columbia road flower market after covid
Photograph: mikecphoto / Shutterstock
Photograph: mikecphoto / Shutterstock

The best markets in London for shopping and browsing

From Borough Market to Portobello Road, here are the best markets in London for food, flowers, fashion, antiques and more

Nick Levine
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There are few nicer things to do at the weekend than browsing one of London's stellar array of markets, with a coffee in hand and a packed-to-bursting tote bag over one arm. From foodie paradises that heave with visitors snaffling up artisan samples to small, local bazaars loaded with gifts and household essentials, locals and visitors alike flock to London's best markets. And there's a formidable range to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a farmers’ market, a fashion market, or want to eat up street food or search for antique gems, here’s our pick of the best markets worth making a beeline for, from foodie Borough Market to flower-filled Columbia Road.

RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in London.

12 brilliant London markets

  • Things to do
  • Borough
Borough Market
Borough Market

Nestled next to London Bridge, this iconic food market has 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 foodie’s paradise where discerning Londoners come to buy top-quality meat, fish, fruit and veg, fresh bread, cakes and sweet treats, oils and vinegars, and pretty much anything else. There’s also an amazing array of street food (don't miss communal dining space The Borough Market Kitchen), and a dedicated covered area to chow down in – albeit with reduced communal seating. Borough Market is open Monday to Saturday, but you’ll find a fuller selection of stalls from Thursday to Saturday. 

  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • Brick Lane
Brick Lane Market
Brick Lane Market

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.

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  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs
  • Greenwich

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 stalls selling jewellery, clothes, second-hand furniture, interesting gifts and general bric-à-brac. During the winter the market is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5.30pm and seven days a week during the summer. There are still plenty of delectable street food stalls to refuel at before you pay a visit to the nearby Cutty Sark or Royal Observatory. Or just hop on a Thames riverboat back to central London.

  • Shopping
  • Vintage shops
  • Portobello Road

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. 

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  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • Bermondsey
Maltby Street Market
Maltby Street Market

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.

  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • Bethnal Green

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 each and every weekend with browsing punters. 

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  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • Lisson Grove
Alfies Antique Market
Alfies Antique Market

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. Alfie’s Antiques is open 11am-6pm, Tuesday to Saturday; once you’ve found your dream objet, you can enjoy a bite and a tipple at the rooftop café, a famous sun trap.

  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs
  • Spitalfields
Old Spitalfields Market
Old Spitalfields Market

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 from 8am to 5pm. And if you’re still not shopped out, Brick Lane Market is a five-minute walk away.

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  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • Brixton
Brixton Village and Market Row
Brixton Village and Market Row

Brixton is one of the capital’s most vital neighbourhoods, and these adjacent indoor markets reflect its unique and varied flavour. In recent years they’ve become a place of foodie pilgrimage where hungry Londoners can grab a table at places serving seafood, superior pizza, Portuguese cuisine, Mexican food, Jamaican/European fusion and all manner of Caribbean delicacies. But they contain plenty for shoppers, too. A leisurely amble through the arcades reveals a treasure trove of independent outlets selling clothing, jewellery, homeware, art, antiques and unusual gifts. Brixton Village and Market Row are open from 8am to 11.30pm every day, except for Monday, when they close early at 6pm.

  • Shopping
  • Street vendors
  • Camden Market

Technically several adjoining markets, this sprawl of stalls stretching from Camden Town tube to the Regent’s Canal is London’s fourth most popular visitor attraction. In its recent heyday, around 250,000 people came here every week to shop, sample street food and soak up the distinctive, still-grungy atmosphere. 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. The markets in Camden Town are open seven days a week and typically seem to be buzzing. 

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  • Shopping
  • Markets and fairs
  • London Fields

Since its relaunch in 2004, this Hackney street market has become a magnet for hipsters. And in the Before Times, it was packed every Saturday from 9am to 5pm with arty students and East End creative types filling their tote bags with organic groceries, vintage clothes, fresh flowers, coffee, books and unusual handmade gifts. 

  • Shopping
  • Lifestyle
  • Covent Garden
Covent Garden Market
Covent Garden Market

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. And now the whole area has been pedestrianised to encourage socially distanced punters to return for a browse in safety. 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. Once you’re done exploring, Jubilee Market across the piazza is great for gifts and trinkets. 

Craving some more market mayhem?

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18 food markets to get your teeth into
18 food markets to get your teeth into

If you're feeling peckish after all that shopping, you're not alone. For the best burgers and Instagram-worthy ice-cream check out London's most fabulous food markets.

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