Edinburgh Shopping

Edinburgh Shopping information

Where to Shop

Mile-long Princes Street is Edinburgh's main shopping drag. It has all the major UK chain stores plus a few independent shops, such as Jenners, a large, old-fashioned department store. At the east end of Princes Street, the underground Princes Mall contains dozens of specialist shops and fashion boutiques. Across the road at the top of Leith Walk you can find the St Andrews Centre where mainstream stores have made their homes. While here you might as well take a short stroll down to Valvona and Crolla - the best delicatessen in the city and rated one of the top food stores in the entire UK. North Bridge that climbs up to the Royal Mile is a mainstream mix of jewellers' and national chains. A short mall just before you reach High Street contains smaller shops and provides access to Cockburn Street. Here an eclectic mix of independent shops sells everything from secondhand vinyl records and CDs to freaky club fashions, tattoos and body piercings. The Royal Mile itself is a mix of tacky shops and specialist stores selling tweeds, tartans, bagpipes and whisky. This is where most tourists will do their souvenir shopping. However, the more independently minded shopper should head off the Royal Mile just before Castle Hill and make for Victoria Street, which winds down to the Grassmarket. This is a haven for fine stores selling antiques, arts and crafts - not always too cheaply it has to be said. Serious antique hunters should head for St Stephen St in Stockbridge. Outside of the main tourist area you'll find Edinburgh has a lot to offer the shopper as well. It is one of the few cities in the UK where people still live in the city proper and thus smaller tradesmen have survived in areas such as Tollcross to the west of the main city centre. Tourists generally only visit these areas if staying in them or seeking out some of the more off-beam festival venues, but you'll find restaurants, delicatessens and vintners as well as furniture makers and antique shops in these sub-centres.

What to Buy

A tartan something or other is an essential purchase, and you won't be spoiled for choice. There are supposedly more than 2,000 tartan designs. Although new designs of tartan have been added in modern times, traditional Scottish designs and colours all belong to a certain clan, and the wearing of them is a matter of pride. Many shops keep records to tell you if your family belongs to a clan and, if you want the relevant tartan, usually you can have the material available within a few days. Alternatively it may just be that a particular tartan takes your fancy. Having a kilt made up costs about GBP400-500, a tartan skirt considerably less. If you're buying a kilt, don't forget the sporran (purse) - you will look naked without it. Huge woollen jumpers and sturdy tweeds are often sold side by side with tartan in the shops along the Royal Mile, and if you're in Edinburgh during winter you'll soon realise why. The Edinburgh Woollen Mill is now a nationwide store and carries fine clothing. The independent shops of the Royal Mile are just as good however, although you might pay more for the privilege of shopping there. Alternatively check out Jenners for traditional Scottish fashion. Edinburgh is also the home of the highly acclaimed Edinburgh Crystal. You can visit the factory (Tel: +44 (0)196-867-2244) at Penicuik on the outskirts of the city and buy direct from there. The Glasshouse visitor's attraction at the factory, where you can see the craftsmen creating fine pieces, is open Mon-Sat, 10h00-17h00 and Sun 11h00-17h00. If more pushed for time, excellent crystal ornaments and items from the factory are widely available throughout the city. A bottle or two of whisky, it goes without saying, is a must, and you'll find as good a selection of Scottish malts in Edinburgh as you will anywhere. Visit the Scottish Whisky Heritage Centre to get the requisite knowledge first. The most local distillery to the city is Glenkinchie.

Opening Hours

Edinburgh shops keep pretty individual hours. Most shops along Princes Street are generally open 09h00- 18h00/19h00. Jenners closes at 18h00 Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat, 20h00 Thu and 17h00 Sun. Many stores keep slightly later hours on a Thursday night. Up in the old town some shops such as James Thin Booksellers stay open as late as 22h00 and yet other stores don't close at all - despite its small size Edinburgh is a real 24-hour city.

Tax Refund

Value-Added Tax of 20% is added to the price of most goods and services purchased in the UK. When leaving the country, tourists from outside the EU can apply for a tax refund against VAT paid on goods to be exported. The minimum purchase to qualify for a refund is GBP30. To reclaim tax you need to request a VAT refund request form, when you make a purchase, which states the amount of tax you have paid and the refund due. Customs officials must stamp these documents as you leave the country and the refund will be processed and sent to you. Alternatively, you can purchase goods from shops participating in the Tax-free Shopping programme (look out for the Tax-free Shopping logo displayed in the window). Simply show your passport when you make a purchase and you will be given a Tax-free Shopping Cheque showing the refund you are owed. As you leave the country, customs officials will stamp your cheques. You can claim your refund from the Tax-free Shopping desk or have the refund sent to you.