Notting Hill Photo Spots: Colourful Streets, Mews and the Bookshop
A pink house catches your eye, then a blue one a few doors along makes you change your mind. That's half the fun of Notting Hill. Come for the colour, leave time for a little browsing, and your favourite photograph might happen somewhere between a bookshop window, a market stall and a cobbled mews.
October 6, 2026
Updated
Table of Contents
A different side of London, with you in the picture
If your London plans already include Big Ben and Tower Bridge, Notting Hill brings something different to the album. Here, the pleasure is in the smaller things: a bright door in a brick wall, painted flats above a shop, plants climbing around a window. You can make a photograph out of a whole street, or fall for one tiny corner of it.
The neighbourhood suits a day when you want to wander. There are places to browse, colours to disagree about and shop windows that give you a perfectly good reason to stop again. A little of that curiosity can find its way into your pictures. You might remember what you were laughing at when the photograph was taken, as well as where you were standing.
The best Notting Hill photo spots depend on the sort of day you fancy. Hillgate's soft colours feel different from Lancaster Road's bolder houses. Portobello brings shops and people into the story, while St Luke's Mews draws your attention to cobbles, balconies and greenery. Pick the places that make you want to linger. There's plenty here beyond a single famous door.
The neighbourhood suits a day when you want to wander. There are places to browse, colours to disagree about and shop windows that give you a perfectly good reason to stop again. A little of that curiosity can find its way into your pictures. You might remember what you were laughing at when the photograph was taken, as well as where you were standing.
The best Notting Hill photo spots depend on the sort of day you fancy. Hillgate's soft colours feel different from Lancaster Road's bolder houses. Portobello brings shops and people into the story, while St Luke's Mews draws your attention to cobbles, balconies and greenery. Pick the places that make you want to linger. There's plenty here beyond a single famous door.
Hillgate Place and Farmer Street for soft colours
For those lovely pastel-house photographs, Hillgate Place and neighbouring Farmer Street are a good place to begin. They're on the Notting Hill Gate side of the neighbourhood, so you can step off the Tube and start with the residential streets before heading towards the market area.
The charm is in seeing different houses together. A pale façade beside another colour, doors that each have their own character, the little changes you notice as you walk. You may arrive with one saved photograph in mind and find that the house beside it is the one you like best. Which colour would you choose for your own front door? Pink makes a pretty persuasive case.
If you're taking photographs together, this is a lovely place for a slow walk and a chat. You could pause with the row of houses behind you, then carry on and see what catches your eye next. The houses give the picture plenty of colour already, so a simple moment between you can be enough. A family photograph here might be everyone looking at one another while a child insists the yellow house is definitely the winner.
Farmer Street fits nicely into a coffee-and-colour morning. A couple photographed here by Tepewehco made time for a coffee pause between the streets, and you can do the same without turning your wander into a packed itinerary. Kuro Coffee is nearby at 3 Hillgate Street; the bakery is at 95 Notting Hill Gate. If you're meeting someone, agree which one before you set off.
The charm is in seeing different houses together. A pale façade beside another colour, doors that each have their own character, the little changes you notice as you walk. You may arrive with one saved photograph in mind and find that the house beside it is the one you like best. Which colour would you choose for your own front door? Pink makes a pretty persuasive case.
If you're taking photographs together, this is a lovely place for a slow walk and a chat. You could pause with the row of houses behind you, then carry on and see what catches your eye next. The houses give the picture plenty of colour already, so a simple moment between you can be enough. A family photograph here might be everyone looking at one another while a child insists the yellow house is definitely the winner.
Farmer Street fits nicely into a coffee-and-colour morning. A couple photographed here by Tepewehco made time for a coffee pause between the streets, and you can do the same without turning your wander into a packed itinerary. Kuro Coffee is nearby at 3 Hillgate Street; the bakery is at 95 Notting Hill Gate. If you're meeting someone, agree which one before you set off.
Lancaster Road, Colville Terrace and Elgin Crescent
If soft pastels aren't quite your thing, Lancaster Road gives you a stronger burst of colour. The painted houses around its meeting with Portobello Road are the ones to look for. London Perfect's street guide describes bold colours on one side and a softer row opposite, so it's worth looking both ways before deciding which view you love.
A row of bright houses makes a very different picture from one person beside a single painted door. You might want the buildings to take up more of the photograph here, especially if the colour is what brought you to Notting Hill. Lancaster Road also has passing traffic, including buses. Enjoy the view from the pavement and let the street carry on around you; a clear photograph is never worth stepping into the road for.
