Colorful houses in Notting Hill, London

Call it Instagram paradise, Instagram porn, Instagrammablecall it whatever you like. If youve somehow never heard of Notting Hill or (gasp!) havent seen the movie, it’s that technicolour London neighbourhood youve no doubt spotted on your feed, where pastel townhouses cozy up to vintage cars and artsy coffees.

I only have a handful of happy places in the world, and Notting Hill is one of them. Granted, I know full well I could never afford to live in this affluent corner of the citybut I make a point of visiting every time Im in London, phone in hand (anything for the ‘gram), no itinerary in sight. I let the moment take over, letting these idyllic streets lead me, secretly hoping I never find my way out.

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LONDON travel tips

Highlights of London’s Notting Hill Walking Tour

A walking itinerary for Notting Hill & Holland Park colourful houses

Ive walked these streets a thousand times, so when I say theyre all photogenic and full of character, I mean it. This itinerary brings together the most colourful streets, the quaintest alleys, and the prettiest fa?ades in the neighbourhoodit’s essentially a greatest-hit’s tour of Notting Hill.

The 5-kilometre loop could take you anywhere from one to six hours, depending on your paceand how often you stop to say, Wait, I need to Instagram this, or ask your Instagram husband to move the rubbish bin. ;-)

Photos of Notting Hill

Things-to-do-in-London---making-gin-in-London-Ginstitute — The Distillery and the Ginstitute in Notting Hill

things to do in London - Notting Hill — Temperley London store in Colville Mews

Beautiful streets in London - Portobello Road — Portobello Market on a Saturday

Notting Hill – a bit of history

Although it’s now one of Londons most affluent neighbourhoodswhere townhouses typically sell for a modest 4C6 millionNotting Hill wasnt always so polished. In fact, up until the late 1800s, it was a slum, home to piggeries, smoke-belching pottery kilns, and grim living conditions.

The area was largely populated by white, working-class locals of low social standing, where violence and unemployment were part of daily life. So when a wave of Caribbean immigrants arrived after World War II, tensions flared almost immediately.

Racial disparities and cultural differences gave rise to deep divisions. Discrimination was rampant: landlords often refused to rent to Black tenantsor charged them extortionate ratesand many pubs simply banned them outright. In May 1958, tensions boiled over into a violent three-day riot, during which Black residents were brutally attacked.

This is the context in which the now-iconic Notting Hill Carnival was born.

The event was launched as a celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture, designed to uplift the community and ease tensions, if only temporarily. Though Black locals were still excluded from many public spaces, that didnt stop them from creating their own: a vibrant network of underground venues emerged, serving not just their community, but curious outsiders as well. Members of the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, for example, found themselves drawn to this gritty-yet-creative enclave.

By the mid-1980s, the violence had subsided, and new residentsattracted by the (then) low rents and roomy flatsbegan moving in around Portobello Road. But affordability didnt last. Today, Notting Hill is a playground for the well-heeled, filled with designer boutiques, elegant cafs, andof coursethose beloved pastel fa?ades we just cant get enough of. ;-)