Shopping, Crafts, and Artisans tours in Jaipur and Delhi
India is a shopper’s paradise. Markets, malls, and bazaars burst with beautiful merchandise, much of it handmade, unique, and culturally significant. Visiting markets in India is a cultural activity that is also fun and can be a great way to get to know local neighbourhoods.
I love shopping in India and especially in Jaipur and Delhi. Personally, I think they are the best shopping cities in India and I have spent a LOT of time in both, scouring the stores and markets.
Shopping tours can also include going behind-the-scenes to visit workshops, production houses, and museums, and to see how the crafts of India are made and to meet the talented artisans. Many of the fine products sold in the stores and markets are laboriously hand-made using time-honoured skills and traditions.
As shopping is a favourite pastime – you might say obsession – I have published some general shopping guides on Breathedreamgo, which can help you discover the best products to buy, and also find out about the main markets:
Our Shopping tours
At India for Beginners, we offer shopping tours in Jaipur and Delhi (and other cities) in India. If the timing is right, I can lead the tours, as I did with a wonderful group of ladies from the USA. We went to workshops where we learned about — and bought — authentic, top-quality saris and pashminas, and then went to a market that specializes in good quality women’s clothing.
Here is a sample itinerary we put together for a client: Luxury Shopping Tour with India for Beginners. It’s a luxury tour that we can modify, depending on your budget. If you can’t download it, please contact us.
On Shopping Tours, we can also take you to workshops and showrooms where they demonstrate crafts such a block printing, rug weaving, and jewellery making.
Buyer beware
If you are planning to buy anything costly such as rugs, jewellery, furniture, or pashmina shawls, please have the items authenticated before purchasing. Sadly, many fakes are sold to unsuspecting tourists who don’t know the difference.
When you shop with us, you can avoid commission stores, scams, and fakes. As an ethical company, we don’t take part in any of these unscrupulous practices. Please read What makes us different to learn more.
So to that end, I am sharing a list of some of my favourite trustworthy, credible stores. This is an ongoing list, which I will continue to compile.
Shopping in Delhi: Favourite stores
Delhi is huge, with many shopping areas, markets, bazaars, malls, and stores spread out over a very wide region. The commercial centre of Delhi is Connaught Place. This huge circular ivory structure was built in 1929 by the British, modelled after the Royal Crescent in Bath, England. It is designed as two concentric circles, with a large park in the centre.
Personally, I love Khan Market. It’s a great one-stop market for hip cafes and high-end stores. You can trust pretty much every store at Khan Market, most are reliable chain stores.
For women’s clothes, I also love the GK1 N-Block market. Here, in a small and charming market in South Delhi, you can find many of the top chain stores for women’s clothing including FabIndia, Anokhi, Cottons Jaipur, Jaypore, Bagh and several more.
For authentic pashminas, you have to shop at a credible place – there are many fakes sold (usually shawls and stoles made of kashmir wool and sold as pashmina wool). These are the places I trust:
- Shaw Brothers, Defence Colony
- Jammu and Kashmir State Emporium, Connaught Place
- Ahujasons (chain store)
- Central Cottage Industries Emporium, Janpath
Many tourists go to Dilli Haat – a government-run, open-air market with fixed prices that supports local tradespeople. While Dilli Haat is reliable, I prefer Dastkar Nature Bazaar, near Chhatarpur metro station. I feel Dilli Haat has become quite commercial, while Dastkar Nature Bazaar truly supports artisans. They hold a mela (fair) every month, so it’s best to time your visit with a mela. You can find out when their melas are here on their website or on their Facebook page.
Shopping in Jaipur: Favourite stores
Jaipur is probably the best place to shop in India and it’s my favourite, along with Delhi. The city was founded to be a trading hub for artisans, and that tradition of creativity has carried on to this day. However, Jaipur is probably the most challenging place to shop in India, too, as you do have to know what you are doing when buying costly items!
So, with those cautions in mind, I am recommending only stores that have a good reputation and / or that I have personally experienced. These are just a few of my favourites, to give you a head start.
This is a good article on Jaipur stores.
Clothes and Textiles
- Anokhi
- Hot Pink, Kanota Courtyard
- IDLI by Thierry Journo
- Cottons
- Gulaab Chand
- Aashka, Kanota Courtyard
- Andraab, Kanota Courtyard
- The PDKF Store, and The Palace Atelier, City Palace
- Nila House, pictured below.
Jewellery
- Amrapali and Amrapali Museum
- Gems Paradise
- Gem Plaza and Gyan Museum
- The Gem Palace
- Tholia’s Kuber
Home decor
- Anantya and other stores at The Kanota Courtyard (shopping arcade adjacent to Bar Palladio and Narain Niwas hotel)
- Jaipur Rugs
- Carpet & Textile House,
The Pink City (the Old City)
- Lac bangles: Maniharon ka raasta is an entire laneway devoted to lac bangles and lac jewellery in Tripolia Bazaar
- Block print clothes: Bapu Bazaar
- Moharis (and juttis): The traditional leather shoes of Jaipur, you can find a great selection in Ramganj Bazaar
- Riddhi Siddhi textiles for a warehouse packed with fabric!
By Mariellen Ward
