Shopping Spree in Edinburgh

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Edinburgh's Royal Mile is the famous road leading upwards to Edinburgh Castle. Cobbled in places and pedestrian friendly the Royal Mile is home to historic buildings which run the length of the street. It is the definitive route to see Old Edinburgh Town. Many of the city's best restaurants and shops line the incline offering traditional Scottish food and memorabilia. Take a moment to wander down one of the narrow and sometimes secret Royal Mile closes, many providing the theatrical atmosphere for grizzly ghost tours.

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Bespoke -- that is made to order -- clothes made from tartan can be ordered from this well-known Highland-based kiltmaker, with a shop on the Royal Mile and Princes Street.

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Our Local Expert Says:

Traditional Scottish craft- watch the process and take home a gift.

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Watch tartan being woven and learn about the whole process beginning to end at The Tartan Weaving Mill. Enjoy the interactive exhibitions, and stop in at the little gift shop where visitors can buy the finished product, along with a range of Scottish goods.

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In the heart of the bustling Grassmarket area stands Edinburgh's oldest second-hand shop. Now one of the best retro stockists in the city, it began life as a gentleman's outfitter in 1840. The stock changes daily and prices are very wallet friendly. A pair of jeans might set you back only £10 and a kitsch Hawaiian shirt just £5. The packed shop is bursting at the seams with glittery frocks, leather jackets and psychedelic shirts.

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Ladies looking for styles to flatter the fuller figure, look no further. Big Ideas is big on choice and quality, with a good selection of continental and home-grown names. It is full of stylish, contemporary clothes to suit the shape of most women - ie, size 16 or over. Smart and casual styles are stocked, along with some smart accessories.

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Keep your head warm, and your whole body will stay warm. Well, so goes an old saying. But it is true, and given the occasionally gusty weather in Edinburgh, a saying worth keeping in mind. This shop has hundreds of handmade felt hats and caps, many practical as well as attractive, and some downright frivolous but extremely fun.

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Helios Fountain is a cozy corner tucked away in the west end of Grassmarket. This lovely little store has a collection of books, art and crafts. Filled with an eclectic range of knick-knacks, the store promises a fantastical ride. With its wonderful range of toys and gifts, children will love it here. 

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If the Royal Mile is the life vein of the Old City, then Princes Street is its equivalent in the New Town. Just a short walk from the Old City, Princes Street extends from Lothian Road to Leith Street and is home to numerous tourist sights and museums. It can be seen from Edinburgh Castle. With dozens of high-end retail stores aligning it, including the uniquely Scottish department store Jenners, Princes Street is a fashion diva's heaven. During the Christmas season, a ferris wheel and amusement park are erected, and locals and tourists alike peruse through the annual German market for unique holiday gifts like nutcrackers and delicious German pastries and sausages. Next to the street are the two sections of the beautiful Princes Street gardens. Here, students and locals often gather to play football, picnic during the summer or listen to concerts at the Ross Theatre. In between the two sections of the gardens lies the Mound, an artificial hill that connects the old and new cities. Here, two of country's best art galleries are located: the Royal Scottish Academy Building and the adjacent National Gallery of Scotland. Both exhibit masterpieces from Titian to Rembrandt and are worth seeing. Fans of the cult-hit film Trainspotting will recognize this location from the opening scene of the movie, where Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) is chased by security guards.

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Jenners Department Store, commonly known simply as Jenners, is a department store located in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Jenners used to be the second oldest independent department store in the United Kingdom, after Austins of Derry, Northern Ireland, and was long family-run, but was recently brought under the ownership of House of Fraser. It has maintained its original position on Princes Street since 1838. It contains over 100 different departments selling a large variety of goods.

Known as the "Harrods of the North", it has held a Royal Warrant since 1911, and was visited by Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of its 150th anniversary in 1988. In recent years (2004) it changed its vision statement from its goal to "be the most exciting department store outside of London" to "Confidently Independent".

Despite being owned by House of Fraser, Jenners has managed to keep its identity while other House of Fraser stores were being renamed

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Marks & Spencer (M&S) is adding an increasingly chic aspect to its long-standing reputation for quality clothes. This is due to the introduction of new, young designers into its team, as well as a more liberal use of expensive fabrics. It's especially strong on women's underwear. M&S also has a reputation for quality food and has an excellent own-brand range. Apparently their peanuts are transported along the production line on a velvet-covered conveyer-belt so that they arrive in your hand intact and looking their best. The M&S range is especially strong on quality ready-meals. Check the website for week-wise timings.

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This shop's favorite colors tend towards the warm and intense, with lots of reds, deep greens and blues on show. You'll find quality woolens, pretty summer dresses and a large range of evening wear and ball dresses here. Make sure you check out their range of accessories (also available at their Accessorize shops) which includes hats, scarves, bags, jewelery and lots of desirable embroidered and embellished goods. This eastern-influenced shop has some unusual products at the pricier end of the high street market.

