UK home to three of the most popular shopping spots in Europe

Data reveals which shopping streets across Europe are the most visited both on and offline

• Popularity index combines data from Instagram hashtags, global Google searches, daily footfall figures, and total TripAdvisor reviews UK’s Covent Garden, Regent and Oxford Streets amongst the most popular shopping streets in Europe, according to combined index Oxford Street also named as having the most footfall per day, with more than 72,000 visitors walking the street daily Iconic Covent Garden takes top spot as most Instagrammable, most Googled globally, and most reviewed on TripAdvisor

A recent report released by UNiDAYS revealed that fashion brands only have 8 seconds to capture the attention of Gen Z customers in this fast moving digital shopping world. Yet, in a post pandemic survey of 18,000 Gen Z students, a whopping 84% revealed that they were looking forward to browsing the high street shops again in person. 

Alongside this, the report showed that more than half of those surveyed (56%) said they don’t follow brands on social media, and even though the majority will research purchases online first (85%), three quarters of consumers don’t trust shopping directly on social media and prefer to purchase in person instead.

With so many incredible shopping locations in Europe to choose from, experts at UNiDAYS looked to work out which are the most popular amongst shoppers, according to a range of data points. Comparing the average number of pedestrians per day, the number of images associated with the location on Instagram, the total amount of TripAdvisor reviews for the shopping, and the global monthly Google searches for each, they were able to create a popularity index to help shoppers find the best outdoor shopping spots in Europe.

The Most Popular Shopping Streets in Europe

Rank	Country	City	Shopping Street	Number ofpedestriansper day	Images on Instagram hashtag	Trip Advisor reviews	Global monthly Google searches	TOTAL POPULARITY
1	UK	London	Covent Garden	44,000	1,480,361	24,913	148,300	90
2	France	Paris	Avenue des Champs-Élysées	45,500	1,002,696	21,471	103,500	72
3	UK	London	Oxford Street	72,700	892,445	4,831	80,100	58
4	Spain	Madrid	Gran Via	60,800	562,394	14,398	45,000	52
5	Germany	Berlin	Alexanderplatz	31,300	583,963	4,531	96,900	42
6	UK	London	Regent Street	56,900	391,104	1,661	23,000	32
7	Ireland	Dublin	Grafton Street	40,500	82,050	4,051	11,700	21
8	Italy	Milan	Corso Vittorio Emanuele II	54,600	63,934	631	1,300	21
9	Spain	Madrid	Calle de Preciados	44,100	247	240	1,300	16
10	France	Paris	Rue de Rivoli	36,000	45,281	84	12,500	15
11	Ireland	Dublin	Mary Street	39,000	4,624	0	8,800	15
12	Ireland	Dublin	Henry Street	35,900	18,100	348	8,200	14
13	Sweden	Stockholm	Drottninggatan	31,600	33,933	231	12,500	14
14	France	Paris	Boulevard Haussmann	33,600	22,821	0	10,400	14
15	Austria	Vienna	Kärntner Strasse	34,900	7,549	455	3,900	13
16	Austria	Vienna	Mariahilfer Strasse	31,900	24,243	580	1,300	12
17	Italy	Milan	Via Torino	30,200	18,828	401	5,700	12
18	Belgium	Brussels	Rue Neuve	29,200	4,601	480	7,400	12
19	Denmark	Copenhagen	Østergade	30,900	2,655	0	3,300	11
20	Czech Republic	Prague	Na Příkopě	30,200	3,146	229	590	11
21	Germany	Berlin	Tauentzienstrasse	28,400	3,527	35	540	10

London – Capital of Shopping

Based on all four criteria, London’s Covent Garden came out as the most popular, thanks to the almost 1.5million photos of it on Instagram, and the monthly searches of almost 150,000 across the world. While one of the oldest shopping spots in London, it sees only 65% as much foot traffic as London’s next most-popular shopping street, Oxford Street. 

With more than 72,000 visitors to the shopping street daily, Oxford street is the most visited shopping destination, but only the third most popular. The area has just under 5,000 TripAdvisor reviews to its name, versus Covent Garden’s almost 25,000, and also far less monthly searches, with only around 80,000 people Googling this street across the world.

The UK’s third and final shopping street on the list is Regent Street, which sits just outside the top five at number six. With less foot traffic than Oxford Street, despite running off of it, this street also has less online reviews and searches, as Oxford Street sees 248% more global searches every month, and Covent Garden a whopping 545% more globally.

Most Instagrammable Shopping Spots

When looking at which of Europe’s shopping streets is the most photographic, the top five remains the same – albeit in a slightly different order. London’s Covent Garden again reigns supreme with 1.48million photos associated with the hashtag, while Paris’ iconic Avenue des Champs-Élysées slides into second spot with just over 1million photos.

Rounding out the top five spots are Oxford Street (892,445 images), Berlin’s bustling Alexanderplatz (583,963), and Madrid’s vibrant Gran Via with 562,394 images.

Looking further into the top ten, we start to see some local favourites from Europe’s lesser known but still very popular shopping spots. Milan’s Corso Vittorio Emanuele II sits at number eight thanks to the 63,934 photos posted from this shopping thoroughfare, while Ireland’s iconic Grafton Street features in seventh spot with just over 82,000 images. 

Hidden Gems for Window Shopping

To consider something a hidden gem, it needs to be good but not too busy, in which case Rue Neuve in Brussels and Via Torino in Milan are the two best bets. Rue Neuve sees just over 29,000 pedestrians every day, a far cry from the 72,000 of Covent Garden, but also has just under 500 reviews on TripAdvisor and around 7,400 monthly Google searches, showing it is still a popular choice for those visiting the area.

Similarly, Via Torino in Milan is nowhere near as crowded as Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, with almost half as many visitors every day, but it still has the popularity of almost 20,000 images on Instagram, as well as 5,700 Google searches every month.