High Street Shopping in London
Hit any of the following streets and you'll be sure to see some kind of pattern. They all have a mixture of clothes, shoe and accessory shops; electronics stores; multimedia stores; bookstores; many, many mobile phone stores (it appears to be an epidemic); a department store; and then your regulation coffee house or two. That's not too say you shouldn't go to them...but perhaps just stick to one! The best bargains are to be had during the sales; unlike in some European countries, sales are not limited to only certain times of the year - shops can have sales pretty much any time. The best sale periods tend to be after Christmas (the "January sales") and in mid-summer.

Opening hours of high-street stores tend to be 9am/10am to 6pm. You will find that department stores stay open until a little later (7pm), as do certain other stores (very often the case with music 'megastores' or bookshops). Late-night shopping in London happens on a Thursday - stores stay open until around 8 or 9pm.

Kensington High Street Underground: High Street Kensington
Can be pretty crazed at weekends, but during the week it isn't too bad. The Underground stop is right in the middle, so you'll have to go in one direction, and then make your way back.
Best shops: There's a nice, reasonably sized Zara, as well as a good Urban Outfitters for clothes and quirky items. Warehouse, Topshop and Oasis are top picks for clothes, Kurt Geiger has lovely shoes. You can't go wrong with the staple Marks and Spencer even if just for food! Oh, and there's the only Whole Foods store in the UK on Kensington High Street, although I suppose that's a little too pricey to be included on a budget website. Nevermind - you can always pop in and admire.

King's Road Underground: Sloane Square
One of my favourites, mainly because it tends not to be so busy and because the road itself is pretty narrow, you can zip across it pretty quickly if something takes your fancy. Perhaps not such a good selection as some of the other high streets, but there are plenty of one-off coffee stores to rest you tired feet at.
Best shop: Peter Jones department store on Sloane Square.

Oxford Street Underground: Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Road
Any of these Underground stops will take you to the sights and sounds of Oxford Street shopping, probably THE high street in London, judging by the amount and selection of stores. If you want to start at either end of the street, get off at Marble Arch or Tottenham Court Road stations and work your way down the street. Oxford Street is probably the most crowded of all London's high streets, and is pretty busy whenever you go.
Best shops: there's a huge Borders bookstore near Oxford Circus which sells a good selection of foreign magazines and newspapers, if you feel like a taste of home. There's the flagship Top Shop store at Oxford Circus, a must-visit for young fashion followers, that has great clothes at low prices that are bang on trend. Adjoined to it is a Miss Selfridge which is similar. Near Bond Street tube station is the flagship HMV store with a great selection of CDs, DVDs, videos and computer games, and there's the similar Virgin Megastore just by Tottenham Court Road. Selfridges department store is also near Bond Street tube.

Regent Street Underground: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus
Perpendicular to Oxford Street from Oxford Circus, there aren't as many stores here but they're still a few worth visiting.
Best shops: Liberty department store is a definite must, even just for the architecture of the building it's in! There are also Esprit and Mango stores further down the street. The Apple Store, near Oxford Circus, is also a wonderous place.

London Department Stores (back to top)
Harrods 87 Brompton Road, SW1 Underground: Knightsbridge Website: www.harrods.com
A must-see department store, regardless of whether or not you plan to purchase anything. The ornate decoration inside the store is outstanding, and the selection of items, departments and services quite amazing - there's even a pet store! Definitely take a wander through the food hall - it's magnificent.

Liberty Regent Street, W1 Underground: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus Website: www.liberty.co.uk
Quite a hip and trendy store...but at the same time, quite old-fashioned. How strange. Mainly focuses on clothes and accessories.

Harvey Nichols 109 - 125 Knightsbridge, SW1 Underground: Knightsbridge Website: www.harveynichols.com
This department store is at the trendier end of the scale, concentrating on designer fashions and accessories. Quite a few stylish restaurants within the store, and interestingly artistic window displays.

