Covent Garden has more theatres within a few minutes' walk than almost anywhere in the world. The Royal Opera House faces Bow Street, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has been rebuilt on the same spot four times since the 1660s, and the Lyceum, the Adelphi, the Novello and a dozen others sit on the streets around the Piazza. On a show night, coach parties, school groups and birthday crowds arrive from all over the country. Minibus hire Covent Garden customers book is mostly about those nights, getting a group to the theatre on time and home again afterwards, along with dinners, shopping days and office outings.
Covent Garden sits between Soho, Holborn and the Strand, on the Westminster and Camden boundary, and it's one of the closest parts of the West End to our base. From SE1, it's about ten to fifteen minutes outside the rush hour, over Waterloo Bridge.
Minibus hire Covent Garden for theatre groups
A typical evening show starts at half past seven and finishes between ten and half past ten, and matinees run in the afternoon on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays depending on the show. Theatre groups from outside London, school drama departments, hen parties and work outings book us to get there and back, often with dinner in between.
When the curtain comes down, every theatre in the area empties within about twenty minutes, and the streets fill with people looking for taxis. The driver can't wait outside the stage door, so we'll agree a pickup point a short walk away on a road where stopping is allowed, and send it to the group leader in advance. Walking to it together, rather than waiting for the last person at the bar, gets the group away before the traffic locks up.
For matinees, the timings are easier, and many school groups fit a matinee and a museum or a workshop into the same day. Weekend matinees draw the most family groups, so book the transport when you book the tickets.
Royal Opera House evenings
The Royal Opera House stages opera and ballet through most of the year, and many performances run longer than a West End show. A long opera can finish after eleven. Opera societies, ballet schools and corporate guests book us for evenings there, and for the backstage tours and daytime events the house runs too.
Bow Street is narrow and busy at the end of a performance, so the pickup will be on a nearby road such as Long Acre or Kingsway, agreed in advance. Tell us the performance and the expected finish time, and we'll plan the pickup for a few minutes after it.
The Piazza and the pedestrian streets
The heart of Covent Garden is pedestrian. The market building, the Piazza, the streets around Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, and parts of Long Acre are either closed to traffic or very restricted, with loading bays and timed access. That's part of what makes the area pleasant to walk round, and part of what makes it hard for a larger vehicle.
The practical result is that a minibus drops on the edge, on roads such as the Strand, Kingsway, Long Acre or Shaftesbury Avenue, and the group walks the last few minutes. We'll pick the drop-off nearest to where you're going. For anyone in the group with limited mobility, tell us and we'll choose the closest legal stopping point.
Dinners, shopping and the Transport Museum
Restaurants around the Piazza, Covent Garden's side streets and the Strand cater for pre-theatre groups, and many offer set menus timed to finish before curtain up. Pre-theatre menus usually start at five or half past, so a group coming in from outside London should aim to arrive by then. Shopping groups come for the market halls, the Apple store and the boutiques of Seven Dials, and families come for the street performers on the west side of the Piazza.
The London Transport Museum, in the old flower market, is a favourite for school groups and families, and it pairs well with a matinee. For a school day that combines both, we'll drop in the morning and collect after the show.
The Congestion Charge and getting home
Covent Garden is inside the Congestion Charge zone and the ULEZ. Our vehicles meet the ULEZ standard, and if your trip falls within charging hours, the Congestion Charge goes on the quote. Evening pickups after six on weekdays fall outside the charging hours, which helps on theatre nights.
For the trip home, give us the drop-off addresses in advance. Groups heading back to Kent, Essex or the Home Counties often want one central drop at a station or a car park, and we can do that too. Minibus hire Covent Garden groups book for a late finish works best when everyone knows the pickup point before the show starts.
For minibus hire in Covent Garden, call 020 7183 0567.