Notting Hill Self-Guided Walking Tour + Map | Anywhere We Roam

This 3.5-mile walk explores the iconic London neighbourhood of Notting Hill. It visits colourful houses, Portobello market, and landmarks from the film with a map and instructions to help you navigate this vibrant community.

LAST UPDATE: 3 Jan 2024

Anywhere We Roam is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support – Paul & Mark.

Over the last hundred years, people from all around the world have flocked to live in Notting Hill. Leading the way were Caribbean immigrants in the 1950s and 1960s, who today live side by side with Moroccan, Spanish and Portuguese communities.

As a result, it’s a diverse and multicultural neighbourhood with lots of great attractions.

This walk explores some of the best things to do in Notting Hill. It is bookended by two excellent museums with a park visit in the middle.

The whole route would take around 90 minutes. However, if you explore the market, have brunch, stroll the shops, and go to the museums, you’ll need around half a day.

ABOUT THIS NOTTING HILL WALK

This Notting Hill Walk is split into two parts. The first covers the best Notting Hill attractions including Portobello Market, the colourful houses, and the Notting Hill film locations. The second goes further afield into Holland Park and North Kensington.

MAP | NOTTING HILL WALK

Use our map to navigate this Notting Hill Walk and to make sure you don’t miss any of the sights.

WHERE TO START?

We recommend starting at Ladbroke Grove tube station and finishing at High Street Kensington tube station. However, you could also do the walk in reverse.

HOW LONG?

The walk is 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometres) which would take about 90 minutes without stops. However, there’s plenty to see along the way, so allow at least 2 to 3 hours. You’ll need longer if you intend to stop for brunch or visit the museums.

If you don’t want to do the second half of the walk into Holland Park and Kensington, you can finish at Notting Hill tube station (see map above) which is halfway along the walk.

WHEN TO DO THE WALK?

Friday or Saturday are the best days to do this walk as the most interesting parts of Portobello Market will be open. There are also several great brunch spots in Notting Hill worth planning ahead for.

GOLBORNE ROAD

The Museum of Brands is just around the corner from the Golborne Road tube station. It’s a nostalgic journey through 200 years of consumer culture.

If you skip the museum, turn left out the station, pass under the bridge, and then take the third right down

Chesterton Road to reach Golborne Road (see walking map above).

Golborne Road is the heart of multi-cultural Notting Hill. It’s home to London’s Portuguese and Moroccan communities with stores selling bric-a-brac, furniture, and flowers. There some wonderful food stalls – try the Moroccan fish – and don’t miss the Golborne Deli. It’s best to visit on Fridays and Saturdays.

PORTOBELLO MARKET

After exploring Golborne Road turn left down Portobello Road. This road is the heart of Notting Hill and Portobello Market runs along its length. The market is split into 4 sections, each section has its own best day (most stalls) to visit.

• Vintage & Bric-a-brac Market: Friday, Saturday & Sunday
• Fashion Market: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
• Fruit & Veg Market: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
• Antiques market: Friday, Saturday

In our opinion, the most interesting are the Vintage and Antiques Markets, making Friday and Saturday excellent times to visit. However, they are also the busiest days.

Opening hours // In summer the stalls are usually open from 8.30 am to 6 pm and in winter from 9.30 am to 5pm. Thursday is half day operating from 9 am to 1 pm. 

PORTOBELLO VINTAGE MARKET

As you walk south down Portobello Road the first part of the market you reach is the vintage market.

The stalls are set up on the edge of Portobello Green under the arches of the Westway Flyover. There’s a host of stalls selling vintage clothes (and some newer items), old second-hand books (bringing memories from your childhood), hand-made jewelry, and old vinyl records.

ACKLAM VILLAGE

Just across from the market is Acklam Village. It comes alive on Saturdays when stalls sell an eclectic mix of street food from around the world.

In warmer months there is free live music. Grab a beer from the bar and settle in for some local entertainment.

PORTOBELLO FASHION MARKET

Walking under the bridge and continuing down Portobello Road you’ll find the Fashion Market. It sells everything from quirky hats to scarves, bags and designer items. There’s also a Spanish community here with a couple of tapas bars and a Spanish supermarket.

Don’t miss the Pepper Tree Vintage clothes store on the corner of Portobello Road and Lancaster Road and the numerous excellent charity stores.

LANCASTER ROAD

Turn left on Lancaster Road to find some of the most colourful houses in Notting Hill. An assortment of pastel facades line up side by side for a good photo opportunity.

