Shopping

Edinburgh:
Edinburgh is the best city for shopping in Scotland. The Royal Mile is a network of streets that begins around the Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Mile offers a plethora of trendy boutiques and tourist shops where you can pick up any Scottish souvenir. Scotland is known for its knitwear, especially cashmere and lambs wool. Other Scottish made products are kilts, bagpipes and shortbread cookies. The majority of department stores can be found on Princes Street with stores such as Marks & Spencers, Frasers and Jenners being the most popular. The famous Harvel Nichols is located on St. Andrews Square. For more upscale clothing boutiques, head to George Street. On the opposite end of the shopping spectrum, New Town, Broughton Street and the Grassmarket offer shopping that’s lighter on your wallet with thrift stores selling clothing, jewelry and antiques.

Inverness:
The outdoor shopping district in Inverness is centralized around the traffic-free High Street. Other streets that spring off of High Street that have equal shopping opportunities are Union Street, Church Street, Bridge Street, Castle Street and Academy Street. While High Street is the main avenue, all these avenues have shops selling Scottish goods and trinkets. High Street runs directly into the Eastgate Shopping Center. This extensive mall has been in existence for nearly 20 years. With a selection of clothing, music and electronics stores, Eastgate caters to shoppers of all ages and needs.

The Victorian Market is a unique shopping experience. It has multiple entrances on Queensgate, Academy Street or Church Street. This long-standing market offers a change from shopping malls with smaller retailers that sell embroidered coats of arms, fine jewelry and antique china.

Glasgow:
Of all places in Scotland, Glasgow offers the widest range of shopping. Most of the shopping is conveniently located in the heart of Glasgow on Buchanan Street. There is the Buchanan Galleries Mall that has all the top brands like Miss Selfridge, Gap and Mango. At the exit of Buchanan Galleries is the thoroughfare of Buchanan Street shops. Here, you will find international favorites such as Topshop, Urban Outfitters, L‘Occitane and Zara.

Glasgow also has a host of mainstream designer stores for the serious shopper. Located just east of the city center, on High Street is Merchant City. Here, you can find some shops that sell original but affordable clothing, or there is the Itaian Center that houses Emporio Armani, Gucci, Chloé, Marni and Prada. In the West End of Glasgow, head down Ruthven Lane, near Byres Road, to find an array of enchanting boutiques selling unique vintage clothing and accessories. With the range of shopping available in Glasgow, anyone is sure to purchase a few treasures as a token of their journey through Scotland.