England
We’ve compiled the best of the best in England - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Agent Provocateur
SohoCreated by punk fashion designer Vivienne Westwood's son and daughter-in-law, this line of lingerie in gorgeous fabrics, silks, latex, and lace tends toward the kind of risqué underwear that is both provocative and practical. The original boudoir-like shop is staffed by assistants in prim pink uniforms in what was Soho's red-light district, but the brand has gone a bit more mainstream and now also sells bathing suits, nightwear, jewelry, and luggage in multiple locations in Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Victoria, and Notting Hill.
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2. Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop
Covent GardenThis landmark toy shop still carries on the tradition of its eponymous founder, who sold miniature theater stages made from richly detailed paper from the late 19th century until his death in 1937. Among his admirers was author Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote, "If you love art, folly, or the bright eyes of children, speed to Pollock's." Today the mesmerizing antique model theaters are expensive, but there are plenty of magical reproductions for less than £10. There's also an extensive selection of nostalgic puppets, marionettes, teddy bears, Victorian paper dolls, spinning tops, jack-in-the-boxes, and similar traditional children's toys from the days before batteries were required (or toys were even run on them).
44 The Market, London, Greater London, WC2E 8RF, England020-7379–7866 -
3. Blackout II
Covent GardenEscape the bustle of Covent Garden's Neal Street here at one of London's top vintage clothing shops. Its two small floors are overflowing with high-end vintage dresses, coats, suits, costume jewelry, shoes, and more from the 1920s to the 1970s. With that much to choose from, you'll be hard-pressed to leave without finding something to sharpen up your look.
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4. Covent Garden Market
Covent GardenEstablished in the 1670s as a thriving fruit, herb, and flower market, this popular historic piazza now has three separate market areas: the Apple Market, the East Colonnade Market, and the Jubilee Market. In the main covered area originally designed by Inigo Jones and known as the Apple Market, 40 stalls sell handcrafted jewelry, prints, clothes, ceramics, and crafts from Tuesday through Sunday, while Monday is given over to antiques, curios, and collectibles. The East Colonnade Market has stalls with mostly handmade specialty items like soaps and jewelry, as well as housewares, accessories, and magic tricks. The Jubilee Market, in Jubilee Hall toward Southampton Street, tends toward kitschy T-shirts and cheap household goods Tuesday through Friday but has vintage antiques and collectibles on Monday and handmade goods on weekends. Largely aimed at the tourist trade in the past, Covent Garden Market continues its ascent, introducing a more sophisticated image (and correspondingly higher prices) with the opening of upscale restaurants and chains in the surrounding arcades, including a huge Apple Store; beauty outlets like Chanel, M.A.C., and Dior; and boutiques for top brands like Mulberry and N.Peal. Don't miss the magicians, musicians, jugglers, and escape artists who perform in the open-air piazza; the performances are free (though contributions are welcome).
The Piazza, off Wellington St., London, Greater London, WC2H 7AR, England -
5. Foyles
SohoFounded in 1903 by the Foyle brothers after they failed the Civil Service exams, this labyrinthine family-owned bookstore and literary landmark is in a 1930s art deco building, once the home of the renowned art and fashion college Central Saint Martins. One of London's best sources for textbooks and the United Kingdom's largest retailer of foreign language books, with more than 200,000 titles on its four miles of bookshelves, Foyles also stocks everything from popular fiction to military history, sheet music, medical tomes, graphic novels, and illustrated fine arts books. It also offers the in-store Ray's Jazz (one of London's better outlets for music) and a cool jazz café. Foyles also has a branch at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Grosvenor Prints
Covent GardenLondon's largest collection of 17th- to early-20th-century prints focuses on views of London and its architecture and denizens, as well as royal, sporting, and decorative motifs. From master printmaker William Hogarth to English political caricaturist James Gillray, the delightfully higgledy-piggledy selection is hugely eclectic, with prices ranging from £20 into the thousands. Staff will happily ship globally; just note that it's closed on weekends.
