What to buy in London for Malaysians: Travel guide for gifts, souvenirs and more

If you’re travelling to London, it would be a waste to come home with an empty luggage. Here are some souvenir ideas that will help you bring a piece of the United Kingdom back home with you.

This guide covers what souvenirs, gifts, and luxury products to buy in London to maximise your time and shopping. Additionally, we’ll talk about how to use the Wise card to save money on your MYR to GBP transactions when spending in the UK.

What souvenirs to buy in London

A trip to the UK is definitely worth remembering, not least thanks to the amount of time it takes us to get there from the other side of the world. Here are some little trinkets that you can purchase for yourself and your friends so that you’ll be able to keep those memories close at hand.

London-themed memorabilia

If you ever see a tiny red phone booth statue, the first thought will immediately be of the phone booths in London. These London-themed memorabilia are fantastic options to decorate your home with, or even to bring around in the form of keychains.

Whether it’s a keychain, magnet or small statue of the iconic red phone booths, the Big Ben clock tower or a cute teddy bear dressed up in the King’s Guards uniform, there are plenty of such souvenirs to be found all around London. You’ll be able to find these trinkets at gift shops like the Buckingham Palace gift shop, Harrods or Fortnum and Mason department stores and more.

If you’re visiting the royal residences like Buckingham Palace or taking a trip out to see Windsor Castle, you’ll even be able to purchase items from the Royal Collection Trust gift shops. These shops stock souvenirs and even food items like jams, preserves and honey.

Tea sets

What’s more British than having some scones and tea to while away the afternoon? You’ll be able to get tea sets and teaware easily in London, with items like tiered cake stands, beautifully painted teapots and delicate cups and saucers made out of fine bone china.

The Royal Collection Trust stocks some exquisite sets, but there are many other options like local brands Wedgwood, Halcyon Days and Emma Bridgewater.

What gifts to buy in London

If you’ve been asked by friends and family to buy back gifts from London, don’t fret, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

Stuffed toys and plushies

Looking to buy back some stuffed plushies? British brands like Jellycat and Hamleys are well-known all around the world for their cute plushies. Jellycat is incredibly popular with both children and adult collectors, and you’ll be able to save a decent amount by purchasing these stuffed toys in London. For example, a Horticus Hare plushie can go for around 216.90 MYR¹ in Malaysia, but it’s only 30 GBP² (around 173.89 MYR) in the UK.

If you’re looking for something a bit more British, Hamleys also produces plushies of the iconic Paddington bear, which is a perfect souvenir from London. The brand also has UK exclusive items like a Queen Elizabeth II Beanie Bear or the Hamleys bear dressed in the iconic guardsman uniform.

English teas

How can we forget about tea? While England doesn’t produce much tea, its people certainly rank amongst the top in the world when it comes to tea consumption. Therefore, it’s only natural that plenty of places in London will sell tea, whether it’s in teabags or loose tea leaves.

Whittard of Chelsea is a longstanding brand dating back to 1886, with the brand offering tea blends such as English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Milk Oolong and other special blends. A 100g bag of English Rose loose tea goes for just 9 GBP³ (around 52.19 MYR) in London, while the same bag of tea sells at 69 MYR⁴ in Malaysia.

Tea is also somewhat of a specialty at Fortnum & Mason, with the store creating a special blend of tea for King Edward VII in 1902, which became known as Royal Blend. A box of 25 tea bags of Royal Blend is priced at 6.95 GBP⁵ in London (around 40.28 MYR), but is going for as high as 138.89 MYR⁶ in Malaysia.

What luxury products to buy in London

If you’re looking to purchase luxury and high-fashion products, you’ll be spoilt for choice with all the options available. Whether it’s quintessentially British perfumes or classic bags and satchels, where better to get these items than in London?

Even though there’s no more VAT refund for tourists, you can still find great deals on local brands that might be priced lower than counterparts in Malaysia.

Fragrances and perfumes

Some of the most well-known perfumers in the world are London brands, and you will certainly be saving a decent amount if you snag a bottle while you’re in the UK. Penhaligon’s is one of the most iconic British perfume brands, and a 100ml bottle of The Dandy goes for 175 GBP⁷ (around 1,014 MYR) in London, while the same bottle can cost up to 1,100 MYR⁸ in Malaysia.

Jo Malone is another popular British brand for perfumes, and while Molton Brown is more known for their soaps, this British brand also offers perfumes and home fragrances.

Branded bags

The UK has plenty of storied luxury brands, and if you’re looking for a new bag, there will be many options for you to choose from. If you’re looking for a classical British satchel shoulder bag, the Cambridge Satchel Company produces retro bags that are handcrafted in the UK.

For luxury brands, there’s Apinal of London, Mulberry, Burberry and more. You can easily find these brands in department stores, and oftentimes, there will be outlets in the main shopping districts like Oxford Street, Covent Gardent and Regent Street as well. If you're spending a huge sum, cut out foreign transaction fees by using a travel card like the Wise card instead of your local credit card.

Save more when you shop in London when you stretch your MYR to GBP spending using the Wise card

There’s so much to see and do in London, but you won’t have to worry about paying more than you have to as long as you spend with Wise. With a Wise account, you can hold and convert between 40+ currencies and spend it in over 150+ countries.

You can order a linked Wise card before flying as well - simply top up your account with MYR and use the card to make payments in GBP so you don’t get hit with unreasonable currency conversion fees. There’s automatic conversion between currencies at the mid-market exchange rate, with low, transparent fees⁹. If you prefer, you can also convert in advance when it’s at your desired exchange rate so you can manage your GBP and card spending all through the Wise app.

Need cash on hand? You’ll be able to get 2 free ATM withdrawals of up to 1,000 MYR with the Wise card, so you’ll be able to visit markets, restaurants, and shops while always having a way to pay.

For cheap and convenient foreign currency spending in London and beyond.

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1. Mothercare Malaysia
2. Jellycat
3. Whittard UK
4. Whittard Malaysia
5. Fortnum & Mason
6. Shopee Malaysia
7. Penhaligon’s
8. Escentials Malaysia