It’s December and a little over three weeks to go until the big day. For many of us that means spending weekends searching for gifts, late nights surfing the internet and hoping the items can be delivered in time and panicking in case we’re not ready for the day itself.
For others, Christmas is a time to relax, enjoy the festivities and spend time with family. In order to help all our customers become the latter instead of the former, holidaycottatges.net has put together this list of the UK’s best Christmas shopping.
This two-part post will highlight ten towns and cities that have the variety of shops you need, Christmas markets for you to enjoy and the festive decorations and events going on that make shopping a bit less of a chore.
Oxford Street – London
Oxford Street is probably the most famous shopping street in Europe, if not the world. With that in mind, the Borough of London goes to great lengths to make sure it feels festive and always has something going on. Oxford Street also has a huge range of shops, from individuals to chain stores and department stores. If you can’t find it here, you won’t find it anywhere!
Westfield Stratford City – London
Staying in London for a moment, Westfield Stratford City is the third largest shopping centre in the UK. That makes it prime territory for Christmas shopping and for a day out hitting the shops. It gets busy this time of year, but if you need to buy gifts, this is an excellent place to do it.
The Trafford Centre – Manchester
The Trafford Centre is the North’s most famous shopping centre and one of the largest. It’s bigger than Westfield Stratford City and has just about every shop you can think of. There are also displays, exhibitions, a food court and a whole lot more to make your shopping trip more enjoyable.
Bull Ring – Birmingham
Birmingham’s Bull Ring is a great piece of modern architecture and a great place to shop. Not only is it home to one of the best Selfridges outside of London, it also has one of the best Christmas markets anywhere, it’s all pedestrianized and surrounded by bars, cafes and restaurants.
Princes Street – Edinburgh
Princes Street in Edinburgh is great for shopping at any time of year, but it and the Royal Mile really come alive around Christmas and New Year. Famous for its New Year’s Eve celebrations, it’s also a great place for shopping with stores, the Christmas market and lots going on.
Those are just five of the top ten places to find the UK’s best Christmas shopping. If you’re planning a shopping expedition or are having a winter weekend away in one of our holiday cottages, all of these make a great day out.
Join us next time for the final five UK’s best Christmas shopping destinations!