Must-see shopping in Asia

  • beautiful cambodian silk scarves for sale; Shutterstock ID 118515040; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Artisans Angkor

    Siem Reap

    On the premises of Les Chantiers Écoles is this beautiful shop, which sells everything from stone and wood reproductions of Angkorian-era statues to…

  • Dropenling

    Lhasa

    This impressive nonprofit enterprise aims to bolster traditional Tibetan handicrafts in the face of rising Chinese and Nepali imports. Products are unique…

  • Khan Market

    Delhi

    Khan Market is Delhi's most-upmarket shopping enclave, the most expensive place to rent a shop in India, and is favoured by the elite and expats. Its…

  • Central Cottage Industries Emporium

    New Delhi

    This government-run multilevel store is a wonderful treasure trove of fixed-price, India-wide handicrafts. Prices are higher than in the state emporiums,…

  • Jewel

    Singapore

    Located at Changi airport, and directly connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3, Jewel is a multi-dimensional lifestyle destination jam-packed with food outlets…

  • Sabyasachi

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    It's worth popping in to this high-end traditional garment shop to see the space itself, a gorgeous, cavernous, rose-oil-scented stunner chock-full of…

  • Jatra

    Dhaka

    Charming folk handicrafts and clothes with a funky modern twist. You'll find the best brightly painted toy rickshaws here, and if you've time to order in…

  • Kamala

    New Delhi

    Crafts, curios, textiles and homewares from the Crafts Council of India, designed with flair and using traditional techniques but offering some…

  • Yangon, Myanmar - Jan 14, 2015. The Sule Boulevard with famous Bogyoke Market built in 1926 and formely know as Scott Market. Sule Boulevard are the busiest street in Yangon.; Shutterstock ID 285905090; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Yangon images for city app POIs

    Bogyoke Aung San Market

    Yangon

    Several hours can easily be spent at this historic covered market, with over 2000 stalls selling everything from gold and diamond jewellery to tattoos. It…

  • Woman filters china tea in market, Beijing; Shutterstock ID 52772023; Your name (First / Last): Josh/Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/​Online Design​/JoshVogel/IYLs

    Panjiayuan Market

    Beijing

    A curio hunter's heaven or an Everest of fakery? Panjiayuan is both, and marvellous fun to boot. Picking over the wares of some 4000 dealers, you won't…

  • Bells and other treasures hanging in the Russian Market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Russian Market

    Phnom Penh

    This sweltering bazaar is the one market all visitors should come to at least once during a trip to Phnom Penh. It is the place to shop for souvenirs and…

  • Sweet stall, Sunday walking street market.

    Sunday Walking Street

    Chiang Mai

    On Sunday afternoon Th Ratchadamnoen is taken over by the boisterous Sunday Walking Street, which feels even more animated than Th Wualai's Saturday…

  • Pedestrians and traffic on Shanghai Old Street, remnant of a bygone age, Fuxing, Shanghai, China, Asia

    Old Street

    Shanghai Old City

    This renovated Qing dynasty stretch of Middle Fangbang Rd is lined with specialist tourist shops, spilling forth with shadow puppets, jade jewellery,…

  • Pavilion KL

    Kuala Lumpur

    Pavilion sets the gold standard in KL's shopping scene. Amid the many familiar international luxury brands, there are branches of chains including COS,…

  • Street entrance for the original Mitsukoshi in Nihombashi

    Mitsukoshi

    Tokyo

    Mitsukoshi's venerable Nihombashi branch was Japan’s first department store. It's a grand affair with an entrance guarded by bronze lions and a…

  • Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu shop in kyoto

    Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu

    Southern Higashiyama

    This company has been making its canvas bags for over 110 years and the store is often crammed with those in the know picking up a skillfully crafted…

  • CHIANG MAI, THAILAND - 2006/08/13: The popular walking street market which attracts thousands of locals and tourists each weekend. The market opens in the evening and vendors sell a wide range of goods from traditional produce to pirated DVDs and CDs.. (Photo by Yvan Cohen/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Saturday Walking Street

    Chiang Mai

    The Saturday Walking Street takes over Th Wualai, running southwest from Pratu Chiang Mai at the southern entrance to the old city. There is barely space…

  • Store front of Muji's Yurakucho flagship store, Marunouchi & Nihombashi

    Muji

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    You could hear the collective swoon of all devotees of functional design when this huge Muji flagship opened in 2019. Floors two through five carry the…

  • Ippodo tea is a popular shop for premium teas, including ceremonial matcha, plus classes, accessories & a tea room.