19 Shelton St., London, Greater London, WC2H 9JN, England020-7836–1979Shop Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends -
7. Liberty
SohoIts distinctive black-and-white Tudor-style facade, created from the timbers of two Royal Navy men-o'-war ships, reflects this department store's origins in the late Victorian Arts and Crafts movement. Leading designers were recruited to create the classic Liberty silk prints that are still a signature of the brand, gracing everything from cushions and kimonos to photo albums and stationary. Inside, Liberty is a wood-paneled labyrinth of rooms stocked with well-chosen merchandise, including niche beauty, perfume, footwear, and housewares lines such as Soho Home, which features furniture from the membership club. Clothes for men and women focus on high quality and high fashion, with labels like Rixo and Roland Mouret. The store regularly commissions new prints from contemporary designers, and it sells both these and its classic patterns by the yard. If you're not so handy with a needle, an interior design service will create soft furnishings for you. There's also a florist, a hair salon, a men's barber, beauty treatment rooms, a brow bar, foot spa, and a body piercing studio.
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8. Neal's Yard Dairy
Covent GardenMagnificent stacks of Britain's finest farmhouse cheeses fill the racks at this renowned cheesemonger and artisan cheese lovers' paradise off Seven Dials in Convent Garden. Ever pungent and matured on-site, browse the rare raw milk Stilton-esque Stichelton blue cheese from Welbeck in Nottinghamshire or the 65 other small-batch, British-made creations like Montgomery cheddar, Camembert-style Tunworth, and a lactic goat's cheese Innes Log.
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9. Paul Smith
Covent GardenBritish classics with a twist define esteemed fashion designer Paul Smith's collections for women, men, and children. Beautifully tailored suits for men and women take hallmarks of traditional British style and turn them on their heads with humor and color, combining exceptional fabrics with flamboyant linings or unusual detailing. Gift ideas abound—leather wallets, cashmere scarves, card cases, and distinctive belts and socks—all in Smith's signature rainbow stripes. There are several branches throughout London, in Notting Hill, Soho, Marylebone, and Southwark, plus a Mayfair shop that includes mid-century furniture.
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10. Reckless Records
SohoOpen since 1984, Soho's longest-standing secondhand vinyl store has seen the reign of cassette tapes, CDs, Napster, and Spotify, and arguably has massively helped contribute to vinyl's recent revival. Come here to leaf through the racks for rare vinyl finds and classic albums, spanning everything from rock and roll and New Wave to electro, heavy metal, and drum and bass. If the shop front itself looks familiar, that's because it was featured on the cover of Oasis's 1995 hit album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
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11. The Tintin Shop
Covent GardenBefore there was Harry Potter, there was Tintin. Created by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé, the story of the fictional boy detective and his intrepid dog, Snowy, has been a cult favorite for generations. At this namesake shop devotees can find Tintin-related books, posters, T-shirts, metal and resin figurines, die-cast model airplanes, alarm clocks, and more.
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12. Hamleys
SohoWhen 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.
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13. Stanfords
Covent GardenWhen it comes to encyclopedic coverage, there is simply no better map and travel shop on the planet. Trading in Covent Garden since 1853, Stanfords is packed with a comprehensive selection of travel books and travel accessories, as well as ordnance surveys, cycle route maps, travel adaptors, globes, replicas of antique maps, mosquito nets, and more. Even the floor is decorated with giant maps. Whether you're planning a day trip to Dorset or a serious adventure to the Kalahari Desert, this should be your first stop.
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14. Tabio
Covent GardenThis Japanese-owned specialty store reflects the country's deep-seated enthusiasm for quality socks and is the place to find them, as well as leg warmers, tights, scarves, and stockings, all in a wide assortment of weights. Styles range from functional to fanciful and patterns from simple and elegant to lively and attention-getting. There's another branch on the King's Road in Chelsea.
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15. The Vintage House
SohoIf Scottish whisky or Irish whiskey is more to your taste than wine, visit family-run The Vintage House on Soho's main drag, Old Compton Street, which has the country's largest selection of single malts (more than 1,350), including many rare bottles, some exclusive to the shop. You'll also find more than 100 tequilas, plus choice rums, liqueurs, ports, and Armagnacs, as well as Cuban Habanos cigars. The shop is open until 11 pm (10 pm on Sunday).
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16. Walker Slater
Covent GardenRenowned Edinburgh tailor and Scottish tweed specialists Walker Slater step back in time at this men and women's tweed cornucopia near the Royal Opera House. The myriad selection of Border and hand-woven Harris tweed from Scotland's Outer Hebrides ranges from three-piece turn-up bottom and riding jacket–-inspired tailcoats to over-the-knee herringbone strides as well as sturdy authentic Williamsburg, Kintyre, and Kirk tweed caps.
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