Your guide to the vintage markets of London

London‘vintage’ is a whole scene that extends to music, fashion, and furniture. Originally the term ‘vintage’ applied in France, to scavengers who went through bins on the streets of Paris to find items they could re-sell at temporary market stalls, but the ‘look’ is much more glamorous nowadays thanks to endorsement by celebrities like Kate Moss and Alexa Chung. Whether you’re browsing, or buying – these are three of the best places to get a taste of the vintage scene in London.

Portobello Road

Portobello Market is possibly the most famous market in London, partly because of its history and partly because it was featured in the blockbuster ‘Notting Hill’. It’s also tremendously popular with some big names in fashion – Kate Moss herself shops here. The sellers in Portobello consider themselves to be ‘antique’ dealers rather than vintage sellers and they get a huge foot-fall on the weekends, so prices aren’t cheap. However, as a vibrant road with some brilliant stalls, it’s a great place to window-shop and to get inspiration from. Come to Portobello for the experience and you never know – you might even spot someone famous!

Location: Portobello, Notting Hill (Notting Hill Gate Tube)
Open: Sunday
Price: ££££

Camden Market

Camden is experiencing a revival of sorts at the moment. Once it was an ‘undiscovered’ corner of North London but now, on the weekends in particular, it’s a thriving tourist hub. Visitors enjoy strolling down the main street, to gawp at the unusual shops. The majority of the vintage can be found at Camden Lock Market, by the canal. Whilst it says ‘market’ most of the sellers are actually shops rather than stalls – and they don’t really barter or haggle. They also make the most of the heavy footfall – so be a savvy shopper and keep an eye out for over-priced items. There is a hidden gem though – the stables market, which is inside the bulk of the Lock Market. If you can find it, then it’s full of traditional cockney sellers (who are happy to haggle) and a wealth of vintage goods ranging from record players, to fur coats and china plates. The suitcase stall at the entrance always has a good bargain available.

Location:Camden Lock (CamdenTown Tube)
Open: 7 days a week, although some stalls will shut Mon – Fri.
Price:£££

Brick Lane

Brick Lane is the heart of London’s trendy East End– a mecca of vintage shops, art galleries and quirky bars. The whole area is worth some exploration – it’s one of the best places to people watch in London, due to the high concentration of art and fashion students strutting the streets. On the weekends the lane is full of delicious global street-food at dirt street prices, and buskers and performance artists giving impromptu performances. The ‘MTV man’ is a bit of a legend – he dresses up like the MTV spaceman and plays futuristic dance music with lots of interaction with the crowd. Vintage shops here range in price, but if you can search out the vintage warehouse ‘Beyond Retro’, you will find a huge selection of affordable fashion. London’s first vintage department store, Blitz, also opened here recently – full length dresses were selling for £20.

Location: Shoreditch (Shoreditch High Street Overground or Liverpool Street Tube)
Open: Shops open 7 days a week, Brick Lane market on a Sunday
Price: ££

Photo credits: Portobello Road Market by La Singularidad Desnuda, Assorted items in Portobello Road Market by stephanie.mitrano, Camden Market by goro, Vintage items in Camden Market by irina_h, and Brick Lane by Nicholas Lativy.

Amy Heritage writes about weekend holiday destinations for idealshortbreaks.co.uk.

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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A winter break in London – things to enjoy at Christmas and into the New Year

This is a great time of year to consider a winter break in London, with so many free galleries and museums to enjoy as well as fantastic shopping and plenty of seasonal attractions to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Christmas shopping in London

In December all the shops are gearing up for Christmas with displays of light and colour and you’ll find Christmas Markets around the city. In Covent Garden, once the centre of London’s fruit and vegetable market, this year’s celebration revolves around the Christmas Deluxe, a holiday extravaganza which runs from 15th November until the 24th December. Aside from unlimited variety of shops and stalls, there are gourmet Christmas treats from specialists and suppliers, a reindeer petting enclosure for kids complete with helpful elves and a chocolate bar serving hot chocolate drinks and handmade sweet treats. As Covent Garden is so close to London’s theatre district, you might like to end the day with a pre-theatre dinner in one of the many restaurants before going on to see a show or ballet at Covent Garden’s Opera House.

All the main shopping districts such as Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Bond Street and Regent’s street will have their Christmas lights switched on by the end of November and in Trafalgar Square, the 20 metres tall Christmas tree, a gift from the people of Norway, will be up from 1 December. In Knightsbridge, a visit to Harrods is guaranteed to get you in the seasonal spirit with the opulent window displays, lights enrobing the outside of the store, as well as the delicious treats in the Food Hall. On Piccadilly, Fortnum and Mason is another foodie heaven and a wonderful place to shop for gifts to bring home or treat yourself at Christmas.

