One thing I will always do when visiting a place/country is to visit their food halls or food…read moremarkets. This was part of our walking food tour, and their claim to fame other than dating back to 1321, is being featured in Harry Potter as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. But you should definitely visit for their variety of bars and pubs plus other shops & weekend markets (check their website for details). Great spot to visit anytime but especially if it's raining since it is a mostly covered venue.

Went here because it was in a Harry Potter movie and to admire the amazing architecture. It's one…read moreof the oldest markets in London dating from the 14th century. We went on a Saturday, but if you're there for the shops, they're open during the work week. Even then, there were still a lot of people there. We didn't stay long, mainly just took some photos and left.

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.

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.

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.

I was looking for a free rooftop view of London and learned about this place from YouTube travel…read morevideos. It does not disappoint. All you have to do is find the elevator and go to the highest level, and since the elevator is mostly glass, you can get amazing views of St. Paul's Cathedral just on the way up. When we went around 10am on a Saturday in late August, there was barely anyone there. Maybe it was a combination of it still being early and not that many people knowing about it. It's also only about a 3 minute walk from St. Paul's Cathedral which you can get amazing views of from the rooftop as well as other notable sites like The Shard and The London Eye. And since it's outside with low panes of glass, you can take unobstructed photos. You can even get amazing shots on the ground floor because of the contrast between old vs. modern architecture.

Spectacular view of St Paul and surroundings from the rooftop terrace. There is a glass elevator to…read morethe 6th floor of this new office building shopping center that takes one to this hidden gem of a place. On a clear day the views are awesome of St Paul's Cathedral Dome and the rest of London. One can distinguish several key buildings and landmarks from above.

This was such a cute shopping center in the city. Loved walking around to see all the holiday…read moredecorations and lovely businesses. We sat for a drink under the heaters just to take a little break from exploring and walking all day. It was lovely.

Stumbled across Hay's Galleria with a holiday market while visiting in December 2024 which led to…read moreone of my favorite pop-up adventures out there. This holiday market was so nice and definitely a bit more upscale and organized compared to others. My favorite park was the ski lodge bar that was smack dab in the center. They had a full bar and it felt like you were in a small ski town. It's fairly small where you could enjoy a complete walk within twenty to thirty minutes, but it was very aesthetically pleasing. Curious what it looks like outside the holiday season.

The selection in the TK Maxx's I visited in London was terrible. Way too much Tommy Hilfiger and…read morecheap stuff made in China; not enough high quality merchandise, especially with regard to footwear and handbags. Most of the footwear and handbags was cheap vinyl crap made in China. The stores are incredibly cramped. They are understaffed as well.

Selection was enormous. Service was a little off. Great value on their clothing. There was at…read moreleast three floors to choose merchandise.

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.

Went here on Saturday, I was greeted by friendly staff, and they were very polite. The store is…read morewell laid out. Lots of different brands available and there is a good range of sizes. I found some lovely boots that are hard to find in other stores. I will definitely be shopping here again soon.

This place was so cool! There are tons of vintage shops around Brick Lane, but there's one specific…read moreone that's pictured in a lot of reviews (I didn't take any pictures). It's huge underground area full of vintage shops! The prices were a little too pricey for me, but the best part was the food! There's a whole street food market in that area that serves all kinds of foods, drinks, and desserts. This was where I had the best mango sticky rice I've had in a long time! Strongly recommend checking this place out!

This is an interesting part of London. There are a lot of cafes and eateries with multicultural…read moreofferings. There is shopping, street art and a lot to take in. We rode Santander bikes to Brick Lane and spent the afternoon exploring.

Harrod's is a London icon and a premier luxury department store and it is a shoppers dream. This…read morestore is massive and its known for the fabulous food hall, extravagant luxury goods, and it attracts roughly 15 million visitors per year. Harrod's also features a afternoon tea in The Georgian and it costs about $96.00 US dollars per person. We were here many years ago but I still remember the experience. It was very busy inside and we walked around for a couple of hours just looking and taking in all the beautiful products that were for sale. The architecture of the store is a stunning. We bought some souvenirs, and I also bought a purse and wallet while visiting. We loved taking pics with the life size Harrod bears. I had never been in such a majestic and exquisite store seeing so many luxury items. This store is definitely geared towards the elite and uber rich but we still managed to have a really good time. Service was ample although most of the employees we encountered were very busy hustling to locate items for anxious shoppers. A must visit while you are in London, just don't drop all your cash here.

You feel like you are in a different world when you step inside Harrods. A luxury mall with a great…read morefood hall, a Prada cafe, they make their own chocolate in the chocolate hall, and every name brand you can think. Our first stop was the dry bar. We have plenty of these back in the states but I had never been to one before, so It's pretty exciting for to me to say that my first dry bar experience was in Harrods in London! I tend to stay away from blow-dry places because not everyone can blow-dry thick curly hair. Kezia was the stylist and she was great!! She was so funny, paid close attention to detail, and this was one of the best blow-drys I have ever gotten! Next, we stopped at Burberry. She was wonderful, poise, and so knowledgeable about the brand. My husband loves his wallet. We then stopped at Louis Vuitton for a perfume. No one attended to us and it felt like they were judging us based on how we looked. Five employees walked right past us and not a single one acknowledged us. Finally someone did and when we asked her what the notes in the perfume were she googled it on her phone. Our shopping day wasn't complete without buying some sweets from the chocolate hall. Every type of chocolate you can think of is sold here and delicious taste!