Orlando Area Shopping.

The Orlando area is truly a great place for shopping. There are so many shopping complexes, malls, markets and discount outlets that you could spend the whole of your holiday looking around them all. Unless you are a true shop-a-holic that would be a great waste of your visit here. But you would also be missing out if you didn't take the time to at least visit some of Orlando's shopping opportunities.

Compared to the UK, prices here are generally very good and you could be tempted to spend a considerable amount on different items and gifts. You need to be careful though because on your return the Customs & Excise men may take an interest in those bulging suitcases. Your duty-free allowance in the catch-all category of 'gifts' is only £145 per person. Above that figure you will be expected to pay duty and VAT on the full purchase price. You do therefore need to keep all receipts from any goods purchased in Florida to show if necessary. You may find though that even with paying the extra duty it is still cheaper than buying those goods at home. If you are planning on buying quite a lot in Florida it would be worth checking the rates of duty carefully with Customs & Excise in the departure area of your home airport.

One other thing to remember when shopping in Florida is that unlike at home with VAT, Florida State Sales Tax is NOT included on the displayed price of an item. So this tax, of 6 or 7%, will be added when you get to the till and pay. So when working out the cost of an item always add 6 or 7% to the label price and you will then be about right. This tax is added to most things with the exception of supermarket groceries, as these are classed as essentials.

Our guide to shopping in Orlando is split into four very general categories, Malls,Shopping complexes, Discount outlets and Markets. You will find that some of the places mentioned also fall into other categories such as attractions and nightlife because they very much include these things within them or are part of a larger attraction.

This is another list that is not complete and will be added to over time. New places are always being built in this area and existing one are constantly expanding and improving. If you know of other good places to shop then please drop us a line with all the details and we will be happy to include them on these pages.