Colville Terrace gives you another change of colour close to Portobello. At the Portobello Road end, the houses include stronger shades; towards Ledbury Road, the colours soften. That gradual change is part of the appeal. You can walk along looking at the houses together, rather than aiming straight for one numbered doorway and leaving again.
Elgin Crescent is another option for connected rows of pastel homes. It works well if you enjoy photographs with more of the neighbourhood in them: several houses, the pavement and the sweep of the street. You can choose it as an alternative to the other painted streets if it fits your plans better. Each place has its own appeal; you don't need a photograph on every one of them.
These are people's homes. Enjoy their façades from the public pavement, leave entrances clear and respect any ropes or barriers across the steps. You can still have all that wonderful colour behind you. A doorstep with an obvious boundary is simply somewhere to admire as you pass.
A row of bright houses makes a very different picture from one person beside a single painted door. You might want the buildings to take up more of the photograph here, especially if the colour is what brought you to Notting Hill. Lancaster Road also has passing traffic, including buses. Enjoy the view from the pavement and let the street carry on around you; a clear photograph is never worth stepping into the road for.
Colville Terrace gives you another change of colour close to Portobello. At the Portobello Road end, the houses include stronger shades; towards Ledbury Road, the colours soften. That gradual change is part of the appeal. You can walk along looking at the houses together, rather than aiming straight for one numbered doorway and leaving again.
Elgin Crescent is another option for connected rows of pastel homes. It works well if you enjoy photographs with more of the neighbourhood in them: several houses, the pavement and the sweep of the street. You can choose it as an alternative to the other painted streets if it fits your plans better. Each place has its own appeal; you don't need a photograph on every one of them.
These are people's homes. Enjoy their façades from the public pavement, leave entrances clear and respect any ropes or barriers across the steps. You can still have all that wonderful colour behind you. A doorstep with an obvious boundary is simply somewhere to admire as you pass.
Portobello Road photo spots full of everyday life
Portobello Road is the choice if you want the photographs to feel like a day out. Shop signs, pavement displays and people stopping to browse fill the street with things to notice. There's even a huge Union Jack painted above one of the shops. It's hard to walk past without looking up.
The buildings are worth looking at above eye level too. Painted upper floors sit over busy shopfronts, so a photograph looking along the street can include two different layers: colour overhead and everyday life below. Passing traffic and shoppers are part of that scene. If you prefer a simpler background for a portrait, you can save those pictures for one of the residential streets and enjoy Portobello for what it is.
Then there are all the little things in the displays. You might stop to look at an old object you can't quite identify, or catch your partner examining something they absolutely believe belongs in the suitcase. It's the sort of place where a photograph can happen while you're doing something you find fun. A shared look over a market stall can say as much about your trip as a picture of you both facing the camera.
For children, browsing can give the wander a purpose beyond stopping for another photograph. Let them point out a favourite colour or choose the most curious thing in a window. You may get a lovely picture of the whole family looking at the same thing. And if you're here on your own, shop signs and changing displays give you plenty to explore between portraits.
You don't need a full market day to enjoy Portobello's shopfronts. Browsing inside the shops and seeing the road lined with stalls are different outings, though, so choose your day around what you most want to do. The market timings below will help if stalls are high on your list.
The buildings are worth looking at above eye level too. Painted upper floors sit over busy shopfronts, so a photograph looking along the street can include two different layers: colour overhead and everyday life below. Passing traffic and shoppers are part of that scene. If you prefer a simpler background for a portrait, you can save those pictures for one of the residential streets and enjoy Portobello for what it is.
Then there are all the little things in the displays. You might stop to look at an old object you can't quite identify, or catch your partner examining something they absolutely believe belongs in the suitcase. It's the sort of place where a photograph can happen while you're doing something you find fun. A shared look over a market stall can say as much about your trip as a picture of you both facing the camera.
For children, browsing can give the wander a purpose beyond stopping for another photograph. Let them point out a favourite colour or choose the most curious thing in a window. You may get a lovely picture of the whole family looking at the same thing. And if you're here on your own, shop signs and changing displays give you plenty to explore between portraits.
You don't need a full market day to enjoy Portobello's shopfronts. Browsing inside the shops and seeing the road lined with stalls are different outings, though, so choose your day around what you most want to do. The market timings below will help if stalls are high on your list.
