Fun one mile shopping area and eating area in SOHO located in the west end of Westminster. No cars…read moreallowed, only pedestrians. After having a tasty snack at Pizza Pilgrims, went to the two story Rolling Stones store which was my favorite place on Carnaby Street. A bunch of boutique shops and found one bathroom and a drinking fountain. There was an old English style red phone booth containing an unspeakable object on the floor inside, good conversation piece for the rest of my trip. Welcome to London.

One of my absolute favorite places to shop when in London. I'll never pass up a chance to trek down…read moreto Carnaby street as the shopping and dining options are elite. For any one of my friends traveling into London I always recommend veering off a little to Carnaby. Over the years some shops have come and go but some of my favorites remain open. I'm a huge Great Frog lover and their shop is nearby, also for us rock n rollers I can't help stopping into The Rolling Stones Uk store. Lots of major branded stores but also cute local vendors and stores. It's a very walkable street and safe. Plenty busy so come earlier in the day to beat the crowds. Another pro tip is catching a reservation at dishshoom down here as I've found it easier to snag a reservation here than at their other locations. Plenty of dining options though and local stalls like Starbucks and Joe & the juice. It's a touristy street of shops but I love it - definitely bookmark this area on your must shop / see list when on this side of town.

We enjoyed our week stay in Covent Garden. We took full advantage of the Covent Garden Market,…read morevisiting in several occasions. The Market is picturesque with lovely flower carts by the entrances. Historically, Covent Gardens were the gardens for the convent. Today, the beautiful enclosed market hosts various vendors that change regularly. The market is a great way to connect with locals. We went to the market four times during our visit. On Sundays, various art vendors set up and we visited with a local fossil dealer and purchased a couple fossils. We loved our dinner in one of the nearby cafes. On Mondays, antique dealers set up and sell various treasures. My husband bought me a vintage bracelet. We also watched a quintet play in the atrium. We found a few reasonably priced souvenirs to take home for gifts. Plenty of great restaurants surround the Market. We ate at several places and enjoyed our meals. The Market always seems to be new and people were friendly.

Covent Garden is an area in West End with a collection of shops and restaurants. This is considered…read moreto be in the city of Westminster. All of the shops are high-end, luxury. Think Rodeo Drive in London. It's a fun area to visit and check out all of the amazing offerings that most probably can never afford lol. Another must-see for hitting tourist areas in the West End.

This was such a fun spot! Lots of great eateries from pizza to cocktail bars to pub style fare, the…read morecourtyard was vibrant and casual. Great atmosphere and many choices! The restaurants span three floors, so be sure to look up to see the additional choices before deciding. We loved our visit here and how alive and happy it was.

This is a lovely food court in Soho, near Carnaby street. I visited a restaurant called Paradiso…read morefor a scrumptious burger and coke. I visited on a Tuesday at 4:30pm so it wasn't busy and staff were all very nice and friendly. Kingly court has many different restaurants and is a great hang out place.

THE quintessential aesthetic London department store…read more Harrods is for tourists with a lot of money. Liberty is for anybody with taste. An authentic London shopping experience that offers unique items you can't find elsewhere. A long history of beautiful design in a stunning Tudor-esqu building without a single escalator! (There are elevators) Gorgeous fabric from designers like William Morris. Come here for genuine London products, and for an authentic only-in-London shopping experience.

I was so excited to have the opportunity to visit liberty - with several floors, many offering the…read morewide array of floral materials, and others - perfumery, dining, housewares and haberdashery at premium pricing. While the staff are plenty, they are busier trying to appear busy, rather than assisting guests. I do admit to being somewhat underwhelmed. But for someone, I'm certain that Liberty will check all of their boxes.

Another good trip to this location. They have so many festive items, including; homeware, clothing…read moreand decorations. Great place for stocking stuffers and their bath bombs selection is one of the best! So many to choose from, including Disney and Christmas designs, all either £1 or £1.50! Staff on the floor are a bit useless and unwilling to help but the register staff were pleasant. As always - come early to avoid the crowds!

