Portobello Market / Notting Hill, London

Last visit July 2012

For me, there's nothing better than spending a sunny warm weekend morning at a flea market in Europe. Portobello Road is one of the largest in Europe, their website says its the world's largest antique mall.

The market is open every Saturday, shops are open six days a week. Market days start gradually from around 5.30am with trading between dealers. Most stall holders open by 8.00am and the market is in full swing for the rest of the day.

I've been here on a day other than a Saturday and the area was pretty dead, on Saturdays there is a sea of people streaming from the Notting Hill Gate tube stop, so if you don't like crowds, this market is not a place you would enjoy. If you start from the other end, it's like you are swimming upstream.

To get to the market, just follow the crowds. It is loosely divided into antiques at the beginning, food items, new stuff and flea market stuff at the end.

We also make a point to stop at Woolworth's but it was closed on our 2009 trip, the whole company is in bankruptcy. My husband almost cried but we were able to find his favorite candy at the supermarket. On a couple of occasions when we've gotten to the very end we've stopped by the Lisboa Patisserie at 57 Golborne Road for custard tarts but this time the line was out the door and I didn't want to wait.

What to buy: With the dismal exchange rate of USD to £, I rarely buy anything anymore except cheap souvenirs for my nieces and nephews but it's fun to look through the antiques. You can also grab lunch here as there are several stalls selling crepes and other types of takeaway food.

If you are looking to not spend a bundle on souvenirs, there are several booths that are there every time we go selling tshirts 3 for £10, perhaps not the best quality however. There are also a couple of shops selling the usual London souvenirs, banks shaped like the red telephone booths, bobby hats, refrigerator magnets, etc.

What to pay: Anywhere from a couple of pounds to ????

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If you love shopping like I do then make sure you give yourself at least half a day to explore the markets. Unfortunately we were pressed for time and only had about 2 hrs so we only really saw the antigues portion of the markets

They have lots of antiques, art, craft, clothes, fresh food, fruit and vege.

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The antiques stalls start where Chepstow Villas crosses Portobello Road and continues down to where Elgin Crescent crosses Portobello Road, this is a distance of half a mile.

Alice's & 'The Red Teapot' hanging at 101 The Arcade are well-stocked.

Other than antiques, there is a:
Fruit and Vegetable Market, stalls finish where Talbot Road crosses Portobello Road.
* The section around Westbourne Park Road and Talbot Road was made famous in the film Notting Hill which starred Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.

Secondhand / Flea Market, Under the Westway

Note: There is no market on Sundays.

What to buy: Arriving early is a good thing, but realistically 9-10am is fine, it begins to get crowded at 11.30 onwards.

The Antiques Arcades begin to shut at around 4pm and the market rapidly quietens down from then on, it is fair to say that from 4-5pm most traders are winding down or have in fact already packed away and shut up shop, so make sure you arrive in the early afternoon at the latest!!

Between Talbot Road and The Westway you'll find more market stalls selling things like batteries and socks.

Under the Westway you'll find secondhand clothes, jewelry, plus books and music.

Also, in the neighbouring streets you'll find many chain stores like John Lewis, Zara, etc.

What to pay: What's the budget! ;)
Anything from a few pounds for souvenirs like T-shirts, caps, etc to thousands for proper fragile antiques like ceramics, paintings, and the like.

Portobello Market is billed as the World's Largest Antique Market. Lining both sides of Portobello Road are antique stores and in front of them are stalls - most selling antiques as well. You can find just about anything there from collectibles to engravings to knobs and knockers! The shops are open 6 days a week and the market is only open on Saturdays. A few stalls sell souvenirs as well. Even if you don't buy it's fun to look at everything including the people!

The market is packed with people and we walked and walked and walked for hours. We ended up in other markets and flea markets – that sold everything from fruits and vegetables to Bollywood movies to “designer” fashions.

It's a great way to spend a sunny Saturday!

Portobello Market is London's most famous street market, best seen on Saturday morning before the packs hit.

Full of antiques, jewelry, second hand clothes and fruit stalls.

What to buy: Eclectic items for gifts.

What to pay: Bargain with vendors

A Sunday morning shopping trip to Portobello road. There are hundreds of shops and stalls selling everything from bric a brac and books to clothing and cabbages.. postcards to pottery, funky fashion jewellery and accessories.. in fact everything you could imagine.. There are also hoards of tourists and Sunday isn't the busiest day. It is also very expensive... some of the individual pieces of handmade jewellery and handbags are worth it.... but a lot of it is not. 90 quid for an average teapot? I don't think so.

It's a great place to shop though and there are loads of nice places to eat and drink and then shop some more. It's definitely a "don't miss" if you are in London.

What to pay: A little to a lot!

Portobello Road Market is one of the most famous markets in the world and is internationally recognised for its second-hand and antique sections. Statistically it features in the top ten rankings as the most visited tourist site in London. It is regularly the focus of press and media attention and mostly remembered from the Disney film "Bed knobs and Broomsticks" and more recently the film "Notting Hill". Its history and culture span approximately 300 years of existence.

What to buy: You have the possibility to buy something interesting for low price in small shops: antique, book - an interesting book for 0.5 pounds.

What to pay: 8.00am until 6.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
Thursday is a half day closing at 1.00pm
Saturday it is open from 8.00am to 6.30 pm.

it's a huge market held every Saturday. They sell very unique things, accessories, antiques, books, clothes, jewellery and loads of other stuff. It's really good if you want to design the interior of your house and you like unique things. Things they sell there, you can't find anywhere else.

What to buy: souvenirs, clothes, books, pictures

What to pay: depends on a shopper. might be from £50 to £5000

Portobello road beside that it was famous in the lyrics of many songs it is famous for the multi color shops too.You can find everything that you want to buy from food and drink to all kind of clothes in this interesting street.

Its mostly junks that what my friends said when I told them I want to go to Portobello Market. He said it look like someone cleared their junk out of their attic and come here to sell it.

What to buy: There are some nice antiques, collectibles and the t-shirts are quite nice.

What to pay: from 1 pound and over