Amazing Shopping Locations around the World!

Galleries Lafayette is one of the most famous and glamorous department stores in Paris.
It was established in 1893 as a small fashion store, but quickly developed into one of the biggest shops in Paris.
In 1912 a glass dome and a beautiful staircase were added to the building.
Today it is a ten-storey department store selling the latest trends in fashion, jewellery, food and gifts.
The prices are high, but not everything is expensive and many Parisians shop there every day.
The store is usually full of people and many tourists come to Galleries Lafayette,
just to admire the impressive architecture. Some parts of the store are classified as historical sites,
and there are panoramic views of the city from the top of the building.

The Ginza is Tokyo’s most famous upmarket shopping, dining and entertainment centre,
and is thought to be one of the most prestigious shopping areas in the world.
However, be careful – in the most fashionable cafés, a cup of coffee costs over 800 yen (around $10).
The symbol of the Ginza is the clock tower of the Wako department store.
Wako was established in 1881 by a businessman called Kintaro Hattori, but its present building,
along with its famous clock tower, was completed in 1932. It used to specialise in watches and jewellery.
This isn’t surprising, because Hattori was also the creator of Seiko, the well-known Japanese watch company.
Today, the ground floor of the department store still sells Seiko watches.

GUM, the State Department Store on the eastern side of Moscow’s Red Square,
is Russia’s most famous shopping location. The top floor used to be home to a secret clothing store,
only open to the most important political leaders. Now the exclusive shops are open to everyone,
and it’s very popular with tourists. The old building which stood here from at least 1520 was destroyed by fire,
and the present building was completed in 1893. The building itself is beautiful,
and at the end of the 19th century it was the largest shopping centre in Europe.
By 1917, it contained 1,200 stores. Between 1928 and 1953, GUM was used as a government building.
When it was finally re-opened as a shop it became famous for its long queues,
which used to go all the way across Red Square. These days, GUM is still too expensive for many Russians,
but even if you don’t plan to buy anything, you should have a look inside GUM.