Must-see shopping in Europe

  • Shakespeare and Co bookshop.

    Shakespeare & Company

    Latin Quarter

    Enchanting nooks and crannies overflow with new and secondhand English-language books. The original shop (12 rue l’Odéon, 6e; closed by the Nazis in 1941)…

  • Galeries Lafayette Department Store

    Galeries Lafayette

    Paris

    Grande-dame department store Galeries Lafayette is spread across the main store (its magnificent neo-byzantine stained-glass dome dates from 1912), its…

  • Smoked sausage meat hanging at food stall at Nagycsarnok Market.

    Nagycsarnok

    Budapest

    Completed in 1897, this is Budapest's biggest market, though it has become a tourist magnet since its renovation for the millecentenary celebrations in…

  • Bouquinistes

    Paris

    With some 3km of forest-green boxes lining the Seine – containing over 300,000 secondhand (and often out-of-print) books, rare magazines, postcards and…

  • Eataly Torino Lingotto

    Turin

    The global Slow Food phenomenon began here in Lingotto. Set in a vast converted factory, the Eataly mothership houses a staggering array of sustainable…

  • Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Spanning nine hectares, this vast flea market was founded in 1870 and is said to be Europe’s largest. Over 2000 stalls are grouped into 15 marchés …

  • Le Bonbon au Palais

    Latin Quarter

    Kids and kids-at-heart will adore this sugar-fuelled tour de France. The school-geography-themed boutique stocks rainbows of artisanal sweets from around…

  • Jennifer's Hamam

    Sultanahmet

    Owned by Canadian Jennifer Gaudet, this shop stocks top-quality towels, peştemals (traditional bath wraps) and robes for both adults and children. All are…

  • Merci

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    A Fiat Cinquecento marks the entrance to this unique concept store, which donates all its profits to a children’s charity in Madagascar. Shop for fashion,…

  • A Vida Portuguesa

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    A flashback to the late 19th century with its high ceilings and polished cabinets, this former warehouse and perfume factory lures nostalgics with its all…

  • Cave du Félibrige

    Aix-en-Provence

    Run by committed oenophiles Francois and Vincent, this trove of rare and delightful bottles aims to cover the many French styles and terroirs, paying…

  • LN Mattei

    Bastia

    Run by Bastia’s famous distillery, this iconic boutique has the look and feel of a grocer from the 1900s. The enticing array of bottles naturally includes…

  • La Grande Épicerie de Paris

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    The magnificent food hall of department store Le Bon Marché sells 30,000 rare and/or luxury gourmet products, including 60 different types of bread baked…

  • Le Bon Marché

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Built by Gustave Eiffel as Paris’ first department store in 1852, this is the epitome of style, with a superb concentration of men’s and women’s fashions,…

  • Svenskt Tenn

    Stockholm

    As much a museum of design as an actual shop, this iconic store is home to the signature fabrics and furniture of Josef Frank and his contemporaries…

  • Gabriele

    Brussels

    For amazing vintage finds, try eccentric, elegant Gabriele. There’s a gorgeous jumble of cocktail dresses, hats, Chinese shawls and accessories; only…

  • Kurazh Bazar

    Kyiv

    Kurazh Bazar is a fantastic monthly weekend flea market on Kyiv's left (east) bank. You'll find some 400 vendors selling all manner of new and used…

  •  Harrods store at night

    Harrods

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    Garish and stylish in equal measure, perennially crowded Harrods is an obligatory stop for visitors, from the cash-strapped to the big spenders. The stock…

  • John Sandoe Books

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    Steeped in literary charm and a perfect antidote to impersonal book superstores, this three-storey bookshop in an 18th-century premises inhabits its own…

  • Moomin mugs by Arabia

    Arabiakeskus

    Helsinki

    Arabia refers to a whole district where the legendary Finnish ceramics company has manufactured its products since 1873. The complex, 5km north of…

  • Lvivska Maysternya Shokoladu

    Lviv

    A chocoholic's dream, nothing quite prepares you for this branch of Lviv's most famous franchise export. Over several floors of a seemingly endlessly…

  • Makadam

    Belgrade

    Make your way to Makadam across the original Turkish cobblestones of Kosančićev venac, a lovely slice of old Belgrade. The concept store only sells…

