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Greenwich Market
None of its arts and crafts, antiques or collectables are particularly earth-shattering, and this is probably not the sort of market you should race to Greenwich for. However, while you're here it's pointless not to have a quick browse, including in the speciality stores around the boundary.
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Haggle Vinyl
Old vinyl records of many musical flavours are crammed into the shelves and into boxes on the floor in this cult record store.
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Hamleys
Reportedly the largest toy store in the world and certainly the most famous, Hamleys is like a layer cake of playthings. Computer games are in the basement, with the latest playground trends at ground level. Science kits are on the 1st floor, preschool toys on the 2nd, girls' playthings on the 3rd, model cars on the 4th, while the whole confection is topped off with Lego world and its café on the 5th floor.
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Harrods
It's garish and stylish at the same time, and sure to leave you reeling with a consumer-rush after you've spent a few hours within its walls. It's an obligatory stop for many of London's tourists, always crowded and with more rules than an army boot camp. And despite the tacky elements such as the wax figure of proprietor Mohammad Al Fayed and weird memorial fountain to Dodi and Di, you're bound to swoon over the spectacular food hall and impeccable 5th-floor perfumery. Harrods 102, across the street, is a luxury food shop that also does alternative remedies and dry cleaning.
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Harvey Nichols
This is London's temple of high fashion, where you'll find Chloé and Balenciaga bags, London's best denim range, a massive make-up hall with exclusive lines, great jewellery, and the fantastic restaurant, Fifth Floor.
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Housmans
Great radical store, which stocks books you won't find anywhere else. Also has a good stationery section. It's worth chatting to the owner here for some unadulterated insights into the area's past and present.
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Hoxton Boutique
If you want to look like a true Hoxtonite, come here for your (women's) street wear - there's Isabel Marant, Hussein Chalayan, Repetto shoes, and the shop's own brand, +HOBO+. The boutique is meant to resemble Studio 54, with a mirror ball, white walls and neon lights.
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James Smith & Sons
'Outside every silver lining is a big black cloud', claim the cheerful owners of this quintessential English shop. Nobody makes and stocks such elegant umbrellas, canes and walking sticks as this traditional place, and thanks to bad English weather, they'll hopefully do great business for years to come.
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Jess James
Special-occasion jewellery, from Jess James and other designers, is artistically arranged around an aquarium at this shop. Customers worried about the provenance of their diamonds can opt for the ethically sourced range.
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John Lewis
'Never knowingly undersold' is the motto of this store, whose range of household goods, fashion and luggage is better described as reliable rather than cutting-edge. Strong points include its fabrics department.
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Joy
This spacious, two-storey 'urban lifestyle' shop is aptly named; it truly is a delight. And although its mens- and womenswear is new and trendy, its saucy, quirky homewares fit right into the Greenwich scene.
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Junky Styling
On retail-friendly Dray Walk, Junky 'recycles' traditional suits into sleek, eye-catching fashion pieces. A man's jacket might become a woman's halterneck top, for example, or tiny shorts with heart-shaped hot-water bottles for back pockets. Menswear includes short-sleeved half-shirt/half-T-shirts, and jackets with sweat suit-material sleeves and suit-material hoods. Bring your own clothes to be transformed.
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K Spa
The K Spa is an important part of the K West hotel, and has a good range of facilities: a Jacuzzi, eucalyptus steam room, sauna and two gyms. Alternatively, you can choose from a range of exotic treatments, facials and massages. It's one of the best complexes in West London.
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Kilgour
London's Savile Row is still renowned for its customised suits. Conventional with a modern twist, Kilgour sells a ready-to-wear range, as well as tailor-made suits from £1400 .
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Koh Samui
It's high-end fashion galore at this little boutique that prides itself on finding new designer talent and specialises in floaty pieces from Brit designers like Chloé, Marc Jacobs, Clements Ribeiro and Julien MacDonald. You'll drool over the handsome Chloé bags.
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Konditor & Cook
This elegant cake shop and bakery produces wonderful cakes - lavender and orange, lemon and almond, massive raspberry meringues - and loaves of warm bread with olives, nuts and spices. K&C's shops can be also found at 22 Cornwall Rd, SE1; 46 Gray's Inn Rd WC1 and at Curzon Soho cinema.
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Kurt Geiger
Fashion, quality and affordability all come together at this superlative men's and women's shoe store, where footwear from the likes of Birkenstock, Chloé, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and United Nude adorns the shelves.
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Laden Showroooms
The unofficial flagship for the latest Hoxton street wear, Laden was 'London's best-kept secret', probably until the thrifty Victoria Beckham declared it as such and it was revealed that Pete Doherty shops here. Unlike many spartan übercool boutiques, it's stuffed to the gills with a wide variety and large quantity of women's and men's clobber, making it a perfect one-stop shop.
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Lesley Craze Gallery
Considered one of Europe's leading centres for arty, contemporary jewellery, this has exquisitely understated, and sometimes pricey, metal designs. There's also a smaller selection of mixed-media bangles, brooches, rings and the like (to the right of the main door), where prices start from about around £20 .
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Liberty
An irresistible blend of contemporary styles in an old-fashioned mock-Tudor atmosphere, Liberty has a huge cosmetics department and an accessories floor, along with a breathtaking lingerie section on the 1st floor. A classic London souvenir is a Liberty (fabric) print.
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Lisboa Patisserie
We've listed this as a shopping option, because the pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) are divine, but the café is really too small to be conducive. So grab a takeaway instead.
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London Review Bookshop
The bookshop of London Review of Books lit magazine doesn't believe in piles of books, taking the clever approach of stocking wide-ranging titles in one or two copies only. It often hosts high-profile author talks.
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Long Acre
Full of affordable High-Street chains, including Warehouse, Reiss and Zara. Also superlative travel bookshop Stanfords.
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Louis Patisserie
One of London's oldest coffee and cake shops, Louis Patisserie was started by Hungarian immigrant Louis Permayer in 1963 and it hasn't changed a bit since. Eclairs, almond pretzels, marzipan cookies, cream slices and macaroons wink at you from the window, and they're packed in a pretty striped box for you to take away. You can also sit down in the breathtaking little tearoom, best on Sundays when Hampstead's old-skool Eastern European ladies and gentlemen come here for coffee and cake.
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Lulu Guinness
Female silhouettes, dice, board games and various other playful insignia grace her range of coin purses, cosmetic bags, handbags and totes, while some of her collectable evening bags come in striking shapes, such as fans. As Lulu inscribes her bags, it's 'handbags at dawn' girls.
