London

Amsterdam London Shop

Probably the finest purveyor of curious things in London. They also sell weed and hash-smoking paraphernalia.

Daily 9AM–7PM

Any Amount of Books

Rare and second-hand books. Specialist in scholarly academic works and art-related titles.

Aspreys

One of the most famous luxury jewellers anywhere in the world. At least have a look in the window

Ben Sherman

The flagship retail outlet of this iconic British fashion brand. Men's and women's clothing, accessories and shoes.

Ben's Cookies

Very nice cookies - try their white chocolate with macadamia cookies. Price is about £1 per cookie, and the cookies here are almost twice as big as those at Millie's. They also have branches at 12 Kensington Arcade, Kensington High St; at 39 Leadenhall Market; and at 9 Pelham St, South Kensington.

Mon-Fri 7:30AM-7PM, Sat 9:30AM-6:30PM, Sun 10:30AM-6:30PM, bank holidays 10AM-6PM

Bermondsey Antiques Market

New Caledonian Market

A very famous long-standing market which attracts dealers from all over southern England every Friday morning. Antiques and collectibles from almost every imaginable genre. Used to be infamous for fencing stolen goods but that is no longer the case.

Fri 5AM-2PM

Berwick Street Market

An absolute gem and a relic of Soho's past. This is an old fashioned London fruit and vegetable market complete with shouting Barrow Boys and a whole array of colourful characters. There has been a market at this site since the early 1800s. Best early in the mornings. The street food vendors make this a good lunch option.

Mon-Sat 8AM-late afternoon

Borough Market

One of London's favourite wholesale working food markets, on Fridays and Saturdays offering a general retail market with specialties sold directly from the producers, organic products, delicatessen, cheese, wines, fish and imported continental fare. Around the market are other excellent food shops, for a total food experience! Pick up some food and enjoy it under Southwark Cathedral. For market shopping, go in the morning, or after 2PM, since it gets very crowded at lunchtime.

Wed Thu 10AM-5PM, Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat 8AM-5PM

Budd Shirts

Budd, established in 1910, is the only Jermyn Street shirtmaker to still have a bespoke cutting room on site, where shirts are still made.

Mon - Fri 10AM-7PM; Sat 10AM-6PM; Sun 11AM-4PM

Burberry

Visit the flagship store on Bond St to examine the famous check.

Burlington Arcade

Regency-era shopping arcade home to luxury fashion and jewellery boutiques.

Mon-Sat 9:30AM-7PM, Sun 11AM-6PM

Cad & the Dandy

Men's Suits Tailors & Shirtmakers

Remarkable bespoke and made-to-measure suit tailors for men. Fine English fabrics. Also offer men's wedding suit tailoring. Design your suit using their online designing tool.

£450

Camden Lock Village

The three-storey market that stood here burned down in 2008. It has reopened since, but the area just contains a number of small stalls. The owners are trying to get planning permission for re-development.

Cardinal Place

High street shops like Marks & Spencer and a selection of chain restaurants.

Clonezone

The world's largest gay retail company. Merchandise includes underwear and adult toys.

Mon Tue 11AM–8PM, Wed–Fri 11AM–9PM, Sat noon–10PM, Sun noon–6PM

Collinge & Clark

Specialises in graphic design and typography. It was also used as an exterior location for the Channel 4 sitcom Black Books.

Cordings Ltd

Outfitter for the upmarket country set, including colourful corduroy trousers for men.

Deptford Market

The old working-class area of Deptford still has a lively street market, which is real and neither trendy or touristy! Likewise, East Street Market in Walworth, which has a real mix of African-Caribbean food stalls and antiques and oddities dealers. The birthplace of Charlie Chaplin is here, with several landmarks named after him.

Wed/Fri-Sat 7AM-4PM

Exmouth Market

Area with lifestyle, fashion, health, book and interior shops. Trendy independent shops on a pedestrianised street.

Mon–Sat 9AM–6PM

Forbidden Planet

Massive "geek supplies" store for London and the South-East. Merchandise (T-shirts, toys, figurines, etc.) on the ground floor, comics and manga (all genres) and SF, fantasy and horror books in the basement. Lots of U.S. publications that are rarely available in other London bookstores.

Mon-Sat 10AM-7PM, Sun noon-6PM

Fortnum and Mason

World famous as grocers to the British Royal Family, Fortnum's original store has been here in Piccadilly since 1707.

Foyles

London's best known bookshop is a mazy warren containing a seemingly impossible number of books! It is not always easy to find your way around and although greatly improved since the renovation in 1999, the service is notably surly. Nonetheless, this place is a must for all book lovers.

Daily 9:30AM-9PM

Gabriel's Wharf

An eclectic mix of shops and restaurants, the design shops at Gabriel's Wharf are exclusively run by small businesses who design and manufacture their own products, the majority of work available will have been made by the person selling it to you. If you can't find exactly what you are looking for it is possible to commission many of the designers directly. Shops to look out for include Bicha, Game of Graces and Anne Kyyro Quinn.

Gay's the Word

The leading gay-related bookshop in Britain. It has been around since 1979, during which time it has been closely linked with LGBT rights and other activism, including the 'Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners' campaign in the 1980s. Visitors will find fiction books and a large academic stock.

Mon-Sat 10AM-6:30PM, Sun 2-6PM

Grays Antique Markets

A remarkably diverse collection of antique and collectibles dealers all under one roof adjoining Bond St station. Certainly the best option in central London for visitors interested in collectibles in particular.

Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat 11AM-5PM

Hamley's

Largest toy store in England, and the World, with over seven floors. One could spend hours here.

Hatton Garden

This street is the centre of London's jewellery trade and especially famous for diamonds. A lot of dealers and designers to choose from, both contemporary and traditional.

Hay's Galleria

A beautiful converted wharf on the Jubilee Walk which, since 1987, has been home to cafés, shops and traditional barrows. Originally a warehouse and associated wharf (Hay's Wharf) for the port of London, it was redeveloped as a visitor attraction in the 1950s and has lots of boutique shops.

Inverness Street Market

This is a small market selling a range of common goods such as fruit and vegetables, cheap clothes and other bits and bobs. The Inverness Street Market is the smallest market in Camden, but it's the original local market in Camden predating the others by decades.

John Lewis

Good for fabrics, knitting supplies, haberdashery, other crafts, furniture, and homewares in general.