Gangtok Shopping – Shops, Stores, Best Buys & Inside Tips

Gangtok Shopping

Gangtok has numerous curio and souvenir shops throughout the city in addition to opportunities to shop for everything from winter jackets to local wine. Take advantage of Gangtok shopping and carry a piece of the city home with you.

Clothing

You’ll find plenty of opportunities to buy from local dealers when shopping in Gangtok. For woolens and winter items, visit Indo Tibetan, located on M.G. Road. You’ll find bargain opportunities on jackets from local brands and international ones, like North Face of Korea. Prices are about 10% cheaper in the winter and can be up to 40% cheaper in summer.

Strawberry, on M.G. Road, sells quality clothing ranging from outerwear to eveningwear. They offer beautiful fur jackets highly suitable for high altitude cold and wind – at a very reasonable price – in addition to items from international manufacturers. If you visit during the end of the season sales, you can take advantage of huge discounts.

Souvenirs

While there are souvenir shops everywhere, the road near Lal Bazar has many shops where prices are cheaper by 30-40% than other parts of town. M.G. Road shops carry curios of Tibetan and Sikkimese origin, as well as some Chinese items, but they are typically very expensive, and the shopkeepers don’t encourage bargaining (although you can still try).

State Handloom & Handicraft Emporium sells carpets, leather goods, Tibetan, Lepcha, Bhutia & Nepalese dress, wooden wall hangings, masks, and more. The store is also a training center for local needy women who want to learn handicraft and how to sell their merchandise. The staff is extremely friendly, and prices are very reasonable in comparison to the M.G. Road shops.

Wine

One of the major sources of revenue for the State of Sikkim is their ever growing wine industry, which is subsidized by the state.

The locally produced wine and hard liquor is of excellent quality compared to elsewhere, and their prices are also much lower. Locally produced liquor is not sold outside of the state, so you will have to obtain a liquor permit to take it outside Sikkim for your personal consumption. Get a free permit that allows you to take up to six large bottles out of the state by giving your name and address at the Excise office, M.G. Road, Gangtok. If you face difficulty, just ask the local shop to get it for you.

In Gangtok, you also get well-known liquor brands and Scotch at comparatively cheaper rates than in Delhi, Calcutta, or Bombay as the excise duty is lower. A bottle of good Scotch like Black Dog or Passport is available for Rs.1000-1200 per bottle, whereas the same brand is available in a large city for Rs.1300-1500.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about Gangtok shopping.