If you’re visiting London, you may find yourself wanting to do a bit of shopping or dining in the midst of seeing all the museums and famous landmarks the city has to offer. To that end, you’ll need to know some of London’s most famous streets where you can find any number of entertainment and modern London amenities. These streets are filled with restaurants, high-end shops, pubs, attractions, and more. We’ve included ten of our favorites below, and if you’d like to add any, you can share them with us in the comments.
Carnaby Street
Our first entry was *the* place to be in the 1960s, when it was home to a number of swinging shops that fueled the fashion of the counterculture. Today, you can still find many independent and trendy clothing boutiques and a number of great restaurants.
Kings Road
Once a private royal road for King Charles II to travel to Kew Palace, the Kings Road today is a major public thoroughfare. It’s also the top shopping district in Chelsea with retailers from BOSS to John Lewis found here.
Bond Street
If you’re looking for a high-end shopping experience, Bond Street is the place for you. Bond St is home to plenty of luxury brands, from Cartier to Louis Vuitton. It may not be quite as long as our next entry, but that may be a blessing to your bank account.
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is where you want to go if you desire to make some great brand purchases. Up and down the street, you’ll find everything from Marks and Spencer to Adidas. Come Christmas, Oxford Street is also home to one of the best holiday light displays in the city.
Regent Street
After you’re done on Oxford Street, you can hop over to Regent Street, which runs perpendicular to Oxford and is another great shopping location. Regent Street offers a wonderful mix of shopping opportunities, from big brands such as H&M and Burberry to retail institutions such as Liberty and Hamleys Toy Shop.
The Strand
Certainly one of the most picturesque streets in this piece, the Strand gets its name from being located close to the River Thames, which you can glance in-between the buildings that line it. You’ll find some of London’s oldest and most famous attractions on the Strand including the Adelphi Theater, restaurant Simpson’s-on-the-Strand, the Savoy Hotel, and Somerset House.
Savile Row
If you need something bespoke (that means custom-made), Savile Row is home to some of the best tailors in the city. You can also find the former home of the Beatles’ Apple Records (marked by a blue plaque), where the Fab Four delivered their famous rooftop concert in 1969.
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is one of the most cinematic streets on this list, and not just because it was featured in Bedknobs and Broomsticks as well as Notting Hill. Portobello Road is lined with colorfully-painted houses and is home to the famous Protobello Rd Market. You’ll also find the famous Blue Door from Richard Curtis’s film and the great movie house known as the Electric Cinema here.
Brick Lane
Brick Lane is a wonderful mixture of dining and shopping. If you’re looking for an off-brand, vintage, or alternative clothing options, Brick Lane has plenty of shops that will cater to your inner hipster. It’s also quite well-known for a wide selection of Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants.
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is not only a great location for shops, restaurants, and hotels, but it’s also home to one of the city’s best-known landmarks. Piccadilly Circus is a great meeting point for the start of your exploration of this street and some of London’s oldest shops, including Hatchards bookstore and well-known grocer Fortnum & Mason.
Author: John Rabon
John is a regular writer for Anglotopia and its sister websites. He is currently engaged in finding a way to move books slightly to the left without the embarrassment of being walked in on by Eddie Izzard. For any comments, questions, or complaints, please contact the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's haircut.