The best markets in London for shopping and browsing

Sheltering in the shade of London Bridge, Borough Market is this city's most famous food market, and no wonder: it's existed in some form since at least 1014. Although it still operates as a wholesale market in the early hours, it’s now best known as a destination for Londoners and tourists alike. Show up ready to fill your tote bag with top-quality meat, fish, fruit and veg, fresh bread, cakes and sweet treats, oils and vinegars, plus specialist goodies you'll struggle to find anywhere else. Let someone else do all that boring chopping by hitting up the market's massive street food section, which has a dedicated covered area to chow down in – if you can grab a seat that is, because this market gets seriously busy when the sun shines or the weekend rolls round. 

Opening times: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm; Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 10am-4pm

Best for: foodie delights of every flavour

8 Southwark St, SE1 1TL

This grand neoclassical market building in the heart of Covent Garden is a true London landmark. Since 1980, after traffic congestion forced the traditional fruit-and-veg market to relocate, Covent Garden Market has reinvented itself as a serious shopping destination, with a small but satisfying range of stalls available for browsing. On Mondays, it’s filled with stalls selling antiques and collectables; then from Tuesday to Sunday, it welcomes a broader range of traders offering everything from handmade jewellery to artisan soaps. There are plenty of permanent retail units, too, mainly housing fancy brands like Mulberry and Tom Ford. If you're hungry for more, Jubilee Market across the piazza is great for gifts and touristy trinkets. 

Opening times: Monday 5am-5pm; Tuesday-Friday 10.30am-7.30pm

Best for: luxury knickknacks and gifts

Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 8RF

On Sundays, the streets of east London’s bustling Brick Lane are lined with stalls selling anything and everything. You’re bound to find bargain fruit and veg, household items and electrical products, but this market’s USP is its sheer unpredictability: you could bag a secondhard bargain, or spend hours sifting through trinkety tat. Brick Lane’s recent ‘trendification’ is reflected in the various splinter markets that surround it. Visit Backyard Market for arts and crafts, Sunday Upmarket for street food and interesting gifts, The Tea Rooms for vintage bric-à-brac, and the Boiler House Food Hall for more snack and drink stalls.

Opening times: Monday to Saturday 11am-6:30pm; Sunday 10am-6pm

Best for: rummaging for bargains

Though it’s situated in historic Greenwich (a Unesco World Heritage Site, no less), this eighteenth-century indoor market is no relic. It’s home to an eclectic and refreshing non-corporate array of stalls selling antique jewellery, clothes, second-hand furniture, interesting gifts and general bric-à-brac. You'll find the fullest selection of stalls at the weekend, including an outdoor street food area which will give you plenty of fuel for a trek round nearby attractions like Cutty Sark or Royal Observatory.

Opening times: daily 10am-5.30pm

Best for: affordable gifts and historic atmosphere

5b Greenwich Market, SE10 9HZ

Housed in a huge Egyptian-style art deco building in Marylebone, Alfie’s Antiques Market has been attracting collectors and casual buyers for more than 40 years. Spread over four floors are around 100 different dealers selling an eclectic selection of jewellery, homeware, decorative items, memorabilia, furniture and artwork. Full-on bargains are few and far between, but that’s only because the quality of goods on offer is so high. Once you’ve found your dream objet, you can enjoy tea and a slab of homemade cake at the Roof Top Kitchen, a famous sun trap with gorgeous views over London's skyline.

Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm

Best for: top-quality antiques and curios

13-25 Church St, NW8 8DT

Once a haven for Caribbean shoppers in search of ackee or scotch bonnet peppers, Brixton's indoor markets are now a reflection of this neighbourhood's fast-changing face. A global line-up of restaurants spans everything from Trinidadian jerk spot Fish, Wings and Tings to champagne bar Bottle + Rye: the market opens til late every night of the week except Monday, making them perfect for dinner and drinks. A leisurely daytime amble through the arcades reveals a treasure trove of independent outlets selling clothing, jewellery, homeware, art, antiques and unusual gifts.

Opening times: Monday 8am-6pm; Tuesday-Sunday 8am-midnight. 

