Spent the Sunday Afternoon at Brick Lane Market in East London

I only have a few more weeks left in London so today, I finally went to Brick Lane Market in East London! I compare the Shoreditch area to Brooklyn, NY or Silver Lake, CA with its large ethnic minority populations and young hipster influences. Brick Lane is in the heart of London’s Bangladeshi community and you’ll pass by some really good restaurants and smaller markets on your way there.

Brick Lane Market

Very similar to Camden Market, Brick Lane Market is comprised of 5+ large markets grouped in one area that are geared to sell items to a young, hip audience. I really like that Brick Lane doesn’t pander to tourists with gaudy cheap trinkets and postcards. Here, you will find mostly locals poring over a very large selection of everything from vintage clothing and furniture to gourmet food and bike parts. This market is an eclectic mix of people and stalls and a very interesting place to visit!

Brick Lane Market is only open on Sundays, so make sure you plan accordingly!

There are food stalls and warehouses EVERYWHERE so make sure you come hungry!

Food Tip: I do not suggest going to the stalls where they offer cheap Asian cuisine. These stalls usually offer an “all you can fit” takeaway box for around £5, but they are some of the most mediocre foods you can find in these settings. 

Random Stall: Luchador masks and fur rugs for sale.

A real vintage record player was playing music!

Leather shoes lined up at a stall.

One market set up in an unevenly paved car park.

Although I really enjoyed this market, it was not my favorite in comparison to other markets I have been to. This place has a lot of character, but there was nothing sold there that appealed to me in particular, similar to my experience at Camden Market. I REALLY enjoyed Portobello Market for that reason since I loved looking at all of the stalls. Brick Lane Market is very similar to Camden Market so if you like either, then these are the places to go!

Walking Through Berlin’s Many Street Markets

On our way to visit Charlottenburg, Annalisa and I passed by at least three street markets. It seems that Saturdays are big days for vendors to sell their art, antiques, fashion, and food to wandering locals and tourists, which made for great detours on our walk across Berlin!

This is the Berlin Art Market that goes along the river near Museum Island

I was so tempted to buy myself a pair of opera glasses!

I thoroughly enjoyed these markets! These stalls were fun, diverse, and affordable! If I brought an extra suitcase, I could have easily filled it up with adorable trinkets and chinaware! Anyways, off to Charlottenburg!

Shopping at the Albert Cuypmarkt

After a wonderful afternoon at the Van Gogh museum, Annalisa and I continued our wanderings 15-minute walk away to the Albert Cuyp Market.

Visiting this market makes me realize how wonderful London really is! Although the market is large and interesting, most of the vendors were selling fairly useless items that can easily be found in a convenience store like: mouthwash, shampoo, toothpaste, cotton balls, cheap sandals, and cheap towels. And if these things could be bought unopened (and sealed) at a real store, why would someone settle and buy sketch mouthwash on the street? I was pretty disappointed and did not take any photos of those stalls, since I saw no reason to. There were also not a lot of food stalls and the ones that were there were extremely overpriced and did not look very good. I would still recommend visiting this market out of satisfying a curiosity, but the Albert Cuyp is far from being as diverse and enjoyable as any street market that I have ever been to. At least I took some photos of the most interesting things I’ve seen.

A surprising chocolate stand…

SURPRISE!