Must-see shopping in Edinburgh

  • Golden Hare Books

    Edinburgh

    Independent bookshops don’t get lovelier than this. The Golden Hare boasts a top-notch selection of 'beautiful, unusual and interesting books', an…

  • Armstrong’s

    Old Town

    Armstrong’s is an Edinburgh fashion institution (established in 1840, no less), a quality vintage-clothes emporium offering everything from elegant 1940s…

  • Stockbridge Market

    Edinburgh

    On Sunday the local community's focus is Stockbridge Market, set in a leafy square next to the bridge that gives the district its name. Wares range from…

  • Valvona & Crolla

    New Town

    The acknowledged queen of Edinburgh delicatessens, established during the 1930s, Valvona & Crolla is packed with Mediterranean goodies, including an…

  • Outside Hannah Zakari on Candlemaker Row

    Hannah Zakari

    Old Town

    This is Edinburgh’s coolest jewellery boutique, sourcing quirky pieces by indie designers from all over the world. Necklaces, earrings, brooches, cards,…

  • Annie Smith jewellery studio on Raeburn Place, Stockbridge.

    Annie Smith

    Edinburgh

    Annie Smith’s back-of-the-shop studio creates beautiful and original contemporary jewellery in silver and 18-carat gold, with beaten and worked surfaces…

  • Homewares for sale in Curiouser and Curiouser

    Curiouser and Curiouser

    New Town

    A quirky independent boutique on hip Broughton St, selling everything from art prints to jewellery, homewares, stationery and books. The focus is on…

  • Outside Life Story on London St, Edinburgh

    Life Story

    New Town

    If you like your design stores grown up, Scandi inspired, and accompanied by coffee and cake served in elegant crockery, head to this shop, where you'll…

  • Jo Malone

    New Town

    This sweet-smelling palace of posh cosmetics has in-store experts offering a ‘fragrance-combining’ consultation that will allow you to choose your perfect…

  • Underground Solush’n

    Old Town

    A paradise for those in search of new and secondhand vinyl, this place has thousands of records – techno, house, jungle, hip hop, R&B, funk, soul and 45s …

  • Joyce Forsyth Designer Knitwear

    Old Town

    The colourful knitwear on show at this intriguing little shop will drag your ideas about woollens firmly into the 21st century. Ms Forsyth’s trademark…

  • Forbidden Planet

    Old Town

    This place stocks a wide range of sci-fi comics, graphic novels, DVDs and T-shirts, as well as Star Trek, Simpsons and DC Comics merchandise. It’s also…

  • Ian Mellis

    Old Town

    Scotland’s finest cheesemonger purveys the best of British and Irish cheeses. This is the place to purchase traditional Scottish cheeses, from smooth…

  • Crombie’s

    New Town

    Crombie’s is a top-quality butcher shop where the good folk of Edinburgh go to stock up on prime Scottish beef and lamb, and superb homemade haggis. It’s…

  • Scottish Gallery

    New Town

    Home to Edinburgh’s leading art dealers Aitken Dott, this private gallery exhibits and sells paintings by contemporary Scottish artists and the masters of…

  • Aha Ha Ha

    Old Town

    The guys at Aha Ha Ha have enough plastic poo, fake vomit, stink bombs and remote-control electronic farting machines to keep your average Dennis the…

  • Ocean Terminal

    Leith

    Anchored by Debenhams department store, Ocean Terminal is the biggest shopping centre in Edinburgh; fashion outlets include Fat Face, GAP, Schuh, Superdry…

  • Wonderland

    Edinburgh

    Wonderland is a classic kids-with-their-noses-pressed-against-the-window toy shop that is filled with model aircraft, Lego Star Wars kits, radio…

  • Carson Clark Gallery

    New Town

    Scotland’s leading map specialist has knowledgeable staff who are more than happy to advise on the interesting range of original and facsimile antique…

  • Cruise

    New Town

    An ornately corniced and plastered foyer leads into three floors of white-painted, minimalist art-gallery-like decor showing off the best of mainstream…

  • Covet

    New Town

    This great little store has an emphasis on up-and-coming new designers from all over the world. Look for handbags by Dutch label Smaak and Italy's Gianni…

  • Miss Bizio

    Edinburgh

    Established by an enthusiast who has been collecting vintage fashion for more than 30 years, this boutique is a cornucopia of high-end clothes and…

  • Assai Records

    Edinburgh

    An independent music shop that specialises in vinyl (old, new and remastered), Assai also has its own record label that promotes new Scottish talent. As…

  • Adam Pottery

    Edinburgh

    This small, independent pottery produces its own colourfully glazed ceramics, both decorative and functional, in a wide range of styles, with objects…

  • Backbeat

    Edinburgh

    If you’re hunting for secondhand vinyl from way back, this cramped little shop has a stunning and constantly changing collection of jazz, blues, rock and…

  • Alchemia

    New Town

    Made in a workshop in Fife, the jewellery on display at Alchemia is designed in Scotland and inspired by the shapes and colours of the natural world. If…

  • McNaughtan’s Bookshop

    New Town

    The maze of shelves at McNaughtan’s basement bookshop – established in 1957 – houses a broad spectrum of general secondhand and antiquarian books, with…

  • Geoffrey (Tailor) Inc

    Old Town

    Geoffrey can fit you out in traditional Highland dress, or run up a kilt in your own clan tartan. The store's offshoot, 21st Century Kilts, offers modern…

  • Royal Mile Whiskies

    Old Town

    If it’s a drap of the cratur ye’re after, this place has a selection of single malts in miniature and full-size bottles. There’s also a range of blended…

  • Flea Market

    Leith

    A Paris-style flea market it ain't, but this monthly rummage through the back of Leith's collective cupboards is an interesting place to trawl for vintage…

  • Corniche

    Old Town

    A major stockist of designer clothes for women, with a selection of big-name labels such as Vivienne Westwood, Trippen, Rundholz, Nigel Cabourn and…

  • Ian Mellis

    Edinburgh

    Stockbridge branch of the famous Old Town cheese shop, selling traditional Scottish cheeses, from creamy Hebridean Blue to sweet and nutty Loch Arthur…

  • One World Shop

    New Town

    The One World Shop sells a wide range of handmade crafts from developing countries – including paper goods, rugs, textiles, jewellery, ceramics,…

  • Lighthouse

    Edinburgh

    Lighthouse is a radical independent bookshop that supports both small publishers and local writers. It stocks a wide range of political, gay and feminist…

  • Galerie Mirages

    Edinburgh

    An Aladdin's cave packed with jewellery, textiles and handicrafts from all over the world, Mirages is best known for its silver, amber and gemstone…

  • Mr Wood’s Fossils

    Old Town

    Founded by famous fossil hunter Stan Wood, who discovered ‘Lizzie’, the oldest fossil reptile yet known, this fascinating speciality shop has a wide range…

  • Meadows Pottery

    Edinburgh

    This little shop sells a range of colourful, high-fired oxidised stoneware, both domestic and decorative, all hand thrown on the premises. If you can’t…

  • Sheila Fleet

    Edinburgh

    This Edinburgh gallery is a showcase for the work of Orkney-based designer Sheila Fleet, whose gold, silver and platinum jewellery is inspired by the…

  • Liam Ross

    Edinburgh

    Distinctive, hand-crafted jewellery is the hallmark of goldsmith Liam Ross. Choose from the range of gorgeous rings, bracelets and pendants on display, or…

  • Godiva

    Old Town

    This unconventional, innovative boutique specialises in both vintage and modern, cutting-edge designs. It has been awarded accolades in the Scottish…

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