The world’s best places to shop

The souks of Marrakech in Morocco offer one of the most astonishing retail experiences in the world.

When imagination meets a bottomless budget you get a mega-mall. With petting zoos, ski slopes, indoor rollercoasters and homogenous high street stores, you could be anywhere once inside the windowless world of the international super centre.

Hitting the malls of the Middle East, Asia and Europe nowadays is less about making unique purchases and cultural immersion and more about a place to escape the heat, grab a fast bite or see a blockbuster.

Real shopping is to be found elsewhere.

Wandering the shady avenues, interesting alleyways and cobbled markets of foreign shopping precincts is so much more than a retail indulgence.

It can be a crash course in a new language, a history lesson and a chance to absorb the daily life of locals. Between boutique stops, there’ll be cafes with personality, locals to talk to and people to watch.

Street food, buskers and quirky characters come with a day’s shopping in the Paris Marais, London’s Notting Hill, Hong Kong’s Wan Chai or Singapore’s Little India.

Wicked hot chocolate comes with a walk around the cobbled shops of Budapest Castle, a neon buzz and a symphony of beeping bikes with a trip to the tailors of Kowloon, and you’ll get the magic of shopping under fairy lights in the winter markets of Strasbourg, Berlin and Vienna.

Give the glitz a miss and discover where else in the world you can buy an experience along with

Article source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/europe/germany/69626313/the-worlds-best-places-to-shop