Do not expect London to be the shopping paradise that the brochures and magazines would have you believe. Most things are more expensive in Britain, especially brand names, which are held artificially high by a cartel. Various hypermarkets are trying to break this cartel, and the legal battle is only just commencing. The only things cheaper in Britain than elsewhere are books (but not academic), theatre and concert tickets and ethnic art (African masks sculptures, Persian rugs and kelims). However the 'Shopping Experience' in London ranks quite highly. There are certain things that the British excel in (for example top Savile Row suits, Jermyn St shirts benchmade shoes) and it is worth paying for the quality and durability.
The Shortlist
2) Portobello Road Market
3 ) Harrods' Food Hall & Knightsbridge
4) Jermyn Street Savile Row
5) Soho
Other Markets
Harrods The food halls are the reason to visit Harrods, which otherwise is just like any other department store (only more so) - they've retained their Victorian splendour, tiled with marble and with an astounding variety of foods knowingly displayed. Otherwise the decor is a bit naff. The 'eat all you can' cream teas are annually exploited by rowers after the Oxford v Cambridge boat race when as many as 20 huge cream cakes can make amends for months of watching your weight. The sale is the only time the prices descend to earth.
Its great rival 'Harvey Nicks' a short distance down Knightsbridge is a better place to shop, its food hall is ultra modern and the cocktail bar next to it is meant to be one of the best places to pick up millionaires. Great rooftop restaurant. Around Knightsbridge it's assumed that money is no object so the price tags are high, but window shopping is free.
Bus: Knightsbridge
Jermyn Street & Savile Row The area comprising Jermyn St, Piccadilly, Burlington Arcade Savile Row is where the English Gentleman and Lady shop for their clothes, shoes and accessories.
Jermyn Street shirts have a reputation the world over,
Tube: Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly) Green Park (Jubilee, Victoria) Bus: Piccadilly Circus
THE REST
South Molton Street - actually a whole area just south of Bond Street tube that combines antiques and fashion, and with the recent opening up of Lancashire Court adds in a very pleasant place to eat. South Molton street is lined with fashion shops featuring the best British designers - often as good as Versace, but at a fraction of the cost. As you go further south the mood becomes more international and less idiosyncratic.
Chelsea The King's Road is a long, long street that starts off at Sloane Square and runs into tubeless territory before resurfacing at Fulham. Either start at Sloane Square and go west, or Fulham Broadway and work your way east. The west end of the street - from 'World's End' to Fulham Broadway is full of top-end antiques and designer furniture, from World's End to Sloane square is more fashion. But the days of the King's road as fashion epicentre are long gone.
The parallel Fulham Road, which starts off at South Kensington tube, is more lifestyle: high-end furniture and fabrics interspersed between the restaurants. Fulham Road almost meets the King's road at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea football club, and you can make a circuit from Sloane Square tube to South Kensington tube, via Fulham Broadway tube. Plenty of buses run down both roads.
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