No holiday in London is complete without a trip to one of the city’s famous markets. They sell a wide range of goods and each has its own atmosphere. Here are details of five of the best markets that you can visit in London.
1. Old Spitalfields Market – Old Spitalfields Market is situated in London’s East End and it has its origins in the 17th century, when a food market was established at the site. For many years, Spitalfields Market was home to a wide range of fruit, vegetable and flower stalls, but these were moved to a new site in Leyton, known as “New Spitalfields Market” during the early 1990s.
Old Spitalfields Market (which is still often referred to as just Spitalfields Market) is housed inside a large Victorian market hall. Today, it includes a range of permanent shops and restaurants as well as its temporary market stalls. It’s open every day of the week except Saturday, but its busiest days are: Thursdays (when it hosts an antiques and vintage market); Fridays (when it hosts a fashion and arts market); and Sundays (a general market day).
You can get to Old Spitalfields Market by tube or bus. The nearest tube station is Liverpool Street.
2. Camden Market - The area of London often referred to as Camden Market is actually made up of a number of adjoining markets: Camden Lock Market, Camden Stables Market, Camden Canal Market, Buck Street Market, Inverness Street Market and the Electric Ballroom Market (the famous Electric Ballroom music venue hosts film and CD/record fairs on Saturdays and a clothing market on Sundays) . The markets are best-known for selling clothes, music, and arts & crafts, and for attracting goths, punks and other alternative music lovers. They are busiest at the weekends, particularly on Sundays.
The easiest way to get to the Camden Markets is by tube and the nearest tube station is Camden High Street. On Sundays, Camden High Street tube station is only open to arrivals, so you will need to walk to another tube station, such as Chalk Hill Farm, in order to leave Camden. You can also travel to Camden from other areas of London by bus or boat.
3. Columbia Road Flower Market – Situated in London’s East End, Columbia Road Flower Market features hundreds of stalls selling fresh flowers, plants, hanging baskets, shrubs and many other horticultural products. It’s open from 8am until 2pm every Sunday, so it’s the perfect place to go for a morning outing.
You can get to Columbia Road Flower Market by tube or bus. The nearest tube station is Old Street Station.
4. Portobello Road Market – One of London’s oldest and most famous markets, Portobello Road Market’s origins date back to the 1860s. However, it was in the 1950s that the market gained its reputation as a great place to find antiques. Since the 1960s, the market has also gained a reputation for selling fashionable clothes and accessories.
Portobello Road Market’s main trading day is Saturday (8 am until 6.30 pm) and you’ll find hundreds of stalls along the 2 mile stretch of street. It’s also open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, between 8am and 6.30pm, and on Thursdays, between 8am and 1pm. However, there are less stalls there on these days.
The easiest way to get to Portobello Road Market is by tube. The nearest tube station to the market is Notting Hill Gate, but Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park tube stations are also nearby.
5. Greenwich Market – Known for its fashionable arts & crafts stalls, Greenwich Market is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, between 10am and 5.30pm. It has more than 150 stalls and includes a food court area, where you can buy international cuisine, including Chinese and Caribbean dishes.
You can get to Greenwich Market by train (take the tube to Canary Wharf and then the Docklands Light Railway to Cutty Sark Gardens), by bus (the 177, 180, 188, 286 and 386 buses all go to Greenwich town centre) or by river boat (from Westminster, Waterloo, Embankment or Tower Piers).
Image: Adrian Pingstone
Tags: Camden Market, Columbia Road Flower Market, London markets, Old Spitalfields Market, Portobello Road Market
I love Camden Markets, I go at least once a month and always find some excellent bargains
I would also reccomend Portabello Road as in this post, bit pricey but a bargain there really is a bargain, proper quality items
Marissa
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