Camden Market

What it’s like

A sprawl of canalside stalls, food halls and an indoor rollercoaster, with a market maze that swallows a whole afternoon.

Camden splits into three bits: the Lock, the Stables and Hawley Wharf, and you'll want a plan before you dive in because it's easy to lose an hour just working out where you are. Kids clock the indoor rollercoaster and bumper cars at Babylon Park pretty fast, and there's soft play and arcade games there too if the little ones need their own corner. Beyond that there's crazy golf at PLONK! GOLF, bowling at Lane7, and canal boat trips along the Regent's Canal that are a nice way to see the market from the water rather than fight through it on foot.

Food is the other big pull. Hundreds of stalls and vendors do street food, bakes and sit-down restaurants, and Hawley Wharf's food halls run late, till 11pm, so it's not just a lunchtime stop. The shops themselves keep shorter and more varied hours depending on which quarter you're in, so if you've got a specific stall in mind it pays to know when that bit opens rather than assume the whole market runs the same day.

Hawley Wharf has lifts and step-free access to all floors, which helps a lot with a buggy. The Lock and Stables are a different story: much of it is step-free too, but the historic buildings and cobbles mean uneven ground in places, so a pushchair with decent wheels does better than one with tiny front casters. Parking is basically not an option, the market has no car park of its own and Camden Town's on-street parking is scarce, so the tube or Overground is the sensible way in.

There is free summer programming too, live music and family days that add another reason to time a visit for warmer months, on top of Dingwalls for gigs and a Curzon cinema if the weather turns and you fancy somewhere indoors.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Extremely limited. Market does not have a dedicated car park

Food

Hundreds of food vendors including street food, cafes, restaurants, and bars

Getting there by bus or train

Camden Town station 5 mins (Northern Line), Chalk Farm station 10 mins (Northern Line), Camden Road station 8 mins (Overline)

• Shop and stall hours vary a lot by trader, so if you want a specific one it's worth knowing its own hours rather than the market's general times.
• Hawley Wharf's food halls stay open till 11pm even though the retail side there shuts much earlier.
• Cobbles and old buildings in the Lock and Stables make for uneven ground, so a sturdy buggy helps.
• Security is on site 24/7 if you need assistance getting around.

Plan your visit

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