Edinburgh - Dùn Èideann by Loris Paleari via Flickr Creative Commons

Shopping opportunities in Scotland vary according to location, with Edinburgh the hub for everything from designer to high street fashion, quirky boutiques, and stores packed with traditional Scottish goods such as tartans, the famous island knitwear, silver Celtic and Cairngorm jewelry, and other delights. Overseas visitors whose ancestors came from Scotland can get fitted out with their clan’s tartan, including kilt, sporran, and the rest of the traditional gear, with a set of bagpipes perhaps the ultimate memento of a visit.

Edinburgh’s Princes Street is the heart of Scotland’s shopping district and home to chain and department stores, with parallel George Street offering more upmarket choices. The Royal Mile is good for Scottish souvenirs, including kilts and single malts, and Victoria Street is home to quirky boutiques. Grassmarket is worth a wander and Multrees Walk is famous designer label heaven for fashionistas. For mall-lovers, Princes and St James malls are off Princes Street, and Ocean Terminal is in Leith.

Glasgow’s mainstream retail therapy hub is huge, with only slightly less retail space than London, and is pedestrianized for most of its city center area of Sauchiehall, Argyle, and Oxford streets. For more individual offerings, the West End and Merchant City areas are best, and the East End’s weekend Barras Market is a unique shopping experience.

Aberdeen’s main shopping center is found around Thistle and Chapel streets with their specialty stores, and the chain stores on Union and George streets. Aberdeen’s antiques and collectables stores are great for unique souvenirs of your visit.

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