Portobello Road Market London

It's worth going to if you enjoy large street markets, many do. There are a couple thousand stalls, it's pretty crowded on Saturday mornings much of the year.

This is from Portobelle Market website~~~~~~~
PORTOBELLO MARKET OPENING TIMES Portobello Market, Portobello Rd, London W11
Antiques Market:
Sat 8am-6pm
General Market:
Mon-Wed 8am-6pm, Thur 9am-1pm, Fri & Sat 7am-7pm
Clothes & Bric-a-Brac:
Fri 7am-4pm, Sat 8am-5pm

I plan on going to this as well, when i go to London in December. But then again, only because its where they filmed Notting Hill....

My wife loves it, we go every Saturday whenever
we visit London. We stay in Bayswater so its a one stop tube ride. I can take it or leave it so it
just depends where your interests are and if you like crowds.

I've been to several markets in Southeast Asia where part of the experience is haggling. Is it the same at Portobello, do you haggle price or is it like Italy where you don't really try to bargain?

Thanks!

Hi Joel - definitely try to get a little shaved off the ticket price. It won't be a lot but you should always ask 'What's your best price?' - usually they knock between 5 - 10% off the price on the ticket.

Always ask the stallholder for a little of the history of a piece and ask them if something is genuine or reproduction. There is nothing wrong with 'repro' that does not imply fake goods, good repro has it's own value but it doesn't have the full value of original.

Wish we went to Portobello Road Market when we were in London recently. Went to Camden Market instead. Very, very disappointing. Never seen so much 'tat' in one place in my life!

There is 'Tat' at all the markets. Oodles of the stuff. There are two attitudes I hold when buying at open air markets. The first says that if I like something and think it will look good in my home and the price is a price I can afford - I buy it. The second is that if I'm buying something as an investment - I want some kind of verifyable history to it. For every one genuine flintlock pistol on the market there are a thousand reproductions. Some repro is utter tat. Some repro is good quality. So long as the trader tells you it's repro the rest is up to you.

When I studied abroad in London while in college, I frequented both Portobello Road Market and Camden Market--I loved both of them. I think Portobello is an overall fun experience for a few hours. There is a lot to see, and even just people watching is fun. I would probably choose Portobello over Camden for the market, but it's fun to walk around Camdentown--it's a unique part of town that I think a lot of tourists don't experience.

Thanks for the tips!!! I think I am going to schedule some time to experience Portobello Road Market. Since London is the last stop on this trip, I won't have to worry about lugging around stuff to the next city. Traveling light means fewer souvenirs!!! hehe

Saturday is the best day as there are more stalls out and the smaller shops are open. It sprawls all the way down the street to the tube station at the end.

Sunday is not so exciting but there is still stuff to look at.

Definitely worth a visit for a few hours. Great food from the street vendors that set up booths along the market, so even if you don't buy anything else, it's still a good place for a cheap lunch.

We were there -Portobello Market- a few years ago and loved it. Wife and son needed a coat, it had gotten unexpectedly cool and they did not bring one -1 backpack each motto. Wife and son bought a coat each at a great price. Wife still uses hers. Son outgrew his and gave it to a girlfriend.