St Luke’s Mews, beyond the pink film house
In St Luke's Mews, painted houses line a cobbled street, with balconies overhead and plants climbing the walls. There are pots beside doors, ironwork details and little changes of colour from one home to the next. It's easy to see why you might linger here for a few more photographs.
The size of the houses is part of its character. The mews buildings were originally stables serving the larger homes on Westbourne Park Road and Lancaster Road. That history helps explain why the street feels different from the grander terraces around it. You get a more intimate view, with doors, windows and plants much closer together in the picture.
Film fans may recognise the pink house from Love Actually, where the famous cue-card scene takes place. It's a lovely extra connection if you enjoy the film, but the street has plenty to offer without making that one house the whole visit. Blue and white paintwork, brickwork and brightly coloured doors can be just as appealing.
For photographs, think about which details made you stop in the first place. Perhaps you love the cobbles stretching behind you, or a balcony tangled with greenery. You can keep a little of that setting around you while still making the picture about the people in it. Other visitors come for the film connection too, so share the space and let neighbours pass easily. The mews is someone's everyday street as well as a lovely place to visit.
The size of the houses is part of its character. The mews buildings were originally stables serving the larger homes on Westbourne Park Road and Lancaster Road. That history helps explain why the street feels different from the grander terraces around it. You get a more intimate view, with doors, windows and plants much closer together in the picture.
Film fans may recognise the pink house from Love Actually, where the famous cue-card scene takes place. It's a lovely extra connection if you enjoy the film, but the street has plenty to offer without making that one house the whole visit. Blue and white paintwork, brickwork and brightly coloured doors can be just as appealing.
For photographs, think about which details made you stop in the first place. Perhaps you love the cobbles stretching behind you, or a balcony tangled with greenery. You can keep a little of that setting around you while still making the picture about the people in it. Other visitors come for the film connection too, so share the space and let neighbours pass easily. The mews is someone's everyday street as well as a lovely place to visit.
The Notting Hill bookshop: two addresses, two stories
For the actual Notting Hill Bookshop, head to 13 Blenheim Crescent. The blue frontage is recognisable straight away, and inside you'll find more than a film reference. The shop sells gift editions and classics, with a children's section beneath a glass roof. It's a particularly tempting stop if your idea of a holiday souvenir is another book.
Here's the useful film detail: the bookshop's interior was copied for Notting Hill, while the travel-bookshop exterior seen on screen was filmed at 142 Portobello Road. These are different places. Blenheim Crescent is the address for browsing the real bookshop; Portobello Road is the stop for the film's shopfront location.
Outside the real shop, the blue sign and window give you a recognisable setting for a photograph. There's a bench by the frontage too, although it may be occupied. Give other visitors time and keep the doorway clear for people going inside. A picture here can feel like a small chapter of your day, especially if you come away with something you want to read on the journey home.
If you're taking a portrait outside, decide how much of the shop you'd like to keep in the frame. A wider picture can show the blue sign and window together; a closer one gives more attention to you. Neither needs the bench to be free, which is handy when someone else has settled in there.
Here's the useful film detail: the bookshop's interior was copied for Notting Hill, while the travel-bookshop exterior seen on screen was filmed at 142 Portobello Road. These are different places. Blenheim Crescent is the address for browsing the real bookshop; Portobello Road is the stop for the film's shopfront location.
Outside the real shop, the blue sign and window give you a recognisable setting for a photograph. There's a bench by the frontage too, although it may be occupied. Give other visitors time and keep the doorway clear for people going inside. A picture here can feel like a small chapter of your day, especially if you come away with something you want to read on the journey home.
If you're taking a portrait outside, decide how much of the shop you'd like to keep in the frame. A wider picture can show the blue sign and window together; a closer one gives more attention to you. Neither needs the bench to be free, which is handy when someone else has settled in there.
Coffee, cake and a little extra time to explore
For the southern pastel streets, Kuro's location page separates the coffee shop, bakery and bagel shop, with their current addresses and hours. That's helpful if one person is imagining a quick takeaway coffee and another has breakfast firmly in mind. Choose the stop that fits your appetite and the time you have. Your holiday can absolutely make room for a pastry discussion.
Biscuiteers is at 194 Kensington Park Road. Its Notting Hill boutique and icing café offers cakes, afternoon tea and biscuit-icing experiences. If you'd enjoy doing something with your hands after a morning of walking, look at the available sessions before your visit. The official café page is the place to check and book an experience that suits you.
