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17/06/2005: "Top Shops"
thisistravel.co.uk has gathered information on the top three best shops for retail therapy...
UK - Harrods, London
(www.harrods.com)
Beaming out regally from Knightsbridge's Brompton Road, Harrods remains the most famous department store in the world largely thanks to its current owner, the limelight-loving Mohammed Al Fayed.
The store started life selling tea in 1849 and continues to sell thousands of its own branded products - all lavishly wrapped in the familiar green and gold design. The food hall is nothing short of sumptuous - you can pick up everything from Dundee cake to quails eggs.
Wow factor: Harrods boasts a dazzling array of services, you can get your pooch kitted out with a new coat or your tennis racquet re-strung should you so wish. An appointment with a personal shopper will showcase the very latest ranges and you'll get a free style profile too.
Just remember this is a luxury store. You have to pay to use the toilet and refreshments at any of the restaurants - from tapas to sushi - won't be cheap.
The store stays open until 7pm every night and is spectacularly lit up when dusk falls.
FRANCE - Les Galeries Lafayette, Paris
(www.galerieslafayette.com)
As Parisian as the Eiffel Tower, Galleries Lafayette, on Boulevard Haussman, offers shopping with added ooh la la.
This historic store - it's a listed building - is as famous for its lavish interior as it is for the exquisite wares on sale.
Wow factor: There's an entire floor dedicated to lingerie and fashion parades, showcasing the latest haute couture, take place every Wednesday morning.
Add a little je ne sais quoi to your living room at Lafayette Maison, a new home-furnishing wing to the store.
The building's biggest eye-catcher is the beautiful - and much photographed - glass and steel dome. Underneath it lies the mouth-watering Lafayette Gourmet food hall, an epicurean nirvana that stocks everything from the finest chocolat noir to thirty-year old bottles of Petrus.
When you've found your perfect purchase, head to the sixth floor for coffee, croissants and fantastic views of the city.
On your way out, ditch the elevator and clip clop down the famous Art Nouveau staircase, built in 1912.
SWEDEN - NK, Stockholm
(www.nk.se)
As the keeper of Scandinavian cool, it's no surprise to find the Swedish capital brimming with shopping opportunities.
Uber cool store NK - Nordiska Kompaniet - in the Hamngatan area of the city, sells everything from the latest Prada handbag to seriously slick Swedish designer furniture.
NK began life as the pet project of Josef Sachs, who opened the store in 1912 after being inspired by the grandiose shopping arcades in turn-of-the-century Paris.
Wow factor: The menswear department is particularly strong with a veritable smorgasbord of global brands - Armani, Gucci, Versace - alongside native Swedish designers.
The Swedes love to shop and around 18 million visitors get tempted here every year. If you've got a sweet tooth, reward your restraint elsewhere in the store with a treat from the NK bakery. Specialities include chocolate macaroons and the NK mints, for which the 90-year-old recipe remains top secret.
