At the heart of it all is Greenwich Market, a covered maze of stalls that manages to feel both like a day‑trip destination and a proper local haunt.
On a busy Saturday, the air fills with the smell of street food – dumplings hissing on hot plates, churros dusted with sugar, jerk chicken smoking on grills while browsers linger over handmade jewellery, art prints and vintage finds.
Step outside and you’re straight into the historic town centre, where buskers play to crowds between the market hall, the Cutty Sark and the riverside.
Wander a little further south and Sunday in Blackheath has its own rhythm.
Blackheath Farmers’ Market sets up near the village‑style high street, drawing in families with bags of seasonal veg, jars of local honey and crusty loaves still warm from the oven.
Shoppers chat to producers about where their meat is reared and which cheese is at its best this week, before heading off for coffee in one of the cafés clustered around the heath.
Once a month, the grounds of Hall Place in Bexley – a Tudor house beside the River Cray – fill with stalls for Hall Place Bexley Farmers Market.
Here, shoppers stock up on artisan breads, cheeses, game, mushrooms and craft beers, with the house and gardens providing a picturesque backdrop.
Bromley’s town’s centuries‑old Charter Market still pitches up on the pedestrianised High Street several days a week, offering everything from fresh fruit and veg to phone accessories and household bargains.
It’s noisy, practical and proudly no‑nonsense: stallholders call out their offers over the hum of shoppers heading to and from The Glades, and regulars greet traders by name as they pick up their usual orders.
Cross into Dartford, and market day is still very much a fixture of the town‑centre calendar.
On Thursdays and Saturdays, the High Street becomes a line of canopies, with stalls selling fashion, homeware, plants, fresh produce and hot food for hungry visitors.
Meanwhile, the Lewisham borough has carved out a reputation as one of south east London’s food hotspots.
On Saturdays, Brockley Market transforms a Lewisham College car park into a roll‑call of some of the capital’s most sought‑after traders, with seasonal produce, specialist coffee and restaurant‑quality street food drawing queues that snake between the vans.
In central Lewisham, the traditional high‑street market remains a go‑to for affordable fruit, veg and everyday essentials, its stalls spilling out beside the shopping centre.
Just along the railway line, Deptford Market shows another side of south east London life.
On busy days, it’s a jumble sale in stereo: traders selling bric‑à‑brac, fabrics and tools, neighbours rummaging through boxes of vinyl and crockery, and a growing number of food stalls feeding the crowds.
Around the corner, Deptford Market Yard -beneath the railway arches – adds independent shops, cafés and bars to the mix, turning an old trading tradition into an evening hang out.