These stops are also a chance to put the camera away for a bit. You can enjoy a drink, look through the photographs you've already taken and decide what you still fancy seeing. A café visit is its own pleasure, rather than an automatic indoor photoshoot location; ask the business before arranging portraits inside.
Biscuiteers is at 194 Kensington Park Road. Its Notting Hill boutique and icing café offers cakes, afternoon tea and biscuit-icing experiences. If you'd enjoy doing something with your hands after a morning of walking, look at the available sessions before your visit. The official café page is the place to check and book an experience that suits you.
These stops are also a chance to put the camera away for a bit. You can enjoy a drink, look through the photographs you've already taken and decide what you still fancy seeing. A café visit is its own pleasure, rather than an automatic indoor photoshoot location; ask the business before arranging portraits inside.
When to visit for the pictures you have in mind
There isn't one hour that gives you every version of Notting Hill. An early walk among painted houses and a busy afternoon browsing market stalls are different experiences. Think first about what you'd like to see around you in the photographs.
For the residential streets, local photographer Kirsty Hamilton recommends an early weekday morning, when fewer people are usually about. It can be a pleasant way to start before the rest of your London plans. Shops and stalls may still be preparing to open, though, so leave the browsing part of your morning until the businesses you want to visit are ready.
Prefer a slower start to the day? An early-evening wander could suit you better. Photographer Poppy Carter recommends midweek early evening for Notting Hill engagement sessions. Check how much daylight you'll have on your date, then decide whether you'd rather start your day among the painted houses or make them part of your evening plans.
For market life, Friday and Saturday are the fuller market days, with Saturday the busiest, according to the Portobello market visitor information. Other days have a different mix of traders. If there's a particular part of the market you want to browse, check the information for your date. Individual shops and stalls keep their own hours.
Later can also mean packing-up time. During a family shoot at 5pm on a Friday in May, Kirsty found the stalls closing down and moved to the colourful houses nearby. Stalls won't always close at that time, but it's worth keeping a favourite nearby street in mind if the market is winding down.
For the residential streets, local photographer Kirsty Hamilton recommends an early weekday morning, when fewer people are usually about. It can be a pleasant way to start before the rest of your London plans. Shops and stalls may still be preparing to open, though, so leave the browsing part of your morning until the businesses you want to visit are ready.
Prefer a slower start to the day? An early-evening wander could suit you better. Photographer Poppy Carter recommends midweek early evening for Notting Hill engagement sessions. Check how much daylight you'll have on your date, then decide whether you'd rather start your day among the painted houses or make them part of your evening plans.
For market life, Friday and Saturday are the fuller market days, with Saturday the busiest, according to the Portobello market visitor information. Other days have a different mix of traders. If there's a particular part of the market you want to browse, check the information for your date. Individual shops and stalls keep their own hours.
Later can also mean packing-up time. During a family shoot at 5pm on a Friday in May, Kirsty found the stalls closing down and moved to the colourful houses nearby. Stalls won't always close at that time, but it's worth keeping a favourite nearby street in mind if the market is winding down.
Photographs that feel like your own trip
For couples, that might be choosing a book, sharing a coffee or walking between two favourite streets. One of the pleasures of a session together is having both of you in the photograph, especially if one person usually ends up behind the camera. A place that's part of your own story can matter as much as a famous backdrop. One couple photographed by Poppy Carter stopped at their local pub, bringing a favourite part of their everyday life into the pictures.
For families, let different people have a say in the outing. An older child who would rather browse the bookshop than pose beside another door might enjoy choosing the next stop. Give everyone a reason to look forward to being there. A short stretch of exploring can be enough to produce pictures that feel like your family, without turning the whole day into a series of instructions to smile.
For solo visitors, the neighbourhood gives you a choice between a portrait with plenty of street around you and a closer picture against a colour you love. You could bring along the book you've just bought, or make time for a coffee between locations. Those little choices make the pictures feel connected to your day. You don't need an anniversary or another big occasion to want to remember yourself in London.
For families, let different people have a say in the outing. An older child who would rather browse the bookshop than pose beside another door might enjoy choosing the next stop. Give everyone a reason to look forward to being there. A short stretch of exploring can be enough to produce pictures that feel like your family, without turning the whole day into a series of instructions to smile.
For solo visitors, the neighbourhood gives you a choice between a portrait with plenty of street around you and a closer picture against a colour you love. You could bring along the book you've just bought, or make time for a coffee between locations. Those little choices make the pictures feel connected to your day. You don't need an anniversary or another big occasion to want to remember yourself in London.
