One of the subjects I get asked the most about, both on my blog, on all of my channels on social media as well as on YouTube it’s about London Shopping. It’s obvious that I’m a huge fan of shopping and, while the majority times, I prefer shopping on the internet, there’s a distinct satisfaction that comes from shopping at the top stores we’re abundant in London. The most popular spot to visit to go on a shopping spree can be found on Oxford Street, it’s Europe’s largest shopping district with over an equidistant mile of shops. In this blog post, I’ll share my complete guide to the famous Oxford Street shopping district!
Where to go and How to get there!
The first thing to consider is how do you find it! There are four main tube stations along Oxford Street; Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus as well as Tottenham Court Road. I would suggest stopping at Oxford Circus because then you are in the middle of the shopping district! The tube will take you into a very crowded crossing road, and no matter if you go either way you’ll find yourself in the midst of Flagship shops.
It’s likely that you’ll leave the station and find yourself in the massive Topshop flagship stores, with three floors of fashionable and fashionable styles , regular DJ events, as well as other events like Live Catwalks taking place in the this store, it’s definitely one to visit. One of my top locations to find inexpensive and stylish furniture items is the Home section of H&M located a bit farther down Oxford Street toward Tottenham Court Road There are marble coasters, copper crockery and more!
Additionally, along Oxford Street you’ll find plenty of department stores. My most favorite of them is Selfridges that provides the most amazing shopping experience! Don’t miss the enormous Beauty Hall on the ground floor , and then make your way to the street fashion section at the top of level 3.
Where do you go for R&R
Let’s face it, shopping is tiring and, while I’m in love with the ‘Shop until you drop’ philosophy I also like to ensure that I’m well-hydrated and well-nourished during my shopping spree. You can take a short stroll of Oxford Street into the buzzing SoHo area to take an afternoon coffee at Cafe Nespresso. It is located on 32 Broadwick Street, the cafe is the perfect spot to not just enjoy the traditional cup of coffee and food too. Based on the time of time you stop by there, you can choose to take advantage of anything from a freshly-picked fruit platter, or a croissant for breakfast to delicious delicatessen plates of cured meats , or an energizing salad to eat lunch. I typically find myself in the cafe towards the afternoon, and, depending on my mood I’ll go for fresh baguettes (they offer a wide variety, but my favorite is the coronation chicken!) or maybe one of their cakes. I would recommend the Pistachio cake , or homemade macaroons!
In addition to the delicious snacks, I often get a craving for an espresso during my shopping. So whether I choose to have a break and enjoy Cafe Nespresso Cafe Nespresso or even take one with me, you can imagine, the coffee menu is large! Since I am a fan of making myself Nespresso drinks at home, we always attempt to find something new whenever I go to the Cafe and, during my last visit I had their After Eight Espresso and my favorite on hot summer days would be the Hazelnut Iced Macchiato. Actually, there are over 25 distinct and original coffee combinations that are made right before your eye by the coffee maestros! When you visit you can also buy additional Nespresso capsules for your home machine with the Nespresso Cube which is an automated self-service robot machine that prepares personalized capsules in only two minutes!
Do Not Miss The Following Streets…
After a good workout and energized, you can explore the streets around Oxford Street. After a visit to Café Nespresso Cafe Nespresso you can weave your way through SoHo and then Carnaby Street which is where you’ll discover additional boutiques, ranging across British lifestyle brands like Jack Wills, to the brand that combines fashion and fitness, which is the brand new Sweaty Betty flagship (there’s even a fitness studio down in the basement if you choose to burn off some of those calories from lunch!). The top of Carnaby Street is the iconic department store Liberty And don’t be a fool to snap that important picture in front of the shop’s stunning flower display!
Regent Street is another unmissable shopping district, you can walk to it after you’ve visited Liberty (it’s only 30 seconds from the Liberty station!) You’ll also find more stunning stores including flagship designer stores like the enormous Burberry store along with the minimum of two Zara stores, as well as a special Zara home store, as well as the best high-end shops such as Karen Millen Ted Baker, Reiss, J Crew and more. In the middle of Regent Street you’ll find Piccadilly Circus which is another must-see when you’re new to London!
It could sound overwhelming it’s not, and there’s many locations to explore and Oxford Street shops to discover, but it’s pretty simple to navigate your way around. And every store is close together on the two or three streets (as contrast to shopping in New York for example where some of the best shops are located on street edges!) This means you won’t lose out on the best stores by sticking to the main streets.