Shopping in London can be very exciting. Especially at the time of winter sales, summer sales, and Christmas sales. You can never go wrong with the varied choice of shopping available from basics to the latest tech. You are assured to buy loads at the time of the season sale. People come from around the world to go to some of the shopping areas/markets to shop. Following is the list of some of the markets which you should not miss when you are in London.
Portobello Market
Portobello Market is a world-famous Antique market based in Notting Hill, West London. Portobello Market is also well known by Portobello Road. Portobello Road goes straight through the middle of Notting Hill. Notting Hill is also known for the film made there named you guessed it right “Notting Hill” starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. The road is very near the Notting Hill Gate underground tube station. The other nearest station to Portobello market if you travelling from the northwest is Ladbroke Grove. Saturdays get the maximum crowd and the market closes by 5 pm. The official market is held there every week on Saturdays. The road is filled with Antique shops, food stalls, and vegetable markets when you cross the hill. You can expect to see a variety of antiques and collectables from all around the world on this road. The market goes all the way to the “Flea market”. Under the west way, you’ll see second-hand clothes, books, and jewellery stalls.
Now let’s dive into the interesting history of Portobello Market Briefly. Portobello was a farm. Many of the Antique shops and pubs are mostly historic. The area of Portobello was originally a farm, named after Puerto Bello in the Caribbean in memory of Admiral Vernon who captured the in the late 1730s.
Covent Garden
Covent Garden in central London is the place where you can exhibit live music performances in the piazza, organic pasties, Covent Garden Soups, fruits, confectionaries, and European shops. Apple market is another great attraction for tourists and the cute shops around. Jubilee Market is another awesome market, specialising in Antiques. The best way to reach Covent Garden is by underground train, if you are travelling from the east you have to take the central line and then change at Holborn from there you can interchange to reach Covent Garden Tube Station. As Covent Garden is in the heart of London, it is well equipped with all the transportation, food, and shopping areas. The Jubilee Market is another great attraction in Covent Garden.
Covent Garden is surrounded by various restaurants and bars, where you can enjoy the best wine to the best Cornish pasties. Covent Garden has this unique blend of friendliness, and traditional environment, which attracts tourists in high volumes. There are so many theatre experiences London is famous for. I never got a chance to visit the “London Transport Museum” which is in Covent Garden Piazza. The history of the Covent Garden Market is a fascinating one. It served as a fruit and vegetable market, one of the biggest in England. It has since transformed beyond recognition with many fashion labels, theatres, and stores popping up.
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is the busiest street in the whole of Europe. is a one-and-a-half-mile road stretch with shops on both sides. The street starts from Tottenham Court to Marble Arch. It is crowded with shopaholics every day, no matter if it is Monday or the weekend. What attracts me most about this street is the shopping. Window shopping, high street labels, you name it, they have it here on this street showing off the latest in fashion and technology. The most famous of all and the best known around is Selfridges. Britain’s niche brands all have their showrooms lined on this street from John Lewis, Selfridges, Marks and Spencer’s, Debenhams, Boots, Zara, JD Sports, French Connection, Massimo Dutti, Uniqlo, Swatch, Pull and Bear, Burtons, New Look and HMV to name a few. Another big attraction is Primark recently near the end of this road before Marble Arch Station. There are well over 500 shops on the high street and all majorly have their flagship stores there.
Oxford Street is also very famous for its Christmas lights which are decorated all above the road every year. The lights are turned on in November and are alighted until the twelfth night. In the time of Christmas, every shop does a new sort of shop windows. The most expensive ones are done by Selfridges. They decorate it differently every year. Shopping in Oxford Street can be very satisfying specifically at the times of Christmas, and in March, when shops do the clearance for new stock to come for next season. Oxford Street has become a hub for discount and bargain lovers. Fast food chains like McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, and Starbucks are also available on the street. Apart from this, you can also enjoy some really good cafés at St Christopher’s place. You can reach Oxford Street via tube station which is the Central line, and Jubilee line to hop off at Bond Street.
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Westfield London
Westfield London is a great place to go shopping. It’s in west London and the nearest tube stations are white city and shepherd bush market station. The best thing about Westfield is that it is huge and consists of pretty much every high fashion label that you will see in high street markets of central London. In winter there is ice skating and many other decorations to attract shoppers from all parts of London tourists. Designer labels for everyday grocery shopping all are available in the stores of Primark, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer’s, Waitrose, and the Village to name a few.
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