  • Uashmama, shop front

    Uashmama

    Oltrarno

    Modern craftsmanship shines out of this loveable boutique, the pride and joy of the Marconi family, whose washable paper bags – tanned just like leather…

  • Parfimerija Sava

    Belgrade

    With its old-fashioned interior, gorgeous vintage bottles and delectable scents wafting throughout, this traditional perfumery is a doorway into the…

  • Athens, Greece - 3 March 2023 - People buying fish at the local Varvakios Central Municipal Market in Athens
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    Varvakios Agora

    Athens

    A wonderful sight in its own right, this huge old wrought-iron market hall is dedicated to fish and meat, especially row upon row of lamb carcasses,…

  • Stilleben

    Copenhagen

    Owned by Danish Design School graduates Ditte Reckweg and Jelena Schou Nordentoft, Stilleben stocks a bewitching range of contemporary ceramic, glassware,…

  • Stilleben

    Copenhagen

    One of Copenhagen's top design stores, Stilleben is famed for its graphic prints, not to mention its stock of unique objects from mostly smaller-scale…

  • Feelin' Venice gift shop

    Feelin' Venice

    Venice

    Tired of bemoaning the increasing number of tatty souvenir shops, Venetians Mattia and Filippo decided to open a design-led alternative featuring the work…

  • L'Arca in Barcelona is a vintage shop that specializes in bridal and Edwardian fashions. They supplied a number of costumes for the 1997 movie, Titanic.

    L’Arca

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    Step inside this enchanting vintage boutique for beautifully crafted apparel from the past, mostly sourced from local homes: 18th-century embroidered silk…

  • Illums Bolighus

    Copenhagen

    Design fans hyperventilate over this sprawling department store, its four floors packed with all things Nordic and beautiful. You'll find everything from…

  • Vsi. Svoi

    Kyiv

    The ‘biggest store selling Ukrainian brands in the world’ (as it markets itself) is strategically set on the central bul Khreshchatyk. Set over four…

  • Ecseri Piac

    Budapest

    One of the biggest flea markets in Central Europe, Ecseri sells everything from antique jewellery and Soviet army watches to Fred Astaire–style top hats.

  • Six Gallery from the street

    Six Gallery

    Milan

    A team of creatives have breathed new life into this formerly abandoned 16th-century monastery. Now an atmospheric design space, it's composed of a bistro…

  • Chiarastella Cattana in Venice

    Chiarastella Cattana

    Venice

    Transform any home with these locally woven, strikingly original Venetian linens. Whimsical cushions feature chubby purple rhinoceroses and grumpy scarlet…

  • 500px Photo ID: 133334391 - Basket weave, fine detail, macro

    Senųjų Amatų Dirbtuvės

    Vilnius

    The tools, materials, processes and final results of a whole range of traditional crafts – weaving, papermaking, bookbinding, leather-working,…

  • PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 29, 2015: The open-air market in the Bastille district is one of the largest and busiest in the city selling fresh produce from France and other European countries. ; Shutterstock ID 318453461; Your name (First / Last): redownload; GL account no.: redownload; Netsuite department name: redownload; Full Product or Project name including edition: redownload

    Marché Bastille

    Paris

    If you only get to one open-air street market in Paris, this one – stretching between the Bastille and Richard Lenoir metro stations – is among the very…

  • Lvivska Maysternya Pryanykiv

    Lviv

    This award-winning gingerbread shop is a must-see, even if you are on a sugar-free diet. The delicious tooth-rotters are decorated in everything from…

  • Atelier Bomba shop in Rome

    Bomba

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Opened by designer Cristina Bomba over four decades ago, this gorgeous boutique is now operated by her fashion-designing children Caterina (womenswear)…

  • Fausto Santini sells shoes & bags by Fausto Santini, who is heavily influenced by architectural design.

    Fausto Santini

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Rome’s best-known shoe designer, Fausto Santini is famous for his beguilingly simple, architectural shoe designs, realised in boots and shoes made with…

  • Process Collettivo, shop in Venice

    Process Collettivo

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    A nonprofit cooperative runs this little shop, selling goods made by inmates of Venice's prisons as part of a social reintegration program. The toiletries…

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