Portobello Market

Those adhering to the old cliché will want to know about Portobello Road — London's most famous market for antiques (since the 1960s) and the centrepiece of west London's quaint and lovely if rather institutionalised lifestyle community Notting Hill. The road is lined with shops selling silver, glass, china, books, prints, artworks and Victoriana throughout much of the week. However, on Saturdays the area goes berserk with the addition of antiques street stalls and thousands of tourists (local and non-native) jostling with serious collectors in what must rank as one of London's buzzier experiences. Things get really going around 9am, and serious stallholders start packing up at around 4pm. Geographically, you'll find the market's core at the junction of Portobello and Westbourne Grove; quality goes downhill after Elgin Crescent, with cheaper and grubbier goods multiplying as one nears the Westway underpass. Local foodie landmark: Ottolenghi [see entry], 63 Ledbury Rd, near Westboune Grove. Plus Lisboa Patisserie [see entry], 57 Golborne Rd — London's most famous source of Portuguese pastries and coffee, including the signature custard tarts (pastel de nata). And Golborne Rd offers an extension of the market. However, as of the 2010s, Portobello has started to attract fewer serious dealers, who are now increasingly opting to sell their antique wares online.