Apart from food stalls, quaint cafes and family restaurants lining the streets in the area, MG Road is popular among tourists for traditional Sikkimese handicrafts such as wooden beer pots, flags, prayer wheels and traditional Nepalese knives. The entire 1-km stretch is lit with Victorian lamps, which lend a colonial, rustic atmosphere to the market. 

MG Marg is among the nation's first litter and spit-free zones where no vehicles are allowed to enter, and all the shops have been painted green in tune with the government’s green initiative. The Statue of Unity, comprising figures of Bhutia Chieftain Khye Bumsa, the Lepcha leader Thetong Tek and his wife Ngo-Kong-ngol, overlooks MG Marg. About halfway down the street is a large statue of Mahatma Gandhi. 

Lal Bazaar is a great place to pick fresh fruits and organic vegetables, along with a variety of cottage cheese, alpine cheese and chhurpi, a special cheese made from yak’s milk. You can also buy pottery, prayer flags, Nepalese knives and baskets made from bamboo and cane. 

Orchid bulbs are another speciality of the bazaar. Orchids are Sikkim's floral emblem, and several varieties of the orchid bulb are sold at this market. They are usually available in winter. The market is especially lively on Sundays, and turns into an exhibition of sorts of the culture and heritage of Gangtok, with people from across the city flocking to it.