The London Traveler

Shopping on Oxford Street

by Jed on August 29th, 2007

One of the more popular things to do in London is shop, and there are plenty of places to do so. One of the most famous is Oxford Street, a mile-and-a-half-long East-West street that is host to many flagship retail stores.

The Central Line runs below Oxford Street, so there are a variety of stops where you can easily get started. The heart of the shopping district runs from Marble Arch station in the west to Tottenham Court Road station in the east. Between them are Bond Street station and Oxford Circus station.

Key highlights on Oxford Street:

• Selfridges: The legendary department store, which has been at its location for over 100 years.
• HMV: Their flagship music/video store, which is Europe’s largest music shop.
• Waterstone’s: This bookstore chain has their flagship store on the street.
• NikeTown: Nike’s shop can be found right on Oxford Circus, and is huge!
• Marks and Spencer: Their store is directly across the street from Selfridges.

Other stores of interest:

• Department stores: John Lewis, Debenhams, House of Frasier
• Clothes: Zara, Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Gap
• Other: Disney, Adidas, Virgin Megastore, Borders

Oxford Street is very pedestrian-friendly, with huge sidewalks, benches, and lots of cross-walks (zebra-crossings). The street itself is only open to buses and taxis, so public transportation is never a problem. And yes, there are plenty of Starbucks and similar coffee-shops along the whole street to take a break from burning a hole in your wallet.

Bonus tip: If you’re visiting from outside the EU, be sure to take advantage of tax-free shopping! Most stores offer it, and you can save a good amount of money by asking them for the form when you make your purchase. Additional details can be found at the Global Refund website.

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POSTED IN: Great Walks, People Watching, Shopping