220 Best Places to Shop in England

Established in 1875, this master chocolatier's Mayfair shop specializes in traditional handmade chocolates (rose-petal creams and champagne truffles, for example) and has been creating these beautifully packaged, high-quality candies from long before most of today's fashionable brands appeared. Their drinking chocolate—coarsely grated fine chocolate in a tin—is worth carrying home in a suitcase.

Just off Steep Hill, this shop has a great selection of English and French cheeses, including the delicious local Lincoln Blue. There's also an adjacent café.

This packed-to-the-rafters shop carries a fine mix of vintage English prints, estate jewelry, and art at reasonable prices.

The weekend open-air Clock Tower Antiques Market on Greenwich High Road has vintage shopping, and browsing among the "small collectibles" makes for a good half-hour diversion. Give it a miss in bad weather, when the number of stalls falls dramatically.

This elegant yet comfortable store is like stepping into the linen closet of your dreams, complete with tasteful cotton sheet sets, wool blankets, quilts, fluffy towels, Indian silk holdalls, and cotton nightgowns and robes. There are also several items for kids, including sheets with prints of dolphins or whales, sleepsuits for babies, and charming soft toys from France. The "cologne" is from well-chosen niche brands (mostly from France) for her, him, and the room. Other branches are in Marylebone and Kensington. 

This is the venue for a home, garden, and fashion market Monday through Thursday; an antiques market on Friday; and a crafts market on Saturday.

This popular, family-owned shop carries many perfumes that are manufactured on the premises by hand, and also stocks perfume bottles, diffusers, and essential oils, as well as jewelry. Classes are also available on-site for those who want to learn to mix their own perfume.

Behind the delightfully old-style red shop front, Crowthers of Canterbury carries an extensive selection of musical instruments, gifts, and other souvenirs for music lovers.

The retail outlet of this leading British stamp dealer also specializes in coins, medals, and die-cast models, and is a good source of quirky gift ideas.

This supercool independent comic book store is stocked with an enormous range of comic books. There's a sister store two doors down, specializing in graphic novels, toys, and other collectibles.

Near the Arts Theatre, G. David (known locally as just David's) sells antiquarian books.

Tricia Guild's exuberantly patterned fabrics, wallpapers, paints, furniture, and bed linens have decorated design-conscious British homes for several decades, and her soft-furnishings book has taught many budget-conscious do-it-yourselfers how to reupholster a sofa or make lined draperies. The shop also stocks contemporary furniture, wallpapers, and home accessories by other designers like Christian Lacroix. There's another branch in Marylebone.

With its creative displays and eclectic, well-chosen mix of merchandise, this four-floor emporium is as much art installation as store. The merchandise and its configuration change every six months, so you never know what you will find, which is half the fun. The creation of Comme des Garçons' Rei Kawakubo, Dover Street Market showcases all the label's collections for men and women alongside a changing roster of other ultrafashionable designers, including Gucci, Raf Simons, Balenciaga, Loewe, Wales Bonner, and Molly Goddard, all of whom have had their own customized miniboutiques—plus sneaker and denim collaborations, eyeglass frames, and jewelry. An outpost of Rose Bakery on the top floor makes for a good break.

Showcases of jewelry, silver items, and ceramics, along with antiquarian books and period furniture, are on display over two floors.

The food and bric-a-brac stalls in Durham Indoor Market, a Victorian arcade, are open Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 4:30 pm. An excellent farmers' market is held in Market Place on the third Thursday of every month.

Tucked away in a residential mews, this uncluttered shop in a former Victorian dairy is the brainchild of Maureen Doherty, once Issey Miyake's assistant who still shares his relaxed but cutting-edge aesthetic. More than half the minimalist, unstructured styles for men and women—in natural luxury fabrics such as silk, cashmere, antique cotton, or even felted Tibetan yak wool —are handmade. Garments may be casually hung on hooks or folded on wooden tables, but the price tags are anything but unassuming. The clientele includes the likes of Donna Karan and former British PM Theresa May. One-of-a-kind ceramics, scarves, blankets, bags, and jewelry are also on display.

A dozen or so dealers display their diverse wares in Exeter's former fish market, including everything from old postcards and rare vinyl to "royalty thimbles." It also includes a quayside café.

What did Queen Victoria, Mary Shelley, and Marilyn Monroe have in common? They all used products from Floris, one of the most beautiful shops in London, with gleaming glass–and–Spanish mahogany showcases salvaged from the Great Exhibition of 1851. In addition to scents for both men and women (including the late Queen Elizabeth II), Floris has been making its own shaving products---plus combs, brushes, and fragrances---since 1730 (and is still owned by the same family, nine generations later), reflecting its origins as a barbershop. Other gift possibilities include a famous rose-scented mouthwash and beautifully packaged soaps and bath essences.

