Culture Atlas Explore the world of culture culture-atlas.com Culture Atlas
← Shops in Europe
Shops · Europe

Top 20 shops in United Kingdom

20 shops worth a visit in United Kingdom, from grand department stores and markets to historic specialists and local makers.

20 shops

  1. 1
    Department store

    Harrods

    London

    Knightsbridge department store in a terracotta Edwardian building, famed for its Food Halls.

  2. 2
    Historic shop

    Fortnum & Mason

    London

    Piccadilly grocer founded in 1707, known for its hampers, teas and royal warrants.

  3. 3
    Department store

    Liberty London

    London

    Department store in a 1920s mock-Tudor building built from ships' timbers, famous for its printed fabrics.

  4. 4
    Market

    Borough Market

    London

    Historic food market beside London Bridge, trading on or near the site for around a thousand years.

  5. 5
    Department store

    Selfridges

    London

    Oxford Street department store opened by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1909, noted for its window displays.

  6. 6
    Shopping street & arcade

    Burlington Arcade

    London

    Covered Regency shopping arcade of 1819 off Piccadilly, still patrolled by uniformed beadles.

  7. 7
    Antiques & vintage

    Portobello Road Market

    London

    Notting Hill street market best known for its Saturday antiques stalls and vintage dealers.

  8. 8
    Books & music

    Hatchards

    London

    Piccadilly bookshop founded in 1797, London's oldest surviving bookseller.

  9. 9
    Historic shop

    Lock & Co. Hatters

    London

    St James's hat shop trading since 1676, credited with creating the bowler hat.

  10. 10
    Historic shop

    James Smith & Sons

    London

    Umbrella and walking-stick shop founded in 1830, with a preserved Victorian shopfront on New Oxford Street.

  11. 11
    Market

    St George's Market

    Belfast

    Victorian covered market hosting weekend food, craft and antiques markets in central Belfast.

  12. 12
    Market

    Kirkgate Market

    Leeds

    One of Europe's largest covered markets, where Marks & Spencer began as a penny bazaar stall.

  13. 13
    Shopping street & arcade

    Victoria Quarter

    Leeds

    Ornate Victorian arcades designed by Frank Matcham, with a stained-glass roof over County Arcade.

  14. 14
    Shopping street & arcade

    The Shambles

    York

    Narrow medieval street of overhanging timber-framed buildings, once lined with butchers' shops.

  15. 15
    Shopping street & arcade

    Royal Arcade

    Cardiff

    Cardiff's oldest arcade, opened in 1858, part of the city's network of Victorian and Edwardian arcades.

  16. 16
    Market

    Cardiff Market

    Cardiff

    Victorian covered market hall with a glass roof, selling local produce such as laverbread and Welsh cakes.

  17. 17
    Books & music

    Barter Books

    Alnwick

    Large second-hand bookshop in Alnwick's former Victorian railway station, with a model railway overhead.

  18. 18
    Food & drink

    Bettys Café Tea Rooms

    Harrogate

    Swiss-Yorkshire tea rooms and bakery founded in 1919, known for its cakes and Fat Rascals.

  19. 19
    Food & drink

    Valvona & Crolla

    Edinburgh

    Italian delicatessen and wine merchant on Elm Row, trading in Edinburgh since 1934.

  20. 20
    Fashion & design

    Afflecks

    Manchester

    Northern Quarter emporium of independent stalls selling alternative fashion, vintage clothing and curios.

An editorial selection by Culture Atlas. Shops move, change hands and change their opening hours, so please check before you go. Map buttons open Google Maps and review buttons a Google search. Availability varies by country. Favourite counts and comments are visible to other visitors. Sign in to keep your favourites in My Atlas.