197 Best Places to Shop in India

A one-of-a-kind tailoring store for Mumbai, The Bombay Shirt Company creates immaculate custom-made shirts for men and women from a selection of fabrics and styles that are showcased in the shop. You can also have them all made from scratch.

Some of the country's most skilled goldsmiths and jewelry designers hail from Kolkata. And in Bowbazar, east of Chitpur Road, is where you will find them. The cheek-by-jowl shops that line the busy street sell good-quality traditional gold and silver jewelry, but there are also more trendy and chic designs in platinum, with diamonds and other precious and semiprecious stones. Prices are reasonable, because labor charges are less here than in other Indian cities. Each shop has an astrologer on hand to help you find the most auspicious stone based on your sign and birth date.

This store has a vast selection of tribal and Mughal-print carpets and handwoven dhurries.

For curios in a hurry and at fixed prices, head to Central Cottage Industries. It may seem a tad musty and salespeople may seem disinterested, but you may just find a good bargain.

The Mumbai branch of this government-owned chain is a decent place to buy souvenirs—though you won't be doing any bargaining, as all prices are fixed (and likely more than you'll pay elsewhere). It's therefore a good way to establish an upper bound for prices before you do any haggling in other places. It's packed with textiles, carvings, and myriad other traditional Indian handicrafts from all over the country, and there's a small but imaginative assortment of Indian costumes for kids, and traditional Indian toys. Mirror-work elephants, Indian dolls, wood and cane doll furniture, tiny brass tea sets, stuffed leather animals, and puppets can all be found on the second floor, as can kurtas and long skirt ensembles in cotton and silk.

This is an elegant gallery in the Fort district, full of works by modern masters like Atul Dodiya and rolling exhibitions. Chemould's history is twined with that of Mumbai's art history, giving a massive boost to Husain, Raza, and other Progressive artists of post-Independence India.

This narrow thoroughfare is lined with dozens of stores crammed with antiques and general bric-a-brac: clocks, old phonographs, brassware, glassware, and statues—some of it quite cheap. Over the years the value and breadth of much of this stock has dwindled, but there's still a chance that you'll find an unusual, memorable piece. In the same lane a number of shops are engaged in the profitable business of constructing new furniture that looks old; many will openly tell you as much. Some shops do stock genuine antique furniture from old homes. Keep an eye on your purse or wallet and come relaxed—it can be chaotic.

This is a tiny, classy boutique with exquisite silk blouses and shirts, scarves, ties, dupattas (long, thin scarves for draping), and silk-edge purses and wallets.

Come here for art and design books, and perhaps one of the occasional cultural events (check the website or drop in for a schedule).

Open every day but Sunday from about 11 am to 8:30 pm, this is the former commercial district of the British Raj. Pillared arcades and a wheel-shaped layout make it a pleasant place to stroll, especially the inner circle, though you have to get used to the intermittent entreaties of hawkers and beggars. Shops run the gamut from scruffy to upscale. Beneath the green park at the center of Connaught Place is Palika Bazaar, a cheap underground market with all the charm of a Times Square subway station---avoid it; it's a favorite haunt of pickpockets and many shopkeepers are dishonest.

This purveyor of stylish (and ethically produced) jewelry, accessories, furniture, and home décor focuses on empowering local craftspeople from around the country and supporting their art. A bonus is its location---right by the iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and Gateway of India, and rimmed by the lapping waves of the Arabian sea.

This subterranean treasure trove is a musty jumble of old prints, photos, maps, curios, and junk.

Managed and staffed by women, Cottons carries attractive wardrobe staples for men and women, as well as small bags, quilts, and other decorative household items.

Local hotels often get their antiques here. The store is crammed with stone and wood carvings, pillars, and doors as well as such portable items as painted tiles, navigational equipment, and wooden boxes.

There's an overwhelming array of silver and brass curios here, with much of the brass oxidized for an antique look.

Brave bargain-hunters should take a trip to chaotic Daboo Street for all sorts of leather goods.

This government-run food and crafts bazaar invites artisans from all over the country to sell their wares directly. More than 60 do so at any given time; the vendors rotate every two weeks according to changing themes such as handicrafts, textiles, or Rajasthani goods. Constants include Kashmiri shawls, Lucknavi chikan (white embroidery on pastel cotton), woodwork, pottery, cotton dhurries, and simple children's toys. Stalls serve regional food from around the country, providing shoppers with a rare opportunity to sample Goan fish curry, Bengali fish in mustard sauce, and Kerala chicken stew outside their states of origin.

This pricey store has exclusive men's and women's Indian and Western fashions, and lovely costume jewelry, all by high-profile Indian designers.

This popular chain is a great spot to pick up any kind of quality Indian cottons, both as clothing and for your home.

This shop sells great cottons for men, women, children, and the home. They specialize in tailored pieces in vegetable dye prints. You can find men's tropical shirts, detailed dresses, or kurtas for both sexes, and they do saris as well as silks. Browse traditional pieces and modern garments that easily fit into your wardrobe back home.

Stop here for a range of colorful hand-printed cotton garments—skirts, pants, tops, kurtis, kurtas, men's shirts, and saris. The white tops are lovely.

This store showcases the best of Indian fabrics—khadis (homespun cotton), muslin, vegetable-dyed silks, and embroidered materials. You can find women's clothing (saris, kurtas, skirts, trousers, blouses, and kurtis) as well as men's shirts and kurtas, children's clothes, tablecloths, curtains, cushion covers—and napkins fashioned from these beautiful materials, some of which is also available by the meter. The Kala Ghoda location is the address to head to—it's in a high-ceilinged, period building, with a wide selection—but there are a number of branches all over the city.

An Indian institution, this emporium is stuffed with block-printed kurtas, salwars, churidars, dupattas, Western tops, and skirts in subtle colors for trendy Delhiites, their moms and dads, expats, and tourists. Quality can vary. Avoid Saturday, when the place is a madhouse and it's difficult to get your hands on the stock. There are also branches in Khan Market, the Delhi airport, Green Park, a mall in Vasant Kunj, Greater Kailash and elsewhere.

An old-fashioned bookstore, this is the favorite haunt of the city's intellectual lot as well as expats.

This is a trove of cotton bargains in a long row of open-air stalls, with mounds of colorful, cheap, mainly Western clothing for all ages. The name is completely incongruous—there is nothing fashionable about this street, but the knockoffs are cheap and it is thronged by students of nearby St Xavier's College. Come around 11 am, when the crowds are thinner and the sun has not yet peaked.

India's answer to L'Occitane is cheaper and has a wide range of ayurvedic as well as naturally made and herbal products, including fragrances, oils, creams, soaps, and skin and beauty products. The night cream with saffron is a bestseller, as is the saffron facial cleanser.

Forum Mall has shops selling clothes, music, leather, toys, and lots more.

Specializing in both contemporary and folk art, this gallery has many small pieces by Shail Choyal, a guru of contemporary Indian painting. Other highlights include the stylized work of Shahid Parvez, a well-known local artist, as well as work from an expanding number of Udaipur's contemporary artists.

Established in 1845, this family-owned store is home to family heirlooms as well as Victorian-era masterpieces, such as a Peacock Throne replica and zardozi (embroidered) artworks previously displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The ground floor features a display gallery and jewelry retail space, while the second floor has customized zardozi pieces such as clutch purses and wall art. Outside, a demo area and workshops allow visitors to learn about embroidery and stonework.