Known throughout the world as one of the best shopping cities in Europe, London is a fantastic destination for a shopping holiday. From thrift shops to luxurious department stores, London really has it all when it comes to shopping. In this article, we’ll highlight some of our favorite shopping spots in London.
We’ve categorized them accordingly so you can easily find the type of store you’re looking for. Happy shopping!
1. London’s Famous Shopping Streets
There are many department stores in Oxford Street, and some of them are even flagship stores for whole chains. You would need more than a day to get through all of Oxford Street, so we suggest you pick a couple of shops you definitely want to pay a visit to before going shopping and becoming overwhelmed with the choices. As such, some of our favorites include:
- The flagship store of the British brand Topshop. The store is located on the corner of Oxford Street & Regent Street, and is supposedly the largest fashion store in the world.
- The headquarters of Selfridge & Co. Department Stores on the corner of Oxford Street & Duke Street. Selfridges was named the world’s best department store in 2012.
- The Primark Store on Oxford Street & Park Street. The Irish clothing retailer offers fashion for very decent prices.
- The flagship store of Marks & Spencer, which is located at the western point of Oxford Street at the Marble Arch. The British retailer holds everything from clothing to luxury food products.
Besides Oxford Street, some other shopping streets in London that are definitely worth a visit include Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Kings Road, Knightsbridge and Jermyn Street. Oxford Street and London’s West End are a great place to start when you want to go shopping in London. To get an impression of Oxford Street and the West End, check out our video tour of the West End.
2. Famous Markets in London
There are several other great markets in London you can also choose to visit:
- The Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill is another gem for tourists. The antiques market transforms the quiet Portobello Road with its colorful houses into a lively marketplace every Saturday.
- Borough Market is a great farmers market that offers lots of fresh produce. You can find the market under the arches of London Bridge Station from Thursday to Saturday.
- The Covent Garden Market in Covent Garden is a great option on a rainy day, as it’s completely covered. The indoor food market is also very easy to reach, as it is located right in the city center of London.
3. London’s Great Shopping Malls
Other great shopping centers in London include Westfield London, which is also noted for its size and is located just west of Notting Hill; the great Brent Cross shopping center on the northwestern outskirts of London; and the Whiteleys shopping center just north of Kensington Gardens, which offers stores such as H&M, Toys R Us, Victory Vintage, HMV and an Odeon movie theater.
4. The Department Stores of London
The Food Hall of Harrods is legendary, and if you don’t want to spend too much money have a look at the different teas offered here, which make a great affordable gift. If you’re in London in December, be sure to pay a visit to Harrods to see the amazing Christmas decorations and the Christmas shopping department.
Besides the department stores we’ve already mentioned, Liberty, Debenhams, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason are also very much worth a visit!
And if you can’t get enough of all the amazing department stores, quirky little shops and massive shopping streets in London, why not stay a little while longer? We have many vacation rental apartments available in different areas of London, so you can feel what it’s like to stay and shop in the city like a true Londoner!
5. London’s Pop-Up Shops & Markets
The last shopping phenomenon we want to address is London’s pop-up shops. This so-called pop-up retail denotes the trend of opening up shops for only a short-term sale period. The term “pop-up” has become quite a trend in London, and has also expanded to pop-up bars, galleries and restaurants.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article about the many shopping destinations in London. Of course there are a lot of other shopping gems we didn’t get to discuss here. What’s your favorite shopping spot in London?
Good post! Always love to shop in London, never visited some of these places but I certainly will! I love to shop vintage things, got the answer from this post, will put Camden market on our next visit. Thanks!
Regards.
Very nice post love to shop online.
want to shop this place .. love it .