Shoppers passing The Body Shop on Oxford Street, London.

Layover guideLondon · LHR

What to buy in London

No VAT refund on goods you carry home; street markets (vintage, food) are the distinctive buy, and cards work nearly everywhere.

Edwardx / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

All of London

There is no VAT refund for visitors on goods you take with you: in Great Britain tax-free purchase is only possible when the shop ships the goods directly to an address outside the UK, and retailer participation varies. Budget the sticker price as final.

Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill) is the flagship street market, running Monday to Sunday roughly 08:00-19:00, known for vintage clothing, food and independent stalls; individual traders keep their own days, with some trading Friday-Saturday only.

Cards, contactless and digital wallets are accepted almost everywhere, but some small shops and market stalls may be cash-only, so a small amount of sterling helps at markets.

GOV.UK (tax on shopping) · checked 2026-08-18
Portobello Road Market (market site) · checked 2026-08-18
VisitBritain (national tourism agency) · checked 2026-08-18

The rest of London

The whole guide

Getting out of the airportBlack cabs on the meter from ranks outside each terminal with a small Heathrow pick-up charge, or three rail routes into town, only one of which runs through the night and only at weekends.Ride-hailingApps are legal but every ride is a pre-booked private hire job, the pick-up is in the short stay car park rather than the terminal kerb, and the app estimate replaces a meter.Local laws that catch crew outThe traps that catch crew here are blades, cannabis, and open alcohol on the transport network, and all of them come straight from UK government departments and TfL.Staying connectedFree wifi at Heathrow and Gatwick; PAYG SIMs and eSIMs sold with no contract or credit check.WeatherMild maritime climate: pack for rain in any month, light layers year-round, and increasingly real summer heat with no monsoon or snow season to plan around.Eating near the crew hotelsFood markets are the efficient layover feed: Borough Market by London Bridge (closed Mondays), Old Spitalfields open daily; carry a card, everything takes contactless but a few stalls do not.TippingTipping is optional, not expected: 10-15% in restaurants only if no service charge is on the bill, round up taxis, and by law staff now keep 100% of tips.