6 Best Places to Shop in Mirik (2024)
Located at an altitude of 1700 meters above sea level, Mirik is a relatively unpopular hill station in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. As the tiny municipal town is located only 52 km from the Queen of the hills Darjeeling, most tourists prefer to do a day tour in the city. But Mirik is quite suitable to be a tourist destination where you can spend a few days peacefully.
Not only is Mirik a beautiful town, but it has a lot of varying sights seeing spots as well. Some of the renowned places to see in Mirik are Bokar Monastery, Debistan, Orange
Orchards, Mirik Church, Pasupati Nagar, Bukulung, Rai Dhap, and others. The most popular place in Mirik is the Sumendhu lake, also the city center of the town. If you visit there, you will be able to explore the lake by walking along the 3.5-km long encircling path. Most people also love boating in the lake.
If you are determined to spend your holidays in Mirik, you also need to know about shopping places. Now, if we are honest, Mirik is not the most well-known shopping destination in India. But there are a few sites located over there, which are some of the best places to shop in Mirik. If you read this blog, then you will know about the said shops in Mirik in great detail. Reaching Mirik is quite easy as it is located only 49 km away from Siliguri. You will not have any difficulty finding a taxi outside Siliguri or New Jalpaiguri railway station to take you to Mirik. As there are limited hotels in the town, it is always better for tourists to book their rooms in advance. You might not get accommodation if you visit there during the peak seasons.
6 Best Places to Shop in Mirik
The sites mentioned below are some of the most popular places to shop in Mirik. You might not find luxurious clothing or branded items over there, but they are perfect for buying Nepali or Tibetan trinkets for your loved ones.
1. The Southern Side of Lake Sumendhu
The Mirik lake or Sumendhu lake is famous for its beauty and the large number of shops located there. If you are a fan of curio items from Nepal and Tibet, then the shops on the Southern side of lake Mirik are perfect for you. You will find pottery items with Tibetan design, but you will also find woolen garments like jackets, sweaters, socks, gloves, carpets, and others. If you want, you can also buy authentic Tibetan carpets which the local women of Mirik make themselves by using a spinning wheel known as Chassba.
Most of the carpets sold by the local artists of Mirik have geometrical patterns and are pretty colorful. Those are an excellent option for you if you are thinking about changing the décor of your home. If you want, you can also buy trinkets for your loved ones from the shops of the said location.
2. Eastern Side of Lake Mirik
Like the Southern part of Lake Sumendhu, the eastern part also has a lot of shops selling various items. You will find woolen garments and jackets over there, but you will also find hats, bags, small curio trinkets, and other commodities from there. All the shops selling the said items also sell authentic Darjeeling tea from the tea gardens situated around Mirik. You will be able to buy high-quality tea from tea estates of Mirik like Tingling, Gopaldhara, Thurbo, Sourenee, and others. If you are worried about the authenticity of the packaged tea, do not panic as they are 100% genuine.
Some of the shops even allow you to taste the tea before buying. You will not be able to bargain about the Darjeeling tea packages, but you can negotiate the prices of the others sold in the stores. You can quickly reduce the expenses of woolen garments from the shops over there.
3. Chogyal Floriculture Nursery
Chogyal Floriculture Nursery is the only place in Mirik where you will get to buy a wide variety of decorative plants and Orchids. By walking 15 minutes from the trail by the Eastern part of lake Sumendhu, you will be able to reach the nursery pretty easily. As the nursery has been open since the 80s, you can be sure about its reputation. You will get to see bulbs, hybrid flowers, orchids, vegetable seedlings, and others, but you will also get helpful tips from the owner of the store. Mr. Chogyal is quite knowledgeable, and he will be able to assist you in case you have any queries.
The store even has seeds of plants from different parts of the US, Germany, and other temperate countries. You can buy the seeds of the orchids and wait for a year for them to bloom, or you can purchase the orchids directly. But obtaining the seeds will cost you more money than buying seeds.
4. Mirik Market
Mirik Market is one of the best places to shop in Mirik, not only for the tourists but also for the locals. You will be able to reach the market by following the trail of the lake Sumendhu quite quickly. It should not take you more than six minutes if you go there by car from the Krishnanagar area. In case you are going by car, you would have to take the route from the main road. There are a large number of shops located in the market area. They sell clothing items like jeans, bags, caps, dress materials, and others, but they see electronic goods and curio items. The local people of Mirik also use this market to buy essential daily commodities.
There are some street-food stalls located in the market area as well. If you get tired by all the shopping, then you could rejuvenate yourself by grabbing a bite from one of the stalls over there.
5. Artificial Flower Shop In Mirik Market
There is a small plastic flower shop in the market area of Mirik, where you will find an extensive collection of different flowers. You will not even be able to tell the difference between real flowers and the flowers sold in the shop. As the shop has a massive glass window, you will see the collection over there quite easily. There are replicas of flowers like lilies, gladiolas, orchids, and others. The best part about the shop is that all the items over there are pretty reasonably priced. Nevertheless, do not forget to bargain.
6. Mirik Floating Handicraft Market
The floating market is one of the best places to shop in Mirik. Even though since its inauguration in 2018, the market was destroyed due to the devasting August 2019 storm, but it reopened again in February 2020. There are around five shopkeepers over there who sell items like Tibetan woolen carpets, cane basket, local oranges, and other figurines in Lake Sumendhu. You will also be able to find Darjeeling tea from any of the shops over there. Remember the market is open from 10 am to 4 pm.
The shops mentioned in this blog might not be attractive, but the items sold over there are made with care by the local craftsmen and artisans. Most of the shops in Mirik get closed by 7 pm. So, remember the timing while shopping over there.
