Columbia Road Flower Market

If the sun's out, this market is one of the most delightful in London. Columbia Road is just a single narrow street of 1860s shops and houses where some go to buy flowers and plants, but the majority visit for the easygoing scene. In fact, you may want to avoid the main market itself at peak times as it can get extremely busy. Street musicians and enterprising vendors selling coffee, cakes and samosas from the doorways add an entrepreneurial energy and there are plenty of quirky and one-off shops to explore with vintage furniture and clothes, customised maps, funky childrenswear, jewellery and old-school sweets.

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