The Best Street Markets In London
Each market in London has its own quirkiness to it, it’s own specialty, it’s own thing that draws people in. After exploring the markets around London for a month, here are my top ones to visit the next time you find yourself across the pond.
Camden Market
📍54-56 Camden Lock Pl, London NW1 8AF
The Camden Market, conveniently located a few blocks North of the Camden Town tube stop is the market for anyone looking for anything. In a serene setting on the Regent’s Canal with many trees lining the market and surrounding areas, Camden is a one-stop shop for everyone. Most food stalls line the canal, but more can be found among the other sections of the market. Food options range from anything you can imagine: from burgers to homemade pasta, Indonesian food to Dutch pancakes, with plenty of vegan options spread out in between Camden Market is a great place for a quick bite. Visitors can grab food and eat by the waterway or sit in one of the many covered tables provided by the market. Word for the wise, while you are outside, be careful not to get pooped on by the multitude of birds living overhead. Inside the main part of the Camden Market lies vendor upon vendor of various items. What feels like the English version of a bazaar inside, one can find almost anything. Assortments of new and vintage clothing, art prints of popular sites of London and homemade and vintage jewelry adore each stall. The best part of Camden Market? It just keeps going. The more you walk, the more you discover; row upon row of new items are uncovered. Open every day of the week from 10 am to 6 pm, whether it is raining or sunny, the Camden Market is really a one-stop shop for any local or visitor who is looking for a classic London street market experience.
Seven Dials & Covent Garden
📍35 Earlham St, London WC2H 9LD
Seven Dials is a fully indoor food-court-type market perfect for the foodie in all of us. Located right next door is Covent Gardens, a giant, sprawled-out market full of restaurants, shops, and vendor stalls. Both markets are the perfect place to hang out for the day or to stop by for a bite to eat, a little shopping, or to see some of the many attractions around the market (like the Royal Opera House). While Seven Dials is open 24 hours, Covent Gardens does not have one specific time to be open as it is made up of a bunch of different shops.
Brick Lane Market
📍Brick Ln, London E1 6QR
Take the train and hop off at the Liverpool Street Station or the Aldgate East Station to get to the Brick Lane Market. If you’ve walked past a church, a mosque, and street art adorned metal roll-up doors, you’re on the right path.
At the market, you will find food and clothing of vintage dreams. What feels like an outdoor food market that is actually inside, the food hall is a random hodge-podge of people and food. Smells from all over the world settle thickly in the air. Many languages float around like a strangely beautiful song. Vegan options are plentiful with each booth clearly marking what dietarily restrictions they cater to. Past the food market, some stalls are dispersed in a snaking pattern leading you to the basement where more of the market is housed.
Down a flight of purple stairs in the Brick Lane market is a vintage fanatic’s dream. Rows and rows of vendor after vendor sells clothing, jewelry, prints, and accessories like sunglasses, hats, and bags. It’s an English vintage version of a bazaar where you can haggle your way through deals on treasures found. The Brick Lane Market is open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 85 Brick lane in East London. Even better, the Brick Lane Market has other markets surrounding it that have more food options and vendors as well. With food, vintage clothes for miles and accessories mixed in between, everyone is bound to find something at Brick Lane.
Spitalfields Market
📍65 Brushfield St, London E1 6AA
Located right next to Brick Lane Market, Old Spitalfields Market is home to vendors for the more classy taste with high-end goods and high prices. Although there are some food options at the market, the main draw is the rows and rows of booths where vendors sell handmade goods, scarves, hats, essential oils, incense, baked goods, and so much more. The market is open from 8 to 11 daily which offers visitors and locals alike the perfect place to shop or wander on any given day.
Borough Market
📍8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL
Nestled between coffee shops and stores, south of the River Thames, lies the Borough Market, a compact street market with food options for anyone visiting. Open every day with a mix of permanent vendors and pop-up stands, rows and rows of merchants lie waiting for you to come upon them. Vegetables stands stand bright with their colorful array of fruits and veg. Fresh bread and pastries sit waiting for customers with hungry eyes to purchase. The smell of fresh meat, fish, and cheese intermingles with street food inspired from around the world. Whatever you want to eat, it’s going to be found here–Sandwiches, pasta, kabobs, even apple crumble. At some stalls, you get into a queue. For others, you work your way to the front in an every-man-for-himself manner.
A cool breeze travels around the Borough market, taking the many delicious foods smells with it. People’s conversations join the wind. Lights hang from the emerald green rafters, illuminating a soft glow over the market. The Borough Market is open Monday to Friday 10 am–5 pm, Saturday 8 am–5 pm, and Sunday 10 am–3 pm.
While the market can be overwhelming at first, one of the main attractions for Londoners and tourists alike is the wide array of food options. For the vegan, vegetarian, or gluten intolerant, you’ll be glad to know that the Borough Market can cater to your needs. Fresh fruit, smoothies, juices, and vegan and gluten options adorn many stands. There is a mix of food to eat at the market, and food to take home, like meats, cheese, and bread. There really is something for everyone here.
Portobello Market
📍8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL
As Frank Sinatra and other jazz artists play through a vendor’s speaker, vendors with their various goods line Portobello Road expanding over the edges to Raddington Road and the surrounding street corners. People wander around the market, eyes wide, looking at clothing, food, and the various other booths that sell maps, tea, compasses, old postcards, handmade jewelry, gemstones, jean jackets, and art, to name a few. It’s an organized conglomeration of people and goods, some sprawled everywhere, some in neat little rows. The smell of cooking meats and sweet baked goods dances around in the air.
Portobello Market is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is closed on Sunday. Take the 7, 23, 70, 205, 228, or 425 bus or get off the tube at Ladbroke Grove to get to the market. From there, it’s almost a straight shot to Portobello Road and the market. With vendors that sell anything, you are bound to find whatever you are looking for here. The Market’s vendors are some of the nicest people I’ve met in London. Each one is waiting to start up a conversation with you, about politics, life, where you are from, how you like London, etc. You could spend hours going from booth to booth having conversation after conversation, each one different from the last.
Get a bite to eat, grab a present for a friend or family member, or even yourself and enjoy time wandering around the vast market that is Portobello. It will not disappoint.
Greenwich Market
📍5B Greenwich Market, London SE10 9HZ
Greenwich Market, located at 5B Greenwich Market, London SE10 9HZ, near the River Thames, is a smaller market than most of the ones you can find in London. Conveniently placed three minutes from the overground train ‘Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich’ train stop, the Greenwich Market is easy not only to find but to get to. Furthermore, the market itself is fairly accessible with the food court, shops, and stalls located on the same plane making it an accessible place for those who have trouble with stairs. While the market is fairly small, it makes up for in quality and options. Open from 10 am to 5 pm daily, this market offers shoppers a place to find delicious food (ranging from Cuban, Italian, to Greek to name a few) and handcrafted goods from sellers (like jewelry, candles, ceramic planters, greeting cards, and art). Surrounding the market are various businesses that sell similar products, including desserts, bags, clothing, and other random items. Most of the market, including an eating area, is covered from the elements while still being outside offering visitors fresh air and protection.
The Greenwich Market is located in a part of Greenwich that is home to museums, and other sites, making it the perfect place to stop for a bite to eat or to pick up some of the many goods sold at the market. Located nearby is the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory, and the Cutty Sark ship.
The Greenwich Market is the perfect place to stop by on a day of exploration in London.
Whatever market you choose to explore, whether just one or all of the markets that dot the map of London, there is a street market for everyone. From vintage clothes, authentic streetfood, handmade goods, and many more, I truly believe that no trip to London is complete until you stop by one of the incredible markets in this list.