The London Marriott Hotel Park Lane is ideally situated for shopping in Knightsbridge and Hyde Park.

Christmas Markets in London

In Hyde Park there’s the Winter Wonderland with the Angels Christmas market, with hand made gifts and gourmet food from around the world. There’s also an ice rink and Christmas circus as well as a funfair with giant observation wheel that will take you 60m high for a view over the lights of the park and London.

On London’s South Bank you can find a traditional Christmas market with stalls from Cologne serving all the festive food and drink as well as arts and crafts and a traditional carousel for the children. If you’re a chocoholic you should visit the Christmas Chocolate Festival (9-12 Dec) at the Southbank Centre with 30 stalls allowing you to sample to buy everything from hot chocolate to chocolate chili, with talks and demonstrations from top chocolatiers. Following this the Southbank Centre will be hosting a Real Food Christmas Market (16-23 Dec) with 40 producers of everything you’ll need to fill your Christmas larder. Just a short walk up the South Bank you can find The OXO Tower and Gabriel’s wharf where you can buy unique gifts from 50 different designer-makers who have studios there.

The London Marriott Hotel County Hall is ideally situated on London’s South Bank to enjoy the seasonal festivities there.

Some Christmas Culture in London

After a long day shopping you can step away from the hustle and bustle and head to art exhibits and museums in London.

At the Victoria & Albert Museum, families will enjoy the Drop in Design events on Sundays through November and December  in the run up to Christmas as well as a chance to buy unique design gifts in one of my favourite museum gift shops. At the Natural History Museum you can see the dinosaurs and there’s an ice rink in the front of the museum until early January with thousands of twinkling lights garlanding the surrounding trees.

At the National Gallery there’s a major exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci – Painter at the court of Milan that runs until February 2012  and just around the corner, is the National Portrait gallery where you can find portraits of celebrities and well known public figures as well as kings and queens throughout the ages.

Beside the Thames, the Tate Britain holds the largest collection of British art in the world showing work from the last five centuries including contemporary British art – some are masterpieces of Hogarth, Hepworth and Bacon as well as the famous Turners. Cross the river by ferry to the South Bank where you’ll find the Tate Modern, set in an old power station, where the latest installation is a surreal silent film by Tacita Dean that’s projected onto the Turbine Hall walls.

In East London there are several less well known, but no less fascinating museums and I highly recommend the Geffrye Museum, set in an 18th century almshouses with room-sets showing how Londoners lived over the centuries. At this time of year all the rooms are decorated in the appropriate Christmas style for their era. For an even more intimate experience visit the Dennis Severs House, where a Georgian House has been recreated just as it would have been when it was the home of a prosperous Spitalfield silk weaver, lit with candles and with a smells and murmurs or the ghosts of the past who lived there. You visit the house in silence to absorb the spirit of the place – visits must be booked in advance so check the website for the times of visits.

A musical Christmas in London

The traditional Carol singing is guaranteed to get you in the festive mood and there are plenty of concerts to choose from. Churches throughout the capital are hosting Christmas concerts and carol services, some of which require advance booking, others are free but have a charity collection. Check the websites of St Martin-in-the-Fields, near Trafalgar square, St Paul’s Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral and Westminster Abbey for details of their Advent and Christmas concerts and Carol services.

In Trafalgar Square you can enjoy a free outdoor carol concert as different choirs perform each evening between 2-22 December from 5-9pm. At the South Bank Centre you can find a host of musical and artistic events and they also have free music sessions and other events in the foyer of the South Bank centre – on Friday evening you’ll usually find musicians performing anything from jazz to blues and there are also lunchtime concerts in the Central bar on Fridays and Sundays.

Reasons to be in London in January

Heralding the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games year, London’s official New Year firework display from the London Eye is certain to be a spectacular show against a stunning backdrop to conclude your London festivities. Prepare to be dazzled by spectacular fireworks along the river Thames with prime vantage points are Victoria Embankment, north of the Thames, the bridges in Waterloo and Westminster, and the eastern Jubilee footbridge.

If you love a bargain, you’ll be able to take advantage of the sales in all the London Stores after Christmas and treat yourself to designer brands at a discount. Meanwhile you can enjoy all the same galleries and museums I’ve mentioned above as well as major new exhibitions such as the David Hockney exhibition (21 Jan-9 April) at the Royal Academy.

Time to book your winter break in London with Marriott Hotels and enjoy all the the Capital has to offer.

Photo credits: Harrods by Olivier Bruchez, Hyde Park by BitchBuzz, Westminster by paulmcdee, and London eye by Mike-Campbell

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

Markets, Museums and river cruises – top things to see in London

This article from Central London Apartments, will give you some great ideas for some of the key things you’ll want to explore when visiting London.

