Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West End
Oxford Street is undeniably the West End's main shopping attraction. Start at
Marble Arch—the westernmost end—for designer department store Selfridges
(p. 159). As you walk the length of the famous street toward Tottenham Court Road,
you'll notice that the quality of shops goes downhill, especially east of Oxford Circus.
Think bargain basement tat and cheap souvenirs, and you have the idea. Topshop
(p. 157) remains an Oxford Street must-visit (the branch here is the largest clothes
shop in Europe). You're certainly very brave to attempt Oxford Street at the weekend;
weekday mornings are best for your sanity.
Oxford Street is also a great starting point for hitting the more interesting shopping
areas, such as affluent Marylebone. It's impossible not to fall in love with the
quaintness of Marylebone's high street. The street's chocolate shops and interiors
brands ooze luxury.
Regent Street —home of an Apple Store —crosses Oxford Street at Oxford
Circus. Regent Street shopping is more toward the high end of “high street,” typified
by the affordable luxury of chain shops like Mango and French Connection. Head
south from Oxford Circus for the world-famous Liberty (p. 158) department store.
You're now at the top of Carnaby Street, and while it's not quite the '60s-style
mecca it once was, it's worth a stroll—especially if you veer off into the Newburgh
Quarter. The area is also home to Kingly Court, a gorgeous little piazza of indepen-
dent shops and vintage boutiques—the cafes are generally overpriced, but do provide
a great perch to sit and people-watch.
Parallel to Regent Street, the Bond Street area connects Piccadilly with Oxford
Street, and is synonymous with the luxury rag trade. It's not just one street, but a
whole area, mainly comprising New Bond Street and Old Bond Street. It's the hot
address for international designers— Donna Karan has two shops here, and Tiffany
is quite at home nestled among designer jewelry shops. A slew of international hot-
shots, from Chanel to Versace, have digs nearby. Make sure you stop off at Dover
Street Market —not a market at all, but actually a designer shop housing all sorts of
fashionable folk under one roof.
Burlington Arcade (Tube: Piccadilly Circus), a glass-roofed Regency passage
leading off Piccadilly, looks like a period exhibition, and is lined with 35 mahogany-
fronted intriguing shops and boutiques. Lit by wrought-iron lamps and decorated
with clusters of ferns and flowers, its small, upscale stores specialize in fashion, gold
jewelry, Irish linen, and cashmere. If you linger there until 5:30pm, you can watch
the beadles (the last London representatives of Britain's oldest police force), in their
black-and-yellow livery and top hats, ceremoniously place the iron grills that block off
the arcade until 9am, at which time they remove them to start a new business day.
Also at 5:30pm, the Burlington Bell is sounded, signaling the end of trading. Make
sure to catch the clock at Fortnum & Mason (p. 158)—it moves on the hour in a
rather lovely display.
Nearby Jermyn Street (Tube: Piccadilly Circus), on the south side of Piccadilly,
is a tiny two-block street devoted to high-end men's haberdashers and toiletries shops;
many have been doing business for centuries. A bit to the northwest, Savile Row is
where you'll find London's finest men's tailors.
The West End theatre district borders two more shopping areas: The still-not-ready-
for-prime-time Soho (Tube: Tottenham Court Rd. or Leicester Sq.), where the sex
shops are slowly morphing into cutting-edge designer boutiques—check out clothing
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