My love letter to Notting Hill and its colourful houses

Few places in the world lift my mood faster than Notting Hill on a crisp, clear London morning. It is a neighborhood that constantly pulls you in two directions at once: one minute you are navigating the brilliant, chaotic energy of the Portobello market stalls, and the next you are stepping into a secret mews where time seems to have stopped entirely. If you’ve somehow never heard of Notting Hill or (gasp!) missed the iconic Hugh Grant rom-com of the same name, it’s where pastel townhouses cozy up to vintage cars and coffee shops.

I make a point of crossing the city to get here every single time I visit London. I don’t look at maps, and I don’t follow a strict schedule. Instead, I let the striking rows of candy-colored townhouses dictate my route, secretly hoping I never find my way out.

The ultimate colorful Notting Hill walking tour

I’ve walked these pavement paths a thousand times, so believe me when I say every single corner holds its own character. This self-guided walking itinerary strings together the most colorful streets, the quaintest hidden alleys, and the prettiest residential façades in West London—essentially a greatest-hits tour of Notting Hill.

🛑 Thoughts on being a good visitor:

Look, I know full well that by writing this guide, I’m technically part of the influx—but let’s agree to be the good guys here. Notting Hill is an exceptionally high-tourism area, but these candy-colored buildings are actual people’s homes. Please don’t be a dick. Avoid staging elaborate, spontaneous photoshoots on private stoops, blocking entryways, or peering into front windows. Snap your photos from the public pavement, keep it respectful, and remember that you’re a visitor in a living, breathing neighborhood.

Must-see stops in Notting Hill

• Pastel streets: Explore the iconic Hillgate Place, Denbigh Terrace, Westbourne Park Road, and Lansdowne Road.
• Charming mews & crescents: Wander through Ladbroke Mews and Colville Mews (home to the beautiful Temperley London store), as well as the grand curves of Lansdowne Crescent. Also consider the quiet charm of Blenheim Crescent and Arundel Gardens.
• Portobello Road icons: Browse the eccentric treasures at Alice’s, visit the legendary Notting Hill Bookshop, and dive into the chaotic energy of Portobello Market on a Saturday.

Photos of Notting Hill

Notting Hill – a bit of history

Although it’s now one of London’s most affluent neighbourhoods—where townhouses typically sell for a modest £4–6 million—Notting Hill wasn’t 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 tenants—or charged them extortionate rates—and 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 didn’t 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 residents—attracted by the (then) low rents and roomy flats—began moving in around Portobello Road. But affordability didn’t last. Today, Notting Hill is a playground for the well-heeled, filled with designer boutiques, elegant cafés, and—of course—those beloved pastel façades we just can’t get enough of. ;-)