Best London Shopping?

Hi all! I will make a proper post later but I have a question this morning.

I'm going to London Dec 3-8 for work, but in my spare time I'd love to hit up some good places. I don't know the first thing about London, so wanted to ask here.

I'm looking mainly for antique and vintage stores, but since those could be pricey, a place where there's some good charity shops within 5 minutes walk from each other would also be ideal.

I'm staying at the Victoria Docks, and travelling alone so don't want to be changing underground lines much if at all.

I had in mind a couple antique shops but Ive forgotten their names now.

Also bonus if any good shopping centres are nearby! Mostly clothing and handbags (need a backpack)

Thank you all!!​

 

Do you also plan on visiting any museums?

Debora

 

Unfortunately no, I won't have time. I'm getting in on the Tuesday afternoon, then I have two media days of work which may or may not mean I have the morning to myself, then three full days and I go home the afternoon after. So I have probably 3 half days for everything, and that's if my colleagues/friends don't want to do extracurricular activities. I wish I could I know there's many to see!

 

Bit of a challenge. You're staying way out of London and don't have much time. I'd probably start with a high end department store like Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge. (Underground stops = Knightsbridge, Sloan Square, or South Kensington.) There are lots of boutiques and charity shops (such as Oxfam) nearby. Avoid Harrod's. Once exclusive, it's now the Disney World of shopping.

The above is just my opinion. Others may well have other/better ideas.

Debora

 

I’d not bother with West End shopping at all, to be honest. Oxford street is an absolute dump other than Selfridges, which is better than Harvey Nics. Most of the individual boutiques and shops near South Ken are gone. If you want full price retail you’re better off going to Westfield. The Stratford one is closest to Victoria Docks.

Go to the museum of London in the Docklands it’s great. Canary Wharf has shops too.

I’d strongly recommend Alfie’s antiques on Church Street. Terrific roof top cafe with views to die for and floor after floor of lovely things. Central London charity shops are a total rip off, you need suburban ones.

if you’ve time, get the train from Liverpool Street to Sawbridgeworth. There’s three massive antique centres next to the station. If you’re really feeling intrepid, Hitchin is a lovely market town easy by train. Has a cracking antiques market on Fridays and loads of really good charity shops. It also has an outdoor car boot sale on Sunday mornings.

If you use any part of the tfl network, be that train, tube, bus or tram, you can pay using your phone or contactless. As long as you tap in and out, you’ll get the fare capped. Buses don’t take cash.

Victoria Docks isn’t far out at all, and is on the excellent DLR as well as numerous bus routes. Shortish walk to the Jubilee Line which will take you right in, very fast. About twenty minutes or so.

oh, and do the cable car ride, it’s brilliant. You don’t necessarily need to prebook.

 

Westfield Stratford. T K Maxx is a much better bet for a backpack, they do superb bags. https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity/retailers

Alfie’s antiques. https://www.alfiesantiques.com/


Sawbridgeworth. https://www.maltingsantiques.co.uk/ And https://www.cromwellsantiquecentre.com/ and https://www.visiteppingforest.org/things-to-do/the-maltings-antique-centres-p1665371

Cable car. https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/london-cable-car

 

The cable car is almost where you’re going to be.

Hitchin market. https://www.hitchinmarkets.co.uk/

 

And payment methods on tfl

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster?intcmp=54645

 

Canary Wharf shops, also very close. The whole of the area you’re in has had massive regeneration. The Olympics added to that. https://canarywharf.com/shops-services/

 

In 3 1/2 weeks in London & Oxford we didn't have a second to shop-too many Norman crypts,13th cent pubs,Anglo Saxon & Tudor scraps on Thames foreshore.
If we lived there I'd take Ownedbybear's recs as gospel,but in our brief time we couldn't compete w/ the natives re picking.
We hit plays,pubs and 20-30 museums and came home well-nourished !
Buses & Tube were a dream compared to the States version-young folks poppin up to give their seats to us geezers !
PS-We'd both move there yesterday,gettin a lil' weird here in Los Estados Unidos.

