Piran
Nika Domnik creates gorgeous little Piran homes, boats and other locally themed items from driftwood found on local beaches. She's often to be found here…
Must-see shopping in Central Europe
Vienna
Long-lost recipes for traditional sweets and all-natural ingredients including Austrian sugar (produced from sugar beet) are used by this 'sugar workshop'…
Berlin
The aroma of peppermint and liquorice wafts through this old-fashioned basement candy kitchen whose owners use antique equipment and time-tested and…
Hamburg
Arguably Hamburg's premier collection of art-and-craft stores, the arcade at Koppel 66 has some intriguing options – from hat-makers and handmade soaps,…
Salzburg
Pistachio, nougat and dark-chocolate dreams, the Mozartkugeln (Mozart balls) here are still handmade to Paul Fürst’s original 1890 recipe. Other…
Hamburg
This 'Made in Germany' delicatessen has beautifully packaged and utterly tempting foods (jams, chocolates etc) and drinks (try the Monkey 47 Schwarzwald…
Warsaw
Leonardo's Lady with a Piglet? Just one of the cheeky, quirky and colourful print T-shirts and other fashion accessories stocked by this porcine-loving…
Vienna
Furniture, lamps, rugs, vases, jewellery, watches, graphic art, bags, even bicycles are among the creations you might find on display at 'The Workbench'…
Ljubljana
This fantastic delicatessen with more than 300 products from farms (mostly) in the Karst stocks pršut (air-dried ham, not unlike prosciutto) in all its…
Kraków
This small, exclusive art gallery features modern Polish artists from the 1940s to the 1970s. Look for the Polish drip paintings, reminiscent of Jackson…
Warsaw
In an area well endowed with antique and vintage stores, Look Inside stands out for its cool selection and attractive displays. It also has contemporary…
Jiřího z Poděbrad Farmers Market
Prague
Food vendors and farmers descend on to the grassy square above the Jiřího z Poděbrad metro station four times a week to sell their fresh fruits and…
Budapest
Off the northern end of Váci utca, this atelier-shop has attractive folk art with a modern look and remains a favourite place to shop for gifts. Lovely…
Warsaw
One of the best and certainly the most colourful collections of Polish folk-art souvenirs in the Old Town. Across two floors you'll find good examples of…
Hamburg
This gorgeous little boutique selling handmade gold and other jewellery is a lovely counterpoint to the luxury international brands that dominate Neustadt…
Kraków
Eye-catching retro design shop, featuring mainly reproductions of furnishings, lighting, ceramics and wall art from the 1960s and '70s. There's also some…
Ljubljana
As much a wine shop as a wine bar, this is always our first port of call when buying a bottle. Although Movia is its own label, the knowledgeable staff…
Kraków
Poland has always excelled in the underrated art of making film posters and this amazing shop has the city’s largest and best choice of posters, created…
Budapest
A considerable collection of antique swords and pistols, as well as porcelain, paintings and other items from China, Japan and other parts of Asia…
Piran
Slovenia's best-known chocolate is produced by this chocolaterie, based in the hamlet of Olimje in the east of the country. This boutique outlet is a…
Bovec
Small but filled with a careful selection of local wines, craft beers, cheeses and cured meats, 'The Treasure of Soča' lives up to its name.
Munich
This rare secondhand traditional-clothing store (the name is a phonetic yodel) is worth a look even if you don't intend buying. Apparently, wearing hand…
Lausanne
The pedestrianised streets of the Old Town around the Place de la Riponne, in the foreground of the Palais de Rumine, come to life every Wednesday and…
Fribourg, Drei-Seen-Land and The Jura
The adjacent burnt-red and caramel brick factory of this chocolatier, in business since 1901, churns out slabs of Alpine-rich Gruyère milk chocolate, and…
Lower Saxony & Bremen
Huth's has been roasting its coffee in-house daily, in small batches, since 1851. But there's much more to browse here: two counters filled with gourmet…
Klagenfurt
On Thursday and Saturday mornings head to the Benediktinerplatz for a feast of local cheeses, salamis, fruit and veg at this superb market. Around the…
Warsaw
Worth searching out if you're in the market for a piece of vintage Polish glass, crystal, china and stoneware. The cafe (which serves excellent coffee)…
Vienna
Recycled design, ecology and social responsibility underpin the quirky designs at Gabarage. Old bowling pins become vases, rubbish bins get a new life as…
The Salzkammergut
A super-stuffed – but far from stuffy – vintage emporium, with a range of housewares, ephemera, furniture and clothes spread over several rooms and lined…
Graz
The extravagantly carved neobaroque oak facade of this historic bakery comes complete with a gold-plated double eagle above the entrance, testament to its…
Prenzlauer Berg
Join the throngs of thrifty trinket hunters, bleary-eyed clubbers and excited tourists sifting for treasure at this always busy flea market with cult…
Erzsébetváros & the Jewish Quarter
A branch of the celebrated bookshop in Kraków, Massolit is one of Budapest’s best, with new and second-hand English-language fiction and nonfiction,…
Vienna
Das Möbel showcases some of the coolest and most-original furniture in Vienna. Local artists and designers fill the place with their latest innovations…
Historic Mitte
If the Aztecs regarded chocolate as the elixir of the gods, then this emporium of truffles and pralines must be heaven. The shop features Instaworthy…
Vienna
A wonderland of craft beers, this emporium stocks over 1000 labels from at least 125 different breweries in more than 70 styles, with more being sourced…
City West & Charlottenburg
This four-storey temple of good taste will have devotees of the finer things itching to redecorate. Everything you could possibly want for home and hearth…
Kraków
One-stop shopping for amberphiles at this growing retail empire, with cases and cases of amber rings, necklaces, brooches and earrings, plus a ‘museum’ …
Erzsébetváros & the Jewish Quarter
Every Sunday, ruin pub Szimpla Kert holds a charming farmers' market where you can buy all manner of local jams, honey, yoghurt, cheese and bread from…
Kraków
This well-established antique salon is like a small museum; its three rooms are stuffed with clocks, maps, paintings, lamps, sculptures and furniture…
Kraków
Sells eye-poppingly beautiful ceramic designs from the western Polish city of Bolesławiec. The dishes, plates and bowls are all hand-painted with a unique…
