Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Sublimely cut and whimsically retro-esque, Tina Sondergaard's handmade creations for women are a hit with the local fashion cognoscenti. Styles change by…
Must-see shopping in Europe
La Latina & Lavapiés
One of Europe’s most creative jewellery designers, Helena Rohner has a spacious boutique in La Latina. Working with silver, stone, porcelain, wood and…
Oxford
The most famous bookshop in the most studenty of cities, Blackwell’s is, with its vast range of literature, treatises and guilty pleasures, a book-lover’s…
Reykjavík
Kolaportið is a Reykjavík institution. Weekends see a huge industrial building by the harbour filled with a vast tumble of secondhand clothes, old toys…
Milan
Brainchild of Sardinian fashion designer Antonio Marras, this eccentric concept store has an almost cinematic feel. Hidden in an ivy-draped courtyard, the…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
This family-run deli is a fantasyland of Italian edibles. Whole prosciutto hams hang in profusion. Cheeses, olive oil, dried pasta, balsamic vinegar, wine…
Stockholm
An ultraclassy department store founded in 1902, NK (Nordiska Kompaniet) is a city landmark – you can see its rotating neon sign from most parts of…
Madrid
The extraordinary tiled facade of this wonderful old shop conceals an Aladdin’s cave of ceramics from all over Spain. This is not the mass-produced stuff…
Kyiv
Kyiv's beautiful, light-filled, central market, built in 1910–12 for traders coming to Kyiv from Bessarabia, is not to be missed. The arrangements of…
Salamanca
This boutique has to be seen to be believed, with pinks, yellows and oranges everywhere you turn. It’s fun and exuberant, but not just for kids. It also…
Kraków
Highly atmospheric book emporium selling English-language fiction and nonfiction, both new and secondhand. There’s a cafe area with loads of character,…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Nason Moretti has been making modernist magic happen in glass since the 1950s, and the third-generation glass designers are in fine form in this showroom…
Venice
Kids and adults alike are thrilled at the magical, miniature insects, butterflies, shells and birds that Vittorio Costantini fashions out of glass using a…
Brussels
This stylish bookshop located down an alley has a small but classy English-language section. Check the website for forthcoming literary events, many of…
Helsinki
Originally founded by architects and designers Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino Aalto in 1935, this iconic Finnish company maintains the simple design…
Reykjavík
Talented designers show their works at this long-running women’s art-and-design collective. Highlights include the bracelets and purses made from soft,…
Budapest
‘Death by chocolate’ has arrived in Budapest by way of Gyula, a city in Hungary’s southeast where the delectable handmade filled bonbons sold here are…
Copenhagen
Rolf Hay’s fabulous interior-design store sells its own coveted line of furniture, textiles and design objects, as well as those of other fresh,…
L'Eixample
You never know when you might need flowers, and this vast, packed-to-the-rafters florist never closes. Established in 1960, it has two spaces on Carrer de…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Mind-boggling miniatures are the trademarks of this Murano glass-blower, but you’ll also find some dramatic departures: chiselled cobalt-blue vases,…
Budapest
Still top of the pops for English-language bookshops in Budapest, with fiction, travel guides and lots of Hungarica, as well as a large selection of…
Dubrovnik
Selling 'wonderful items made by Croatians', this very cool design store sells everything from wines and craft beers to jewellery, clothing, homewares and…
Moscow
From the courtyard, look for the black metal door that leads down into this dungeon of a shop, which houses room after room of CDs, in every genre…
Kraków
As the name implies, this is more than a shop, it's a celebration of all things amber. Even if you're not in the market to buy, it's certainly worth a…
Marché aux Fleurs Reine Elizabeth II
Paris
Blooms have been sold at this quaint flower market since 1808, making it the oldest market of any kind in Paris. On Sunday, there's also a cacophonous…
Kraków
The eye-catching creations of designer Grzegorz Błażko are on display in this small gallery and workshop, including his unique range of chequered enamel…
Valencia
Many Valencians would say this is the city's best vintage shop, and we're always intrigued by what it has in stock. As well as clothes, there's a quirky…
Place du Jeu-de-Balle Flea Market
Brussels
The quintessential Marolles experience is haggling at this chaotic flea market, established in 1919. Weekends see it at its liveliest, but for the best…
Valencia
In business since 1856, this charming shop features piles of traditional wickerwork – how about a basket for your bicycle? – plus rocking horses and other…
Budapest
This tiny shop just off Váci utca sells some of the finest locally made paper and paper goods in Budapest, including leather-bound notebooks, photo albums…
St Petersburg
This Style Moderne stunner is St Petersburg's most elegant grocery store, selling plenty of branded goods from tea blends to caviar and handmade…
Friesland
No drink is more traditional to seafaring Sneek than beerenburg, a local herb-infused gin originally drunk by sailors to warm their cockles at sea and…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
The Sunday Upmarket (also open on Saturday) sprawls among the beautiful brick buildings of the Old Truman Brewery, on both sides of Brick Lane between…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Mismatched vintage reading lamps spotlight the floor-to-ceiling canary-yellow shelves at this delightful indie bookshop, where titles are arranged…
Friesland
A mooch around the workshop and boutique of Hindeloopen's oldest furniture maker is a highlight. Founded in 1894, the family business is run today by…
Sultanahmet
Mehmet Çetinkaya is one of the country's foremost experts on antique oriental carpets and kilims. One of his two Tavukhane Sokak galleries is built over…
Naples
Despite hiding away on the 3rd floor of a nondescript building, Paris, New York and Tokyo know all about this family-run glove factory, whose clients…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
For homemade biscuits, bite-sized meringues and fruit tarts large and small, there is no finer address in Rome than this vintage biscottificio with…
The Pyrenees
In the village of St-Girons, a massive market spreads along the riverbank every Saturday throughout the year. If you're in the area, it's well worth…
Genoa
Even if you're not in the market for designer homewares, it's worth trotting up the noble stairs just to be reminded how splendid a city Genoa can be…
