London Travel Guide (London, England)

Whether it's time or money you've got to burn, London is one big shopper's playground. And although chains and superstores predominate along the high streets, you're still never too far from the kind of oddball, one-off establishment that makes shopping an adventure rather than a chore. From the folie de grandeur that is Harrods to the frantic street markets of the East End, there's nothing you can't find in some corner of the capital.

In the centre of town, Oxford Street is the city's most frantic chain store mecca, and together with Regent Street , which crosses it halfway, offers pretty much every mainstream clothing label you could wish for. Just off Oxford Street, high-end designer outlets line St. Christopher's Place and South Molton Street , and you'll find even pricier designers and jewellers along the very chic Bond Street .

Tottenham Court Road , which heads north from the east end of Oxford Street, is the place to go for electrical goods and furniture and design shops. Charing Cross Road , heading south, is the centre of London's book trade, both new and secondhand. At its north end, and particularly on Denmark Street , you can find music shops selling everything from instruments to sound equipment and sheet music. Soho offers an offbeat mix of sex boutiques, records and silks, while the streets surrounding Covent Garden yield art and design shops, mainstream fashion stores and designer wear.

Just off Piccadilly, St James's is the natural habitat of the quintessential English gentleman, with Jermyn Street in particular harbouring shops dedicated to his grooming. Knightsbridge , further west, is home to Harrods, and the big-name fashion stores of Sloane Street and Brompton Road .