    Ippōdō Tea

    Downtown Kyoto

    This old-style tea shop sells some of the best Japanese tea in Kyoto, and you'll be given an English leaflet with prices and descriptions of each one. Its…

  • Shoppers at night market.

    Angkor Night Market

    Siem Reap

    Siem Reap's original night market near Sivatha St has sprung countless copycats, but it remains the best and is well worth a browse. It's packed with…

  • BooksActually, bookshop interior.

    BooksActually

    Chinatown & the CBD

    Arguably Singapore's coolest bookshop, BooksActually has a refreshing selection of fiction and nonfiction titles, including works by Singaporean authors,…

  • Parkview Green

    Beijing

    In a city in thrall to the mall, this futuristic, ecofriendly pyramid stands out from the crowd. Hong Kong–owned Parkview Green is a fabulously ambitious,…

  • Nírén Zhāng

    Tianjin

    Trading under the name of the artist (Zhang Mingshen) who invented Tianjin's most famous craftwork almost 200 years ago, the inconspicuous first-floor…

  • Caicifang Porcelain Workshop

    Beijing

    This charming boutique upcycles shards of porcelain vases smashed during the Cultural Revolution into unique and desirable jewellery, boxes, ornaments and…

  • Barefoot

    Colombo

    Designer Barbara Sansoni’s beautifully laid out shop, located in an old villa, is justly popular for its bright hand-loomed textiles, which are fashioned…

  • Design Orchard

    Singapore

    Like a breath of retail fresh air, Design Orchard pays homage to local talent and Singaporean design compared to the big-name brands dotting Orchard Rd…

  • Inohara Kanamono-ten

    Kyūshū

    Dating from the 1850s and a registered cultural property, this busy, rustic blade shop is filled with incredible knives, hatchets, swords and even ninja…

  • Handicraft Night Market

    Luang Prabang

    Every evening this tourist-oriented but highly appealing market assembles along Th Sisavangvong and is deservedly one of Luang Prabang’s biggest tourist…

  • Loja das Conservas

    Macau

    This beautiful shop carries dozens of canned seafood brands (representing hundreds of varieties) from Portugal, all labelled with details on the history…

  • Tokyu Hands

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    This DIY and zakka (miscellaneous things) store is a Tokyo landmark, loved by locals and tourists alike. It has eight fascinating floors of everything you…

  • Kong Heng Square Artisan Market

    Ipoh

    During the colonial era, these walls formed the city's large single shop block. Today a cluster of craft stalls has sprung up around this light-flooded…

  • Seenspace

    Hua Hin

    Seenspace is Thailand's first beachfront mall and word is still getting out. A trendy layout of concrete walls and open-air areas comprise food stands and…

  • Coredo Muromachi

    Tokyo

    More like a purpose-built town than a mall, Coredo Muromachi is spread over three buildings and a terrace complex. It's stylish and upscale, focused more…

  • Love Anchor

    Canggu

    Built in a traditional joglo style, this wood- and palm-tree-laden Canggu village is the trifecta of hipster retail, food and shopping. You can kick back…

  • Shibuya Parco

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    Shibuya Parco has been a trendsetter for decades and now, after a renovation finished in 2019, it is back in top form. There are global brands, but also…

  • Turquoise Mountain

    Yangon

    Reviving traditional crafts, including jewellery making and textile weaving, is the mission of this NGO which occupies a beautifully restored, heritage…

  • Zōhiko

    Downtown Kyoto

    Zōhiko is the best place in Kyoto to buy one of Japan's most beguiling art-and-craft forms: lacquerware. If you aren't familiar with just how beautiful…

  • Isetan

    Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo

    Isetan is Tokyo's most fashion-forward department store. Head to the 2nd-floor Tokyo Closet and 3rd-floor Re-Style boutiques in the main building, and the…

  • Hla Day

    Yangon

    Meaning 'beautiful' in Burmese, Hla Day is a superb example of a social-enterprise shop. It offers quality contemporary and traditional handicrafts…

  • ICONSIAM

    Bangkok

    This megamall on the Chao Phraya River has six floors dedicated to luxury shopping, encompassing everything from high-end to high street. It also rolls in…

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