Best street markets in London

London is an eternal favorite destination which attracts hordes of tourists all year around. For your stay in the British capital, check out the venere.com selection of hotels in London.

Steeped in culture as it is, London has many tourist attractions but apart from the palaces, castles and historic buildings London’s vibrant markets are also worth a visit.

Borough Market – London

Borough Market is London’s oldest food market housed in a large Victorian building in South London. It is accessible by the London Underground on the Jubilee and Northern Lines at London Bridge station. It is open on Thursdays between 11 am to 5 pm, Fridays between 12 pm to 6 pm and Saturdays between 9 am to 4 pm. It is loud and bustling with stalls selling meat, poultry, game, preserves and chutneys, fruits and vegetables and more exotic fare such as handmade chocolates, truffles, truffle oil and virgin olive oils. There are number of restaurants and stores close to the market such as Neal’s Yard famous for its variety of cheeses and Konditor and Cook, a baked goods store known for its utterly sinful confections.

Portobello Market

Portobello Market is located in the trendy area of Noting Hill Gate and Ladbroke Grove and the market is held on Saturdays from 6 am to 4.30 pm. The shops located here are open all week long. Portobello Market is accessible by the Underground on the Central Line at Noting Hill Gate station and on the Hammersmith and City line at Ladbroke Grove station. At the entrance of the market are a number of stores selling antiques and a variety of knick knacks Special mention must be made of the excellent ‘Portobello Print and Map shop’ where one can usually find antique prints at very reasonable prices. Towards the middle of the market are many stalls selling organic produce and even a vegan restaurant which seems to be a lunch time favorite. At the end of the road are a number of stalls selling vintage denim, leather, handmade clothes, vinyl records and shoes. The market tends to get very crowded so it is better to go earlier in the day to browse at leisure amongst the various shops and stalls.

Spitalfields Market

Spitalfields Market is located near London’s East End. The market which is undergoing a renovation currently should be visited on Sundays when all the shops and stalls have their exciting wares on display. The market stalls stretch all the way into the adjoining Bricklane, Petticoat Lane and Commercial streets. Spitalfields market has been the chosen locale of many an aspiring designer to showcase their wares. Apart from the stalls selling clothes, there are vendors selling organic food, books, art, furniture and also handmade chocolate and cheeses. The market also has a number of restaurants within its folds including a lively Tapas restaurant called ‘Meson los Barrilles’. The market can be accessed by the Central, Hammersmith and City, District, Circle and Metropolitan lines which come into the Liverpool Street Station located close to the market.

These animated London markets should be a ‘must see’ on any London visitor’s itinerary.

Photos originally posted by Foodmuse, Ben Harris-Roxas, Ashley Dinges, Adam Burt

Topic:  Tips and Ideas | 6 Comments
Tags:  London, shopping, UK

About the author

Anjeeta Nayar is a professional freelance writer and blogger based in New York City. She relocated to the Big Apple from Mumbai two years ago. She loves New York City for its incredible buzz and energy. It really is the city that never sleeps and there is always something to do and see here. In addition to being a writer and blogger, she is also an avid traveler with London and cities in S.E.Asia being the places she enjoys visiting the most!