Best for: grabbing a sociable weeknight drink

Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PS

Situated just off Shoreditch’s main drag, this weekly flower market is an East End gem. Every Sunday from 8am-3pm (roughly), the picturesque cobbled street is packed with traders selling bulbs, herbs, shrubs, bedding plants and bucketfuls of cut flowers. Flanking the stands are around 60 interesting independent shops and cafés, many open only at weekends. Arrive super-early for the best selection of flowers, or as the market’s winding down to bag a bargain. Be prepared for it to be heaving with browsing punters at the weekends. 

Opening times: Sunday 8am-3pm

Best for: armfuls of blooms

Columbia Rd, E2 7RG

Located in lively Bermondsey, Maltby Street Market is a bit like a calmer, more curated version of Borough Market. It’s only been going since 2010, doesn’t open during the week, and the tourists haven’t quite cottoned on yet. So, if you can’t face the masses, this is the place to come when you’re having a Nigella moment and want to stock your kitchen cupboards with high-end condiments and tipples you can’t get at Tesco.

Opening times: Friday 5.30pm-9pm; Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 11am-4pm

Best for: gourmet treats and atmosphere to savour

Maltby Street Market, SE1 3PA

Since its relaunch in 2004, this Hackney street market has become a magnet (and unofficial catwalk) for the trendiest residents of E8. Every Saturday, you'll find a horde of arty students and East End creative types filling their tote bags with organic groceries, vintage clothes, fresh flowers, coffee, books and unusual handmade gifts. 

Opening times: Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 10am-5pm

Best for: uncovering London's freshest new trends

Broadway Market, E8 4PH

London's largest antiques market occupies a prime stretch of Notting Hill, an area that manages to feel diverse and surprising despite heavy gentrification (how Hugh Grant in that movie could afford a one-person flatshare while working in a bookshop is well beyond us) in the ’90s. Portobello Road Market is really five markets in one, with different sections dedicated to secondhand goods; clothing and fashion; household essentials; fruit, veg and other food; and the main event: antiques. You’ll find the greatest range of antiques stalls on Saturdays. Portobello buzzes on Fridays too, but this fascinating street packed with characterful cafés, shops and drinking spots is worth a visit any time. 

Opening times: Monday-Saturday 8am-7pm; Sunday 8am-5pm

Best for: antiques and treasures that famous local Paddington would prize

Columbia Rd, E2 7RG

Following its noughties rejuvenation, this covered market opposite Liverpool Street station has blossomed into a major shopping (and eating) destination. Now open seven days a week, the central concourse is filled with stalls selling contemporary and vintage clothes, posh children’s toys, homeware items and artisan food products. Inside, you’ll also find a selection of fantastic places to eat, including Dumpling Shack and Bleecker Burger. There’s extra buzz on Thursdays, when it welcomes Old Spitalfields Antiques Market, a bonus cluster of stalls offering collectables and objets d’art. And if you’re still not shopped out, Brick Lane Market is a five-minute walk away.

Opening times: Monday-Wednesday 10am-8pm; Thursday 8am-6pm; Friday 10am-8pm; Saturday 10am-6pm; Sunday 10am-5pm

Best for: handcrafted homewares and gifts

16 Horner Square, E1 6EW

Stepping out of Camden Tube station is an assault on the senses: punk music, jostling crowds, the smell of street food and an atmosphere of excitement. That's mostly down to this neighbourhood's famous and wildly popular markets, which have been attracting alternative types for decades. A series of unfortunate fires have reshaped the face of Camden's markets, with developers moving in to tame their once-anarchic spirit. But you'll still find grungey atmosphere and treasures galore at this collection of stalls. Camden Lock Market is an arts-and-crafts haven while the Stables Market is a trendy spot for everything from quirky furniture to fetish clothing. Nearby Buck Street Market on Camden High Street has had a shipping container revamp, while Hawley Wharf is a freshly opened hub of foodie businesses and eclectic paraphenalia.

Opening times: generally daily 10am-6pm, but hours may vary between traders and markets

Best for: picking up rare records and subculture togs

Camden High St, NW1 8NJ