London is one of the world's shopping capitals, but its most authentic charm lies in its markets: some have existed for centuries, others were born in recent decades in old warehouses, railway yards and wholesale markets. Here is where to go, from luxury to vintage.
Markets not to miss
- Borough Market: London's most famous food market, at the foot of London Bridge, with medieval origins. Stalls of British cheeses, bread, oysters, mushrooms, spices and dozens of street-food stands. Open most days, packed on Saturdays.
- Portobello Road: in Notting Hill, the world's most famous antiques market on Saturdays, with stalls of silverware, prints and vintage objects, and fruit and veg on other days.
- Camden Market: a maze of stalls in the old stables and warehouses on the Regent's Canal, with alternative fashion, records, crafts and street food from around the world.
- Columbia Road Flower Market: on Sunday mornings a Victorian East End street fills with flowers and plants, with traders shouting out lower prices towards midday.
- Old Spitalfields Market: under a large Victorian roof, independent fashion, design, antiques on Thursdays and street food.
- Brick Lane: on Sundays, vintage markets, stalls and the famous bagel bakery open day and night.
- Greenwich Market: crafts, antiques and food in the heart of maritime London.
- Maltby Street and Mercato Metropolitano: two newer food hubs south of the river.
The great shopping streets
- Oxford Street: Europe's longest and busiest shopping street, with the Selfridges and John Lewis department stores and international chains; the council has launched a plan to make much of it pedestrian.
- Regent Street: the elegant curve designed by John Nash, with brand stores and the famous Hamleys toy shop.
- Carnaby Street: the symbol of 1960s Swinging London, now pedestrianised with fashion shops.
- Bond Street and Mayfair: the great luxury labels, jewellers and auction houses.
- Covent Garden and Seven Dials: boutiques, cosmetics and design shops.
- King's Road in Chelsea, Marylebone High Street and Westbourne Grove: quieter, more refined shopping.
Department stores
Harrods, in Knightsbridge, is an institution with its palatial Food Hall; Liberty, in a 1924 Tudor-style building, is famous for its printed fabrics; Selfridges, on Oxford Street, has spectacular windows, especially at Christmas; Fortnum & Mason, on Piccadilly, royal warrant holder, is the temple of tea and hampers.
Books and records
Charing Cross Road is the street of bookshops, with the big Foyles store; Hatchards, on Piccadilly, is London's oldest bookshop (1797). Vinyl lovers will find historic shops in Soho and on Berwick Street.
Tips
Shops generally open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and for six hours on Sundays, usually 12 to 6pm. The main sales start on 26 December (Boxing Day) and at the end of June. Since 2021 tourists can no longer reclaim VAT on purchases. See also the neighbourhoods, where to eat and the London guide.