London
Head for Regent Street, made trendy by cheap'n'chic new clothing arrivals Zara and Mango. Don't miss Agent Provocateur, in nearby Broadwick Street, for the sexiest smalls known to man.
Skip Covent Garden's covered market and head towards the downstairs bazaar at Neal Street East for the cheapest stocking fillers in town. Nearby Duffer of St George, Shorts Gardens, has the coolest men's labels and Neal's Yard Dairy the whiffiest cheeses. Stop to recharge and refuel at Wagamama on Lexington Street.
Of London's markets, Portobello is arguably the funkiest. Nearby you'll find Graham & Green on Elgin Crescent for homeware, Emma Bernhardt on Portobello Rd for Mexican knick knacks and the Travel Bookshop on Blenheim Crescent.
Urban Outfitters on Kensington High Street is the place for kitsch and affordable homeware, clobber, cosmetics and gadgets.
Two nights' bed and breakfast with London Travel Service (01992 456177) from £82.
Bath
"Bath is a charming place, sir, there are so many good shops here," wrote Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey. Almost 200 years later, her observation is as true as ever, the bonus for the visiting shopper being a weekend in some of Britain's most elegant Georgian crescents and squares.
Union Street, Stall Street and Southgate form the shopping nucleus, where you'll find high-street stores aplenty - choose from Hobbs, Russell & Bromley and Liberty among others. Milsom Street is the most elegant - you'll recognise Jolly's department store from the television series The House of Elliot. Stock up on Somerset cheddar from the The Fine Cheese Shop on Walcot St.
Bath has a bewildering number of antique shops - Piccadilly Antiques on London Road is one of the best - as well as the Great Western Antique Market and Bartlett Street Antique Market, facing each other on Bartlett Street.
Two nights' B&B at The Francis hotel (0870 4008 223) from £118 per person. Call the Bath tourist information centre for a full list of hotels (01225 477 101).
Paris
No cheaper than London but certainly more chic, the French capital is ideal for presents with a certain je ne sais quoi. Check out Au Nain Bleu on rue St Honoré, France's premier toyshop, a must for Eurostar train-sets and Babyfoot tables. A few blocks further down is Collette, a one-stop shop selling the latest in fashion, design and art. There's nowhere better to nibble than upmarket food hall Fauchon, Place de la Madeleine, then continue to La Comtesse du Barry, bd Haussmann, where staff will giftwrap terrines, patés and foie gras. Stock up on neutral basics for men, women and children at Agnès b on Rue du Jour and don't miss Le Marais quartiers, the Soho of Paris with quirky interiors boutiques Décalage, Rue des Francs Bourgeois, and Boutique Paris-Musées, five shops down, where all stock is inspired by Parisian museum exhibits.
Back in St Germain, you'll find Sabbia Rosa, rue des Saints-Pères, brassiere purveyor to the stars, and Diptyque, blvd Saint Germain, whose delicious candles are £10 cheaper than in the UK.
Two nights in Paris by Eurostar with VFB Holidays (01242 240 310) from £169 per person.
Boston
You get more for your dollar in New England that in New York -there's no sales tax on clothing and only 5% on other goodies compared with 8.5%. The city can be easily divided into five main shopping areas - Newbury Street, Beacon Hill, Faneuil Hall Marketplace (including hundreds of food stalls), Copley Place and Downtown Crossing.
The top end of Newbury Street is home to big name designers such as Armani - even European labels are cheaper in the States - with an almighty Tower Records at the west end. Copley Place has over 100 shops, including stateside favourites Neiman Marcus (clothing), Tiffany (jewellery) and J Crew (clothing) with a branch of Saks Fifth Avenue in the nearby Prudential Centre.
Downtown Crossing is home to Filene 's department store and its famous basement Automatic Markdown Plan, where items get cheaper the longer they've been on sale. Don't forget Boston's nearby factory outlet malls Wrentham Village and Worcester Common, both a bus ride from town, featuring the usual suspects - Banana Republic, Donna Karan, Timberland, Calvin Klein, The Gap etc.
Four nights' B&B in Boston with Thomas Cook (01733 418 100) from £359 per person.
Christmas markets
Nuremberg, Vienna, Munich, Cologne and Salzburg are the favourites, but the smaller markets in Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Innsbruck and Gothenburg are also well worth a visit.
Travelscene (020-8427 8800) features 20 Christmas market destinations including two nights' B&B in Salzburg from £258 per person.
Marrakech
The Djemaa el Fna, the city's central market place and surrounding souks, sell everything you could want and more. Haggling is a must; if you really think you need a hand, ask your hotel for a guide or go to Ensemble Artisanal, a fixed-price craft shop on Mohammed V. Babouches, soft slippers in suede or leather, can be picked up in the Souk des Babouches and kids will love Star Wars-style hooded djellabahs - try Karsan Ahmed, Souk Defa ou Rabaa. Plain white-cotton kaftans are a better bet for adults; Maison du Kaftan Marocain, rue Sidi El Yamani, has the biggest range. Buy carpets from Bazar Jouti, Souk des Tapis and lanterns and ironwork from Souk Dylaouine. If you want to spend a little more, try Khalid Art Gallery, rue Dar el Bacha, for beautiful antiques at surprisingly reasonable prices. Don't forget the spice market for bags of saffron, jars of harissa and juicy olives.
Four nights' B&B in Marrakech from £359 per person with Thomson Breakaway (0208-210 4210).
Lille
Only two hours from London, Lille is fast building a reputation as a shopping haven. And with nearly every designer label on sale in the enormous Euralille mall with branches of Kookai, Morgan, Naf Naf (all cheaper than in the UK), and a McArthur Glenn discount outlet half an hour out of town, it's not hard to see why.
The pedestrian area to the south of Grand Place has high-street names in art-déco streets decorated with hanging baskets; try Authentic Licence for menswear and Bidule for streetwear and denim, both rue de Béthune. In Vieux Lille, try Michel Ruc for local designers such as Anne Demeulemeester.
Don't miss the famous Wazemmes Sunday market where you can bargain hunt and snack at food stalls serving paella and couscous. Lille is great for foodies; the Carrefour hypermarket for regional specialities; Philippe Olivier on rue du Cure Saint Etienne for cheese and La Cave d'Annie Paule, rue de l'Hopital Militaire, for wine.
Three nights' B&B by Eurostar with Cresta Holidays (0870 161 0920) from £169 per person.