Despite the number of tourists snapping photos, people live in these houses, so be conscious of their privacy.

ALL SAINTS ROAD

Next turn right on All Saints Road to find two great music shops. Portobello Music sells all sorts of electric and acoustic guitars, while next door, People’s Sound Records is a treasure trove of dancehall and all things reggae. Jamaican colours, vinyl covers, and revival reggae music is a nod to Notting Hill’s Caribbean roots.

Turn right down pretty St Luke Mews and then a quick left, and then right to return to Portobello Road.

NOTTING HILL FILM SIGHTS

You are now in Portobello’s Fruit and Veg market and dotted around its edges are several famous sights from the film Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts (Anna Scott) and Hugh Grant (William Thacker). The sights are marked on the map but here’s a quick rundown.

• Blue Door – The blue door to William’s flat is at 280 Westbourne Park Road. It’s easy to spot for the throng of people out front.
• Notting Hill Bookshop – The bookstore located at 13 Blenheim Crescent has been designed as a recreation of William Thackery’s bookshop from the movie, however, it’s not the one that was used in the film (despite the crowds out the front).
• 142 Portobello Road – The location of the actual shop used for filming the bookstore scenes. During filming it was an antique shop, it’s now a souvenir store with a sign saying “The Travel Book Store” as opposed to “The Travel Book Co” which is what appears in the film.
• Coronet Theatre – This arts venue used to be a cinema and it was used when William and Spike were watching a film.

SHOPS TO CHECK OUT

There are a few other shops in this part of Notting Hill worth checking out. Rough Trade West is the oldest and smallest of the Rough Trade stores, selling a collector’s array of vinyl.

The Spice Shop is worth entering for the smell alone, and Books for Cooks has a huge selection for all types of chefs.

Fan Tip // Dedicated fans of the Notting Hill film could take the detour down Elgin Crescent to Rosmead Gardens, where William and Anna climbed over the fence. The gardens are private so you can’t enter but you can sneak a peak through the fence.

PORTOBELLO ANTIQUES MARKET

Heading further along Portobello Road the Fruit & Veg market turns into the Antique Market. Here you’ll find silver plates and teapots, old matchbox cards, collectibles, telescopes, binoculars and much more.

Wander through the arcades that line the street where you’ll find furniture, paintings, and sculptures in a series of mazes.

Lining the road are an eclectic mix of map shops and Scottish clothing stores. Don’t miss Alice’s – a nostalgic and colourful antiques store.

HILLGATE

At the end of Portobello Road turn right down Pembridge Road, cross over Notting Hill Gate, and then take a quick right and then left onto Hillgate Street.

Hillgate is a charming little neighbourhood of narrow streets and pastel-coloured houses. In recent years it has become an excellent destination for food and coffee. Kuro has three locations: a bakery, café and brunch spot.  Eggbreak does all day brunch in a pretty Notting Hill House and Akub offers modern Palestinian cuisine using locally sourced ingredients.

Read about all our favourite breakfast spots in Notting Hill and our recommendation for a quality Notting Hill coffee to take a break on the walk.

Early Finish // You can finish the walk here by jumping on the tube at Notting Hill. Otherwise, continue on to explore Holland Park and Kensington High Street.

HOLLAND PARK

At the end of Hillgate Street, turn right onto Kensington Place and then left on Camden Hill Road. Taking a right on Airlie Gardens you enter Holland Park. This wonderful slice of green are the lungs of Notting Hill and Kensington. It’s a great place for a stroll, especially in spring when flowers are in bloom.

There are numerous paths to follow but we have chosen our favourite route (follow the Notting Hill walking map above). Don’t miss the Japanese Kyoto Garden and the walled gardens of the Belvedere and Orangery.

DESIGN MUSEUM

Exit Holland Park beside the Design Museum. This excellent small museum has a free permanent exhibition and only takes about an hour to explore. It is devoted to contemporary design in every form. Explore architecture, fashion, graphics, and industrial design.

We love this museum, largely because it feels like a shrine to our analogue and digital life. From cassettes to early CD players, Amstrad computers to iMacs; rotary phones to Samsung, it’s a walk down memory lane.

Exit the design museum, turn left on Kensington High Street to Kensington High Street tube station where this Notting Hill walk ends. We hope you enjoyed it.

MORE LONDON SELF-GUIDED WALKING GUIDES

Walking is a great way to see London. Here’s a list of some of our favourite walks in London.

Also, check out all the fantastic day hikes near London and soak up some beautiful country landscapes.