This shop claims "we sell nothing useful," and whether that claim is true is up to you to decide, but you're bound to be charmed by its products. They have wonderful houseswares and gifts, including children's toys, butter-soft leather goods, handmade jewelry, and greeting cards.

The oldest jewelry house in the world, Garrard has been in business since 1735. Between 1843 and 2007, the company was responsible for the upkeep of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London and for creating several royal crowns (you can see some on display in the Tower). Today the focus is on precious gems in simple, classic settings, along with silver accessories. Although some collections are definitely contemporary (with items like minimalist hoop earrings or two-finger rings), many of the designs are traditional and impressive—which will be handy should you be in the market for an old-school diamond tiara.

Open since 1979, this is London's leading gay and lesbian bookshop. Thousands of titles, from literature and thoughtful nonfiction to erotica and prodiversity children's books, fill the shelves. The shop is a well-loved fixture on the scene (it features prominently in the 2014 movie Pride) and often hosts discussion groups, readings, and other events.

The area's largest and best outdoor equipment store, George Fisher sells sportswear, travel books, and maps. The staff is faultlessly friendly, helpful, and well-informed. Daily weather information is posted in the window, and there's a coffeeshop with a selection of local artwork and pottery.

One of the grand men's tailoring houses of Savile Row, this company made its name outfitting British royals who served as officers in the armed forces. The company still supplies custom-made military uniforms, as well as beautifully tailored formal and civilian wear for clients who have included Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming. Prices for a bespoke suit start around £5,000 and made to measure at £1,150, but you can find ready-made versions from around £900 (separates from £200), while a new line of casual wear has several items under £200. Custom-made shoes are also available.

Combining style with practicality and a whimsical twist, this delightful interiors shop carries a broad but carefully curated selection of faux-fur throws, elegant lamps and lampshades, embroidered cushions, sheepskin rugs, agate or Venetian glass doorknobs, folding deck chairs (as found in the Royal Parks), shabby-chic sofas, ceramics and cutlery, dinosaur string lights, and more. There are branches in Notting Hill and Bayswater.

There are approximately 100 dealers here, specializing in everything from Bakelite items to Mughal art. The majority focus on jewelry, ranging from contemporary to antique. Bargains are not out of the question, and proper pedigrees are guaranteed. Be sure to go on a weekday as the store is closed Saturday and Sunday.

Relocated from its original fabulous cave on King's Road, this treasure trove of artists' materials, papers, art books, easels, and mannequins began life in 1927 as part of the Chenil Gallery, run by a distinguished group that included the artist Augustus John and the playwright George Bernard Shaw. Subsequent customers have included luminaries like David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud. The shop also has a framing service, antique paint boxes, and craft supplies as well as an art gallery.

Established as a fruit-and-vegetable market in 1700, the covered market now offers around 120 mixed stalls of art and crafts on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and weekends, and vintage antiques on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. You can buy food on each day, although the offerings are usually best on weekends. Shopping for handicrafts is a pleasure here, as in most cases you're buying directly from the artist.

The historic covered Guildhall Market, close to the Abbey and Pulteney Bridge, is open Monday through Saturday 9–5. There are around 20 stallholders selling everything from jewelry and gifts to delicatessen food, secondhand books, bags, and batteries. There's a café, too.

If Ralph Lauren isn't preppy enough for you, try Hackett, with additional branches in St. James's, Covent Garden, The City, Battersea, Savile Row, and Canary Wharf. Originally a posh thrift shop recycling cricket flannels, hunting pinks, Oxford brogues, and other staples of a British gentleman's wardrobe, Hackett now creates its own line and has become a genuine—and very good—men's outfitter. The look is traditional, and classic best buys include polo shirts, corduroys, and striped scarves. There's also a boys' line for the junior man-about-town, a made-to-measure service, and an in-house men's grooming facility.

When British children visit London, this institution—the oldest toy store in the world—is at the top of their agenda. Its six floors hold 50,000 lines of the latest dolls, soft toys, video games, and technological devices, as well as old-fashioned items like train sets, Subbuteo soccer games, drum kits, and magic tricks, plus every must-have on the preteen shopping list (some parents may find the offerings to be overly commercialized, as they're heavy on movie and TV tie-ins). Hamleys is a bit of a madhouse at Christmas time, but Santa's Grotto is one of the best in town.