197 Best Places to Shop in India

This old and trustworthy family-run optician has good frame choices.

From Jagdish Temple, stroll down to the Ganta Ghar (clock tower) and the area around it, a base for silver jewelry. Browse freely, but take care not to purchase items that are merely coated with silver-tone paint. Most of the silver shops here are run-of-the-mill and offer little variation in style and price.

South Kolkata's most popular and very congested shopping district is home to chic boutiques and bustling shops selling saris in all kinds of styles and prices. The pavements are taken over by hawkers selling clothes, toys, accessories, and handcrafted jewelry—it can be challenging to negotiate the crowd during peak hours. Intense bargaining is de rigueur on the street, but the air-conditioned shops offer respite from the heat as well as the haggling. The lanes away from Gariahat Road itself—Hindusthan Park Road, Dover Lane, Southern Avenue—are quieter and more upscale. Here, among the elegant homes of Kolkata's upper classes are where you will find art galleries, quirky and traditional Bengali restaurants, specialty shops, boutiques, and quaint cafés that are local favorites. Visit Byloom for hand-loomed saris, jewelry, and a cozy café. Bunkaari sells saris, stoles, and scarves; Weaver's Studio has handloomed textiles. For a bite of Kolkata's famous kati rolls, try Bedouwin, where crisp parathas are wrapped around succulent pieces of meat and finely chopped onions and served piping hot. For traditional Bengali meals, try 6 Ballygunge Place, Sholo Ana, Tero Parbon, or Bhojohori Manna. The Bistro and Wise Owl are some of the European-style eateries in the area. If the shopping and the crowds get to you, head to the Ramakrishna Mission, in Gol Park, for some quiet reflection.

This is a great place to shop for traditional and contemporary jewelry crafted from gold, silver, and gemstones in designs that range from traditional Rajasthani to Victorian. They can also custom-make pieces to your specification.

Shop here for Jaipur's best gems and jewelry, and a small collection of museum-quality curios, and you'll join the ranks of a royal clientele that includes King Charles and many members of Rajasthan's royal families. Even the princess of Jaipur, Maharani Gayatri Devi, might have been found here bargaining for a good deal. Prices range from US$25 to US$2 million.

This good local jewelry store specializes in traditional bridal jewelry styled according to Rajasthani royal tradition.

Jodhpur's vibrant bazaars are among the city's key sights, particularly Ghanta Ghar Market, near the clock tower. Wandering among the tiny shops dotting these crowded, narrow lanes in the heart of town, you'll get a real feel for the life and color of Marwari jewelry, steel utensils, kitchenware, leather shoes, trinkets, wedding clothes—you can find just about everything here (including locksmiths and indigenous dentists sitting side by side on the street), and many of the local spice merchants here deal in saffron and other spices from all over India. Beware of tourist markups and young men guiding you to their "uncle's store." There are also plenty of stores to shop in if you don't like haggling in bazaars—most notably the government-run emporium.

Held on Fridays, this seasonal flea market at HillTop near Vagator Beach is a large, open-air party with DJs and live bands adding a great atmosphere to the score of stalls offering clothing, craftwork, souvenirs, and tantalizing food. Don't bother testing your bargaining skills here; haggling is unwelcome, and if you do, you might be told to take it for free—though they're clearly not serious. The entry fee is ₹100 per person. Ask the locals or check the bazaar's Instagram page for opening dates.

Frequented by local and foreign tourists, this area is famous for retail stores selling saris, suits, and other apparel at affordable prices. Most shops here sell power loom–embroidered work.

All sorts of exquisitely-designed Indian houseware, including linens, pottery, and brass, are on offer here. There's an outlet in Juhu, opposite the Marriott Hotel, and an enormous branch in Lower Parel.

Good Earth has shops in several Indian cities and sells items like jewel-toned, pop-art cushion covers and other high-end home accessories, including linens, pottery, and brass. In Delhi, there's also a Good Earth store in the Select Citywalk Mall in Saket.

