Markets In London – Camden Market & Lock, Borough Market, Spitalfields Market

There are many different markets in London to explore that offer a variety of clothing, accessories, artwork, and delicious food! When I was in London, I was able to visit four different markets; Spitalfields Market, Camden Market, Camden Lock, and Borough Market. Each of these markets has its own distinct feel and caters to a certain crowd. Below you’ll find a quick description of each market, where they’re located, and what they offer, along with some photographs of each.

Camden Market 

The Camden Markets are located a short walk from Camden Town Tube station, offering visitors an eclectic mix of clothing and accessories.

The majority of items throughout this market are funky, for lack of a better term. Walking through the isles almost reminded me of when I was in high school and I strived to be “different”.

Though this market took me on a comical stroll through memory lane, I found it quite tacky and questioned who would actually pay money for most of these products. It’s not the year 2000 anymore, people.

Camden Market is on Camden High Street, home to a bunch of unique stores (you can’t miss the building designs) to browse through.

 

Camden Lock 

Just up the street and over a bridge from Camden Market, you’ll find Camden Lock; a perfect spot to head to if you’ve been shopping for a few hours and are building up an appetite.

Camden Lock is an oasis for street food lovers, with dozens of food and drink stalls offering everything from freshly squeezed juice to homemade desserts to various versions of mac & cheese. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with the quality of food here – there is something for everyone.

The hard part? Choosing which stall to grab some grub at!

 

Connected to all of these food stalls, we stumbled upon another market with clothing stalls, local food joints, interesting sculptures, and a lot of outdoor seating.

Bonus: We found a small seafood restaurant with the best fish n chips!

 

Borough Market 

Borough Market is located on Stoney Street, closest to London Bridge Tube Station, and is probably one of the most famous markets in London.

This market indulges its visitors with an array of delicious (though unfortunately often overpriced) food. You’ll get everything from giant chocolate chip cookies to giant cheese balls to giant pans filled to the brim with paella. There are also a few wine shops and organic fruit and vegetable stores if you want to get all fancy.

I literally wanted to eat everything in this market. If only I had more money, more time, and a bigger belly..

 

Spitalfields Market 

This market is less convenient to get to, as it’s not really close to any Tube stop. The closest stops would be Liverpool Street and Aldgate East. From what I saw, it really isn’t worth a trip out there.

To be fair, we did get there just as the stalls were finishing setting up for the day so there wasn’t much going on. There was mainly clothing (some of which I’ve seen in markets here in Hong Kong!) and accessories, but nothing really caught my eye.

There are also a few restaurants scattered throughout the market, most with ample seating outside of the restaurant – perfect for people-watching.