Places to visit in London: Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill

London is one of my favourite places in the world. I once read somewhere that if you are tired of London, you're tired of life. You can always discover something new there to see. If you enjoy nature, there are many beautiful parks at just a few steps away from you, and if you also enjoy all the good things of a big city, London has a lot to offer too. My favourite thing to do when I'm there is going to places where I don't need to spend money, except for transport or food, of course. There are a lot of free options, like museums, parks and markets, for example. Ok, maybe you will spend some money in the markets, but only if you buy something. There is always something interesting to see in these places and if you are like me, you will take a lot of photos too.

One of these markets is in Portobello Road. It's one of the most famous markets in the world. I had the opportunity to go there last year (2016). I went on a Monday and I arrived quite late in the afternoon, so some of the stalls were already starting to close. But I still could see a lot, and the best thing was that it wasn't crowded and I could walk there peacefully. If you want to avoid the crowd, then you should go on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. If you go on a Friday or Saturday, I would highly recommend arriving early in the morning. It's a really long road and there are plenty of interesting and beautiful things to see all around it.

Portobello Road is located in Notting Hill. Yes, it's the same place from the movie with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. I think that movie is the reason Notting Hill got so famous here in Brazil, and every Brazilian have to visit it when they go to London. But I totally recommend it because Notting Hill has the cutest colourful houses. Perfect place to snap your photos for Instagram ♥. Plus, if you want real quality vintage stuff, Portobello Road is the place to go. Although there are other markets that you can also find it, like the Old Spitalfields market or Brick Lane...I'll talk about them in another post.

Look at this cute blue cottage, it has flowers even on the roof! ♥

What about these doors with this vintage vibe? I truly wish I could live in one of those "doll houses". ♥

As I was saying, in Portobello you can find vintage clothing and antique jewellery from the 90's, 80's, 70's, or even older than that, as well as antique glassware, silverware, old books (you can even find a rare first edition), antiques arcades and buildings, souvenir and gift shops, independent designers, delicious food and unique concept cafés. Make sure to go all the way down the road to not miss anything. Going there on a sunny day is the best thing to do. You can buy an ice cream, milkshake or fresh fruits to eat while you wander around.

Photo from Best Bits WorldWide

Photo from Astaken

Closest tube stations:

• Notting Hill Gate (Central, Circle and District lines);
• Ladbroke Grove (Circle and Hammersmith and City lines).

Opening hours and days:

• Monday to Wednesday, 9am - 6pm
• Thursday, 9am - 1pm
• Friday to Saturday, 9am - 7pm
• Sunday, closed.

Tips:

• Saturday is the busiest day, all the shops and stalls will be open and the streets will be crowded with tourists.
• Friday is the second busiest day.
• On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, not all stalls will be there but it's a much more pleasant and calm day to visit, especially if you want to take beautiful pictures of the places, and you can still see a lot of interesting things if you want to buy something cool.
• Try to arrive early and save 2 to 3 hours to see everything without rushing. Bear in mind that they start closing the shops and stalls 1 or 2 hours earlier than the official closing times, especially if it's winter or if it isn't so busy with people.
• Finally, this market has been opened for more than 150 years and it's the largest antique market in the UK, with beautiful historical buildings from the Victorian era. So it's really worth a visit if you have the opportunity to go to London, or even if you live there, but haven't been in Portobello yet.

I hope you liked getting to know a little bit about Portobello Road Market. Do you like visiting markets? Tell me more in the comments! :)

See you in the next post!

xoxo,
Andrea

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