Your enjoyment or appreciation of this place is going to be entirely dependent on who you are, and…read morewhat your lifestyle is. I am not local (American) but I have lived in London as a young poor 20 something. Primark was a Godsend for me. It's also really interesting now that they have expanded into the states (although not where I live) to come back and see how it has changed. When I lived here and had no money this was my go to for anything trendy, or needed. When I moved back to America quite unexpectedly I went there to stock up on inexpensive suitcases to pack up my life and carry back across the world. Any fast fashion or trendy items, this was my go to. Needed something for my home that didn't need to be high quality, Primark. I got a job at AllSaints a few blocks away and we were supposed to wear their clothes exclusively, but we only got a 60% discount (that's a big discount but still not inexpensive for a college kid) so I got a lot of my work shoes here and they never noticed. Now that I visit as a tourist, it's my go to for things like I need an umbrella that I can leave behind when I go home, or it's raining and I didn't bring my raincoat with me today...or it's colder than what I planned for on this trip so let me stop by and grab a few pieces of layering clothes or a coat. The Disney selection makes me wonder why there isn't a Primark in Orlando (because they get very unique Disney licensed items). If you don't have a big budget or are in need of souvenirs, I also recommend Primark. But if you're looking for a luxury experience, this isn't for you. If you're anti fast fashion, please just skip this. It's busy and loud and sort of a cattle call at the till, but it's great novelty spot. The layout has shed over the years bit it's still a great spot for cheep gifts, replacing broken or lost items and getting an unexpected suitcase for any souvenirs if you are a tourist (my favorite suitcase going on 11 years was £25 from here & yes we got another this most recent trip) 3 stars because I've definitely had some weird experience here over the years but generally if you go in knowing what it is and what to expect, it won't disappoint you.

We came here for the Jellycat store and it was worth it. This is like a large department store with…read moremany brands inside, similar to Harrod's. The location was right in the middle of the action. Specific to JellyCat, they were having the Fish and Chips pop up, which offers limited edition fish and chips related Jellycats, where you interact with the staff as they present it to you with a sticker with your name and a personalized experience. You could make a reservation or just stand in line. We chose to do neither and my daughter got a lemon wedge Jellycat. The line was short and the staff was friendly.

We stopped by Selfridges to pick up a swim suit for the honey, but also ended up dropping into…read moretheir food hall. For the food hall I loved that they had a great selection of so many different types of food and drink. I was able to pick up some sushi and drinks, while the honey got some ramen to-go. I also loved that you could pay at the specific stall you got the food from and did not have to get in line for every single item. In relation to Selfridges' clothing section upstairs, the signage for the sections was poor and we ended up having to ask where the swim area was. Everything was £80 and up so we later ended up going to Primark since it was a little too rich for our blood (DH constantly loses his swim trucks when we travel). All in all, I was glad they were close to our hotel and the food hall definitely gives the nearby Mercado (which was our goto last year) a run for it's money.

I wanted to love Burlington Arcade but their selection just wasn't what I was expecting…read more The shops at Burlington Arcade lean mostly to boutique shoes and suits and jewelry, no scarves or wraps or silk, almost nothing feminine. It felt very much like the focused customer base were men (and gifts they would buy for themselves or their wives) and the selection of the lane offered really showcased that. I still think it's a fun walk through if you're visiting, but I wouldn't go expecting to buy gifts for women outside of jewelry.

Hi-end brands both international and local brands with trendy stuff; specialised niche products on…read moredisplay. Seems very sought after especially during the holiday season. Try visiting if in London at Piccadilly street next time!

