Notting Hill

Immortalized on-screen in the eponymous 1999 romantic comedy film, Notting Hill is much more than just a backdrop for the famous Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts’ love affair. The west London district, stretching over Ladbroke Grove, Portobello Road and parts of North Kensington is one of the city’s hippest destinations, lined with vintage boutiques, bijou cafés and indie music venues. Located between the upmarket neighborhoods of Knightsbridge and Kensington, Notting Hill brings a dash of bohemian cool to the stately Victorian townhouses and cobbled side streets, making it the perfect location for the annual Notting Hill Carnival, Europe’s biggest and most flamboyant street festival.

Notting Hill is also home to the world famous Portobello market, where one of the largest antique markets in the world is held alongside stalls selling everything from vintage and alternative clothing to handmade crafts and jewelry, music (legendary record store and label Rough Trade is in these parts) and fruit and vegetables.

Notting Hill’s nightlife is also renowned – the Notting Hill Arts Club hosts a number of live bands and DJs; The Castle, Prince Albert and The Cow are popular local pubs or else there are dozens of trendy bars on and around Portobello Road. A number of art house cinemas make it a popular destination for film fanatics too, including the funky Electric cinema with its plush leather sofas and an in-house bar; the small yet luxurious Gate cinema and the grand Coronet cinema, London’s oldest operating cinema, which has been showing movies since 1916.