London is one of the best shopping cities is the world. And that's not in-a-manner-of-speaking, it's a fact. London is an expensive city as well, but when the stores have sales, prices are slashed down to one-tenth of the original! Major sales are on in the weeks after Christmas (Boxing Day sales), and also during summer. Stores are open from 10 am to 6 pm although Oxford Street and Covent Garden might be open until 7 pm. Most of the stores close early on Sunday, about 4:30 pm.
Street side shopping sojourns
Oxford Street is obviously famous - name an international brand, and you will find it here, and not one but at least five stores of the same brand. Please note that you should keep one entire day if you're looking at some serious shopping. For some great clothes that are affordable and yet trendy, visit H&M offering a wide range of casual as well as formal apparel, for men and women. They fit you like a T! Go to Zara and Next for clothes with lovely fits - great for jackets. Newlook is perfect for funky English street-side fashions. Claire's and Accessorise offer, you guessed right, accessories, everything from bags to earrings to caps, belts, glove...you name it, they have it. Check Miss Sixty for the latest fashions on the globe, and do not miss Primark stocking the latest fashions (couture copied from big brands) but at Indian prices. Really.
Branch out into Carnaby Street here by taking the first left turn as you walk down from the Oxford Circus tube station towards Piccadilly station. Quaint with cobbled streets and Georgian buildings, Carnaby Street packs some of the trendiest boutiques in England. Street fashion and offbeat-everything is the buzzword here. The street itself branches out into other lovely shopping courts such as Marlborough Court. Also peppered around are a number of cafeterias and Italian 'ristorantes'. Walk down Oxford Street and turn left. Bond Street shimmers with some of the biggest names in fashion and luxury - think Gucci, Armani - haute couture and deluxe art galleries.
To the suburbs
Oxford Street is bustling - mostly with tourists - and on weekends it gets downright mobbed. Its length may tire you out and the number of shops leave you feeling confused. Not to worry, London offers numerous alternatives!
London has several suburbs which are preferred by Londoners as they are peaceful and quiet. Head towards Croydon in South of London (trains every 15 minutes from Victoria and London Bridge. Journey time(approximately 20 minutes). A beautiful suburb, its High Street holds all stores you'd want to go to, they're huge, you do not have to queue up outside the trial rooms, and since the area is conveniently small, you can actually check all the stores without having to walk miles. A must visit. George here is perfect for women who'd prefer large sizes (and it offers some of the cheapest prices.)
Flea Markets
Enough of high street shopping? London has an enviably large network of flea markets as well. It's not possible to check out all of them but do drop into Camden Town, a festive space situated in central London(tube station: Camden). You will find books, bags, clothes, CDs, antiques (advisable to check their authenticity), all at slapdash prices. Also check Covent Garden which, apart from all the leading brands, offers knickknacks, junk jewellery and so on being sold on stalls.
Et cetra
At Trafalgar Square, after you are done clicking/feeding the myriad sparrows (a la SRK in DDLJ), do check out Europe's largest bookshop -Waterstones. Spread across four floors and complete with a Costa Coffee outlet, the store is literally the one to get lost in. If you love books, you will never want to leave this place.
Talking about bookshops, do you remember Hugh Grant in Notting Hill? His profession? He ran a travel bookstore and no points for guessing where. Head towards Notting Hill (tube station by same name). It is a beautiful neighbourhood with arty shops and antiques stores elbowing quaint restaurants but what Notting Hill also has is a string of travel bookshops. Their business isn't as dismal as it was made out to be in the film; the shopkeepers are friendly and booklovers themselves. A great place to spend an evening, browsing through the shelves holding promises of faraway places, topped up with a cuppa at a neighbouring teahouse.
