The 7 Most Beautiful Department Stores Around the World
If you find yourself near one of the most beautiful department stores in the world, it’s time to take your window shopping one step further and actually go inside. Because just like browsing the façade-front displays, the fun isn’t necessarily in buying, but rather the simple act of looking. At these stunning shops, architecture and design rival the products themselves—which is saying something, since most department stores carry ever-fashionable brands and other couture. The seven shops that made this list earned their places thanks to incredible design elements such as expansive stained glass ceilings, breathtaking staircases, brilliant chandeliers, and even a replicated sphinx statue. Below, journey to the most beautiful department stores around the world.
Photo: Julian Elliott Photography/Getty Images1/7Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II (Milan, Italy)
Located between two Milanese monuments—the Duomo and the Teatro all Scala—Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele is as much a stunner as its famous neighbors. Defined by a glass-and-iron barrel-vaulted roof, the shopping center is shaped like a cross. Built between 1865 and 1877, the gallery is the oldest shopping center in Italy and was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni.
Photo: Stock By M/Getty Images2/7Galleries Lafayette (Paris, France)
An upscale department store chain, you can find Galleries Lafayette across Europe. However, the most famous location is its flagship on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Many notable artists and designers worked on the building, including Ferdinand Chanut, who oversaw much of the design, which is famed for its glass-and-steel dome ceiling and an Art Nouveau staircase. Spanning 750,000 square feet, the store claims it is the second most visited monument in Paris, second only to the Eiffel Tower.
Photo: Bruce Yuanyue Bi/Getty Images3/7Le Bon Marché (Paris, France)
Le Bon Marché was founded in 1838, though it was reimagined by French entrepreneur Aristide Boucicaut and his wife, Marguerite, in 1852. Designed by architect Louis-Charles Boileau and the engineer Gustave Eiffel, the shop is largely considered the world’s first department store. According to LVMH, the shop’s parent organization, the Boucicauts wanted to create “a new kind of store that would thrill all the senses.”
Photo: Prisma by Dukas Presseagentur GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo4/7Harrods (London, England)
Though it is now one of the most recognized department stores in the world, Harrods actually started as a grocery store in 1849. Located just south of Hyde Park, the store now houses 300 departments, 20 restaurants, a beauty salon, and bank. London’s first escalator opened in Harrods, which reportedly traumatized guests so much that shots of brandy were offered to men at the top. Women, on the other hand, were given smelling salts to calm their nerves.
Photo: directphoto.bz / Alamy Stock Photo5/7El Palacio de Hierro (Mexico City, Mexico)
El Palacio de Hierro was the first building in Mexico City constructed from iron and steel. Notably, the store got its name from this unique design element (Palacio de Hierro translates to “Iron Palace”). However, the original building burnt down in a fire in 1914 and was eventually replaced in 1921 following the Mexican Revolution. The new structure was designed in the Art Nouveau style by French architect Paul Dubois and features a stained glass ceiling created by Jacques Gruber, the same artist responsible for the glass dome in Galleries Lafayette.
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Photo: China News Service/Getty Images6/7Saks Fifth Avenue (New York, New York)
Though Saks Fifth Avenue does indeed have beautiful interiors, it’s its holiday exteriors that particularly deserve a shoutout. A tradition nearly 20 years old, the light show runs every 10 minutes throughout the holiday season. The display is different each year, with 2023’s iteration described as a “wheel of fortune,” featuring zodiac signs and other imagery. The festive window displays are also worth noting, which provide glimpses into miniature celebratory worlds—ideal for the design lover.
Photo: Cristina Arias/Getty Images7/7El Corte Inglés (Madrid, Spain)
Originally a humble tailor shop, El Corte Inglés has grow into the premier department store chain in Spain. Dating back to 1935, the shop has expanded from Madrid to other Spanish cities including Barcelona, Seville, and Bilbao as well as Lisbon in Portugal. The Castellana shop, seen here, is among the biggest of the chain and is defined by a large atrium featuring sinuous balconies, gold escalators, and a large dome mirror.
