Your Ultimate Guide To The World’s Best Shopping Districts

3 min read By eCompareMo on June 27, 2017

For most people, traveling to a new place is an opportunity to go shopping. More than scoring unique finds, the experience of wading through a sea of goods in a foreign land gives one a heightened sense of adventure.

Often, though, lack of planning and time constraints hinder you from getting the best deal when shopping abroad. This often leaves you with no choice but to purchase items from shops next to your hotel or the airport—at a more expensive price of course.

For your next trip, plot your itinerary carefully with this list of the most famous shopping districts in the world and shop with utmost convenience with your HSBC Credit Card. From local handcrafted items to upscale brands, flagship boutiques to flea market stalls for bargaining, these buyers’ meccas won’t disappoint.

USA

Trust American companies to set high standards when it comes to quality and retail experience. Its picturesque districts are also sure to give consumers a taste of the American Dream.

Where to shop

• Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California
  Designer clothes, shoes, and accessories
• Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California
  Vintage merchandise, consignment shops
• Fifth Avenue in New York City, New York
  Designer clothes, shoes, and accessories
• Mercer Street in New York City, New York
  Designer clothes, shoes, and accessories
• Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois
  Designer clothes, shoes, and accessories

Italy and France

Europe may be popularly known as the capital of high-street fashion, but there’s more to it than designer brands and hefty price tags. Italy, for one, is also home to funky street markets and outlet shops of designer brands such as Prada. Shoppers can enjoy retail therapy on its scenic streets even without spending that much on designer de vêtements.

Where to shop

• Via Montenapoleone in Milan
  Designer clothes, shoes, and accessories
• Corso Como in Milan
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise
• Avenue Montaigne in Paris
  Designer clothes, shoes, and accessories
• Rue de Charonne in Paris
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise

Japan

Japan is synonymous with quality and durability—but that’s not everything the shopping experience in the country is about. Japanese stores are neat and well-maintained, and their customer service is hard to match. If you’re looking for a wide range of electronic items, flashy trainers, and everything kawaii, this is the place to be.

Where to shop

• Ginza in Tokyo
  Clothing, toys, dining, general merchandise
• Tachibana-dori in Osaka
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise

Hong Kong

HK has been known as the shopping central in Asia since time immemorial. Aside from flea markets that offer unique finds and affordable items like food and clothing, shoppers can haggle and bargain especially when buying in bulk. It’s also the center of marked down designer fashion brands.

Where to shop

• Ladies’ Market, Mongkok
  Bazaar items, cheap apparel
• Fashion Walk in Causeway Bay
  Designer clothes, shoes, and accessories
• Temple Street Night Market
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise
• Road Central to Banham Strand aka Chop Alley
  Souvenir store and consignment shops

Dubai

Famous for their jaw-dropping cityscape of astounding skyscrapers and skydiving adventure, the free city also offers an A-list shopping experience. Some of the recommended items to purchase in the area are gold, consumer electronics, carpets and shisha sets.

Where to shop

• Dubai Mall in Doha Street
  Designer clothes and apparel, electronics, gold, entertainment, general merchandise
• Mall of the Emirates in Al Barsha
  Designer clothes and apparel, electronics, gold, entertainment, general merchandise

South Korea

Seoul is the soul of the ever-blooming South Korea. Aside from treading the streets for food, you get to snag beauty products as well as fashionable apparels and shoes. You may choose between strolling the designer lane or discovering the flea market stalls anytime.

Where to shop

• Garosu-gil Street in Seoul
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise
• Sinsa-dong in Seoul
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise
• Gangnam-gu in Seoul
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise

Canada

Although online shopping is taking over and reshaping consumer experience, nothing beats the tangible experience. Shopping districts in many areas in Canada not only showcase quality brands, but also vintage stores that offer rare and unique items.

Where to shop

• Queen Street West in Toronto
  Vintage merchandise, clothing, general merchandise
• Inglewood in Calgary
  Vintage merchandise, consignment shops, clothing, general merchandise
• Bloor-Yorkville in Toronto
  Clothing, dining, general merchandise

United Kingdom

The easy and rampant social media sharing made Europe more attractive to shoppers as retail meccas such as the famous Stroget and Bond Street are becoming more popular. These districts known for designer giants, and shoppers are guaranteed to come home with a sense of elegance.

Where to shop

• Bond Street in London
  Designer clothes, shoes, accessories, dining, general merchandise
• Great Marlborough Street in Soho, Central London
  Designer clothes, shoes, accessories, dining, general merchandise
• Dover Street Market in London
  Designer clothes, dining, general merchandise