101 things to do in London: shopping

The best shops and markets in London

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  Bag a bargain: car-boot sales and sample sales

  Shopping

  Prices in the capital have inflated to astronomical proportions, but for savvy Londoners there are still plenty of deals to be had. Car-boot sales sales are packed with treasures from high-end fashion to antique furniture – and you don’t have to get up early to bag a bargain. We recommend Wimbledon, which is open three days a week and offers a rich mix of crockery, jewellery and vintage frocks. Hagglers welcome. Or, if second-hand isn’t for you, check out one of the capital's many weekly sample sales where you can snap up designer goodies at a fraction of the original cost.

  Read our guide to finding cheap chic in London
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  Browse London's best record shops

  Music

  CDs and MP3 players are all very well, but for many vinyl-schooled audiophiles too much fidelity can be a bad thing. And, let's face it, searching the iTunes catalogue has nothing on idly flipping through dusty racks of LPs fronted with big, bold album artwork. Add to your record collection at Rough Trade East's inspiring 5,000sq ft store off Brick Lane, Honest Jon’s on Portobello Road, Flashback in Islington or Sister Ray and Revival Records on Berwick Street.

  Read our guide to London's best record shops
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  Disappear into Davenports Magic Shop

  Shopping
  7 Charing Cross Underground Arcade, WC2N 4HZ (020 7836 0408). Charing Cross tube/rail.

  The atmospheric interior, and its position at the end of one of the tunnels under Charing Cross Station, lend this old-fashioned magic shop an air of mystery and suspense. The friendly staff are true enthusiasts and are more than happy to put on a show for each fresh customer that shows off their wares to best effect. Choose from prank props and card tricks to complex illusions.

  Read more about Davenports Magic Shop
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  Find fresh-off-the-boat fish at Billingsgate Market

  Shopping
  Trafalgar Way, E14 5ST (020 7987 1118). Canary Wharf tube/DLR.

  You shall have a fishy on a little dishy... Any self-respecting London restaurant gets its fish from Billingsgate, a city institution for more than 600 years. Kids aren’t allowed on the trading floor but anyone can watch the fishy fun from a viewing gallery upstairs. Billingsgate is a vast trade market, but it does welcome casual customers. Though be warned: you’re liable to be slapped around the face with a wet haddock if you order a couple of tuna steaks and hand the stallholder a MasterCard – be prepared to buy in bulk.

  Read more about Billingsgate Market
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  Graze in London’s finest food markets

  Shopping

  The sustainable, ethical and local food movements have all gone mainstream in the last decade. More and more of us are filling our hessian bags full of local(-ish) produce, individually made cakes, pies, cheeses and bread and the finest butchers’ meat. The choice at Borough Market (open Thursday to Saturday) near London Bridge is dazzling, but many of the local farmers’ markets are also fantastic. Try Broadway Market next to London Fields, Hackney, on a Saturday, or the food market at Alexandra Palace in north London on a Sunday.

  Read our guide to London's best markets
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  Pamper yourself at a London spa

  Shopping

  Londoners move at a frantic pace, so it’s important they take relaxation seriously – and the city’s huge range of spas and beauty salons offers something for everyone. A good, solid schmeissing (a steam-and-massage practice with its origins in Yiddish culture) at the Porchester Spa takes the pulse down for some men. Ladies, meanwhile, can get their nails pimped at WAH or enjoy a cut-price facial at the London College of Beauty (and what could be more relaxing than getting 60 minutes for £18?).

  Read our guide to the best spas in London
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  Seek out unique vintage couture

  Shopping

  London’s growing list of retro stores springing up from Soho to Shoreditch confirms the city’s status as a destination for vintage-lovers. We recommend a shop-crawl through the East End: much healthier than a pub crawl, though perhaps not for your credit card when you spy some secondhand Chanel at Brick Lane’s Fashion Exchange. Alternatively, for a luxury shopping experience, book a personal appointment with style maven William Banks-Blaney at his Marylebone boutique, WilliamVintage, and try on couture gowns by Ossie Clark, Christian Dior and Balenciaga. Also suggested by: InFormed London

  Read our guide to London's best new vintage shops
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  Smell the posies at Columbia Road Flower Market

  Shopping
  Columbia Rd, E2. Old St or Bethnal Green tube.

  Every Sunday, between 8am and 3pm, this unassuming East End street becomes one of the prettiest, most colourful spots in London. Flowers and foliage line the kerbs, and the fruity cries from stallholders (‘You lucky people!’) draw the crowds. The shops and galleries along Columbia Road make for great browsing, and there are plenty of lovely little cafés too.
  Also suggested by: The London Word

  Read more about Columbia Road Flower Market.
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  Spark up a fine cigar at Davidoff of London

  Shopping
  35 St James's St, SW1A 1HD (020 7930 1361). Green Park tube.

  One for serious cigar aficionados, Davidoff of London is a haven for smokers. The shop carries its own range of Davidoff cigars (made in the Dominican Republic) as well as a superior range of Cuban cigars. Staff are extremely well informed and unbegrudgingly impart their wisdom to seasoned smokers as well as amateurs. The store features two smoking chairs where you can sample your purchases as well as a good range of cigar paraphernalia.
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  Splash out at a world-famous department store

  Shopping

  Shopping at Liberty is an experience to savour. The store offers fashion-forward style and classy traditional goods in a comforting yet rarefied wood-panelled setting. A perfect clash of innovation, tradition and English eccentricity, this is one shopping experience not to miss. Meanwhile Selfridges is modern and glamorous with its vast fashion floors, enticing Food Hall and quirky concessions. Harvey Nichols is slightly less exciting, but has many unique product lines to be proud of, and Harrods, despite its ostentatious façade, is working hard to inject its image with ever more style.

  Find more department stores in London
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  Wander along Portobello Market

  Shopping
  Portobello Rd, W11. Notting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove tube.

  A boisterous draw for street-traders since the mid nineteenth century, this west-London market is famously part of the capital’s Victorian heritage – but these days people come here to pose as much as to purchase. Like Camden, Notting Hill’s Portobello Market is actually several markets rolled into one, so you’ll need a good few hours to do it justice. There are antiques at one end, grocers in the middle and vintage and emerging designer clothes under the Westway flyover. Come on a Friday to avoid the crowds, or very early on a Saturday morning.

  Read more about Portobello Market