Portobello Road Market

Portobello Road runs about two miles through Notting Hill and the market changes character along its length: the southern end near Chepstow Villas is antiques and collectables, with several arcades of permanent dealers, and it is the world's largest antiques market on a Saturday with over a thousand traders; the middle section is fruit, vegetables and household goods serving the neighbourhood on weekdays; further north under the Westway comes vintage clothing and, on Fridays and Saturdays, bric-a-brac at Golborne Road. The pastel terraces along the street have become a photographic fixture, and the area's Caribbean population, established from the 1950s, gave rise to the Notting Hill Carnival held over the August bank holiday.

What you actually see

• The antiques end - a thousand dealers on Saturdays, plus permanent arcades.
• The food section - the working weekday market for the neighbourhood.
• The Westway vintage - clothing stalls under the elevated road.
• The pastel terraces - painted houses along the street and side roads.

When to go

Saturday for the full market including antiques, which is the reason most people come; Friday for vintage under the Westway. The August bank holiday brings Carnival, when the whole area is closed to traffic and packed.

Honest expectations

Saturdays are extremely crowded and moving down the street is slow. Antiques prices reflect the address, and genuine bargains are rare. The pastel houses are private homes and residents object to people posing on their steps.

Nearby

Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park lie south; Golborne Road continues north.