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This is popularly known as Waverley Market and was formerly a fruit and vegetable market. Once passed the sunken and non-descript exterior, there is a bright, two floored treasure trove of shops, full of stylish clothes and gifts. Alongside the mostly well-known shops like The Body Shop, Warehouse and Morgan, there are outlets selling traditional Scottish goods and souvenirs. Take a break in one of the various cafes dotted around. During the Festival, there are often plenty of distractions from the shopping, in the form of wacky street performers.

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Slightly more upmarket than the Princes Mall, this shopping center has the anchor of the John Lewis department store, along with Dorothy Perkins, River Island, and Top Shop.

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The largest department store in Scotland, this branch of John Lewis is many people's first choice when it comes to shopping for clothes, appliances, furniture, toys, and more.

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From fashionista's favourite Harvey Nichols in St. Andrew Square and designer shops such as Cruise and Phase Eight, to star studded jewellers such as Hamilton & Inches and Laings, George Street has it all going on. And when day turns to night, the street comes alive with well-groomed partygoers who flock to the area's many stylish bars.

George Street is home to some to the most glamorous and stylish stores available in the UK. From the famous luxury store Harvey Nichol's by St. Andrews Square to Cruise a designer emporium at the West End of George Street, George Street offers shoppers a full range of retail.

Clothing and shoe shops on and around George Street include flagship store of White Stuff (amazing shop over 2 floors including an indoor tree), Jack Wills, Hobbs, Whistles, Phase Eight, Churches, Brook Brothers, Austin Reed, Jaeger, Jane Davidson, 21st Century Kilts, and LK Bennet.  If fabulous jewellery is on your shopping list George Street has a plenty to tempt, with luxury watches and jewellery from Hamilton & Inches and Laing's and unique pieces from Asimi and Joseph Bonnar. There are a range of other useful shops including Lakeland, Baytree and Paperchase for a special gift or card and Waterstone's. Close to George Streetjust off St. Andrews Square is Multrees Walk with a range of luxury shops including Mulberry, Louis Vuitton and Links plus some high end brands including Kurt Geiger, Reiss, Firetrap and G Star.

George Street also has a wonderful variety of restaurants, cafes and bars to suit all tastes and budgets. Many of the restaurants are housed in beautiful historic buildings with stunning interiors.  In the summer months many local restaurants offer al-fresco dining allowing people to fully appreciate the architecture of George Street. Some of the restaurants in and off George Streetare independently run and include Centotre the award winning stylish Italian eaterie is owned and run by  husband and wife Victor and Carina Contini; Tiger Lily, Opal Lounge, Ricks owned by the Montpellier Group are wonderful contemporary restaurants with bars offering a range a wide range of Modern British cuisine; Oloroso is a wonderful roof top restaurant owned by the chef Tony Singh who was recently seen on The Great British Menu; Henderson's is a long established family run vegetarian restaurant with adjoining delicatessen.

Other restaurants in and off George Street offer all types of food from Modern British, Italian, Seafood, Spanish to Asian fusion including; Tempus; Gusto; The Dome; Iris; Café St. Honoré; The Dogs; Urban Angel; Fishers in the City; Dusit Thai; The Living Room; Cafe Andaluz; Gourmet Burger and Browns.

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Opened in 2002, the advent of Harvey Nics in Edinburgh was highly celebrated but a tad slow to catch on. Perhaps traditional shoppers were not quite prepared for floors of expensive labels and designers such as Jimmy Choo or Alexander McQueen. But they're learning.

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Although it was designed by the Conran group, this is ultimately just another modern indoor mall. Debenhams, French Connection, Gap, and others have set out their stalls at this retail cathedral, which gets a lot of footfall from tourists because the royal yacht Britannia is moored here as well. Open till 8pm Monday to Friday.

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Debenhams is now considered the great British department store. The recent introduction of such designers as John Rocha, Jasper Conran and Pearce Fionda has led to an up-swing in their reputation. There are also slightly cheaper but equally funky labels like Jane Norman and Red Herring. For men, it is still a great place to get a reasonable suit. Hats are a specialty, as is the wedding-list service they provide. Every year they run a Bride of the Year competition, which focuses and consolidates their bridal strengths.

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At the Gyle Shopping Centre, you can do all your shopping under one roof, which is perfect for a rainy day. From newsagents to clothes emporiums, from aisles of food at Safeway to large stores such as John Menzies and Marks & Spencer, there is an army of shops here - 63 to be precise. An added bonus is the free parking. If you like shopping centers and the well-known high street names, this is worth venturing out of the city center for.