Next week by now, Christmas is already over, and we are probably all stuffed with delicious food and had a good time with loved ones and if you are lucky you got spoiled!
We have our Christmas presents all sorted for this year, but if you don’t and are looking for a few ( last-minute ) Christmas Shopping destinations worldwide, we ‘ve got you covered!
We picked our favorite cities where we went for Christmas shopping in the past… Or at least, window shopping when we were traveling 😉
Christmas Shopping in Manila
The Greenbelt area/shopping center is a massive mall in Makati ( a Suburb of Manila ) with little retail shops and big international brands. We really enjoyed a relaxed few days here strolling around, shopping, eating and drinking.
Definitely, end your day by eating Tappa’s at Barcino’s. They have amazing wines and delicious Tappa’s! Then head to the top floor of the shopping mall for a selection of nice bars.
The Ayala Centre is a major commercial area in the Makati CBD. The center is known for its wide array of shopping, entertainment, and cultural offerings, making it a premier shopping and cultural district. It is a modern complex with high-end malls that has cinemas, international and local shops, food chains and unique restaurants.
At night we went to the Ayala Triangle Gardens where we incidentally bumped into this amazing music and light festival. The vibe was amazing and there were lots of people out and about.
Aside from the Ayala Centre, the Rockwell Centre is also a popular shopping district in Makati. Here you will find the Power Plant Mall and on Saturday the open air community markets are quite popular with locals and tourists.
Christmas Shopping in Abu Dhabi
Before Christmas, Abu Dhabi has some amazing Christmas Shopping opportunities, winter wonderland ( in the desert 😉 ) festivals, and markets. There is also a Swiss Market with delicious treats and cute gifts.
We actually went to Abu Dhabi just after Christmas and NYE, but they still had all the decorations up in the shopping mall. We went to the massive Abu Dhabi Mall, where they even had a complete winter village, where kids can have their Christmas Photo taken with Santa and make their own arts and crafts.
Christmas Shopping in Dubai
Dubai is the number one destination for last-minute Christmas shopping according to The Economist Magazine.
With many shopping centers – the biggest one being the enormous Dubai Mall – Souks, and markets there are lots to choose from.
At the gardens of the St, Regis in Dubai you can find an enchanting winter wonderland full of activities for the family. There are plenty of things to do, see, taste and try.
Christmas Shopping in Bangkok
Sukhumvit Road is Bangkok’s best-known shopping street, with the massive malls of MBK Centre, Central World, and Platinum Shopping Centre all fairly close to each other. You can walk or take the Skytrain to travel between them.
And then there is our favorite and one of the most amazing shopping centers we have ever seen; Terminal 21.
Located in the same building as Grande Centre Point Sukhumvit, Terminal 21’s glass-and-steel building resembles a 21st-century airport, with different city themes on every floor.
The floor signs are the same as that in some airports and the receptionists at the information desk wearing flight attendant uniforms.
Terminal 21 in Bangkok has over 600 shops and more than 50 restaurants and cafés, and there is something to find for everyone.
The themes featured at Terminal 21 are the Caribbean, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Francisco, and Hollywood.
Here is an impression of Terminal 21 shopping center with some pics I found on Instagram, as I only got one picture of the Golden Gate bridge made with my old phone. ( Read: bad quality 😉 )
Christmas Shopping in Antwerp
Shopping in Antwerp is always a great experience regardless of the season. There’s a wide variety of shops to choose from, which includes fashion, design, antiques, and vintage and treats ( Belgium bonbons!! )
All the shops are within walking distance of each other and the main shopping street is De Keyserlei, which is conveniently located close to the beautiful central station of Antwerp.
Christmas shopping and markets are great in Antwerp. Beautifully decorated very cozy, thanks to Antwerp’s historical center.
Antwerp also has many restaurants and pubs ( Belgium beers!! )
Christmas Shopping in Paris
Paris at Christmas time is magical! The Christmas decorations all over the city are great, and the massive shopping malls like the Galleries Lafayette and Au Bon Marche are stunningly decorated and you can do all your Christmas shopping at once as they have gifts for everyone.
