London Shopping

Brick Lane Market
Open: Sun 8am-2pm
If you are looking for a general flea market, Brick Lane is ideal as it has a vast hotchpotch of stalls. Traders here sell everything imaginable: food, furniture, kitchen appliances, DVDs and general bric-a-brac.

Chapel Market
Open: Tues to Sun 9am-6pm
Chapel Market is a popular street market selling a wide variety of goods including fish, fruit and veg, household goods and clothes.
Chapel Market, N1

Petticoat Lane
Open: Sun 9am-2pm
Probably one of the most famous and oldest of all London's street markets, established over 400 years ago when the Huguenots from France sold petticoats and lace here. Now Petticoat Lane Market is home to more than 1,000 stalls selling mainly cheap clothes, toys and electronic goods.

Ridley Road Market
Open: Mon to Wed 9am-3pm, Thurs 9am-12noon, Fri and Sat 9am-5pm
Known to locals as Dalston Market, this traditional East End market is especially good for Mediterranean, African, Asian and Caribbean food, with stalls also selling cosmetics, clothes and household items.
Ridley Road, E8

Southall Market
Open: Tues 9am-3pm, Wed 9am-3pm, Fri 4am-1pm and Sat 9am-3pm
Southall Market is the only place in London where horses are auctioned in the street! The horse market takes place on Wednesdays, with poultry on Tuesdays and general stalls of fabrics and second hand goods Friday and Saturday.
Off the High Street (Uxbridge Road), UB1

Walthamstow Market
Open: Mon to Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm
At over a mile long Walthamstow Market is the longest street market in England, selling a wide variety of goods including fabrics, high-street clothing and books. Food stalls serve up everything from local cockney grub to tastes of the Caribbean.
High Street, Walthamstow E17

Camden Market
Open: Mon to Sun 10am-6pm
Five connecting areas make up the famous Camden Market, all selling a combination of clothes, food, crafts and music. Visit the indoor Victorian market hall for great handmade gifts, knick-knacks and craftworks. Camden was hit by fire in February, which affected the Canal Market. The other markets, like the Stables and the Lock Market remain open.

Columbia Road Flower Market
Open: Sun 8am-2pm
Columbia Road is a colourful East End market with over 50 stalls selling bulbs, exotic flowers, pot plants and everything under the sun for ardent garden-lovers. Arrive early to beat the crowds or late for some fantastic bargains.

Covent Garden Market
Open: Tues to Sun 10am-6pm
Originally the fruit and veg market for the local convent, Covent Garden's main piazza is now filled with quirky crafts, jewelry and clothing. It is a great showcase for handmade British design with more than 200 registered artists and craftspeople.

Greenwich Market
Open: Thurs to Sun 9.30am-5.30pm
Greenwich Market could well be London's best source for handcrafted items, original art work, unique gifts, collectibles and antiques. Come and visit the pretty undercover market in the heart of historic Maritime Greenwich.

Merton Abbey Mills
Open: Sat, Sun and bank holidays from 10am-5pm
This picturesque riverside craft village is in the natural surroundings of Merton Abbey Mills in South Wimbledon. The delightful market offers book stalls, jewelry, arts, ceramics, records and textiles. It also boasts its very own historic waterwheel.

Old Spitalfields
Open: Mon to Fri 11am-3pm and Sun 10am-5pm
Largely regarded as a showcase for up-and-coming young artists from the nearby art and design college, Old Spitalfields also has many stalls selling one-off items, vintage and retro clothing, CDs, jewelry and handicrafts.