Know Your Shopping Personality

"Where is the best place to shop in London?" is an age-old question, akin to "How long is a piece of string?" There are thousands of shops in the city, and dozens of neighborhoods worth shopping in. Start by identifying your shopping personality to narrow your choices for a successful outing.

Whirlwind. If you're after a one-stop shopping experience, head to one of London's biggest department stores. Selfridges and Liberty are near the Bond Street and Oxford Circus Tube stations, while Harvey Nichols and Harrods share Knightsbridge Tube.

Fashionista. When only the top designers will do, start at Harvey Nichols, in Knightsbridge, then take in the designer boutiques along Sloane Street before hopping on the Tube for Green Park. From there, peruse New and Old Bond streets, and finish at Fenwick. If you still have time and energy, aim for South Molton Street or St. Christopher's Place, opposite Bond Street Tube, for more independent boutiques.

Eclectic. If you don't want to be pinned down and prefer beautiful workmanship and originality, start at Liberty on Regent Street, then head to either the Holland Park/Notting Hill or Marylebone neighborhoods. Both provide enough idiosyncratic lifestyle shops for hours of browsing.

Funky and Avant-Garde. For cutting-edge fashion and housewares, head east to the city's coolest neighborhoods, chiefly Hoxton and Shoreditch. Start at Columbia Road, and then have a wander around Spitalfields and Brick Lane, which boast excellent markets. Then work your way north to Hoxton and Shoreditch, which are chock-full of less mainstream stores.

Easygoing. If you want to pop in and out of a variety of shops, as well as avoid the crowds around Oxford Street, head to the King's Road in Chelsea. You'll find department store Peter Jones, Marks & Spencer, and plenty of High-street chains, as well as trendy boutiques. Another safe bet is High Street Kensington for the big chains like Topshop, Oasis, and Zara.