Best shopping areas

Bond Street

London’s most exclusive shopping street is expensive for buying, but a great place for just looking. Haute couture, antiques, auction houses, fine-art galleries and jewellers predominate.

Green Park, Bond Street

Carnaby Street

After the heyday of the Swinging 60s, the boutiques in and around Carnaby Street are once again trendy, with hot and hip designers, such as Beyond the Valley (2 Newburgh Street), as well as retro designs from the past four decades.

Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus

Covent Garden area

Covent Garden piazza and its boutiques are thronged with tourists as well as locals, so seek out the dozens of one-of-a-kind shops within 10 minutes’ walk along Maiden Lane and Henrietta Street, Wellington Street and Floral Street, Neal Street and Long Acre. Tucked away is Neal’s Yard, with its hippy feel.

Covent Garden

Kensington High Street/Church Street

Kensington High Street features all the major UK chain stores – and then some. By contrast, Kensington Church Street curves past art and antiques dealers, patisseries and wine shops.

Kensington High Street

King’s Road

This area has had a renaissance. In a courtyard just off Sloane Square, Duke of York Square boasts fun shops and cafés. The further you walk down King’s Road, the more unusual the shops.

Sloane Square

Oxford Street

With 300 stores, 2.5km (1.5-mile) long Oxford Street is Europe’s busiest shopping street. At Oxford Circus, Topshop is iconic; towards Marble Arch are department stores such as John Lewis (No 300) and Selfridges (No 400) and Marks & Spencer (No 458).

Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road

Piccadilly and more

Parallel to bustling Piccadilly, Jermyn Street’s shops have clothed and booted London’s aristocrats for 350 years.

Piccadilly Circus, Green Park

Regent Street

A handsome boulevard with many exclusive shops including gold, silver and jewellery at Mappin & Webb and Garrard & Co; toys at Hamleys, and stylish clothes at Liberty.

Oxford Circus

Sloane Street/Knightsbridge

Armani, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, D&G, Hermès, Pucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino are just some of the designer names to be found here. Explore Harrods on the Brompton Road.

Sloane Square (south end), Knightsbridge (north end)

Westfield London

London’s biggest mall with 265 designer and high street stores.

West Cross Route, Shepherds Bush 020 3371 2300; http://uk.westfield.com/london Wood Lane, Shepherd’s Bush