London Shopping
Shopping in London London has some of the best shopping in Europe. Whatever you are looking for you
should be able to find it here. Here are the main London shopping streets and places that you are
most likely to visit.
Oxford Street is the best known shopping street in London. All major retailers can be found on
Oxford Street, with a wide range of clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, souvenirs, etc..
However, if you do not want to struggle through the crowds of shoppers, you should try to be there
as early as 9am or 10am on a week day. Saturdays and Sundays are bad no matter what time of day it
is.. The nearest tube stations are: Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court
Road.
Another London street that you may want to visit to do your shopping is Regent`s Street, which is a
dividing line between Mayfair and Soho. The main shopping section of the street lies between Oxford
Circus and Piccadilly Circus, where you can find a number of large outlets offering everything from
toys and trench coats to fabrics and food. Perhaps the street's most famous shop is a department
store Liberty, which sells fashions, cosmetics, accessories, gifts etc. in addition to its homewares
and furniture, both instore and online. If you have children, visit the other famous Regent’s Street
resident - the Hamley`s store. This is arguably the world's best toy shop stacked from floor to
ceiling with excellent toys. It is a wonderful place to take a child, and fun for adults as well.
Just off Oxford Street, less crowded, but more expensive are New Bond Street and Old Bond Street,
where you can buy designer clothes, expensive furniture, paintings, or maybe go to an auction. Not
far from these two London streets is Savile Row. Savile Row is a shopping street in Mayfair famous
for its traditional men's bespoke tailoring. It is also known as the "golden mile of tailoring",
where customers have included Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson and Napoleon III. For a "good" suit you
will have to make a reservation up to six months in advance and pay up to 20,000 pounds.
Leaving it all behind, a few minute`s walk is Shaftesbury Avenue from where you can reach Soho and
the world famous Carnaby Street, Covent Garden and Chinatown. Soho is an area of the City of
Westminster and part of the West End of London. Soho had a reputation for being seedy or sleazy, but
this reputation is out of date and neglects many important things that this area has to offer. Since
the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable transformation. It now is predominantly a
fashionable district of upmarket restaurants and media offices, with only a small remnant of sex
industry venues. Soho never sleeps and there is something going on at any time of the day or night.
There is a range of things that you can buy here, ranging from an old fruit and vegetable market,
record and fabric shops in the area around Berwick Sreet and a few sex shops around Old Compton
Street. Covent Garden with its market and many independent shops is a trendy place to stroll, shop
and have a cup of coffee. Covent Garden Market reopened as a retail centre in 2010. The central hall
has shops, cafes and bars alongside the market stalls selling antiques, jewellery, clothing and
gifts; there are additional casual stalls in the Jubilee Hall Market on the south side of the
square. Long Acre has a range of clothes shops and boutiques, and Neal Street is noted for its large
number of shoe shops.
If you are interested in buying an artwork from an unknown artists please go to the Bayswater Road
(nearest tube station Lancaster Gate). Just on the northern side of the Hyde Park you can find
numerous unknown artists selling their paintings here. Although many of these artists are amateurs
you will be pleasantly surprised by the craftsmanship displayed.
The most famous London (luxury) department store and London’s third top attraction is Harrods, which
is located in Brompton Road, right next to Knightsbridge underground station. The shop is a red
terracotta building which was completed in 1905 and its interior decoration includes Art Nouveau and
Art Deco styles. It began, in 1849, as a small grocer`s shop and was further developed by the son of
the founder, Henry Harrods. This was the first store in the world to install an escalator. Harrods
store occupies 20,000m2 site and has over 330 departments, as well as bars, restaurants and even an
own pub. Products on offer include clothing for women, men, children and infants, electronics,
jewellery, sporting gear, bridal trousseau, pets and pet accessories, toys, food and drink, health
and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture, and much more.
Up to 300,000 customers visit the shop on peak days, but many of them come to window shop only,
since most of the items on sale here are very expensive.
Sloane Street is another shopping site close to Knightsbridge tube station. This street is packed
with designer shops and runs all the way to Sloane Square, which is at the top of the Kings Road.
Kings Road has a variety of shops, but its best-known for its antiques shops and clothes boutiques.
The further away from Sloane Square you walk, the greater the number of smaller, independent clothes
and shoe shops there are, as well as contemporary furnishing stores. The nearest underground station
is Sloane Square.
The last of the luxury addresses that you may want to visit in London is Hatton Gardens, EC1,
(nearest tube stations Chancery Lane or Farringdon - tube and Thameslink). It is one of the world's
finest and most renowned jewellery locations, and the centre of London’s diamond trade.
There are also a few shopping centres that may be worth visiting. Here are some of them:
Westfield London – This is the largest London shopping centre, with a retail floor area of 150,
000m² and some 300 stores. It is situated in White City / Shepherd’s Bush in West London. The centre
promises”the ultimate shopping and leisure experience” in a luxury environment. It is a showcase for
five anchor stores: Debenhams, Next, M&S, House of Fraser and Waitrose. The development also
includes a high-end retail area called The Village. Westfield also has some 50 numerous restaurants,
bars and casual dining outlets. The nearest London Underground stations are Wood Lane, White City,
Shepherd's Bush and Shepherd's Bush Market.
Brent Cross - Although much smaller than Westfield, it has some 120 shops, restaurants and cafes.
Shops include John Lewis, Fenwicks and M&S. It is situated further away from central London, just
off the North Circular. The closest underground stations are Brent Cross and Hendon Central.
Lakeside shopping centre - This is another very large shopping centre, with some 250 shops. It is
located in West Thurrock, in the borough of Thurrock, Essex just beyond the eastern boundary of
Greater London. Chafford Hundred train station is a few minutes walk from the Centre via a covered
pedestrian bridge. C2C trains run direct services from London Fenchurch Street every 30 minutes. It
is also connected to the M25 motorway which is London's outermost ring road, as well as to the A13
road which connects central and east London to Basildon and Southend-on-Sea.
The Bluewater Centre - Bluewater is also an out of town shopping centre, located in Greenhithe,
Kent, England and 17.8 miles (28.6 km) south-east of London. The centre features some 320 shops,
restaurants, leisure centres, and cinemas. To get there from London - trains depart from Charing
Cross, Waterloo East, London Bridge or Cannon Street travelling to "Greenhithe for Bluewater", and
run approx every 15 minutes. On arrival at Greenhithe take a 3-minute shuttle service to the centre.
By car - if you are travelling on the M25, follow signs to Dartford Crossing, this is signposted
along the entire length of the M25 in both directions. Lookout for Junction 2 (A2/M2), then follow
the signs to Bluewater. The M25 is numbered clockwise from Dartford Crossing J1 through to A13
(J30).