There is no destination better than London for a holiday. The city has some of the most historic and beautiful attractions to visit and explore and makes for an unforgettable holiday experience. Proof of this is the millions of tourists who visit London every year. If you plan a holiday in London this summer you will need to make your hotel reservations well in advance. Tourist season is the period when hotels have peak occupancy rates and finding a suitable hotel at short notice could be a problem.
The city has some great hotels which cater to visitors with all types of budgets. If you want to stay in a place that offers great amenities, excellent customer service and some great discounts than you could choose either the Best Western Premier Shaftesbury Kensington or the Kensington Hotel. Book online and you could get the best deals that they offer for guests who make online reservations. Once you arrive in London and have seen most of the top attractions a great place to visit would be the Columbia road flower market.
The city has some great hotels which cater to visitors with all types of budgets. If you want to stay in a place that offers great amenities, excellent customer service and some great discounts than you could choose either the Best Western Premier Shaftesbury Kensington or the Kensington Hotel. Book online and you could get the best deals that they offer for guests who make online reservations. Once you arrive in London and have seen most of the top attractions a great place to visit would be the Columbia road flower market.
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| Image Courtesy : Stan Shebs |
There is nothing better than to spend a Sunday morning at Columbia Road Flower Market. It is one of the most charming places to visit and to catch a sight of some of the loveliest of flowers is almost an ethereal experience. Businesses begin work at about 4 am every Sunday when flower traders set up their stalls and shops all along the length of Columbia Road. It looks like a riot of colour with flowers from all corners of the world to be found here. You will see some of the most exotic flowers arranged in pots and lined up in shelves and trays swaying in the breeze. You will hear some very vocal sellers trying to lure shoppers to take a look at their assortment of flowers and convince them to buy some.
You will set sight on an array of exquisite plants and flowers which will leave you spellbound. Then of course there is the cacophony of a dozen different accents hollering ‘Three for a fiver!’ It is a rather popular haunt for both local as well as tourists to the area on Sundays.
And yes the flowers and plants are indeed some of the finest and cheapest to be found in the city. It is no wonder that quite a many visitors to the area make it a point to buy a bouquet or two. The area is home to independent shops with no franchises elsewhere in London. The best time to visit is around 8 am or at the end of the day i.e. 2:30 pm when you could avoid the crowds. Going at the end of the day will get you some of the best deals, as stallholders slash their prices to a considerable extent.
It makes for a perfect start to the Sunday morning and is a great place to visit and just plain look around. Bets are that you will be tempted to pick up an armful of blossoms for your partner and is great to visit as a couple. It is an ideal place to visit with your friends or even plan a date. If you are with the family then it makes for a pleasurable jaunt with the wife and kids. The market began in 1869 and has evolved over the years as a family business for most traders. You will find right up to the fifth generation still in business and with many grooming their kids for the same profession. They are friendly, chatty and offer a lot of free advice while also being some of the nicest Londoners you could hope to come across.
If you have any queries feel free to ask and you can be sure of getting some great practical tips and even striking a terrific deal. Of course Columbia Road Market is not just only about flowers. You will find some really quaint Victorian cafes and shops which sell everything from food to clothes and home ware. You will also come across like cubbyholes in the wall where coffee and cakes are sold for those who feel like a bite. The area is vibrant and has an exciting buzz and feel to it.
You will set sight on an array of exquisite plants and flowers which will leave you spellbound. Then of course there is the cacophony of a dozen different accents hollering ‘Three for a fiver!’ It is a rather popular haunt for both local as well as tourists to the area on Sundays.
And yes the flowers and plants are indeed some of the finest and cheapest to be found in the city. It is no wonder that quite a many visitors to the area make it a point to buy a bouquet or two. The area is home to independent shops with no franchises elsewhere in London. The best time to visit is around 8 am or at the end of the day i.e. 2:30 pm when you could avoid the crowds. Going at the end of the day will get you some of the best deals, as stallholders slash their prices to a considerable extent.
It makes for a perfect start to the Sunday morning and is a great place to visit and just plain look around. Bets are that you will be tempted to pick up an armful of blossoms for your partner and is great to visit as a couple. It is an ideal place to visit with your friends or even plan a date. If you are with the family then it makes for a pleasurable jaunt with the wife and kids. The market began in 1869 and has evolved over the years as a family business for most traders. You will find right up to the fifth generation still in business and with many grooming their kids for the same profession. They are friendly, chatty and offer a lot of free advice while also being some of the nicest Londoners you could hope to come across.
If you have any queries feel free to ask and you can be sure of getting some great practical tips and even striking a terrific deal. Of course Columbia Road Market is not just only about flowers. You will find some really quaint Victorian cafes and shops which sell everything from food to clothes and home ware. You will also come across like cubbyholes in the wall where coffee and cakes are sold for those who feel like a bite. The area is vibrant and has an exciting buzz and feel to it.
If you are feeling a bit down how about dropping in for a cup of coffee at the stall run by the former UK Barista Champion Gwilym Davies at the corner of Ezra Street yard-market. In case you are peckish you can feast on bacon and egg rolls or even tryout the organic salmon and cream cheese bagels which are sinfully tempting at Jones Dairy Café. If you want to try out good old fashioned British roast then drop in at the Royal Oak for lunch, where they serve a real top-notch roast.
If you want some of London’s best gladiol is keep an eye out for the orange stall umbrellas, which are found before Ezra Street. Here you will also find unusual and exotic flowers like stems of anemones, pink and white snow berries etc all at bargain prices.
For pot plants drop in at FJ Harnett and Son which offers a superb collection of plants at a good price. The plants are grown by the owner Matthew Harnett himself at Essex and the stall lies just outside the Fleapit Café. In autumn you can expect to find heather, giant-headed pansies, silverleaf and cyclamen. The Hartnett’s have been in the business for a fairly long while, over three generations.
Columbia Road Market with its great atmosphere makes for a great photo opportunity and you can take some great photos amongst the colourful array of stalls and flowers. You could even take some cool selfies to post on Twitter or Instagram!
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