Shopping in London
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is one and a half miles end to end. Most shops open 10am until 6 or 7pm. Some open Sunday 12 to 6pm with late nights on Thursday. Oxford Street is best known for Selfridges and the other big department stores which are all found in the section from Marble Arch to Oxford Circus, along with most of the big-name multinationals. It's more of the same as you continue towards Tottenham Court Road, but generally on a smaller scale. Oxford Street is said to be the busiest shopping street in Europe.
Regent Street
Regent Street forms a neat dividing line between swanky Mayfair to the West and trendy Soho to the East. The main shopping section of the street lies between Oxford Circus to the north, and Piccadilly Circus to the south - a distance of about 3/4 of a mile. Our panoramas will help you see what's on offer, especially as the shops here can all appear rather uniform due to the regulations that they must blend in with the elegant architecture of the street. Regent Street has similar shop opening hours to Oxford Street.
Covent Garden and Seven Dials
In general, for best selection of shoe shops and independent fashion outlets, head towards the area called 'Seven Dials' (top map) by going to the left when you leave Covent Garden station (cross over the road and then go around the side of Marks and Spencer into Neal Street). Turning right when you leave the station (bottom map) leads to the Piazza and the Market Hall where you can find the widest choice of cafes and restaurants plus the street entertainment for which Covent Garden is well known.
Bond Street
Bond Street in Mayfair is home to the most elegant and expensive shops in London. Designer clothing such as Gucci and Armani; perfume; art and antiques; and more Royal Warrant holders (suppliers to the royal family) than anywhere else in London. New Bond Street is a few minutes walk from Bond Street Station, connected by pedestrian-only South Molton Street, and Old Bond Street is the short section at the Southern end which joins Piccadilly.
Piccadilly and Jermyn Street
Piccadilly is the wide and busy main road that leads to Picccadilly Circus. It is home to the The Ritz Hotel and the Fortnum and Mason department store which has stood at the same site for almost three hundred years. The Royal Academy art institute is on the northside of Piccadilly at Burlington House. Parallel to Piccadilly to the south, is quieter Jermyn Street with its long-established menswear shops, especially shirtmakers.
Soho and Chinatown
With all the bars and restaurants, Soho attracts a capacity crowd after work and especially on Friday and Saturday nights. During the day Soho is more about coffee bars and cafes rather than the sex shops for which the area was once known. Old Compton Street is Soho's 'High Street' and also London's most prominent gay area. The area near Leicester Square is London's Chinatown
Carnaby Street
Carnaby is the cheerful pedestrianised area in north Soho just behind Regent Street. The area has seen a lot of changes in the last few years, especially at the southern end of Carnaby Street, where in addition to a number of new stores, there is now a passage through to Kingly Court with three floors of one-off 'concept' shops and studios where it is possible to find items not sold anywhere else in London.
Marylebone High Street and St. Christopher's Place
Marylebone is the area to the North of Oxford Street. It is a ten minute walk to the High Street from Bond Street station via pedestrian-only St Christopher's Place (use the hidden alleyway to the left of the H&M store). Nearby Chiltern Street is a quieter street notable for the high number of specialist women's outfitters. Marylebone High Street often wins praise for its character and the ideal mix of shops and restaurants.