Even in the best of times, shopping in London can be overwhelming.
However, selecting the perfect souvenir to remind you of your holiday may be a hassle, the kind of thing you want to do in 20 minutes but end up nagging at you for the duration of your trip.
To assist you, we’ve created this guide to shopping London’s affordable souvenirs, so you can locate what you’re searching for without spending more time and money than you want to.
Contents
1. Food and drink
Food and drink from London Borough Market offer a wide variety of British foods to take home as gifts.
Tea is frequently considered the most British of passions. Join in and relive the memories back home with your own buy. It’s also portable and lightweight.
Teas other than English Breakfast are becoming increasingly popular, however when you ask for tea in the UK, it is assumed that you want English Breakfast with milk.
Some of our favorite recommendations:
- Grocery shops
- Twinings, Yorkshire Tea
- Fortnum & Mason’s Luxury Tea
- The boxed loose tea from Whittard of Chelsea
2. Housewares
A London tea set is a traditional British souvenir. Teas and tea sets, including limited edition items, are available at Fortnum & Mason.
If you’re looking for a classic Wedgwood tea set, look in higher-end department stores.
3. Biscuits
British biscuits go well with tea, and few people would pass up the opportunity to pair their tea with a biscuit, so consider purchasing some of these items to bring back home.
Some of the traditional local biscuits are readily accessible in supermarkets at reasonable costs. Go to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer’s, or Waitrose to find many of these biscuits.
A few of the local favorites:
- Milk chocolate-covered Hobnobs
- Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers
- Custard Creams
- Jammie Dodgers
- Digestives
- Shortbread biscuits
- Dark chocolate and orange Jaffa Cakes
4. London Chocolate
Without a doubt, chocolate is an excellent treat, gift, and souvenir from London. The British are well-known for producing delectable sweets and chocolate.
It is also far superior to what Americans must put up with and is always welcomed in the United States. Cadburys British chocolate is no longer sold in the United States.
What about ordinary Cadbury? It began in 1824 as a grocer’s business in Birmingham and has since grown to become one of the most well-known chocolate companies in the United Kingdom.
Although Cadbury chocolate can be purchased all over the world, the recipe is frequently changed internationally, thus the genuine article can only be obtained from the United Kingdom.
Find your favorite at the grocery or newsstand. Consider the brands Aero, Dairy Milk, Roses, and Milk Tray.
Depending on your budget here are other recommendations for local chocolate souvenirs:
Mid-range:
- Hotel Chocolat (recommended)
- Thorntons
Gourmet:
- Dark Sugars
- Paul A Young Fine Chocolates
- Prestat
High-end gourmet:
- Alain Ducasse
- William Curley
5. British clothing
There are a number of choices for clothing souvenirs in London. Here are a few of them:
- Barbour’s British country clothing
- Suits from famed Savile Row.
- A Burberry trench coat from their Regent Street shop.
- A hat or fascinator: You can find fascinators and hats in most London department stores. For a unique experience, visit a couture hat maker like Stephen Jones Millinery or a traditional hat maker like Lock & Co Hatters in St James’.
- Football gear: Items such as popular tees of Chelsea and Manchester United can be purchased in stores on Oxford Street and elsewhere in London. You may also buy products from your favorite team at the arena’s gift store.
6. Perfume
London is well-known for its perfume. Miller Harris and Harrods are both excellent places to begin.
Les Senteurs, the city’s oldest independent fragrance, is the place to go if you want to buy fancy perfume.
Penhaligons sells excellent little sets that are convenient to transport in your luggage.
7. London antiques
The Portobello Road Market is the largest antique market in the world. There are almost a thousand traders here who sell almost everything.
If vintage clothes are your thing, Brick Lane’s Vintage Market offers it.
8. London Underground
For London Underground antiques, visit the London Transport Museum. While you can get London Underground souvenirs everywhere, the London Transport Museum has the best all-in-one assortment. You also don’t have to pay museum admission to look at the gifts.
In Covent Garden, you’ll find the London Transport Museum.
9. Books from famous London bookstores
There are so many fantastic bookshops in London that it’s difficult to know where to begin.
Stanfords in Convent Garden is one of the best and the oldest. It was founded in 1853 and is the world’s largest map and travel retailer. It’s the ideal spot for travelers looking for a London keepsake, with globes, travel fiction, trip guides, diaries, journals, and even personalized maps printed to order.
The Foyles and Daunt Books are both excellent options. There are a number of sites, including Foyles on Charing Cross Road and Daunt Books in Marylebone.
Hatchards is also London’s oldest bookstore and is a good bet.
10. Christmas gifts from London
If you happen to be in London during the holiday season, Christmas gifts make excellent souvenirs.
Many Christmas markets, including the Greenwich Christmas Market, Southbank Centre Christmas Market, and Christmas in Leicester Square, are open for the holiday season.
Harrods’ Christmas World starts around the end of October and is an electric visit loaded with Christmas pleasure. Another excellent option is Selfridges.
Liberty, 307-year-old Fortnum & Mason, family-run Marby & Elm in Exmouth Market, the fashionable Conran Shop, the Tate Modern Gift Shop, and the absolutely quaint Benjamin Pollock’s Toy Shop all provide a lovely assortment of Christmas-related presents.
It’s impossible to mention all of the stores that have excellent Christmas displays and products.
Hays Galleria is the only all-year-round Christmas store we could discover.
11. Art
London is a bustling metropolis with a thriving art culture. Backyard Markets is a fantastic place to start, although there are several galleries across the city.
A print from the National Gallery is a cheap option for a London art keepsake