Shopping
Sloan SquareThere are so many great areas to shop in London; but of the areas I’ve frequented, Sloane Square (Chelsea) is my favorite. The area has a great mix of shops and restaurants, doesn’t draw the insane crowds of Oxford Street, and is very easy to navigate.
The Sloane Square tube stop (District and Circle lines) takes you right there…be careful walking out of the station. The “path” in front is one of those streets that doesn’t look like a street. Cross over and start walking straight ahead on Kings Road. A good landmark is the Peter Jones department store, which will be across the street on your right. If you like department stores, this is a pretty nice one…great shoe department.
To find the shops, just continue along Kings Road. You’ll soon see some of my favorites on your left – Massimo Dutti, a physical Boden store (only one I’ve ever seen!), LK Bennett. There are many choices.
As you walk along, you’ll find Duke of York Square on your left, where there are numerous restaurants and stores. You can basically keep walking along for roughly a mile and see shops/restaurants all along the way.
Two possible diversions:
1) Saatchi Gallery, which you can enter from Duke of York Square. This is a modern (and I mean modern!) art gallery that I like to pop into – it’s free so nothing to lose. Sometimes, I’ll spend an hour. Others, I’m out in 5 minutes, scratching my head and wondering “what on Earth was that?” It’s never boring.
2) Pavilion Road, which is a charming pedestrianized street with cute shops and restaurants a couple of blocks off Kings Road. Map your way to find it, but if you’re walking from Sloane Square station toward Peter Jones, head toward the street behind the department store. When you see J. Crew and/or a Kate Spade store, you’re super close.