My favorite Christmas decoration in Paris was the massive tree in the middle of le Galleries Lafayette, which is there every year differently decorated. As my favorite color is Pink, I was in luck when I visited Paris and le Galleries Lafayette 😉
But also this year the Christmas tree at le Galleries Lafayette is stunningly decorated with balloons!
Another great area to go Christmas Shopping in Paris is on the small streets in the Montmartre neighborhood, where you can find unique little boutiques, jewelry, home decoration, and artworks.
Even if you don’t spend a cent in Paris, just go there Christmas Season for the festive activities and great atmosphere. Window shopping is great fun too 😉
Oh, and when you are in Paris and you have some spare time… Definitely visit Disneyland Paris for at least one day during Christmas 🙂
Christmas Shopping in Melbourne
The Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne is the most popular shopping district of the city, and the thing we liked most ( apart from the massive variety of shops ) are the Christmas windows at the famous Australian Shopping warehouses Myers and David Jones.
Every year they have a different theme and they are definitely one of the best decorated Christmas Windows you will ever come across.
Inside they have a Children department where they create a Christmas Themed Winter Wonderland which looks amazing and the kids even have the change to have their Santa Photo taken.
Christmas Shopping in Sydney
I lived in Sydney for 4 months during Christmas Period and I absolutely loved the Festive vibe in the city and all the lovely decorated shops.
Just as in Melbourne, the Myer and David Jones in Sydney also have lavish Christmas Windows on display.
One of the most beautiful shopping center’s in Sydney is the Queen Victoria Building. Not only are there amazing shopping opportunities, but you can also find Australia’s largest indoor Christmas Tree standing tall in the beautiful arcade.
The yearly Christmas tree is about 24 meters high and full of Swarovski crystals and over 65.000 lights.
Christmas Shopping in London
Although I’ve been on a quick 1 day Christmas shopping trip to London years ago, it was too short to get a good impression of London and all it has to offer.
Together with a friend I went from Zwolle, The Netherlands to Amsterdam to Rotterdam to Calais in France and from there with the ferry to Dover and eventually to London for a day.
We raced ourselves a bit through London and did some highlights and shopping.We saw Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge, London Eye from a distance and the Big Ben. We also went to Harrods and did some window shopping ( which was awesome ) and that was about it.
No Christmas shopping in style at Covent Garden or checking out one of London’s biggest Christmas Trees at Covent Garden Piazza. No wandering around in Nothing Hill, and no ride in the famous red buses.
I guess we need to visit London during Christmas time again 😉 Just look at a few amazing Christmas decorations I found at some amazing Instagram accounts. Doesn’t that look super inviting? ↓
Toronto | Number 1 on our bucket list to go Christmas Shopping
Toronto might not be the first city coming to your mind when you think of Christmas shopping. But when we came across some very pretty pictures on Instagram, we wanted to know more about it and decided to dig into the Toronto Christmas Shopping scene.
Here are some facts and some pretty pictures that make us want to go to Toronto for our next Christmas Shopping trip.
If you want the best window Christmas Shopping experience, you can’t beat the windows at the Hudson’s Bay store, Toronto’s version of Macy’s in New York. You can find everything here from designer shoes, clothes, home decor, Christmas decorations, and beauty products.
The best Christmas Decorations you will find at the Toronto Eaton Centre, Toronto’s most iconic shopping mall. The Christmas decorations are spectacular, with dazzling lights and a huge Christmas tree. Nearby, at the Nathan Phillips Square, you can go for some free outdoor skating.
Other great malls are the Square One in Mississauga, Vaughan Mills, or the Premium Outlets in Halton Hills.
The Toronto Christmas Market at the Distillery Historic District looks also pretty awesome and full of holiday magic. The Toronto Christmas Market is according to Fodor’s Travel, USA Today, and a few other big news outlets, the best in the world.
There are lots of festivities, things to do for kids, beer gardens, delicious food to try, performances, great shopping and beautiful decorations.
What is your favorite Christmas Shopping Destination? Which one did we forget to mention and have to put on our Christmas Shopping Bucket list? Let us know in the comments below ↓