This long-standing multi-story shop is a local favorite for Rajasthani-printed outfits for women, men, and children, as well as handbags and home decor items like bedsheets and quilts. The brand has other outlets around the city, including a large one on Tonk Rd., but the service at this particular outlet is better.

From bangles to necklaces to earrings and more, the jewelry here has fairly modern designs.

Established in 1989 by antiques collector-turned-hotelier N.B. Majnu, this is one of South India's largest antiques stores, with more than 100,000 square feet of warehouse space housing antiques from all over India. Don't miss the 108-foot-long iconic Kerala snake boat; it's more than 120 years old.

At chaotic and highly-trafficked Hill Road, the siren call of cheap clothes and bric-a-brac assails even the most casual shopper. In December, the shoppers multiply as stalls flaunt their Christmas wares.

On the outskirts of Udaipur, this sprawling multi-brand store offers a curated selection of luxury and designer home decor, furniture, kitchenware, and accessories from a bevy of local designers and a handful of international brands.

Whether you're looking for a little information on Kerala or a little something to while away the hours, stop by Idiom Books, a small bookshop opposite the synagogue (there's also a branch in Fort Kochi, on Bastion Street). You can find an intriguing collection of recent Western and Indian fiction, as well as books on history, culture, cooking, and religion.

Across the street from Dilli Haat, this colorful market is one of Delhi's most exciting food bazaars, with shops full of imported packaged foods giving way to a covered fruit-and-vegetable market complete with coolies (porters) ready to carry your choices in a basket while you shop. Dry-goods merchants sell spices, nuts, and Indian salty snacks. Meat and seafood are prepared and sold on a muddy lane in back.

Designer Krsnaa Mehta's quirky home decor and design brand is steeped in the bright, mischievous sensibilities of India. Think everything from wallpaper to cushions to glasses and spectacle cases. There's also a branch at Phoenix Mills in central Mumbai.

This is one of Kerala's oldest and most reliable curio shops selling a range of handicrafts.

John Korula and his family have been running this shop since 1945. This shop's name is far more pedestrian than its contents—it's a virtual Aladdin's cave of curios and antiques—masks, statues, sculpture, artifacts, and much more. And no one will follow you around the shop insisting you buy this or that, as does happen elsewhere. Note that it closes for a lunch break from about 1:30 to 3 pm. On Sunday, it opens after 3 pm.

In the Taj Mahal hotel, this store sells quality silks, as does the Burlington store here. Both stores are convenient if you're staying here or nearby and need something quickly, but they are highly touristy and overpriced. Try something farther afield if you want to shop like a local.

Reproductions of antique kundan jewelry, in which several gems are set in a gold-outlined design, are a specialty here, and there's a huge selection of lovely necklaces in updated traditional styles.

A broad selection of Rajasthan's fetching blue pottery is available here, including a large selection of tiles, bathroom fittings, cups, plates, and decorative items such as cabinet knobs. Clay pots are made on the premises.

This Johari Bazaar jeweler has an extensive and attractive collection of well-priced silver jewelry especially very unusual earrings with semiprecious stones. They are very polite and patient and do not push you toward buying. Bargaining is the norm here.

Jasim Jan, of Janson's Carpets, delivers exactly what he describes—carpets old and new, silk and wool, Persian and tribal—and at fair (not cheap) prices.

A solid selection of saris (including the Keralan style), lehangas (long skirts with fitted blouses), and the like are on offer here, as well as Indian and Western clothes for men and children.

Within the new business district of Bandra Kurla Complex sits the gaudy Jio World Plaza, a shopping mall built by billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani. Adjacent to it is a multiplex cinema, a drive-in theater, and the NMACC (Nita and Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre) which houses various performance spaces and galleries.

The Trivandrum shop of global brand Joyalukkas is the best and largest store in town for gold and jewelry set with precious stones, including traditional Kerala-style ornaments.