Varanasi
This small NGO shop attached to Vegan & Raw Restaurant sells Italian-designed, locally made clothing, natural cosmetics, baked cookies and organic foods.
Must-see shopping in Asia
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
At the busy Connemara Market (named after a British Madras Presidency governor) vendors sell vegetables, fish, goats, fabric, clothes, spices and much…
Osaka
In the hip Minami-Horie district, this street is lined with fashionable streetwear boutiques. There's more on the side streets (along with plenty of cafes…
Ho Chi Minh City
With two branches in the PNL area, this fun upmarket shop sells exuberant, brightly coloured T-shirts and hoodies, with a quirky Asian and Vietnamese…
Rio Helmi's Photo Gallery & Cafe
Ubud
Noted photographer and Ubud resident Rio Helmi has a small commercial gallery and cafe where you can admire or purchase his journalistic and artistic work.
Nepal
The shop at Shechen Gompa has an on-site workshop that produces painted and embroidered thangkas and incense. The shop also sells Buddhist reference books.
Ho Chi Minh City
Mai Lam is inspired by Vietnamese street style; head here for vibrant, innovative (but pricey) hand-stitched men's and women’s clothing and accessories.
Hat Patong
This massive megamall, right opposite Jung Ceylon, opened in 2018. It's filled with Thai and international brands.
Manila
A conglomeration of art galleries and contemporary furniture showrooms under one roof showcases all that’s chic in the capital’s art and design world.
Singapore
Right above Somerset MRT, 313@Somerset delivers popular, youthful fashion and lifestyle brands, including Billabong, Zara, Forever 21, Cotton On and Typo.
Chennai (Madras)
Quality candles, incense, perfumes, bags and beauty products, made by local village women in Auroville (near Puducherry), using eco-conscious techniques.
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Opposite the palace, Kandiya Heritage sells antiques, reproduction bronzes, brightly painted wooden horses and dolls, old European pottery and jewellery.
Mcleod Ganj
Down steps beside the Branch Security Office, this cooperative sells appealing handmade, recycled paper products, organic peanut butter, tahini and more.
Osaka
This vast store sells everything related to cameras, electronics and computers at competitive prices. It's a good spot to pick up a travel SIM card, too.
Mae Sot
Every Saturday evening the small street by the police station is closed to traffic, and in its place are vendors selling handicrafts, clothes and food.
Hoi An
Stylish boutique run by a European fashion designer that stocks fab off-the-peg dresses, blouses, shoes and accessories (including great hats and bags).
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
There's a selection of over 100,000 titles here including comics, illustrated books, pop-cultural-idol books and cosplay (costume play) titles.
Kuala Lumpur
One of four branches of this Japanese department store in the city; this one is notable for its excellent basement food hall and 4th-floor restaurants.
Tashkent
Has simple maps of Tashkent, Uzbekistan and most provincial centres, plus better 1:450,000 maps of most provinces published by Ozbekiston Viloyatlari.
Taipei
In a restored long shophouse from 1913, this exceptional ceramic studio carries the Hakka Blue brand, inspired by the indigo colour of Hakka clothing.
Ho Chi Minh City
Non-touristy local market worth browsing for inexpensive clothes and cheap street eats. Tons of fresh fruit and veg are traded here on a daily basis.
Jakarta
A hectic old-school mall with spotty air-con but enough textiles to blanket the city. Plunge into the narrow aisles between the polychromatic stalls.
Gujarat & Diu
At this Baroda Prints branch you can see printers at work upstairs, then buy the finished product downstairs.
Southern Taiwan
This little family-run shop opened in the 1930s making traditional Hakka-style indigo clothing and accessories. A loose-fitting shirt costs NT$3000.
Mumbai (Bombay)
This small Khar (W) shop in a residential building sources artistic bric-a-brac like hand-painted tiffin and cutting chai carries from around India.
Chiang Mai
A rambling shop along 'book alley' (Th Chang Moi Kao), with a good selection of English-language guidebooks and stacks of crime and thriller novels.
Pakse
This modern market sells mostly discount clothing, much of which are brand-name knock-offs, of course, but a few shops stock Lao skirts and fabrics.
Temple of the Eight Immortals Antique Market
Xi'an
A small antique market sells its wares by the Temple of the Eight Immortals on Sunday and Wednesday mornings.
Bangkok
Suits at this tailor to Thailand’s royalty and elite don’t come cheap and the cuts can be somewhat conservative, but the quality is unsurpassed.
Ko Tao
Principally selling wine, this enterprising shop feeds expat palates imported coffee, cheese, cold cuts and other desirable gastronomic necessities.
Hong Kong
Wu Lai-fan’s very wearable dresses are a clever mix of vintage-style fabric and 1980s silhouettes. The shop also carries some of her own designs.
Hiroshima
A large department store in central Hiroshima, with mostly designer fashion but also homewares, food and big brands such as Muji and Tower Records.
Nha Trang
Casual clothing from natural materials (like bamboo and raw cotton) for men, women and kids. Many have Vietnamese motifs and prices are affordable.
Bikaner
Opposite Hotel Sagar, about 2km north of Junagarh, this is a conventional crafts emporium, with a good stock of silverware, textiles and paintings.
Hoi An
Hoi An is bustling with tailors; get something made up to order here. Traveller feedback is very positive. A Dong Silk has three branches in town.
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Connected to Shinjuku Station (enter from the east exit), this Lumine (there are several) stocks trendy and youthful fashion and cosmetics brands.
East Bali
This textile factory is located at the western end of town on the main Ubud road. It has a large showroom where you can buy material by the metre.
Beijing
Taiwanese bicycle brand Giant stocks a decent range of bikes starting at around ¥1000, as well as accessories like helmets, locks and baby seats.
Gangtok
This reasonably well stocked outdoors shop sells hiking and camping equipment, including trekking sticks, umbrellas and various sizes of backpack.
- placement: fullWidth
- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
- possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
- targeting:
{ "position": "superzone" }