 

You’d be very welcome!

 

Sadly The Museum of London near the Barbican Centre was closed for relocation.

 

We stuck to fairly middle-class and posher areas- Kensington and Thames foreshore near the Millennium Bridge (2 minutes from St Pauls & Tate Modern).
The most middle-class area we stayed in was Earls Court near the Tesco Superstore (W Cromwell Rd, London W14 8PB, United Kingdom).
Found most Londoners to be polite folks-even during evening rush hour on the tube.
Thanks for the welcome Bear ! The taste of Brit eat & drink sans all the U.S. chemical additives is noticeable (and delicious).

 

I was in London so many decades ago. Was only there for 2 days maybe.
From what I recall, we went to Harrod's and saw dead bunnies at the market.
But we had the most elegant meal ever. A business partner of my father invited us to have super at this elegant, expensive place. We were in a private dining area and had all our own waiters. They brought out a silver serving tray with some sort of beef. I was so tired from the flight there, I could not keep my eyes open at dinner.
Shame that place was so snazzy.

 

My London eating revelation was Afternoon Tea.It was 50 bucks for each of us (?!),but what he heck-we don't hit London every month.
My sweetie picked a place on the river-The Swan.It's linked to Shakespeare's recreated Globe Theater.
I'm thinking-'OK,well get all these prissy micro-miniature sandwiches,savories & sweets,plus schmancy porcelain quaffs of tea....' ho-hum (hope i don't nod-off !). But-as long as i don't have to doff an Ascot tophat and tails-what the hell ?
Turns out i was completely wrong-all the teensy 15 or 20 taster courses were great/sublime,and the tea was mind-blowing.
Gobsmacked Me !
After the meal we walked down to connected Globe Theater.We talked to a young cast member (manning the gift shop part time),she showed us a few of the lobby exhibits-including a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio ! It was just quietly sitting there in a plexiglass case next to a replica of the Westminster Abbey coronation throne.
As we left we thanked her and found out she was a Cambridge Art & Theater graduate-gad zeeks.

 

The Westfield Mail, Stratford is an excellent recommendation. Lots of shops and places to eat.

https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity

Debora

 

It’s decent if you like malls, I’m not a massive fan of them. In its favour is that it’s linked to the proper Stratford Market, which is way more fun. Jubilee line from Canning Town to Stratford or a bus.

 

Malls in foreign countries are always interesting IMHO. Especially for a first time visitor.

Debora

 

Borough Market in London's no secret,it's great (so are the crowds !),but it's near Tate Modern,Old Operating Theater & Herb Garret,Old George Inn,The Globe Theater & Southwark Cathedral -there's a glass floor to view 2,000 yrs of London's layered history.
The Old Oxford Covered Market's also fun-Brown's Cafe & Ben's Cookies.

 

The problem with our malls is they’re the same old, same old, even down to shops you see in the USA.

ah, the Globe. I’ve been there many times, a friend was one of the original sponsors and has her name on a brick. It was all paid for by little donations and sponsorship and volunteers. Many of the staff are still voluntary.

We did a behind the scenes tour not long after it opened with mark rylance. He told us how concrete was expensive and they needed vast quantities to deal with our London clay and the soggy Thames foreshore. So, end of each day, any concrete pump that had been working in London would rock up and squirt its leftovers into the massive foundations. Brilliant.

Rylance also did a talk on the influence of Native American shamanism on Shakespeare.

I saw Vanessa Redgrave as Prospero, she wasn’t that good, but hey. What I love is the background noise of London you get whilst the play is on. They don’t use mikes, so it’s proper stagecraft too.

There’s an excellent Kurdish restaurant round the corner from there, Tas Pide. Small chain, they’ve got one at Borough market too. Another good small chain is The Real Greek. My neighbour who cooks like an angel has a restaurant called Beirut Gardens on Shaftesbury Avenue.