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Bethnal Green Road Market
Street market competing rather well against Bethnal Green Road’s giant Tesco. Pick up bedding, music, shoes and tat, fruit and veg.
Bethnal Green Rd, E2. Bethnal Green tube. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Brick Lane Market
Tools, household goods and fruit and veg sold by the bowl are among the offerings at this busy East End market. Also worth a look are the fascinating makeshift stalls set up on blankets at the side of the road – dodgy old videos, broken dolls, CD players and dubiously acquired bicycles abound.
Brick Lane (north of railway bridge), Cygnet St, Sclater St, E1; Bacon St, Cheshire St, E2 (020 7364 1717). Aldgate East tube. Sun 8am-2pm. Feature continues

Broadway Market
Best for people-watching
A destination for fashionably attired food-lovers with top-notch snacking options. It also has stalls selling vintage and new designer threads, old Vogue patterns, flowers and hand-knits. The shops, restaurants and pubs that line the street are good for a browse too – in particular the Broadway Bookshop (No 6) and artful retro store The Dog & Wardrobe around the corner at Unit 3B, Regent Studios, 8 Andrew’s Road.
Broadway Market, E8 4QJ (07709 311869/www.broadwaymarket.co.uk). London Fields rail or 236, 394 bus. Sat 8.30am-4.30pm.

Chrisp Street Market
Originally a Victorian street market, pitches are now under a large canopy. Popular with locals on the loo out for plants and fruit, clothes (including giant pants), bed linen and toys.
Chrisp St, E14. All Saints DLR. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Columbia Road Flower Market
One of London’s most visually appealing markets, Columbia Road overflows with bucketfuls of beautiful flowers, independent galleries and shops selling pottery, perfume and the like.
Columbia Rd, E2 (020 7364 1717). Bethnal Green tube, Liverpool St tube/rail or Old St tube/rail. Sun 8am-2pm.

Hoxton Street Market
A few hundred metres off the gentrified Hoxton Square lies Hoxton Street Market with its cheap fruit and veg, gifts, bedding and more. Also check out the Hoxton Trust Community Garden (opposite Iceland).
Hoxton St, N1. Old St tube. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm (although most stalls had packed up by 2.30pm on our Thursday afternoon visit).

Petticoat Lane Market
Cheap clothes, leather, luggage, toys and electronic goods, but good for the odd one-off bargain.
Middlesex St, Goulston St, New Goulston St, Toynbee St, Wentworth St, Bell Lane, Cobb St, Leyden St, Strype St, E1 (020 7364 1717/www.towerhamlets.gov.uk). Aldgate East tube or Liverpool St tube/rail. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm (Goulston St, Toynbee St and Wentworth St only); Sun 9am-2pm.

Ridley Road Market
Best for exotic food
Everything from domestic and exotic fruit and veg, fish and meat to cheap clothes, household goods, toys, bric-a-brac and fabrics from Africa and India.
Ridley Rd, off Kingsland High St, E8. Dalston Kingsland rail or 30, 38, 56, 67, 76, 149, 236, 242, 243, 277 bus. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-5.30pm.

Roman Road Market
Cheap gear rules here, from underwear to shoes. You’ll also find homewares (towels, bedlinen) and lots of fruit and veg.
Roman Rd, between Parnell Rd and St Stephen’s Rd, E3 (020 7364 1717). Bow Rd, Mile End or Bethnal Green tube or 8, S2 bus. Tue, Thur, Sat 8am-6pm.

Queen’s Market
An extensive range of veg, fish, ethnic fabrics, CDs, homewares and hair products.
Off the junction of Green St and Queen’s Rd, E13. Upton Park tube. Tue-Sat 9am-6pm.

Spitalfields Market
Redevelopment hasn’t quite altered the atmosphere of this East End stalwart, even though the covered market – built in 1887 – clashes with its modern shopping-precinct neighbour.
Commercial St, between Lamb St and Brushfield St, E1 (020 7247 8556/www.visitspitalfields.com). Liverpool St tube/rail. General Mon-Fri 10am-4pm; Sun 9am-5pm. Antiques Thur 9am-4pm. Food Wed, Fri, Sun 10am-5pm. Fashion Fri 10am-4pm. Records & books 1st & 3rd Wed of mth 10am-4pm.

(Up)Market
Best for new designers
Another good reason to head out east on Sundays (and easily combined with a trip to nearby Spitalfields or Brick Lane Markets), the Old Truman Brewery’s buzzy (Up)Market boasts some 140 stalls toting edgy fashion from young designers (many fresh from fashion college), vintage gear, gifts, art and crafts and well-priced jewellery. Food stalls offer everything from cupcakes to rich Ethiopian coffee, Japanese yakisoba, tapas and dim sum.
91 Brick Lane, The Old Truman Brewery (entrances on Brick Lane & Hanbury St), E1 6QL (020 7770 6100/www.sundayupmarket.co.uk). Liverpool St tube/rail. Sun 10am-5pm.

Walthamstow Market
This is the longest market in Europe, with loads of fruit-and-veg stalls, a good selection of Asian and Caribbean products, fabric, flowers and more.
Walthamstow High St, E17 (020 8496 2880). Walthamstow Central tube/rail. Tue-Sat 8am-5pm.

Well Street Market
Small, busy local market packed with bargains, with stallholders directly competing with a branch of Tesco Metro which looms over them.
Well St (Morning Lane to Valentine Rd), E9. Homerton rail. Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm.

Whitechapel Market
Stretching between Vallance Road and Cambridge Heath Road, lively Whitechapel Market has every type of speciality Asian ingredient and spice you’ll ever need.
Whitechapel Rd (Vallance Rd to Cambridge Heath Rd), E1. Whitechapel tube. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

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