of restaurants that cater for theatre crowds, so many have children's menus and staff used to big groups. Avoid the restaurants with tables right on the Piazza, which tend to be crowded and noisy. A short walk into the side streets usually finds calmer rooms where you can park a buggy and hear each other talk.

A food hall works well if your group cannot agree, since everyone can choose and you share a long table. If you have very young children, eat early before the lunch rush, then let them nap in the pushchair afterwards while the adults have a slow coffee. Do not plan anything ambitious straight after the meal. A quiet half hour is what keeps the second half of the day from turning into a meltdown.

During the winter holidays, Covent Garden goes all out on decorations. The market hall usually has giant baubles and greenery hanging from the roof, and a large tree appears in the Piazza. Children like standing under the decorations and looking straight up. Come back to see them after lunch if you were too busy watching performers in the morning, because the glow is stronger as daylight fades in the afternoon.

Skip the queue-based attractions during peak holiday weekends. Any photo stop with a long line of families will eat your afternoon, and the decorations are just as magical from the edge of the crowd. If your kids are theatre fans, the area is the heart of the West End, and many family shows run in the holidays. Watching the theatre crowds outside a musical can be exciting enough for younger kids without needing tickets, and the lit-up theatre fronts on the surrounding streets make a cheerful walk on the way back to the Tube.

The Covent Garden Tube station is tiny and has lifts only, so it gets very crowded at busy times. Many families find it easier to walk from Leicester Square or Holborn, both a short distance away. If you rely on step-free access, look at the accessibility map before you go. Cobbles in the Piazza can be bumpy for pushchairs, so a sturdy buggy helps. Hold hands in the busiest areas and agree on a meeting point.

Pack a small umbrella even if the forecast looks good, and bring layers, since the covered areas can still be chilly. Use the facilities at the museum or your lunch stop, as public toilets nearby are limited. Before setting out, save a few family-friendly places on the Karpo APP so that if the weather changes or a child needs a break, you already know where to head next instead of standing in the rain deciding.