Peter Jones Sloane Square SW1 Underground: Sloane Square Website: www.peterjones.co.uk
Peter Jones (of the John Lewis chain) has always been traditionally British, with its slogan "never knowingly undersold". This store underwent a refit a few years ago, and is now more suitably modern! There is also a John Lewis store in Oxford Street.

Selfridges 400 Oxford Street, W1 Underground: Bond Street Website: www.selfridges.co.uk
A truly huge department store, there's a great selection of almost everything! Fantastic clothes, cosmetics and accessories departments, as well as a sumptuous food hall and home furnishings and technology departments. There are also numerous eating places - from proper restaurants to snack and cafe places - dotted throughout the store.

Shopping Malls in London (back to top)
There aren't many shopping malls or centres in London itself - or, more to the point, there aren't many malls in the UK at all. Recently, however, the Westfield centre opening up in Shepherd's Bush (Underground: Shepherd's Bush, White City or Wood Lane), just outside central London. Westfield is huge and has an interesting mix of high-end (Dior, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton) and high street (Gap, Top Shop, Oasis). As it's recently opened, the centre tends to be pretty busy at most times, although it does stay open until 10pm on every weekday.

Alternatively, you have the Brent Cross Shopping Centre in North London (Underground: Brent Cross or Hendon Central) which is smaller but still has a good selection of shops.

London Markets (back to top)
There are numerous London markets all around the capital (there's a great map detailing them all at www.streetsensation.co.uk/markets.htm), selling a variety of things, from food to clothing to antiques. Markets are also a great, cheap sight in London - it's fascinating walking through any one of them, checking out all the wares. (And even if you do end up buying something, it may not be that expensive.) Please remember, however, that not all markets are open everyday, so be sure to check operating times to avoid disappointment. Here are some that we recommend you take a look at.

Borough Market Borough High Street, South Bank, SE1 Underground: London Bridge Website: www.boroughmarket.org.uk Open: 12pm - 6pm Fri; 9am to 4pm Sat
Probably the best food market in London, and certainly the most comprehensive - cakes and pastries; cheeses; confectionary; juices; meat; fish; fruit and veg; pies and sausages...the list goes on. A good deal of organic produce too.

Brick Lane Market Brick Lane, EC1 Underground: Aldgate East or Shoreditch Open: 8am to 1pm Sundays
Sells just about anything! From colourful little knick-knacks to all manner of things - magazine, chocolates, CDs..

Camden Market Camden High Street, NW1 and the surrounding streets Underground: Camden Town Website: www.camdenlock.net Open: 10am - 6pm Saturdays and Sundays; some parts open every day
Previously the domain of tourists and impressionable teenagers going through a grunge/nu-metal/emo phase (depending on the era, obviously!), Camden market is still very popular. It is, in fact, made up of about six markets - Camden Market, Camden Lock Market, Camden Stables Market and others. Good for alternative fashion and arts and crafts; Camden Market in Buck Street is open every day (although not fully) so you can visit the place any day of the week. It is best, however, to go on the weekends when the markets are fully open and thriving although this does mean that the area tends to get very, very crowded.

Portobello Road Market Portobello Road, W11 Underground: Notting Hill Gate Website (for the Antiques Market):www.portobelloroad.co.uk Open: Antiques 8am to 6pm Sat; Clothes 7am to 4pm Fri, 8am to 5pm Sat; general 8am to 6pm Mon- Wed, 9am to 1pm Thur, 7am to 7pm Fri & Sat
The best days to go are Fridays and Saturdays, although the latter day can get extremely busy - especially in summer! On Fridays you'll find numerous clothes stalls (towards the Westway overpass) selling items for a variety of budgets; you can still, however, be assured of getting some bargains (leather jacket for £20, anyone?) although this may take some hunting - better to get there early. On Saturdays, the road is lined with antiques stalls where you just might be able to find a hidden treasure. On weekdays you'll be able to buy fresh fruit and veg.