Inspired by the bouquinistes selling second-hand books along the Seine in Paris, this daily market is one of the few open-air book fairs in the UK. Every day from 10am until 7pm, vendors set up long tables outside BFI Southbank stocked with seemingly endless second-hand books, maps and old prints.
The number of booksellers varies with the weather, but even when it’s raining, the protective arch of Waterloo Bridge makes for dry browsing. Each stall has a separate proprietor, usually keeping a hawk-eyed watch on his or her wares. The selection is eclectic – everything from Penguin Classics to well-thumbed thrillers, coffee-table tomes to kids’ books.
Not on the hunt for a new tube read? Then settle on the terrace of the BFI bar and watch book-loving Londoners and tourists browsing the stalls.