London Shopping

Opening hours for central London shops are generally Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 6pm, although some stay open later, especially on Thursdays. Many are now open on Sundays, although hours tend to be shorter, from around noon to 5pm. The cheapest time to shop is during one of the two annual sale seasons , centred on January and July, when prices can be slashed by up to fifty percent. Credit cards are almost universally accepted by shops. Always keep your receipts: whatever the shop may tell you, the law allows a full refund or replacement on purchases which turn out to be faulty.

Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly, W1 Tube: Green Park or Piccadilly Circus.
Beautiful and eccentric store featuring heavenly ceiling murals, gilded cherubs, chandeliers and fountains as a backdrop to its perfectly English offerings. Justly famed for its fabulous, gorgeously presented and pricey food, plus upmarket clothes, furniture and stationery.

Harrods
Knightsbridge, SW1; Tube: Knightsbridge.
Put an afternoon aside to visit this enduring landmark of quirks and pretensions, most notable for its fantastic Art Nouveau tiled food hall, obscenely huge toy department, and supremely tasteless memorial to Diana and Dodi in the basement. Wear jeans and you may fail the rigorous dress code for entry.

Harvey Nichols
109-125 Knightsbridge; Tube: Knightsbridge.
All the latest designer collections on the scarily fashionable first floor, where the shop assistants look better dressed than most of the customers. The cosmetics department is equally essential, while the food hall offers famously frivolous and pricey luxuries.

John Lewis
278-306 Oxford St, W1 020/7629 7711;  Tube: Oxford Circus.
Famous for being "never knowingly undersold", this reliable institution can't be beaten for basics, from buttons to stockings to rugs, along with reasonably priced and well-made clothes, furniture and household goods. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, too.

Liberty
210-220 Regent St, W1; Tube: Oxford Circus.
This fabulous and rather regal emporium of luxury is most famous for its fabrics and accessories, but is also building an excellent reputation for both mainstream and new fashion. The perfume, cosmetics and household departments are good, too.

Marks & Spencer
458 Oxford St, W1; Tube: Marble Arch.
The flagship store of this British institution offers a huge range of well-made own-brand clothes (the lingerie selection is fancier than in local branches), food, homeware and furnishings.

Selfridges
400 Oxford St, W1 tel 020/7629 1234. Tube: Bond Street.
This huge, airy mecca of clothes, food and furnishings was London's first great department store, and remains one of its best, with a fashionable menswear department and a solid womenswear floor; the food hall is impressive, too.