Mumbai (Bombay)
A spacious bookstore with a good selection of travel books, plus the Cha Bar, serving tea. The store was closed for a refurb at the time of research, so…
Must-see shopping in South India
South Goa
This small boutique shop back from Patnem Beach stocks handicrafts, textiles, antiques and clothing sourced from all over India by the expat owner, as…
Chennai (Madras)
This fair-trade, India-wide brand specialises in fashion, accessories and homewares made from fun-patterned Indian fabrics, including stylish kurtas,…
Chennai (Madras)
Smart bookshop with an excellent collection of English, Indian and Tamil fiction and nonfiction, India travel books and Lonely Planet guides. Also at…
North Goa
Offering cool, functional items dreamed up by a Swiss expat team, this is the place to invest in a natural-form-inspired lamp, mirror or dining table, to…
Calangute & Baga
Attached to Karma Collection, All About Eve stocks unusual clothes, bags and accessories, many designed by the owners themselves and which are unlike any…
Panaji
This light-filled redeveloped building comprises mostly stacks of fresh fruit and vegetables downstairs and a few drab electronics shops and tailors…
Panaji
This cute little Fontainhas shop showcases one-off painted tiles, fish figurines and hand-crafted Portuguese and Goan ceramics at reasonable prices. Also…
Kochi (Cochin)
This Bengaluru-born boutique specialises in carefully curated collections of gorgeous Indian-designer clothing, jewellery and homewares in an ultrachic…
Chennai (Madras)
India's oldest mall is significantly downmarket from Chennai's other shopping centres, but has many smaller, cheaper craft and souvenir shops. It feels a…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
High-end bazaar-chic fashion (with lots of organic cotton) graces the ground floor of this glitzy boutique; upstairs, you'll find wood-carved furniture…
Chennai (Madras)
Housed in a beautiful building with an art deco facade and an interior of old-school wooden shelves, this is a classy place to browse saris (including …
Panaji
Part of Panaji’s new wave of high-end shops, specialising in design. Though pricey, it has some nice gifts ranging from traditional Christmas paintings on…
Kochi (Cochin)
Branch of Fort Cochin's beloved Idiom, which began life in the 1990s as a roaming bookstore on local beaches. Particularly good on India-focused titles.
Chennai (Madras)
This sparkly high-end boutique showcases neotraditional creations by cutting-edge Indian designers. Great for browsing, even if your budget doesn't allow…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
Established in Pondy in 1978, Hidesign sells elegantly made designer leather bags, briefcases, purses, wallets and belts, at reasonable prices, and has…
Kochi (Cochin)
Pretty hand-block printed textiles from Jaipur are transformed into floaty dresses, kurtas, trousers, tops and scarves using Kochi designs at this low-key…
Panaji
A boutique carrying local labels such as Horn Ok Please, Hidden Harmony and Free Falling, Sosa’s is among the best places in Panaji to source upscale…
Chennai (Madras)
This is one of Chennai's best and most central shopping malls, full of major international and Indian apparel chains. The top-floor food court is good for…
Margao
Margao’s crowded, covered canopy of colourful stalls is a fun but busy place to wander around, sniffing spices, sampling soaps and browsing the household…
Chennai (Madras)
This large branch of the fixed-price state-government handicrafts chain is good for everything from cheap technicolor plaster deities to a million-rupee…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
A Kerala Government–run handicraft emporium with an Aladdin’s cave of fix-priced crafts, souvenirs and antiques, set inside an attractive red-walled…
Chennai (Madras)
Linen clothes, leather footwear and smart accessories for men, on the top floor of this bustling cafe-boutique complex.
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
At the busy Connemara Market (named after a British Madras Presidency governor) vendors sell vegetables, fish, goats, fabric, clothes, spices and much…
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Opposite the palace, Kandiya Heritage sells antiques, reproduction bronzes, brightly painted wooden horses and dolls, old European pottery and jewellery.
Chennai (Madras)
Quality candles, incense, perfumes, bags and beauty products, made by local village women in Auroville (near Puducherry), using eco-conscious techniques.
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.
Calangute & Baga
Learn magic tricks in just two minutes (that’s the claim!) at this little Baga shop in Tito's Lane. Also has a stall at the Anjuna flea market.
Trichy (Tiruchirappalli)
Bursting with clothing of every conceivable kind and colour, Saratha's claims to be (and might well be) the 'largest textile showroom in India'.
Chennai (Madras)
Attractively contemporary, village-made clothes and crafts from an eco-conscious nationwide chain; this is a small but decently stocked branch.
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Expensive but beautiful furniture, paintings, sculpture and carvings acquired from local homes, along with new quality sculpture.
Mumbai (Bombay)
Good Earth has eco-leaning housewares, glassware, hand-decorated china and sustainable clothing aimed at a more mature audience.
Kochi (Cochin)
In central Ernakulam, this flashy mall sprawls across six floors of shopping, with a food court, a bowling alley and a cinema.
Mumbai (Bombay)
Snap up a bargain backpacker wardrobe at Fashion Street, the strip of stalls lining MG Rd between Cross and Azad Maidans.
Mini Market/Bollywood Bazaar/Super Sale
Mumbai (Bombay)
Three family-run stores selling vintage Bollywood posters and other movie ephemera, antiques and vintage paraphernalia.
Calangute & Baga
Jewellery and semiprecious stones are the stock at this Baga market. Sold by weight, but bargaining is expected.
Shantimalai Handicrafts Development Society
Tiruvannamalai
Beautiful bedspreads, bags, incense, candles, oils, bangles, scarves and cards, all made by local village women.
Calangute & Baga
Colourful Saturday night market on the Baga River with music, entertainment, shopping and food stalls.
Kerala
Kollam's biggest shopping mall has a so-so food court, cinemas, a supermarket and a variety of shops.
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
Good collection of India-related and other English-language books (including Lonely Planet guides).
