If you’re looking for a cosmopolitan urban village with easy access to the City then look no further than Notting Hill.

Once a hotspot for eccentric creatives, Notting Hill’s artistic reputation has survived despite the neighbourhood becoming more bourgeois than bohemian.

Celebrity residents populate colourful Victorian terraced houses that radiate from large green squares and busy shopping streets, including Portobello Road: Famous for its vibrant market and jumbled antique shops.

Every August bank holiday, the Notting Hill Carnival tears through the neighbourhood in a flash of street food, Caribbean culture, and glitter. Locals either embrace carnival, or escape it.

Aside from being a culinary and cultural paradise, Notting Hill is a brilliant practical choice.

Its schools are some of the best in London, and it’s conveniently located on the central and circle lines, so you can reach the west end or financial district in minutes.