Best for
Photographers, Instagram-style detours, Covent Garden walkers
Time needed
10–20 minutes
Worth it?
Yes as a quick, free, colourful detour — not worth a special trip alone
Skip if
You're very short on time in Covent Garden and prioritising bigger sights
About Neal's Yard
Named after 17th-century developer Thomas Neale, who built much of the surrounding area under a royal grant from Charles II, Neal's Yard began life as an unglamorous service yard for the market traders and businesses of Covent Garden, and stayed that way — rundown and largely ignored — for roughly three centuries.
Its transformation began in the 1970s when countercultural entrepreneur Nicholas Saunders bought a derelict warehouse in the yard and turned it into a wholefood shop, part of a wider vision for the yard as a hub of alternative, community-minded businesses; Monty Python's Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam also bought office space here around the same time. Neal's Yard Remedies, the natural health and beauty brand, takes its name and origins directly from the yard.
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Today it's a small, almost secret-feeling courtyard of brightly painted shopfronts, hanging plants and independent cafés, reachable only through narrow passages off Shorts Gardens or Monmouth Street — easy to walk straight past without knowing it's there.
It's not a sight that needs more than ten or fifteen minutes, but as a photogenic, low-key detour from Covent Garden's much busier main piazza, it's one of the better free stops in the area.
What to See: Highlights
- 1Vividly painted, colour-coordinated shopfronts and hanging plants
- 2The birthplace of the Neal's Yard Remedies natural beauty brand
- 3A rare quiet, low-key corner just steps from busy Covent Garden
- 4Independent cafés and small wholefood shops
- 5A countercultural 1970s history tied to Monty Python's Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam
- 6One of the most photographed small courtyards in London
Insider Tips
Look for the narrow entrances off Shorts Gardens or Monmouth Street — it's easy to miss
Visit on a weekday morning for the best light and fewest crowds for photos
It's tiny — 10–15 minutes is enough unless you're stopping for coffee
Combine with a wider Covent Garden and Seven Dials walk
Respect that people live and work here — it's not purely a tourist set piece
Getting There
Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP
Open in Google Maps →- 1Covent Garden (Piccadilly line) — a 5-minute walk via Shorts Gardens or Monmouth Street.
Where to stay
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before you visit.
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Should You Visit?
Visit if...
- You're already exploring Covent Garden and have 15 minutes spare
- You enjoy photogenic, colourful hidden corners of a city
- You want a quieter break from Covent Garden's main piazza crowds
- You're interested in Neal's Yard Remedies or 1970s counterculture history
Skip if...
- You're extremely short on time and have bigger Covent Garden sights to prioritise
- Small photo-op courtyards aren't your thing
More to See in London
Camden Market
A sprawling cluster of markets around Camden Lock on Regent's Canal — alternative fashion, global street food and live-music history, and one of London's most-visited free attractions.
Covent Garden
London's original planned public square, now a lively piazza of street performers, an indoor Apple Market, the Royal Opera House and London's oldest working theatre.