Copley Place has set the standard for upscale shopping in Boston since 1985. Connected to the Westin and Marriott hotels and the Prudential Center, it's a crossroads for office workers, moviegoers, out-of-towners, and enthusiastic consumers. You can while away a couple of hours or a whole day shopping and dining here and at the adjacent Shops at Prudential Center without ever going outdoors.

Some of Copley Place's 100-plus shops will be familiar from the mall at home, but this is emphatically not a suburban shopping complex that happens to be in the city. You'll see famous stores that don't have another branch in Boston: Caswell-Massey (tel. 617/437-9292), Christian Dior (tel. 617/927-7577), Gucci (tel. 617/247-3000), Louis Vuitton (tel. 617/437-6519), Tiffany & Co. (tel. 617/353-0222), and a suitably classy "anchor" department store, Neiman Marcus (tel. 617/536-3660). Also here are the Artful Hand Gallery, a Museum of Fine Arts Gift Shop, and a branch of Stoddard's.

Open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 8pm, Sunday from noon to 6pm. Some stores have extended hours, and the theaters and some restaurants are open through late evening.