London Shopping

London Shopping information

Best Areas

The biggest concentration of shops in the capital is around the shopper's holy trinity of Regent Street, Bond Street and Oxford Street - a mile and a half consumer dual carriageway that pilgrims visit when they want to indulge in some serious spending. Here you can get literally everything you could desire from the UK's biggest stores. Nip off the main thoroughfare and you'll find smaller more intimate shops tucked away down the maze of side streets. For exceptional tailoring Savile Row and Jermyn Street will have you stitched up in no time - although your wallet will receive a pricking from the world's best traditional bespoke tailors. If books are your bag you can do worse than head for Europe's largest bookstore - the Piccadilly outlet of Waterstones. Charing Cross Road is also a good hunting ground for bookshops. Nearby Covent Garden and its environs has a little bit of everything but is particularly good for knick-knacks and gift shopping. London is a shopper's paradise and wherever you are in the city you'll find numerous shops of interest, with many stores having more than one outlet besides a main one on Oxford Street or its tributaries.

Department Stores

London has some of the world's finest department stores. Visits to expansive Selfridges (Tube: Bond St) and the charming fine foods emporium that is Fortnum & Mason (Tube: Piccadilly) are integral parts of the London experience. Probably the most famous of all London's shops is Harrods (Tube: Knightsbridge), a luxurious consumer wonderland. Try the famous food hall to put together a picnic to remember and tour the floors to see the finest of English and international merchandise. Just round the corner is the other Knightsbridge institution Harvey Nichols: equally exclusive but appealing to a slightly younger, trendier clientele.

Markets

Markets are a London art form where the shopping is an experience in itself. Portobello Road (Saturdays. Tube: Notting Hill Gate) straddles the fence between antique and secondhand, while Spitalfields (Sundays. Tube: Liverpool St) has a vast enclosed emporium of miscellanea ranging from arts and crafts to secondhand clothes - try a head massage or some Mongolian cuisine when it all gets too much. Nearby Petticoat Lane (Sundays. Tube: Liverpool St) sells clothes, luggage and other functional items at rock-bottom prices. This is one of London's oldest and most traditional markets having been established over 400 years ago. Camden Market (Saturday and Sunday. Tube: Camden) offers London's cheapest clothing and most varied collection of people - claustrophobics beware: it gets seriously crowded in the afternoons. Covent Garden's antique market is a far cry from the traditional perception of a market, traders and customers alike look suspiciously well-to-do and prices are artificially high. There are no bargains here but the range of collectables is extensive and the quality always excellent. If you're a serious collector of cigarette cards, hip flasks or any other frippery of English life, or simply looking for a more exclusive souvenir - this is the place to head. Borough Food Market (Tube: London Bridge) is a feast for the senses with a wide range of specialist food and wine stalls. There is a massive fresh produce section alongside unique, home-made farm style goods and exotic or difficult to find global delicacies. The market is housed in a recently refurbished Victorian building close to Southwark Cathedral.

What to Buy

London is world famous for fashion and many visitors will want to check out the myriad fashion emporiums in the city. Blue-chip houses Burberry, Aquascutum, and Alfred Dunhill capture classic English styling. For more contemporary fashion look out for local heroes Alexander McQueen and Clements Ribeiro. To complete the look, step into Jimmy Choo and Johnny Moke for shoes and accessorise with Lulu Guinness, Bill Amberg and Georgina von Etzdorf. Secondhand and outrageous fashions can be found around Soho, while the famous Carnaby Street does a good line in retro fashion, with some of the clothes in the boutiques not seeming to have changed much since the street's 60s heyday. Unfortunately prices most definitely have moved with the times, and are distinctly bang up to date. Having given birth to the prodigious writing talents of Dickens, Johnson and Shakespeare, to name just a few, it isn't surprising that literature is among one of the most enduring souvenirs of a visit to London. Books are relatively cheap in England although you can expect to pay a lot for well bound hardback editions. Look out for the antiquarian and modern bookstores on and around Charing Cross Road. Antiques are widely available, but aren't too cheap in the city centre. Covent Garden is a good area to start any hunt for English relics and specialist stores can be found throughout the city. Jewellery ranges from antiquarian to cutting edge contemporary designs; look out for the best pieces in the affluent avenues of Kensington, Chelsea and similar areas. The best that the nation has to offer is also available on London's shopping streets, so look out for Edinburgh crystal, Stoke pottery and Sheffield cutlery among other items. Also keep an eye out for more international wares - particularly outside the city centre. It might seem strange to come back from London with a Persian rug but this is the most cosmopolitan city in the world and anything is possible. Finally, you can't fail to notice that the city is plagued with vendors and shops selling plastic policeman's helmets, masks of the Queen, and absolutely everything you can think of emblazoned with a Union Jack - buy something if you must.

Opening Hours

Shops generally open Mon - Sat from 09h00-17h30/18h00; Sun 10h00-17h00. Many shops have late hours on Thursdays. Some shops close on Sundays.

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.