Visitors flock to London from all over the world, many of them to enjoy a shopping extravaganza that'll see them returning home laden with everything from antiques to the latest designer fashions.
If you're a shopper who wants to enjoy shopping the way Londoners do, head for the markets.
Covent Garden Market
Having started its life as a convent garden tended by nuns and made famous by Eliza Doolittle, the flower girl of screen and stage, Covent Garden Market boasts 350 years of tradition as a fruit, vegetable and flower market.
When the market fist opened it was a place where locals drank too much and brothels were rife. Trading continued without much change until, in 1921, the government condemned the buildings as inadequate for the necessities of trade. Being their usual unhurried selves, the market wasn't actually closed until 53 years later, in 1974, when the original traders moved to a more modern location in Battersea.
A year later, the Jubilee Hall, built in 1904, was offered to general traders as a temporary home for their stalls. However, a successful campaign saved the buildings from demolition and in 1980, Covent Garden was granted a Grade II listing for being of architectural and historic interest.
Today, much of the market revolves around the elegant Piazza. Long gone are the dingy dives and brothels of the past, now replaced by an eclectic mix of upmarket cafes, restaurants, bars, and trendy boutiques.
The 17th century Italian inspired piazza was once home to the very first Punch and Judy show and the tradition for street entertainment has survived with Covent Garden now being known as the street theater center of London.
The market stalls are split into three main groups: antiques, arts and crafts, and general goods.
Antiques
Professional buyers, collectors, and casual browsers descend upon the market on Mondays when the antiques and bric-a-brac stalls take over the entire area.
Dealers from the big auction houses as well as antique shop owners arrive in the early hours and soon snatch up the best deals of the day so if you're looking for a bargain, be there just as early and beat them at their own game!
Arts and Crafts
If you're after arts and crafts, head to Covent Garden at the weekend.
More than 120 craftsmen demonstrate and sell their original goods. These are real crafts so expect to pay well for what's on offer.
Overseas visitors will be happy to know that a good few traders offer postal services so don't worry if you can't get everything home with you.
General Market
On Tuesday through to Friday the whole place is packed to the rafters with clothes and jewelry. No matter what your taste in clothing, there's bound to be something at Covent Garden that'll keep you happy.
Music, souvenirs, glass and kitchenware all available too, and at much lower prices than you could expect to pay for similar items in shops.
Although not the most famous London market, Walthamstow Market stretches for over a mile and is the longest daily street market in Europe.
Just 30 minutes from the center of London, it's easy to get to and because it's a market that caters for the East End locals rather than the tourist trade, you'll find more bargains than you can shake a stick at.
The market's history goes back to 1885 when the first traders set up their stalls in the high street. Over a century later the market still thrives and, during summer, a selection of street performers including clowns, dancers, musicians and mime artists turn the area into more than just a place of trade.
With 450 stalls and 300 shops, whether you want to buy jewelry, cheap clothing, fresh fruit and vegetables, fabrics (including exotic fabrics suitable for saris and the likes), music, general household supplies, a tennis racket or an mp3 player, you're bound to find it here.
The quality of goods is variable and in general, you get what you pay for.
Should you get peckish while you're shopping, the market caters for every taste from traditional cockney pie and mash or jellied eels, to Oriental foods, Caribbean delicacies, and pubs serving hearty steak meals.
If you want a taste of a true cockney barrow market, Walthamstow's the place to head for.
Opening Times
Thurs - Fri: 9am - 4pm Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Location
Walthamstow Market - High Street - Walthamstow - E17
Nearest Tube: Walthamstow Central (Victoria Line)
Petticoat Lane
Probably the oldest of London's street markets, Petticoat Lane first saw market traders touting their wares during the 1700s in an area predominantly populated by Jewish immigrants.
The name comes from its long association with the clothing trade, known locally as the "rag trade," but the street name was changed to Middlesex Street in 1846 by the prudish Victorians to avoid any connection with women's under garments.
The market has grown in size considerably and has spread through Middlesex Street, Wentworth Street and the surrounding roads and lanes.
Although open all week, Sunday is the prime market day with thousands of stall holders gathered to offer bargain fashions and textiles, leather goods, jewelry, china and all sorts of electrical items.
Even though the Jewish population has now moved out, the area still has Jewish bakeries offering some of the scrummiest bagels in London. Enjoy one with some smoked salmon or cream cheese to round off a great day's shopping.
Opening Times
Mon - Fri: 10.30am - 2.30pm Sunday: 9am - 2pm
Location
Petticoat Lane Market - Wentworth Street - Aldgate - E1
Nearest Tube: Aldgate East (Metropolitan and Circle Lines) or Aldgate (Central Line)
Camden Markets
If you're young and trendy, head north to Camden Town where several funky markets have grown into one.
Visit the market on a Sunday and you'll be excused for thinking you've somehow been transported back to the swinging sixties even though the market itself didn't actually come into existence until 1972.
Emerging fashion designers enjoy the company of African art, oriental rugs and textiles, vintage clothing, club wear, collectibles, new age products, music and just about everything else you could imagine from top quality goods to commercial tat, all colorfully arranged in three open market yards and a covered market hall.
When you're tired of the shopping experience, take a rest alongside the picturesque Regent's Canal as it runs through Camden Town and watch the colorful barges as they pass through the lock.
Opening Times
Mon - Fri: 10am - 6pm Sat - Sun: 9.30am - 6.30pm
Location
Camden Markets - Chalk Farm Road - Camden - NW1
Nearest Tube: Camden Town (Northern Line)
Portobello Road Antiques Market
Held in fashionable Notting Hill and a market since the late 1800s, it wasn't until the 1950s that Portobello Road became known for its antiques.
The market day starts at around 5.30am for trading between dealers who come from far and wide to find the best deals available. By 8am the market is in full swing with collectors from every corner of the world looking for anything from stained-glass windows and kitchenalia to teddy bears, vintage clothing and policemen's truncheons.
Like most markets, Portobello Road attracts its share of street performers who provide a pleasant contrast from the otherwise commercial atmosphere of the market.
Whether you're looking for a small collectible costing no more than a couple of pounds or you want something special and have the thousands of pounds it will take to procure it, Portobello Road, with its hundreds of stalls and shops houses the most extensive selection of antiques in Britain. It's also one of London's most visited tourist attractions, made famous by the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks and, more recently, Notting Hill.
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate (Central, Circle, and District Lines). The market is also within easy walking distance of Marble Arch, Bayswater, and Shepherd's Bush
Columbia Road Flower Market
Take a trip down to Columbia Road in the East End and discover a world of plants and exotic flowers amongst the 50 stalls and 30 garden shops and specialist cafes in London's most fragrant market.
What was once a general market dating back to the early 19th century gradually developed into a thriving flower market selling produce to the general public.
Although not the biggest market in London, the stalls and shops along this quarter of a mile of road sell everything from seeds and shrubs to houseplants and garden accessories and is worth a visit for its friendly atmosphere.
Opening Times
Sunday: 8am - 2pm
Location
Columbia Road Flower Market - Columbia Road - Bethnal Green - E2
Nearest Tube: Bethnal Green (Central Line)
Enjoy...
Street markets are very much a part of London's culture and as well as keeping you happily shopping they'll give you a real taste of how Londoners live and work.
Whether you like finding a bargain, people watching or just soaking up the atmosphere of the city, don't visit London without visiting at least one market.