Jaipur
A trusted jewellery shop backed by the Hotel Pearl Palace, which hosts the store. A money-back guarantee is offered on all items. Find it under the…
Must-see shopping in India
Karnataka
Fair-trade store selling beautiful handmade textiles, bags, saris, kurtas and accessories. Prices start at ₹800. Profits benefit an NGO that empowers…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
For silver (jewellery, ornaments, old coins), head for Dariba Kalan, the alley near the Sisganj Gurdwara, and with the easy-to-spot Jalebi Wala at its…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Tea-lovers, rejoice: this wonderful store has more than 70 varieties of tea, from grand crus to humble teabags, many personally curated by master tea…
Delhi
One of Delhi’s best bookshops, with racks of specialist books on the city, plus novels and kids’ books. Relaxing, but pricey Café Turtle is upstairs.
Delhi
This is one of Khan Market's wonderful bookshops, with loads of the latest fiction and books on India, plus knowledgable staff. They also have a branch…
Chandigarh
This bustling, sprawling street market sells a mind-boggling array of household goods and clothing, and is sprinkled with pop-up street-food stalls…
Karnataka
Look on at this small workshop as artisans make a range of handicrafts and accessories using the bark of a banana tree and recycled materials. It's all…
New Delhi
This hole-in-the-wall shop sells fixed-price, fair-trade T-shirts with funky Indian designs and urban attitude, as well as bags, jewellery and Indian-god…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
Running south from the old Town Hall, Nai Sarak is lined with stalls selling saris, shawls, chiffon and lehenga (blouse and skirt combo).
Mumbai (Bombay)
Art deco and colonial-era furniture, wooden ceremonial masks, silver, Victorian glass, plus high-quality reproductions of old photos, maps and paintings.
Hampi
Run by an amiable musician who teaches djembe (drums) and didgeridoo, this store sells Indian and Western musical instruments at fair prices.
New Delhi
Gorgeous little boutique with a calm, no-pressure-to-buy ambience, attractive Indian clothing, and light, bright printed-cotton homewares.
Mumbai (Bombay)
Championing a dying art, this fascinating shop sells handmade, cotton-based paper crafted into charming cards, sculptures and lampshades.
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
High-end natural beauty products, including potions and lotions for hair, face and body as well as all-organic ayurvedic essential oils.
Hampi
Excellent selection of books on Hampi and India, plus secondhand fiction. The owner offers a free Hampi map and sells postcards, too.
Hyderabad
An upmarket mall with a good selection of clothes shops including M&S and Levi's, ATMs, a small food court, cafes and a cinema.
Kodagu (Coorg) Region
Opposite the bus stand, Choci Coorg does many varieties of chocolate, lots of fruity and nut combos and a unique betel-nut flavour.
Mumbai (Bombay)
Anokhi gets the East–West balance just right, with men’s and women’s clothes and bedding in block-printed silk and cotton.
Pune
Sells Indian saris, silks and cottons, as well as linen shirts for men, and diverse accessories including bags and jewellery.
Gokarna
A fine selection of natural beauty products, including handmade soaps, health foods, tea and spices. Prices are very fair.
Karnataka
Fair-trade shop selling handwoven textiles, banana-fibre products and other crafts made in and around Anegundi village.
Delhi
Flagship Fabindia store, with cotton kurtas, textiles for the home, and much more. Fairly expensive, but good value.
Delhi
Kama is the place for exquisitely packaged ayurvedic remedies that make excellent presents.
Mumbai (Bombay)
The beautiful traditional printed papers here will make you start writing letters.
South Delhi
Delhi Musical Stores has a fine choice of tablas, harmoniums, sitars and more.
Mumbai (Bombay)
Mangaldas Market, traditionally home to traders from Gujarat, is a minitown, complete with lanes of fabrics – hip No-Mad Fabric Shop has even corralled a…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Crawford Market is the largest in Mumbai, and contains the last whiff of British Bombay before the tumult of the central bazaars begins. Bas-reliefs by…
Eastern Rajasthan
In Tilonia village, about 25km northeast of Kishangarh and 7km off the Ajmer to Jaipur road, is the inspiring Barefoot College. This NGO is run by and for…
Mumbai (Bombay)
You could buy your packaged-for-tourists spices at hassle-y Crawford Market; or, you could go where Mumbaikars go, which is this fragrant market in Dadar…
Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (Qasab)
Kachchh (Kutch)
Qasab is a grassroots organisation, comprising over 12,000 rural women (1200 artisans), that pays members a dividend of the profits and invests money to…
North Goa
The Mapusa market goes about its business daily except Sunday, but it really gets going on Friday morning. It’s a raucous affair that attracts vendors and…
Odisha
Near Chausath Yogini, a 15km autorickshaw ride from Bhubaneswar (₹500 return), Soumya Handicraft is a small workshop-gallery of a local artist. On display…
Chennai (Madras)
This fair-trade, nationwide chain sells stylishly contemporary village-made clothes and crafts. Perfect for picking up a kurta (long shirt with short/no…
Himachal Pradesh
For high-quality Kullu shawls and other handloom-woven goods at fixed prices, without the hard sell, head to the nearest branch of Bhuttico, the Bhutti…
Leh
Ladakh's first home-grown fashion house uses local design as starting inspiration and sources much of its raw material from nomadic herders. This is the…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Two stories up a riveting teak stairwell, with vintage Minton tiles and art nouveau stained-glass windows, in one of Coloba's most astonishing mansions,…
Delhi
This quiet market consists of a couple of blocks of quality restaurants and cafes (like Not Just Parathas or the Italian Diva) and clothing stores (like…
Mcleod Ganj
This women's cooperative employs refugees for the hand weaving of Tibetan wool carpets, a process that you're welcome to watch in action.
Delhi
Diplomats frequent this exclusive and serene shopping complex in which upmarket clothing, jewellery and souvenir boutiques are housed inside little…
