“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping” goes a popular quote by a famous Hollywood star Bo Derek. This may seem relevant to many of us. Some people find pleasure in shopping. They just can’t resist the urge to shop. Such shopping enthusiasts have been categorized as shopaholics.
Shopping is a universally loved activity. For a tourist, a vacation is never complete without a satisfactory shopping spree. By means of this article, we wish to furnish the ideal shopping arenas in the prominent cities across the world.
Best Places for Shopping Around the World
1. New York
A recent survey rated New York as the world’s best shopping destination. The high-end, elite shopping streets of New York are well known throughout the world. So let’s begin with the most exclusive of them.
- Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is best known for its luxury boutiques and fashion stores. Some of the biggest players in the fashion retail industry like Bergdorf Goodman, Gucci, H&M, Prada, Tiffany & Co., etc. are lined up here.
- The Times Square and Herald Square come up next on our list of the exclusive shopping zones in NYC. Here you may find some big names such as Disney Store, Toys R Us as well as a Gap store and many more.
- Madison Square and Union Square is an area where you can shop for household wares and groceries.
- The neighborhood areas of the main city to have some good shopping places. In Downtown Lower, Manhattan has located the biggest discount department store, Century 21. This place experiences throngs of buyers throughout the day.
- Chinatown markets are famous for their huge crowds and cramped stores. Though one can’t expect much of a bargain, it is fun to browse through the fish and herbal markets. Here you get a wide variety of sunglasses, handbags, perfumes, and shoes but the quality of the products is debatable. You can certainly indulge yourself in genuine chinaware, Buddha statues and other souvenirs.
- SoHo is another neighborhood that has merchandise from artworks to cutting edge fashion stores Levi’s, Guess and Bloomingdale.
- Nolita or North of Little Italy is one of the hottest shopping strips in SoHo. The East Village and the Greenwich Village are some of the other shopping areas around New York City.
2. London
London, the city of the world’s most affluent royal family, will have you spoilt for choices when it comes to shopping.
- If you wish to shop like the Royals, you must visit Harrods- a high-end department store that trades in everything from clothing and jewelry and accessories to bridal trousseau, pets, and their accessories, food and health/ beauty items. You can also shop for stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture and much more under one roof.
- If you choose to pamper yourself to designer clothing then Oxford Street is the place for you to be.
- If you prefer mid-price range fashion, Regent Street and Jeremy Street should be your destination.
- The most popular shopping hangouts for the celebrities are Bond Street and Mayfair Street where you can indulge in some extravagant retail therapy.
- The Savile Row hosts the best tailoring houses in the world. Handcrafted suits and tuxedos are still crafted here for equally handsome prices.
- If you are looking for a shopping mall, you may prefer visiting Westfield Stratford City in East London. It boasts of over 250 stores plus more than 70 places to dine; effectively making it the largest shopping center in Europe.
- London’s high-end shopping zones also include Boxpark, Canada Square in Canary Wharf, Notting Hill, King’s road and Convent Garden Street. Besides these, there are several London street markets that sell everything from food to antiques. If you are more inclined towards spending the day wandering around the street markets and acquiring a few bargains, Spitalfield, Brick Lane market, Greenwich Market are the ideal places to visit.
- The Alfies Antique market has a wide range of vintage wares to choose from. Spitalfields and Portobello Road market have a variety of stores selling everything from designer clothes to artwork and fruit and bread to antiques. You may shop for gifts and souvenirs at Broadway Market, and then after a tiring shopping session, grab a quick bite of delicious street food from one of the numerous stores in Borough Market.
3. Paris
This city of love comes next on our list of popular shopping destinations. Paris is mainly divided into two zones: Left Bank and Right Bank, and they are further subdivided into sector-like administrative divisions called arrondissements.
- First comes the LOUVRE & ILE DE LA CITE; Louvre holds some of the region’s most celebrated landmarks like Paris Louvre Museum. Here, you will also find the subterranean shopping mall Forum des Halles and a major shopping street on the rue de Rivoli. Both of them house affordable international clothing stores.
- Further on, rue St-Honore Street is fringed by expensive, sophisticated stores. Further down the road, Place Vendome displays drool-worthy merchandise.
- Along the Boulevard Haussmann are the city’s two most celebrated department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. These are usually thronged by shoppers. On the eastern side of the boulevard is 19th century covered shopping arcades. They consist of iron and glass galleries, and each one is lined with shops and cafes ranging from squalid to exorbitant. Here you may find everything from cheap shoe shops and second-hand book stores to art galleries. They also house collectors’ shops dealing in stamps, coins, etc.
- Champs-Elysees is a street in the eighth arrondissements of Paris. It houses some of the luxury clothing brands like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Guerlain, Lacoste, etc. It also shelters upscale shopping brands like Adidas, Benetton, Zara, Cartier, etc. The majority of the Boulevard St-Michel is occupied by chain stores.
- In the seventh arrondissement, Le Bon Marche happens to be the city’s most contemporary department store. Paris, being the motherland of Haute Couture, houses unbelievably expensive designer stores. Most of them are located on rue du Bac and rue du Grenelle near the Eiffel Tower.
4. Hong Kong
This Asian city, located on the southern coast of China, claims to be the best Asian shopping city.
- When in Hong Kong, Causeway Bay is the place to be for the shopaholics. You may rest assured that the place will always be teeming with crowds till late in the night. Causeway Bay has several malls catering to the needs of avid shoppers. The Sogo department has stores dealing in all top brands of a clothing line, accessories, and cosmetics. The Apple Mall sells affordable but unlicensed designer wear. Other malls worth visiting in Causeway Bay for modestly priced to ultra-chic shopping experience are Times Square, Hysan Place, and the Windsor House.
- Hong Kong suburb Mongkok is the most populated in the world and is crammed with shops selling cheap Chinese fashion, watches and copy versions of all possible designer products. The Ladies Market is a zone renowned for the best bargain deals provided you can haggle. Mongkok is also the best place to buy cheap electronic devices.
- The Central district of Hong Kong is flooded with the most luxurious designer clothing chain stores including the iconic Louis Vuitton. Hollywood Road is the most appropriate place to buy Chinese artifacts. The street is lined with art galleries of renowned Chinese artists.
- Sham Shui Po is a working-class area of Hong Kong where the wholesale cut-price fabric and clothing stores are located. It is also popular for the Golden Shopping Arcade, an excellent place to purchase gaming equipment. Make sure that while shopping in Hong Kong, you always compare prices, check the items for faults and haggle to your heart’s content!
Every place has its own pros and cons when it comes to shopping. There are many other places around the world where shopping is a blissful experience. Some cities like Dubai host dedicated Shopping festivals to lure more tourists. A trip to a new place is never complete without exploring its local aspects, shopping being one of the majors. Hence when planning a vacation, make sure you allow sufficient time and energy to shop till you drop.
