Mumbai (Bombay)
One of Mumbai's most frenetic and fascinating, Bhuleshwar Market is an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink-type shopping thoroughfare hoarding everything from…
Must-see shopping in Asia
Hong Kong
In an area spoilt for choice with independent fashion, this contemporary Hong Kong brand stands out with its wearable clothing and reasonable prices…
Sikkim
A popular stop for those driving the circuitous Rinchenpong–Reshi road, this hillside farm is delight to behold – a controlled chaos of flowers, hanging…
Handicrafts & Handloom Emporium
Gangtok
This government initiative teaches marketable crafts in workshops at Zero Point, along with a warehouse-sized 'emporium' selling its products.
Queen’s Road West Incense Shops
Hong Kong
At 136–150 Queen's Rd West, there are shops selling incense and paper offerings for the dead. The latter are burned to propitiate departed souls and the…
Phuket
One of the best collections of traditional Southeast Asian art in Thailand, this multilevel, museum-quality showroom displays a 3m Buddha encrusted with…
Hualien
Semiprecious stones, made into anything from tiny brooches to 500kg jade dragons, are sold from this photogenic series of stalls set in a small garden…
Thanon Sukhumvit
A self-proclaimed 'lifestyle concept store', Another Story is probably more accurately described as an engaging assemblage of cool stuff. Even if you're…
Pyongyang
The best-stocked bookshop in the city, this place is nearly always visited by groups, who can choose from a vast range of North Korean books translated…
Singapore
An oasis of independent clothing labels, Threadbare & Squirrel stocks quirky accessories, individualistic clothing and artisan jewellery. Look out for…
Kochi (Cochin)
A world of soothing pinks, greys and oranges, Niraamaya sells ‘ayurvedic’ clothing, accessories, homewares and yoga mats – all made of organic cotton,…
Thimphu
This place has two floors of souvenirs from across Bhutan and further afield. The best buys here are larger items such as bamboo boxes, burl-wood dhapa …
Chinatown & the CBD
Climb the stairs to this tiny, welcoming gallery for works by emerging contemporary Singaporean and Asian artists. While painting is the gallery's focus,…
Delhi
This long-standing outdoor shopping complex – opened in the 1970s and known locally as Priya, after the cinema here – includes India's first-ever McDonald…
Little India & Kampong Glam
Little India's bustling Mustafa Centre is a magnet for bargain hunting shoppers. It's a sprawling maze-like place, selling everything from electronics and…
Hong Kong
This Běijīng import brings traditional Chinese culture to life in the form of handmade polymer clay and cloth figurines – and it's actually a lot cooler…
Hong Kong
This attractive shop carries stylish, multifunctional urbanwear and accessories with European and Japanese influences. The clothes are created by local…
Downtown Kyoto
For all your high-end fashion and homeware needs, the chic and elegant BAL department store is the place to go. You’ll find designer fashion, botanical…
Ko Samui
Named after the famous Brit who rejuvenated the Thai silk industry, this is a great shop to pick up a special gift. Prices are designer level, but then so…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
The sheer amount of gadgets and goods this store has on display is amazing. Just be sure that an English operating manual is available for your purchases…
West Timor
A Rotenese musical-instrument workshop run by Pak Pah and his family, featuring traditional 32-stringed harps called sasandu, crafted from young palm leaf…
Ko Samui
With a selection several notches above most of the tat for sale along Chaweng Beach Rd, this store sells elegant jewellery, fashioned from gold, silver…
Osaka
Nominally a DIY and homewares chain, Tokyū Hands is Japan's favourite place to browse for items you probably didn't need but will end up loving. It's…
Yangon
Anchoring a business tower and hotel complex opened in 2016, this five-floor shopping mall is the place to go if you're in search of bland international…
Macau
A small delicatessen selling Portuguese gin, including 'the world's first' red gin and liquor in pastéis de nata (egg tart) flavour. This is also the…
Luang Prabang
Photographer and film-maker Adri Berger's compositions of rural Laos capture that honeyed afternoon light like no one else. His ochre-walled gallery-cum…
Kaohsiung
Who says pens and erasers are obsolete? All the kinds of stationery that a kid has ever dreamed of owning – you'll find them here, including retro items…
Lucknow
For the best handicrafts in town head for this collection of fabrics and handmade designer clothes made by NGOs from across India, alongside modern crafts…
Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay
From Miu Miu pumps and Prada frocks to Boggi Milano blazers, this sprawling temple of aspiration gives credit cards a thorough workout. Despite being one…
Myanmar (Burma)
Parasols are made in workshops scattered across the northern part of Pathein. This family-run workshop is particularly welcoming and they'll show you how…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Naga crafts, including shawls, jewellery and 'face' necklaces (typical to headhunting tribes such as the Konyak) are available at this well-stocked but…
Bangkok
As soon as you step through the doors of this museum-like shop, the earthy smell of dried grass and stained wood rushes to meet you. Rattan, yahn lí·pow …
Tokyo
The shelves of this small antiques shop are stacked with ceramics from the early Shōwa period (昭和; 1926–89), through Taishō (大正; 1912–26) and Meiji (明治;…
Tashi Gongphel Bhutanese Paper
Paro
This showroom has products ranging from notebooks and cards to sheets of wrapping paper, all created from Bhutanese paper, traditionally made from either…
Dhaka
Dhaka's best bookstore (with seven outlets across the city) stocks a good range of Asian and international bestsellers. There's a good line of magazines…
Northern Bangkok
For a fun and light-hearted evening featuring copious amounts of food, booze and cheap shopping, consider a visit to Talat Rot Fai, one of Bangkok's most…
Patan
Near the Kumbeshwar Temple in the backstreets of Patan, this small workshop provides disadvantaged low-caste families (primarily the pode or…
Dhaka
This street in Old Dhaka, and the adjoining Kazi Alauddin Rd, is the place to buy rickshaw parts, rickshaw art or even rickshaws themselves. The art is…
Delhi
Anokhi specialises in block-print clothes and homewares, showcasing traditional designs with a modern design sensibility. There are also branches at the…
Mae Sot
This long-running shop sells arts and crafts made by refugee and ethnic-minority women; the profits go back into a women’s collective and a child…
