Luxury London Guide - Why Knightsbridge is London’s No.1 Shopping Neighbourhood
It doesn’t have New York’s jaw-dropping skyline, and it’s hard to compete with Paris’ romantic chic, but London reigns supreme as the ultimate shopping city. Each of London’s neighbourhoods offer a different shopping style, and a day spent shopping in London can easily take you from markets to malls and everything in between.
One neighbourhood stands out as the best for shopping – Knightsbridge. Our Knightsbridge shopping guide will help guide you to some of the best luxury retail spots so you can spend less time on the tube and more time in the fitting room.
Shop In Style in London’s Most Iconic Stores
Bordered by the lawns and lakes of Hyde Park to the north, glitzy Belgravia to the east, the homes of soccer stars and A-listers in Chelsea to the south, and the palaces and museums of Kensington to the west - Knightsbridge is at the heart of the best of London.
Shopping in Knightsbridge is defined by personalised experiences, flagship stores, super-luxury brands and two of the world’s most iconic department stores. From Louboutin shoes to Hermès scarves shopping in Knightsbridge is like nowhere else.
The major shopping area in Knightsbridge is centred around Sloane Street and Brompton Road. Make your way south along Sloane Street and you’ll have to resist the window displays of Harvey Nichols, Tom Ford and Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Fendi, Dior and Moncler, Versace and Chanel, not to mention Prada and Burberry before you’re even halfway down the street. Head west on Hans Crescent and the narrow lane leads you towards six floors of shopping in the “world’s most famous department store”: Harrods. Beyond the big names of Brompton and Sloane, there’s a mix of tailors, antique dealers, and independent boutiques in historic Beauchamp Place.
From Louboutin shoes to Hermès scarves shopping in Knightsbridge is like nowhere else.
Shop & Stay at Harrods’ Closest Hotel Neighbour
Harrods is synonymous with luxury shopping, and you get a sense of what makes it so special from the moment a legendary Harrods ‘green man’ welcomes you through the doors. Few, if any, stores can compete with the history of Harrods that goes back to the late 1800s. And while the store no longer caters to requests like that of Ronald Reagan who famously phoned to order a baby elephant, they’ve built their reputation on an unmatched level of personalised service and live up to their motto “all things, for all people, everywhere”.
Stretching upwards for six floors, Harrods’ 330 departments include more than 5000 brands and are presented over 1 million square feet of shopping space. It stocks more exclusive brands than you’ll find in some entire cities. Don’t call Harrods a mall, this is shopping as grand as it gets.
From the ground floors, you can make your way up a golden spiral staircase for tailored beauty advice or take the marble staircase to extraordinary collections of jewellery and watches. Glass cases are filled with Cartier and De Beers as well as Rolex and Vacheron Constantin. In the famous food halls, the variety is equally unparalleled with 150 chefs creating daily menus, and everything from fresh truffles to more than 100 loose leaf teas to choose from. The first floor showcases the best of womenswear, the second floor the ultimate menswear brands, and on the third floor the homeware ranges from spectacular chandeliers to home scent consultations. Head to the fourth floor for children’s wear and toys, and the fifth for hair and beauty as well as next-generation tech. The sixth-floor beckons with the Salon de Parfums and it’s bespoke bottles.
In between deciding how to fill a famous green and gold bag, the store has eateries created by lauded chefs and bars that are perfect for post-retail drinks. In-store services go far beyond luxury wrapping, and include bespoke hampers, hand-painted monogramming, tailoring and garment customising, and even a dedicated toy concierge.
For the ultimate Harrods shopping experience there’s nowhere better, or closer, to stay than the Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge.
Quite literally a five-minute walk from the hotel to Harrods, the Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge is in the perfect location for a shopping staycation in the capital. Sleep soundly in a handcrafted Hypnos bed, experience famous Millennium hospitality and shop in style on Sloane Street and Harrods.
Five in Five – Our Favourite Stores Near Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge might be best known for Harrods, but there’s much more on offer.
We’ve selected five of the ultimate shopping experiences within 5 minutes’ walk of Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge.
1. Harvey Nichols (109-125 Knightsbridge) – In any other neighbourhood Harvey Nichols would take the top spot as the best department store. While it can’t quite rival Harrods for sheer scale, it should definitely be on your shopping list if you love fashion.
2. Hermès (1 Cadogan Place) – The Parisian brand famous for its leather goods, perfumes, and silk scarves has made itself at home on Sloane Street. The building mixes a brutalist aesthetic with pretty details like a sweeping oak staircase to add to the shopping experience.
3. Cutler and Gross (16 Knightsbridge Green) – The original store that started it all for Tony and Graham, this is eyewear at its best.
4. Burberry (1 Sloane Street) – A prestigious address for a prestigious British brand, Burberry has a stunning flagship store in Knightsbridge.
5. Sellier (6 Cheval Place) – You’ll need a little longer than five minutes to reach Sellier, but we promise it’s worth it. Sellier’s reputation has set it apart as one of the best places to buy new or like-new rare and hard-to-find luxury and ultra-luxury brands.
Explore More of Knightsbridge – Arts, Parks & Culture A Walk Away
In between shopping take a walk to some of our Knightsbridge highlights.
Hyde Park (4 minutes’ walk) – Arguably London’s most famous park, Hyde Park is the largest of the Royal Parks and just a stone’s throw from the hotel. Enjoy the scents and the colours in the Hyde Park Rose Garden, stroll along the banks of the Serpentine, picnic under century-old trees, and discover pretty Kensington Gardens.
Victoria and Albert Museum (15 minutes’ walk) – The world’s largest museum of arts and design with a collection of over 2 million objects. Book a slot in advance and allow plenty of time to discover the hallways and exhibitions of this historic museum.
Bonhams (9 minutes’ walk) – Located opposite Harrods, this is one of the world’s most famous auction houses with a history dating back to 1793. Check the calendar for what’s available for viewing and what’s up for auction for a one-of-a-kind experience.
If you’re looking for a shopping experience beyond Knightsbridge, then take a closer look at Millennium’s Bicester Village Package. Bicester Village is one of the country’s favourite outlet shopping centres where you can get some of the biggest brands for less. The Bicester Village Package includes a comfortable stay in a Studio Suite, 15% off drinks and dining, transport to Bicester Village, a 10% discount card for selected stores, exclusive access to relax in The Apartment and much more.
