Liège
A showcase for products made in Wallonia? Non mais oui! Local beers are included bien sûre but also honey-based cosmetics, chocolate moustaches, artisanal…
Must-see shopping in Belgium
Antwerp
Bruno Pieters offers designer fashion that's 100% transparent – not like the Emperor's New Clothes, but with respect to cost breakdown and responsible…
Bruges
The cool concrete exterior of L’Heroine stands out among the chains. Here you’ll find established Belgian designers Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester…
Wallonia
One of Wallonia's most atmospheric bookstores, Livre Ou Verre sells a beautiful selection of secondhand books. But even if you don't read French, it's…
Namur
Just off the beaten path, this charmingly eccentric second-hand bookshop is a great place to browse – even if you're not a Francophone. Books aside, you…
Bruges
Bruges overflows with lace vendors, but this sweet little ‘museum shop’ is well off the normal tourist trail. The delicate garments and gifts on sale are…
Antwerp
While you can find cheaper chocolate shops, the Chocolate Line offers you a unique combination of celebrity 'shocolatier'-creator, a workshop where you…
Wallonia
You'll find a wide range of past treasures at this congenial antiques store on one of Mons' main shopping and dining streets. Porcelain, illustrated books…
Wallonia
If you happen to be around on the two days a week it's open, don't miss this colourful vintage shop on the right bank of the Escaut. Aside from mid…
Ostend
Ostend's busy fish market is a briny bustling place and well worth a walk around its several wagon-stalls hawking smoked and cooked fish, pre-fried…
Namur
Going strong for more than 30 years, this tiny foodie emporium is packed with regional and international delicacies. You'll find rare beers, high-quality…
Wallonia
One of the best days to be in Mons is on Sunday, when its big market takes over the Place Nervienne and the nearby Place du Béguinage. Here you'll find…
Brussels
A wondrous cellar stocking over 190 Australian wines (the most comprehensive selection in Europe). Look out for rare drops from Tasmania and deliberate…
Antwerp
This is the place to come to find designer-label bargains, both overstock consignments and preloved items.
Bruges
Vast range of Belgian products from beers to biscuits in a snazzy, central location, but prices can be exorbitant. Their ‘beer wall’ is worth a look, as…
Bruges
The stone slabs of the colonnaded 1821 fish market still accommodate fish stalls most mornings, along with trinket sellers later in the day. Several…
Northeast Belgium
This is one of Belgium's best flea markets, with a large number of brocante stalls and some serious antique dealers.
Brussels
This designer-eyewear specialist has an extraordinary line in silver filigree eyeshades. Look up to admire the shop's Parisian-style gables, and glance…
Brussels
Vintage and used clothing are given a hip twist within a lovely sloping alley in the heart of the Marolles. Stylishly arranged by colour, the selection…
Wallonia
This tiny boutique downhill from the Grand Place has eye-catching designs by local designers, some of whom use richly hued textiles from West Africa. The…
Liège
A delightful little cheese shop selling local(ish) Herve, along with even stronger French alternatives. Next door there's an equally lovable charcuterie…
Brussels
Over 100 vendors fill this stately square on weekends, selling crockery, crystal, jewellery, furniture, 18th-century Breton Faïence (pottery) and other…
Bruges
Quirky clothes handmade from vintage fabrics by shop owner Mim herself, as well as '60s crockery, cut glass, glorious hats and '70s kids’ clothes. You can…
Antwerp
In striking contrast to all the contemporary boutiques nearby, Boon is a traditional old-world glove shop, established in 1884.
Bruges
Here since 1920, this large, family-run music shop specialises in classical, jazz, Flemish, folk and world music, and is the kind of place where you can…
Bruges
A cornucopia of Flemish tapestries machine-made near Wetteren. Worth a browse if you want to take a piece of Belgium home with you. It also sells throws,…
Antwerp
In an old bank building with a gorgeous stained-glass ceiling, Verso offers designer wares, perfume and accessories. Attached is a dark and moody cocktail…
Brussels
Located in a high-fashion district, this store is full of bright, beautiful and hip bargains. It usually has a good range of colourful scarves at bargain…
Antwerp
Dries Van Noten's beautiful Antwerp flagship store is located in a distinctive 19th-century flatiron building in the heart of Sint-Andries.
Brussels
Belgium’s original – established in 1857. This stunning flagship shop has stained-glass windows and sumptuous displays. It is the home of the praline, a…
Antwerp
Even if you hate shopping malls, it's worth poking your head into this one, which has a vast central hall dating from 1908 that's a festival of giltwork…
Brussels
This chocolatier originated in the Galeries Royales, and everything is still made near Brussels; it invented the praline back in 1912. It sells chocolate,…
Antwerp
Fashion eyeware (frames from €98) with fast-track fitting so that you can get your prescription glasses upgraded the same day (or within the hour for an…
Northeast Belgium
For over 120 years, this statue-filled shop has been the go-to place for pilgrims seeking a goodly crop of Lourdes-style Catholic trinkets and religious…
Liège
Liège's top comic-book shop is especially strong on manga and if you don't read French there's still a fine range of contemporary cartoon-inspired…
Antwerp
An ever-popular streetwear purveyor with humour-filled displays amid bare-concrete pillars. In-store DJs enliven proceedings on Saturday afternoons.
Galerie d’Ixelles & Galerie de la Porte de Namur
Brussels
Bolts of African fabrics, Congolese CDs and hair salons doing braids and extensions fill these interconnected shopping arcades in Matongé.
Brussels
Secondhand bookshop with a huge and changing range of stock, a fair bit of it in English. Have a browse and a coffee at the upstairs cafe.
Antwerp
Designer leather handbags handmade in the back workshop by Russia-analyst-turned-designer Klaar. Prices are in the €600 range.