Capital cities don’t come much more interesting or diverse than London. There is plenty to keep you busy, whatever your budget and however long you plan on spending there. I opted for a four-day stay, a long weekend. The problem was that it was probably not quite long enough, although at least it gives me an excuse to return again soon.

Getting around

The obvious tourist attractions were my first port of call. Despite planning to do a lot of my sightseeing on foot, I also purchased an off-peak travel card for the London Underground that allows unlimited journeys within zones 1 and 2, which is effectively central London, on the day of purchase for £6.60, just in case. It proved a good investment and using the tube is pretty straightforward. It is an essential part of the whole London experience.

The London Eye

Thousands of tourists flock here every day and it is easy to see why, if only for the backdrop. It is best to book online if, like me, you fancy a “flight” (as it is dubbed) on the London Eye. Booking online means you’ll receive up to an 18 per cent discount and beat the queues, which can be lengthy. In the end, it cost just over £16 for 30 minutes in the spacious capsule and it was without doubt worth every penny. You can pretty much see all of London’s must-see landmarks, from the huge arch at Wembley Stadium way off in the distance, to Buckingham Palace and the Mall, which I later enjoyed a leisurely stroll down. Sadly, as I was told by a friendly policeman, the Queen wasn’t home that day. Shame – I could’ve done with using one of her many WCs.

10 Downing Street and Trafalgar Square

My little ramble around this part of central London also took in number 10 Downing Street, where admittedly there is not a great deal to see as visitors are kept some distance away, and Trafalgar Square. I didn’t fancy feeding the pigeons under Nelson’s Column and instead headed for the Vista Bar at the Trafalgar Hotel, a rooftop establishment that, although a tad on the pricey side, gave me another glimpse of that distinctive skyline. I could have stayed for hours, but unfortunately my spending money had to stretch a little further before I hit the ATM with empty pockets.

The Natural History and Science Museum

London accommodation is plentiful and you should carefully consider where you want to stay within proximity of the types of places you want to visit. My stay in one of an attractive block of Hyde Park executive apartments, for example, gave me excellent access to arguably the most well-known park in the city, as well as the Natural History Museum and Science Museum, which are both free of charge. If you have children, these are a must. Even as a self-confessed big kid in my late 20s, it kept me entertained for an afternoon and they are right next door to each other.

Trendy Markets and shopping

Next stop was nearby Notting Hill, famed for its annual carnival every August. This is considered to be a trendy area to hang out and watch the world go by. It was possibly a little too trendy for me. I felt out of place in a big way.

Fortunately, I was much more at home in Portobello Road Market, where you can pretty much buy anything and everything from an impressive selection of independent stores. Anyone with more than a passing interest in antiques could spend hours here. I’m not one of those people, but I appreciate good workmanship when I see it and there was plenty on show.

Another prime place for a spot of bargain hunting is Camden Town. The unique sights and sounds of this part of London will live long in the memory for me. It’s a bustling place – sometimes a little too busy for my liking – with a mishmash of bars, pubs and quirky shops, as well the opportunity to chill out down by the canal. If the weather is good, as it was on my visit, then it’s a perfect spot to refuel.

A Bus sightseeing tour

It would be fair to say that I’m not a city ‘cruise’ person, nor the type who goes on bus tours. In London, though, I made an exception, simply because of the sheer size of the place. And I’m glad I did. For just over £20, I was whisked around the streets and shown a wide variety of sites, like Fleet Street and the Globe Theatre on the South Bank that I would’ve otherwise missed. Along the way you are told little nuggets of information by a chirpy guide. For example, did you know Big Ben is actually the name of the bell in the Westminster clock tower? No, me neither.

A London River Cruise

A cruise down the River Thames is included in the price and offers the opportunity to take in the city from a different perspective as you float effortlessly from Westminster past the Tower of London, under London Bridge and down to The O2 Arena – formerly known as the Millennium Dome – that now houses a huge arena and a cluster of bars and restaurants.

West End Shows

Back in central London, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus are manna from heaven for those who like to be trigger happy with their cameras. After almost getting a sun tan from all the flashing lights and huge plasma screens, I decided to round off my break by seeing a West End show. No stay in London is complete without doing so, I was told. Avenue Q tickled my fancy. It’s basically an X-rated version of the Muppet Show. Not up everyone’s street, I admit, but very funny. And I managed to get cheap tickets (around £20) directly beforehand from the box-office – what a bonus! A great way to end a memorable trip.

Photo Credits: All photos by Heather on her travels

My thanks for this sponsored post to Central London Apartments, specialists in serviced London apartment rentals for leisure and business travellers

More things to see in London

Into Churchill’s Underground Bunker – the Churchill War rooms in London
A River trip in London up the Thames to Greenwich – video
They’re changing the guards at Buckingham Palace

www.flickr.com  heatheronhertravels’ London – around London photoset

 

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

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