A Hidden Neighborhood in London’s City Center

By Adam Groffman

In a city as sprawling as London, many people might be tempted to avoid the city center. It might at first seem like an area over-crowded, noisy, congested and expensive, but if you know what the locals know, it’s far from frightening. And in fact, it’s probably one of the best spots to discover London—especially for weekend tourists.

The Covent Garden area can be especially daunting for tourists—it’s full of vendors, tourists and the London Underground station is weird. To get from the trains to the street level, it’s necessary to take large freight elevators—or else you get stuck climbing nearly a thousand steps. And for so many first-time visitors to London, this is their first introduction to the city.

Luckily, there’s a hidden area behind Covent Garden, tucked between trendy Soho and the congested interchange at Tottenham Court Road. Seven Dials is a secret local hotspot—a hideaway of surprisingly calm and…