For years, I looked at duty-free shoppers as a rare breed.
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Who actually has the time to shop in an airport? Who has the competence to stay aware of the time while on the hunt for a great product? And who the hell can afford those prices?
As it turns out, many flyers are more than practiced at getting to the airport on time. They might leave themselves an hour or two to wander through duty-free shops at their leisure.
Why bother, you might ask?
Though we’re used to paying a premium for basic things at airports (from quesadillas to macchiatos), duty-free shops are actually high-savings zones—even when it comes to luxury brands.
If you’re going to be setting off around the world, you might want to set aside a little added time to explore a major duty-free shop—especially if you’ll be passing through one of the airports listed below.
They’re renowned for their duty-free shops where you can find high-quality brands with slashed price tags, along with tons of other valuable deals.
Just make sure you have enough room in your carry-on to lug those steals once you land at your destination. (And try to focus your duty-free shopping on your return trip home. Otherwise, you’ll be carrying around those finds for the duration of your trip.)
Top airports for duty-free shopping
Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Unsurprisingly, Dubai’s penchant for luxury extends to its airport’s duty-free section. You can shop for spirits, tobacco, perfumes, cosmetics, electronics, and confectionaries in all three terminals. Terminal 1 has the largest duty-free section, while Terminal 3 has a handful of high-fashion brands, cosmetics, and fragrances.
In Dubai fashion, you can even hire a personal shopper to help you find the right products. Or if you’re short on time, you can also shop online and then pick up your orders at the duty-free shops.
Hamad International Airport (DOH)
Though Doha isn’t usually as well-known by American travelers, the capital of Qatar has a similar approach to luxury as Dubai. You’ll feel that focus in the airport, with shops and offers from leading brands like Adidas, Hermes, Bulgari, Kenzo, Dior, and plenty more. There’s even an Apple store in case you want to grab a tax-fee iPad.
Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
Hong Kong has a luxury shopping obsession. Shopping for upscale brands is such a bona fide pastime that you don’t even need to leave the airport to take advantage of some seriously elevated brands and shops.
In fact, Terminal 1 of HKG is a who’s-who of boutique high-fashion giants like Louis Vuitton and Maison Margiela.
Just keep in mind that many shoppers have noted that Hong Kong’s duty-free prices aren’t actually much lower than retail options. As one of the most expensive cities in the world, it looks like avoiding those import taxes doesn’t actually help too much.
Still, if you like luxury shopping, you’ll have plenty of stores to keep you busy during a longer layover.
John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK)
Compared to other airports on this list, JFK’s luxury fashion options aren’t nearly as extensive. There’s a stronger emphasis on electronics and gadgets, along with spirits, wines, and tobacco.
According to some duty-free resources, you should be focusing on wines and spirits at JFK for the heftiest savings. If you have a spare hour or two to kill before your flight, you’ll find plenty of duty-free shopping options throughout each departure area.
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
Want to shop in Paris without actually heading into the city? CDG has extensive duty-free shopping options with some brands having multiple stores.
But you can only take advantage as a non-EU citizen, so make sure to use your American passport if you’re a dual holder.
The focus is on high-fashion brands like Bulgari, Bottega Veneta, Cartier, Hermes, Prada, and more. But you’ll also be able to purchase upscale wine and liquor brands, along with fragrances and cosmetics.
Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
Singapore Changi offers the most well-rounded duty-free shopping experience in the world—which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the over-the-top nature of this airport.
Along with the standard duty-free fare of fashion, spirits, cosmetics, and tobacco, you can find steals on electronics, entertainment, children and family retail, sports products, eyewear, and even health and wellness.
To be fair, you might be more taken with Changi’s extensive list of experiences. If you want to set aside some time to be a tourist at Singapore’s airport, leave yourself a multi-hour layover. It’ll be a vacation within a vacation.
