Grab a top bargain at London's markets
London's markets sell everything under the sun, bustling places of noise, confusion, and, for the initiated, bargains galore! I've got my insider's eye on what to buy where, which are the best and which are pure tourist traps worth avoiding.
Borough Market
For foodie, Borough Market is fabulous, a culinary heaven where seemingly everything is hand made for maximum deliciousness; classy organic food goodies for everyone. Remember you won’t be able to take unsealed meat products back on the plane, so scoff as much as you can while you’re here! It is of course, free to browse, but you do pay more than your average amount for the luxury and the quality. Best visited on Saturday mornings - have a pint at the Market Porter pub by the market if it all gets a bit too crowded, as it inevitably will. Crowds are good-natured and there are plenty of free samples on offer. Nearest tube: London Bridge.
Camden Market
Camden Market – vintage, goth and techno clothes, bric-a-brac and furniture, this large market is now sufficiently gentrified to walk around comfortably for everyone except younger children; it’s also yet to be commercialised into vanilla sterility. Big, and great fun to browse, though firmly aimed at those in their late teens or twenties, you can find some real bargains here. Be prepared to see the legacy of punk and hundreds of goth kids milling around showing how different they are... by all dressing the same. Tube: Camden.
Portabello Road Market
Portobello Road Market – this is really several markets in one, from the consumer, clothes and fruit and veg stalls of the northern end of the road to the southern end’s antiques stores. Antique shops are open every day, but on Saturday the whole street becomes an open-air antique and bric-a-brac market. Prices can be steep but be prepared to bargain; a simple ‘is that your best offer’ can often work wonders in getting the price down, particularly in the open air stalls. I’ve never found any totally brilliant buys here though, and it is firmly on the tourist trail so gets pretty crowded in the summer. For my money if you only have a short time in London then the other markets are more 'real' and, to my mind, more fun. Closed Thursday afternoon and Sundays. Go on Saturdays for the best atmosphere. Tube: Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne Park
Covent Garden Market
Covent Garden market: does cater mainly for tourists though you can still find some off-the-wall and fun items here; stallholders sell everything from jewellery to gifts to clothes. It’s a pleasant enough place to browse and as it’s just a few minutes walk from Trafalgar Square doesn’t require a special trip. The less ornate Jubilee market, just behind the prettier main market is less touristy and has you’re more likely to find a bargain there. There's always a lot of street entertainment in this area as well, which can be fun to watch. Drop a few coppers in the donation boxes if you take a photo of the mimes and oddly-painted actors who sit still all day. Tube: Covent Garden
Spitalfields Market
Stuffed full of stalls selling original clothes, accessories and gifts, this is perhaps more authentic and less touristy than Covent Garden, despite – or perhaps because of - being in the shadow of London’s great financial district. Some amusing hand-printed t-shirts for under a tenner highlight the fact that it’s a good place for bargains and offbeat buys and there are plenty of places to eat too. Busiest on Sunday; Closed Monday and Saturday. This one is far more for Londoners than overseas visitors (in a good way) - though of course (as ever in London) you'll be welcome no matter where on earth you come from. Being away from the tourist gaze means prices are lower, quality higher and storeholders more authentically 'small craftspeople' than in Portabello road for example. Grab lunch or just a coffee in the excellent Leon restaurant in the covered section of the market; cheap and delicious fresh food. Tube: Liverpool Street.
The Backyard market (and Sunday UpMarket)
The Backyard Market
I'm a bit reluctant to tell you about this one because I think it's a fabulous little market, tucked away and firmly off the tourist trail and I'd really like it to stay that way and not get swamped by millions of people who are only interested in taking photos rather than actually experiencing it. The stallholders are seemingly all 20-something arts graduates trying to sell you pretty and original things they've made - t-shirts, jewellry, clothing and all varieties of delicious food. Very funky and youthful, even slightly offbeat, it's best on Sundays and offers a real insight into non-tourist London. Tube: Aldgate East/Liverpool Street
This guide is updated every six months and was last renewed in Autumn/Fall 2009.
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