Shopping in London
Bond Street
Old Bond Street and New Bond Street make up the area commonly referred to as Bond Street. Perhaps the most chic shopping street in the world, Bond Street is packed with the very finest and smartest shops. It is said to have more royal ‘By Appointment’ awards than any other thoroughfare. Fashion and jewelry shops loom large, but there are others such as Benson & Hedges the tobacconists, Charbonnel & Walker the fine confectioners and Louis Vuitton the luggage specialists. It is also the headquarters of Sotheby’s the world famous auction house, and many commercial Art Galleries. Couturiers include Calvin Klein, Emporio Armani, Gianni Versace, Hermes, Miu Miu, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Versace. Among the Jewelers are: Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Chopard, Asprey’s (The Queen’s Jewelers), and Rolex. Bond Street is known for its shops which are exclusive and expensive; they include Nicole Fahri, Channel and Gianni Versace. You will also find a number of auction houses including Sotheby's and Phillips.
Nearest Tube: Bond Street / Green Park
Brick Lane Market
Brick Lane Market sells a number of different things from leather jackets to jellied ells. There are a number of fruit and veg stalls but you can also find household goods. Second-hand goods, including collectibles and books are available in an indoor market off Cheshire Street.
Nearest Tube: Aldgate East / Shoreditch
Brompton Road
At the heart of Chelsea lays Brompton Cross, where the emphasis is on chic boutiques and restaurants for ‘ladies who lunch’ and the ‘in’ set. It is a very charming area, and with a number of good brasseries to ease the burdened shopper. One shop, Voyage, is SO fashionable, that you are only allowed in if you are a known celebrity or listed in the pages of Who’s Who! Other shops include Jigsaw, Joseph, Issy Miyake and The Conran Shop.
Nearest Tube: South Kensington
Burlington Arcade
The Burlington Arcade is an exclusive shopping Arcade with regency buildings and executive shops. Built in 1819 by Lord George Cavaendish window shopping is recommended as the prices are high.
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Camden Market
Camden Market has become one of London's top attractions and is spread over almost all of Camden Town centre. You can find hippie cloths, craft stalls, 70's nostalgia and vegetarian food.
Nearest Tube: Camden Town / Chalk Farm
Carnaby Street
This Street was enormously popular in the sixties for fashion, but still has some shops worth investigating. Mostly rock shops with t-shirts and accessories, but Shelley's shoes is one of the best shops in London for shoes.
Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus
Charing Cross Road
For all those who love second hand or antiquarian books, the charming collection of old bookshops on and near Charing Cross Road is a must. Many can be found in Cecil Court near Leicester Square Station and have only survived as they are charged a miniscule (peppercorn) rent. They are certainly a welcome addition to the West End – and to find true bargains, spend a while scouting around their musty cellars! There are a number of new bookshops nearby too - Foyle’s is the biggest, with a stock of over 7 million titles.
Nearest Tube: Leicester Square
Covent Garden
You could spend a whole day at Covent Garden as it has everything you could want from fashion boutiques and high street shops to street entertainment and a to world famous Opera venue. You can also find a number of different places to get food, from a cafe where you can enjoy live classical music, to top of the range restaurants where you can get a five course meal.
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden
Kensington High Street
A very popular thoroughfare and ‘shopping heaven’ with many restaurants and ‘high street’ stores. There is a large department store, Barkers, which is particularly useful and also Kensington Palace, home of the late Diana, Princess of Wales (and still home to several other members of the royal family). Just off the High Street is Kensington Church Street which houses an impressive array of antiques shops. Turn right out of the underground station to get to Kensington Gardens and the Palace.
Nearest Tube: High Street Kensington
Kings Road
King’s road is the most leisurely shopping street in London with hundreds of fashionable boutiques and a huge number of restaurants and bars. In the 1960s, King’s Road was the epicentre of new wave fashion. Although not quite so painfully trendy now, it is still a magnet for clothes shoppers and no fashion victim would ignore the area for more than a couple of weeks. Rarely will you fail to spot a celebrity or utter eccentric, it could be a man on a penny-farthing bicycle scooting up and down, or possibly Cher strolling along.
Nearest Tube: Sloane Square
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is not only home to Harrods and Harvey Nichols but also home to other well known high street shops and boutiques. There are also a large number of top quality restaurants and bars here.
Nearest Tube: Knightsbridge
Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is for shirts what Savile Row is for suits and jackets. An array of shirt makers is based here including Turnbull and Asser, Thomas Pink, Coles of Jermyn Street and T.M. Lewin. It also boasts Paxton & Whitfield, the delightful cheesemonger which has been around for over 200 years and has all manner of cheeses piled to the ceiling, the famous perfumiers Floris, and the bathroom shop Czech & Speke.
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus or Green Park
Oxford Street
This is incredibly busy, especially on Saturdays, and boasts mostly high street fashion shops, sports shops and well-known brands. Oxford Street also has huge branches of HMV and Virgin Records, supplying virtually any type of music. Selfridges (at the Marble Arch end) is one of the finest and largest department stores in London, it was opened in 1909 and now attracts over 17 million customers a year. A welcome haven is Porters Bar, just off the main thoroughfare on Poland Street.
Nearest Tube: Oxford Street, Marble Arch, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road
Petticoat Lane Market
Petticoat Lane Market is a great place for bargain clothes and shoes, and has an atmosphere to boot.
Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street
Piccadilly
The name Piccadilly derives from a game played in the 17th century or from the ruffs that courtiers wore and were manufactured near here. Now it is home to most famous and select food shop in the world, Fortnum & Mason, originally founded by a grocer to King George III. Almost opposite is the Royal Academy, which has been going for just as long, where some of the best Art Exhibitions in London are staged. Running off either side of the main street are two of London’s most picturesque shopping arcades – Burlington to the North and Piccadilly to the South. These contain some of the most unusual specialist shops in the West End, offering goods that range from fountain pens to bespoke shoes, via hair brushes and cashmere sweaters. Burlington Arcade is also home to the world’s oldest police force, the Burlington Beadles. They patrol in top hats ensuring the atmosphere of this exclusive thoroughfare isn’t lowered by ‘whistling or lewd language’!
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus / Green Park