What to wear among the painted houses
Wear something you'd be happy to spend part of the day in. A shirt you love, a dress that moves comfortably or a favourite jacket can all work here. The houses already bring plenty of colour, so your outfit can be as simple as you like. If you love a bright look, let that be part of the fun too.
For photographs together, it helps to be dressed for the same sort of occasion. You can both look relaxed, or both make a little more of it, while keeping your own colours and style. There's no need to buy identical outfits. A glance at a few pictures of your preferred street will usually tell you more about what you fancy wearing than a long list of rules.
Comfort matters on the move. St Luke's Mews has cobbles, and you'll be walking between stops. Shoes you can enjoy walking in make the whole outing easier; if you want another pair for a few portraits, carry them along. A light layer is useful when you're pausing in cooler weather, and a jacket can give you another look without a full outfit change.
For photographs together, it helps to be dressed for the same sort of occasion. You can both look relaxed, or both make a little more of it, while keeping your own colours and style. There's no need to buy identical outfits. A glance at a few pictures of your preferred street will usually tell you more about what you fancy wearing than a long list of rules.
Comfort matters on the move. St Luke's Mews has cobbles, and you'll be walking between stops. Shoes you can enjoy walking in make the whole outing easier; if you want another pair for a few portraits, carry them along. A light layer is useful when you're pausing in cooler weather, and a jacket can give you another look without a full outfit change.
Arriving, grouping your stops and leaving room for rain
Notting Hill Gate is a natural arrival point for Hillgate Place and Farmer Street. Ladbroke Grove is another option when you're more interested in the Portobello area and northern streets. The market's visitor information lists Notting Hill Gate on the Central, District and Circle lines, and Ladbroke Grove on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.
For a shorter outing, pair the southern pastel streets with coffee, or spend your time around Portobello, the bookshop and nearby mews. With longer to explore, you can bring those parts together. Along Kensington Park Road, trees and grand white houses offer a lovely change after all the painted façades. Keep some of the street in your photograph here: the wider setting is part of its appeal.
Choose your first stop before agreeing where to meet. A named shop or street is much clearer than simply “Notting Hill”, especially if you're arriving from different directions. Keep the number of places comfortable for the people with you and the time you actually have. A neighbourhood wander leaves room for the unexpected window display or an extra few minutes with your coffee.
If light rain arrives and you feel comfortable carrying on, an umbrella walk can still be part of the day. In heavier rain, pause somewhere you want to spend time and see how the weather develops. For a booked session, discuss changes with your photographer so the plan fits your agreed time.
Fancy another side of the city afterwards? Our London photo spots guide has more neighbourhood and landmark ideas for the rest of your trip. You can give Notting Hill its own unhurried part of the day and save another London setting for later.
For a shorter outing, pair the southern pastel streets with coffee, or spend your time around Portobello, the bookshop and nearby mews. With longer to explore, you can bring those parts together. Along Kensington Park Road, trees and grand white houses offer a lovely change after all the painted façades. Keep some of the street in your photograph here: the wider setting is part of its appeal.
Choose your first stop before agreeing where to meet. A named shop or street is much clearer than simply “Notting Hill”, especially if you're arriving from different directions. Keep the number of places comfortable for the people with you and the time you actually have. A neighbourhood wander leaves room for the unexpected window display or an extra few minutes with your coffee.
If light rain arrives and you feel comfortable carrying on, an umbrella walk can still be part of the day. In heavier rain, pause somewhere you want to spend time and see how the weather develops. For a booked session, discuss changes with your photographer so the plan fits your agreed time.
Fancy another side of the city afterwards? Our London photo spots guide has more neighbourhood and landmark ideas for the rest of your trip. You can give Notting Hill its own unhurried part of the day and save another London setting for later.
Your Notting Hill photos, with you in them
If you'd love photographs with everyone together, our London photographers can be part of your plans. Tell us when you'll be visiting and which streets or stops caught your eye. We'd love to hear what you have in mind, whether it's a solo wander, time with your family or a little London adventure for the two of you.
Notting Hill photo FAQs
The film's blue-door location is 280 Westbourne Park Road. It's a residential address, separate from both bookshop locations. Enjoy a brief look from outside while keeping access clear, and give anyone already taking a photograph a moment to finish.
A phone is absolutely fine for these spots. Try a wider picture of a street you love, a close-up of a detail that catches your eye, and one with you in it. Those three views will give you something different to look back on, without needing to pack extra camera kit.
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