Brunswick is located in Russell Square and filled with outdoor dining venues, shops you may be…read morefamiliar with and some small boutiques as well. Grab coffee, pastries, sushi, gluten free goodies, cosmetics, shoes and much much more. The marketplace is large with a gorgeous center space for sitting quietly, enjoying conversation, even people watching in peace. Keep an eye open for the flea market which offers local goods from chocolates to tshirts. ~Christy

The Brunswick Shopping Centre, just under half a mile from London Euston Station and really close…read moreto Russell Square Underground Station is a small shopping complex in Bloomsbury, London, located between Brunswick Square and Russell Square it is a fairly impressive building with impressive adaptations to make it seem more modern than old. I called in here to grab some food before getting the tube nearby to Wembley Stadium, there was a decent range of shops and places to eat, including brands such as Superdrug, Starbucks and Nandos', and a Waitrose store. Other stores here include Sainsbury's Local, Boots and 3, or if you're feeling hungry there is also the likes of itsu and Gourmet Burger Kitchen, the latter I only found out about after leaving it appeared to be hidden in the centre - shame! The entrance to the centre up a ramp which soon converted part into chairs looked quite dangerous, for me it looked like an accident waiting to happen with no clear lighting or signs to show it, which is why I can't help but wonder how this part of the building passed health and safety, which I can only guess is there down to it being grade II listed. A small selection of shops and places to eat and drink in decent surroundings, slightly quieter than getting something perhaps inside the Euston Station (or the square outside), and perhaps somewhere easy and nearby to go ahead of grabbing a train so it certainly is worthy of a solid three-star rating.

My husband and I visited London a few weeks ago as we traveled from the US (Connecticut). On July…read more 16, we sat in a cute coffee shop, we saw everyone passing with these blue bags. Of course being a shopper I had to inquire. They were Fortnum & Mason bags. Of course this was our next stop. As we were perusing the aisles for a good strong breakfast tea we were approached by a tall energetic man who offered to assist us......and assist was an understatement. John B in the red coat gave us THE greatest experience ever in Fortnum & Mason and London. He gave us some history of the store and introduced us to every level of the store. I have to acknowledge each and every person I encountered on this day because you all made it a true London experience and I am forever grateful. John B thank you for your tea knowledge and enthusiasm and as a result, I came for one box of tea and left with three boxes of tea, and a canister of tea. To the beautiful young lady who sold me the box of delicious candy, and was told that great things were coming her way. We then ventured to household items and there was a great presentation and we were convinced we needed the cherry liquor which is delicious. To the young man in the alcohol section, you did a fabulous job describing the beverages and we left with a bottle of pink gin. John B returned and introduced us to the champagne bar and I purchased two bottles of champagne. Again thank you thank you and thank you again for a wonderful experience for us during our travel.

Before leaving London, I had to pop in…read more Starting my day early in the Parlor, I grabbed a small bite. My waiter was most genteel and even brought me a surprise birthday sweet treat! Post-nibbles, I traversed each floor, of course, settling on teas to acquire, for the trip home. F&M has a wide array of teas, some familiar and some which are signature to the brand. The staff are quite eager to assist, and properly demure when doing so. After completing my shopping, it's quite easy to admit that I'm now a tea snob, from this point going forward. LOL

For my kids, this was a highlight of our trip. 7 floors with really well organized and wide…read moreselection of toys. A ton of demonstrations happening with fun staff as well to make it very special. The staff definitely give off a "Disney" vibe. Pricing was a little higher than I'd like to pay, but overall the experience added to it so we bit the bullet and bought a few toys on our trip. It's well worth it for your kids if you want to visit - nothing like it in the US

I heard this was the toy store of all toy stores and it indeed was. There were 7 floors of product,…read moreeach dedicated to a theme. Suitable for all ages. There were many photo opportunities and lots of demonstrations as well. The sales people worked for the store and there was no pressure at all. We were there a little under an hour and discovered many new items. Our kids really enjoyed the lego and Wicked themed areas. There is also a cotton candy machine where you can watch it being made through the glass, all automated. We somehow left without purchasing anything due to our inability to take it back home.