In my opinion, the markets in London are one of the most diverse and vibrant parts of the city! You can find food, produce, clothing, jewelry, antique, and vintage markets all over the city. Some of them are open every day or for a few days a week, while others are only open on Saturday or Sunday. Portobello Market is one of the most popular markets which runs every saturday on Portobello Road. Portobello Market seems to have every trinket you could ever think of, from vintage jewelry to antique camera’s to crepe and cupcake shops. There’s also a ton of cheap clothing and shoe stores in the area. I didn’t often buy much when I visited Portobello, but I love seeing all the neat things people are selling. (Tube Stop: Notting Hill)

Another popular market is Camden Town, which is a pretty happening place no matter what day of the week you go there. The shops are all brightly painted and it’s easy to get lost in a sea of stalls that seems to go on forever. Camden Lock also has a huge variety of food stalls with delicious treats from all over the world! My favourite market though (which I’ve written about before) is Spitalfields Market and the Sunday Market by Liverpool Street Station. Spitalfields is never as busy as Camden or Portobello and it has a huge selection of clothing and jewelry. Every Sunday there’s also an upmarket next door in an old brewery where artisans sell lots of homemade things. Like Camden, there’s also a huge number of food stalls selling everything you can imagine! (Tube Stops: Camden Town and Liverpool Street)

Camden Town

The last market I love is Borough Market, which is a local food market that has been becoming increasingly popular with tourists. It’s open Thursday through Saturday and features cheap produce, breads, meats, and cheese, as well as a few stalls selling snacks and desserts. I would often visit Borough Market on friday’s for lunch with some of my colleagues because it’s only 10 minutes from the office and when I was living in Borough I would stop by on saturdays when I got the chance. It’s located on the South Bank, down from London Bridge and right next to Southwark Cathedral and Bridget Jones Flat. (Tube Stop: London Bridge)

If you’re not interested in markets, there’s also a huge number of shops and shopping areas in London as well. If you’re a bargain shopper, there’s a lot of charity shops in Camden Town and Portobello, which are great for finding designer clothes at really low prices! If you like high-end shopping, then you’ll want to make sure to check out Knightsbridge, home to the famous Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores. I made one trip to Harrods and it was certainly the most posh store that I’ve ever visited, but had some really neat decorations. I didn’t stay too long though after glancing at the 300 pound price tag on a burberry headband! I did make a quick stop into the food hall though, which has delicious looking (and affordable) pastries. (Tube Stop: Knightsbridge)

Harrods

There’s also quite a lot of shops in Notting Hill, located in West London and made famous by Julia Roberts, as well as in the Spitalfields and Brick Lane area if you like vintage clothing. However, my favourite place to shop was Oxford Street. Oxford Street is located right in the middle of central London and runs from Tottenham Court Road all the way up to Marble Arch and Hyde Park (there’s about 5 tube stops located on Oxford Street alone). There’s a huge variety of shops, from cheap stores to large fancy department stores. My personal favourites were Next, H&M, Debenhams, and of course, Primark. Everyone loves Primark and with good reason. There’s only two of them in Central London and they’re both on Oxford Street. Primark has a huge variety of clothing and it’s incredibly cheap. Most of the tops that I bought in London came from Primark and probably cost about 5 pounds on average. It’s always a lengthy trip to visit Primark, but it’s always worth it! (Tube Stop: Oxford Circus)

Whatever kind of shopping you like, you can definitely find it in London, just make sure you where comfy shoes!